Every Tribe, Every Nation, Every Tongue

There is something about this that stirs me. My friend Eleanor wrote an amazing song-- Jesus is Lord, Hallelujah, Every knee will bow, Hallelujah. Every tongue will shout, Hallelujah, and every heart cry out, Hallelujah." Then in the chorus we usually have people say "Jesus is Lord" in different languages.

And it breaks me.

It's not because I lived in a foreign country. It's not because I've traveled to foreign countries at a young age. It was always there. The passion for different cultures. The passion to tell the story of a different culture into my culture.

I have two girlfriends in Egypt whom I love dearly. I found out this week they were betrayed by someone they trusted and I was broken hearted. It was a thrill and a privilege to write to them and remind them of God's character. Yes, they are Islamic so there are many areas we disagree. But God's character -- that He loves. That He will handle the discipline. That He will provide. These are things we can all agree on. And so I reminded them of that. That they do not belong to the betrayer. They belong to those that love them. And I love them. And God loves them.

Then my friend Vernon preached today about the legacy of our faith. He reminded us of all the languages that the children's curriculum from our church has been translated in to. Which reminded me of Henry's relationship with God. Henry knows God and he has been so able to articulate that, but in his own language. It's always surprising when he articulates that faith in our language.Which made me think -- every tribe, every nation, every tongue.

Which made me love God even more. That He gave me this passion for tribes outside my own. That He gave me a passion for sharing their stories. That He gave me Henry who is part of his own tongue and tribe and nation and whose story needs to be translated into our language.