Devotion

...love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause: 

Every weekday morning we wake up at 6am; a ludicrously early time to start the day, but necessary because the partner staff here hold a morning Bible study for an hour before work begins each day. 

To get up early to spend time with God is something I attempted in London once a week. And even then, getting to my church prayer meeting was an utter struggle and didn’t happen every Thursday. My half-hearted attempt pales in comparison to these devoted staff members who have made it part of their jobs to ensure that everything they do is prayed for. 

I’m amazed by the importance of prayer in this place. Earlier this week we participated in a day of prayer and fasting, which takes place on the first Wednesday of every month. A rhythm of prayer, praise and sacrificing food that ensures that God is glorified and is kept at the centre of everything they do. 

The work these partner staff do is emotionally draining. They’re engaging with poverty on a daily basis; meeting community groups with nothing, visiting people in the middle of nowhere on tracks only accessed by motorbikes. They help families who have to make do with the little they own and listen to their struggles. And everyone is still recovering from the horrors of Rwanda’s past; mourning and brokenness is in the background of each difficult situation.

The staff members have their own past too; their own problems to face. Life isn’t easy for anyone here. Yet these times of prayer aren’t just asking God to fix the issues of life. There’s so much praise and thanksgiving. And a reliance on God that empowers everything that they do. 

Last night I found myself at a night of prayer. It takes place every so often with staff members and community facilitators; the people they’re working with on a grassroots level. I arrived with low expectations; tired and uncertain about how much I would understand in a room full of Kinyarwanda speakers. Yet the joy evident in the people and the place awakened my soul and filled me with hope. 

Praising God in a school hall as the generator gave power in the darkness. Singing in a language I did not know with people who naturally made a beautiful noise. Standing alongside people I knew only a little; who have opened up their lives to us even though we’re only passing by. And in the middle of this extraordinary setup, I found God’s presence again. 

A reminder to praise the God who is creator of the universe; to adore the One who died for me; to devote myself to prayer and praise irrespective of my circumstances. Because that’s what we are called to do. 

Imana Ishimwe.

Praise God. 

Praise God for his people in Rwanda, who are passionately and wholeheartedly serving. Who are challenging me to think about the way that I life and reminding me that devoting myself to God isn’t a 20 minute exercise each morning, but a 24 hour activity each day.