Grinding Halt

“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” 1 Timothy 4:10, NASB.

Sometimes I wonder why I am here in Tokyo, Japan. I wonder what one person can accomplish here. I’m not being overly humble, it’s just a little discouraging at times. And I know all the ‘correct’ reasons as to why I am here, and strengthen myself in those, but sometimes, there are days like today. Today was normal enough, we have a college team in town this week, and things have been progressing fairly normally, until we got on the Chuo train line. We rode for a few stops, and then we ran into a major delay. Someone had jumped out in front of the train, ending their life, causing the train lines to grind to a halt. While this is tragically not unusual in Tokyo, today the delays did not stop. All day long, several of the big Tokyo lines were coming to a halt, stopped by people who were using the trains as a means to enter eternity.

I couldn’t figure out why there were so many jumpers until later when I realized that it had been graduation day for many high schools. Maybe the jumpers failed to enter a university they wanted, maybe a lover left them or maybe family had forgotten them. For a thousand superficial reasons, but one underlying cause, many Japanese left a world where they felt there was no hope.

But also this week I saw a couple of young American men living and ministering in Japan. They caught a glimpse of something. They saw that there is more than simply getting by in life. They tasted the universal call to a global task. They glimpsed what it means to follow God to the ends of the earth, to be a light in darkness, to give up little while gaining much, to consider their life worth nothing except to finish the task. Because I was here, they had that opportunity.

I’m not here because I have any special ability or because God needs me, but because our God is worthy of being made glorious in Tokyo. There are 33 million Japanese people in this city who need to know hope. Jesus loves the Japanese and deserves their worship. Come to think of it, that is why each of us is where we are, to magnificently glorify God in our small lives, to rejoice in the knowledge of Him and to share that joy with the world around us. So, until the trains stop grinding to a halt in Tokyo, Christians have a job to do. We have a message of hope for people who see precious little to hope for.

*excerpted from a newsletter of a Journeyman working in Tokyo, Japan.

Pray that:

The Holy Spirit will awaken the hearts of Japanese to the hope available in Jesus Christ.

Christians in Japan will not become discouraged or overwhelmed at the task of sharing the Gospel, but will faithfully shine in the darkness and proclaim glad tidings.

Christian volunteers from the United States will continue to invest their time and resources to come to Japan to proclaim the Gospel of peace and hope to the Japanese.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.