In 2009 Tom and I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Burkina Faso, West Africa. You’re saying to yourself, “Is that a vacation spot I’ve never heard of?” No, it is definitely not a vacation spot. Burkina Faso is one of he poorest countries in the world and we were invited to join a team that would distribute approximately 10,000 Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. (If you’ve never heard of Operation Christmas Child click here to find out more.) I had been begging God for a chance to go on a mission trip. Africa was not on the list of places I hoped God would send me, but I am so glad that He expanded my world by opening that door.
Our team of fifteen exhausted Americans arrived in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, after a transatlantic flight and a whirlwind tour of Paris during a layover. We met our host for the mission, Joseph, a missionary from Ghana, a neighboring country. Joseph and his wife, Christina, had left a comfortable home in a more developed country where they had grown up speaking their tribal language and English, the national language of Ghana, to come to Burkina Faso. Burkina is still trying to enter the 21st century by skipping the parts of the 20th century it had missed. (We saw no landlines, but many of the educated people we met had cell phones.) In Burkina, the national language is French in addition to the many tribal languages spoken. We depended on Joseph to help us get where we needed to go, to provide a safe place for us to stay and reasonable food to eat and to communicate for us in an unfamiliar culture with unknown languages. I took French in school and found that I could do some minimal communicating, but not enough. Joseph had become fluent in French and I needed our guide!
As our small bus traveled from place to place throughout the week, Joseph was in the front seat behind the driver, guiding the way. We traveled to some remote villages, with minimal modern amenities. Even the more modern villages would not be anywhere near American standards. We were grateful to come back to our meager hotel in the town of Kongoussi, our base for the week. Joseph had arranged for us to stay at the nicest hotel in town. The room Tom and I stayed in was covered with the orange dust of the dry ground. There was a crack in the wall and the hotel had no hot water, but it was the nicest of the two hotels in Kongoussi. I believe that Joseph chose it for us because there was a wall around it and the gate was locked at night. We were the only white people in town and the first white people many had ever seen. Everyone knew we were there. Joseph had chosen a place that would protect us.
One night as we were returning from dinner at the restaurant in Kongoussi Joseph had chartered as our dining room for the week, we made a stop. Joseph had some business to take care of and instructed the driver to take us back to the hotel. It wasn’t far away, but as the door to the bus closed and I realized that we were without Joseph, I suddenly felt exposed and unprotected. The driver didn’t speak English. How would we know what he was saying? Was he trustworthy? Would he follow Joseph’s instructions? Would we get back to the hotel safely? I had no reason not to trust the driver, but he was not our guide. He was not the one who had taken care of our needs and led the way for us. I was relieved to arrive back at the hotel and was even more relieved when Joseph rejoined us the following day. Those few moments of being separated from him, made me even more grateful for his leadership and protection.
When Jesus was preparing the disciples for His departure He promised them that He “would not leave you as orphans”(John 14:18), like unprotatected children with no one to guide and care for them. He would send a Helper, the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of John Chapters 14 through 16, the author takes great care to share Jesus’s explanation of the Holy Spirit and what He would do for the believers. He would guide, lead into truth, remind them of what Jesus had said and share with them the things they would not be ready to hear until after Jesus was gone. After Jesus went to the Father, he Holy Spirit would be His presence with those who belonged to Him. Instead of Jesus just being with them, the Holy Spirit would be in them. Believers would not be left alone. The Holy Spirit would be their guide.
In many ways, the Holy Spirit does for us as believers what Joseph did for our team in Burkina Faso. He guides, protects, provides what we need, helps us communicate, helps us do the work Jesus has given us to do. Obviously, that analogy has limitations. Joseph’s work for us could only be external and human. The Holy Spirit is within believers and does more than just help us accomplish the work Jesus has given us to do. He transforms us so that we not only do what Jesus wants us to do, He helps us be who Jesus wants us to be. The Holy Spirit helps us to be more like Jesus.
I know that I can not do what God asks me to do without the Holy Spirit. I am so aware of my weakness and inability. Like my French in Burkina, I am only capable of so much. I need my guide! But I am even more aware that I can not be who God wants me to be without the Holy Spirit. I need Him to continually transform me into the character of Christ. I cannot muster enough love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness or self-control on my own. I need the Holy Spirit to develop that fruit in me.
It’s part of the YES Adventure to be a person in process. But God hasn’t left us alone to figure out the way. He has given us a guide. I want to let that Guide lead me through the challenges of doing and being all that God wants for me. How about we follow Him together. Will you join me?
Key thought: The Holy Spirit is my guide.
A Scripture to consider: Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25 NLT
A YES challenge: Do you feel alone and unprotected? Are you relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit? What are some ways that you can become more aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for not leaving me alone. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to guide and protect me, to help me do all that You want me to do, but more importantly, to help be all that You want me to be. Help me to become more aware of the Holy Spirit’s leading n every area of my life. Help me to follow You closely by following the Guide You have given me. Amen.