Her Children Will Be Mighty In The Land

By:  Pastor Duane Murray

This is a mom of a young African boy. Her name is Berke (pronounced Burrkah).  She lives in a simple mud hut in the slums of East Africa.  Just to get to her home you have to have a guide because every path looks the same.  Even the huts and corrugated metal walls are all similar.  Berke is not just another African mother struggling to subsist.  She is a precious, daughter of the King.  He has set His heart on her and is pouring out blessings to her.  God heard Berke’s cry, “God, save my child from this hopeless place.”  Let’s reflect on how he has answered her today.

 Not long ago Father gave one young African man a vision and the faith to believe what he could not see --- the children of East Africa thriving as mighty oaks of righteousness.  God called this man and other men in a church to plant a ministry for Christ in the middle of despair.  They endured the early years of ridicule and rejection from the community they came to serve.  They persevered for the glory of God. 

Then the Father reallocated his resources.  He detoured a team of preschool leaders from around the world to expose them to what was breaking his heart in East Africa.  To see the hundreds of faces of the children and believe that “nothing is to hard for the LORD.”  Next the Lord transplanted a family from Tennessee, who had already prepared to go.  He called with them a body of believers to His supply the resources for His glory.  All of this and more than I can recall was given so that God might demonstrate the greatness of his love to the most hopeless of women and children.  That he might make these forgotten and forsaken people trophies of His grace.  He is faithful to save even the least of these and to sacrifice many for His glory.  God rescued Berke’s son and placed him in school to learn and grow in the fear of the Lord.  He has regular meals and develops skills to earn a living.  He has a vision for the future and hope to achieve all that God has imagined through him for God’s glory.

We had the opportunitity to bring Berke a picture of her son to show he is doing well. She cradled the digital camera in her hands and wept as she bowed over and over giving thanks to God and us just to see her son’s image.  She kissed his picture on the camera and cherished the moment.  We wept as we witnessed God’s love poured over her. 

Berke is not forgotten or forsaken.  God, the Almighty, heard her cry for help and directed his resources to show off his love for her.  Then he raised a team from Tennessee and sent those three hours south of her home to bring her a picture of her son just so she would know he was doing well.  God worked extravagantly on her behalf.  Melissa, Colleen and I prayed with Berke, sang over her and shared this verse with her:

“Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands.  Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.”  Psalm 112:1-3