Point Of View

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands. Revelation 7:9

Sometimes all we need for a fresh point of view is to look at our Christian faith through the eyes of someone from another language or culture.

I have several friends who serve as Bible translators. I love to hear them explain the process of translation. The missionary will enter a new language area, then ask someone to be a language guide. It is often comical or poignant as the two try to communicate to find the exact translation of a word in the Bible in the new language.

Lon and Leah Knival work in the Interi tribe in Papua, New Guinea. When translating the parable of the sower, they were looking for the best word for good soil. Their language guide took them to a place and showed them deep, rich soil that had been formed through the decay of the best trees. It was “mulchy” soil. In that tribe a heart that was good and ready to grow before God would most closely resemble a compost pile!

My heart has also been renewed when I have visited churches from other cultures. I have been inspired by one friend, a professor who works with international students in the Los Angeles area. He and his wife at one time had to flee a murderous communist regime in their home country of Eritrea, Africa. He began a church for refugees of that area who had fled to the “safety” of Los Angeles. Even though I understood very few words during their worship service, I was lifted to the throne of God by their music and their humble servant attitudes. I have been deeply moved in a Chinese church, an inner-city church, a rescue mission, and a campground church.

If your quiet time is becoming a little stale, step out of your comfort zone to get a new point of view where the language, culture, or worship may be unfamiliar—but the God is very, very familiar!