Missions: Trust in a Loving, Heavenly Father
Any accurate biography of Jesus will relate how Jesus lived in complete obedience to his father, thus establishing himself as a lamb without sin or blemish, an acceptable sacrifice (Heb 9:14). That same biography will also picture Jesus as a shepherd who cares for and ministers to his sheep. He fed the hungry. He gave drink to the thirsty. He went about Galilee and Judea healing those who were sick. He raised the dead to life. He delivered from demon possession those who were in bondage. He wept over Jerusalem.
Here is the servant of the Lord, who is gentle, who will not break a bruised reed (Is 42:2). He will establish justice in the earth (Is 42:3,4). He shepherds his people (Matt 2:6). He says to the hurting, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt 1:28-30).
To those who live their lives out of animistic worldviews that cause them to tremble because of the spirits, here is comfort and safety. Eugene Nida and William Smalley have noted the fear that so dominates the lives of many animists. Furthermore, they have observed that folk religions, with their magical practices (spells, fetishes, etc.) and special religious functionaries (shamans, witch doctors, dukuns), “do tend to help men adjust to the universe by giving them some sense of control, thus eliminating certain elements of fear, [however] they do not actually solve this problem of meeting life’s crises.” Ultimately, the fear of spirits and powers so strong in animistic contexts “is no competition to trust in a loving, heavenly Father.”
- Dr. George Martin
Here is the servant of the Lord, who is gentle, who will not break a bruised reed (Is 42:2). He will establish justice in the earth (Is 42:3,4). He shepherds his people (Matt 2:6). He says to the hurting, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt 1:28-30).
To those who live their lives out of animistic worldviews that cause them to tremble because of the spirits, here is comfort and safety. Eugene Nida and William Smalley have noted the fear that so dominates the lives of many animists. Furthermore, they have observed that folk religions, with their magical practices (spells, fetishes, etc.) and special religious functionaries (shamans, witch doctors, dukuns), “do tend to help men adjust to the universe by giving them some sense of control, thus eliminating certain elements of fear, [however] they do not actually solve this problem of meeting life’s crises.” Ultimately, the fear of spirits and powers so strong in animistic contexts “is no competition to trust in a loving, heavenly Father.”
- Dr. George Martin
