"Ask and I'll give the nations to you." Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart.

I recently listened to this song, “You Said” by Shane and Shane. I instantly fell in love with it. I heard it right before I left for the mission trip to Toronto, and it was such an encouragement to me. It was also my prayer through out the trip. The lyrics are simple and strongly rooted in Scripture. The part that really resonated with me was
“You said, ‘Pray and I’ll hear from heaven,
and I’ll heal your land.
You said, Your Glory will fill the earth,
Like water the seas.
You said, ‘Lift up your eyes,
The harvest is here. The kingdom is near.
You said, ‘Ask and I’ll give the nations to you.’
Oh Lord, that’s the cry of my heart.
Distant shores and the islands will see Your Light,
As it rises on earth.”
I love this song for so many reasons. One is that is reminds me of God’s promises to us. His Word tells us these things! We can cry out to God, knowing with full confidence that He has told us that His Glory will eventually fill the earth, that He will give the nations to us. His Word also calls us to GO and be Christ’s ambassadors, His messengers, to GO and make disciples of ALL nations/people groups.
When we were in Toronto, I got to see the urgency to go and preach the Gospel to all nations. It was such an eye-opening trip for me! We got to learn about such diverse cultures and various religions. One day we visited a Hindu temple. I wasn’t very familiar with the Hindu religion- I only really knew what I had been taught in my history classes. We learned that Hindus have over 330 million gods. I can’t even grasp how big a number that is! When we visited the temple, I got a taste of just how many gods that is though. The walls were all intricately hand-carved and shipped in from India. There were carved figures of gods covering the walls, from floor to ceiling, all the way around the temple. Everywhere you looked there were idols. People were praying to them, admiring them, and worshiping them.
It may be easy to just quickly pass over that thought, but as I was surrounded by all of this, I was suddenly struck with the truth of this. I was standing in the middle of this temple, surrounded by people who were worshiping millions of gods in vain, because they were devoid of the one true God. You guys- I can’t even articulate how important and urgent it is for us to go out and boldly proclaim the Gospel! This is real. Without God, people are going to hell. I don’t always see it so clearly. I often try to sugar-coat is as much as I can so that it is “less offensive.” But when I look at Scripture, it is very clear that Jesus is the only way to know God and get to heaven. I just hate to sound so “exclusive” and “judgmental.”
But as I was surrounded by all of these false gods, it really struck me. I might be afraid to boldly preach the Gospel, but we are all called to boldly preach the Gospel, to all peoples. Even if it is offensive. Even if they don’t believe me. Because, frankly- it’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about worshiping the one true God and giving Him the Glory that He is due.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYuWOx2pp38