This Advent at Harvest Bridge we want to share the wisdom of four ministry leaders in South Asia as they talk about hope, peace, joy, and love. Today will hear from Pastor Thang*, who is our co-country leader in Myanmar. Thang will share his reflections on peace. You can read the transcript below, or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You can also watch and listen on the Youtube video below. Press CC to read the captions while you listen.
Before we listen to Thang’s words, we’d like to offer some context. Thang’s ministry takes place in the midst of a military coup that started in Myanmar in 2020. Since then, the junta military has held the country captive. People are fleeing their homes. Innocent lives are lost everyday. In the middle of this daily violence, here is how Pastor Thang talks about peace:
I have been trying to encourage others to accept the crisis we are facing, reminding them that nothing happens by accident. Romans chapter 8, as I say, verse 28 again, ‘As we know that God works all together things for the good of those who love God.’ People go through all this trial, you know, fleeing and losing their houses. It’s not easy to accept. So we know it might be bad, but God make us good, even he can overturn the bad into good things for those who believe in Him.
Pastor Thang teaches that peace comes from trusting in God’s purposes even when it seems like all has been lost. Pastor Thang’s life is a testament that the peace he experiences has led him to care for others. Day in and day out, he coordinates food relief for the most vulnerable. He and his wife educate young adults so they don’t lose their future opportunities. He helps people escape from violence in their villages. Peace gives him the courage to continue in the face of danger and difficulty. He knows it is not easy to trust in such a difficult time.
Of course, when you suffer, it’s not easy. I remember one of my nieces’ husband. He lost two brothers and one sister, his house near my village. And then he sends me a message, “Uncle, why don’t you encourage me, or send something, you know, to encourage, because I have been so sad and lost all my, all the houses .” It is not easy, but trusting that there is a greater purpose in our struggle can bring peace even in our uncertain time. So we believe we suffer, but there is a greater purpose than what God has planned for us. So what we need to do is to trust God and to believe in Him, because God will bring peace.
Pastor Thang says “What we need to do is to trust God and to believe in him, because God will bring peace.” When times are difficult, God sees us. God sees our struggles, and then helps us to do the impossible – put our trust in Him.
We witness suffering violence and crisis that affects so many innocent people, yet our faith calls us to trust that He sees and understands even when we cannot. So I think that is true. So we have been suffering. We do witness suffering, we do witness violence, we do witness crises, and even affect many innocent people. We have been dying yet, yet they say our faith calls us to trust. You know, sometimes when we suffer, it is not easy to accept. But you say, as the children of God, we can do it. So Philippians talk about, I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me- chapter 4:13. So it’s not easy to accept that we have been going through all this trial and effort, but as a child of God, we can accept and can extend peace, being the children of God. Our God is not blind. He sees us. He sees us, our suffering, our crisis, the violence that we face, and He sees that many innocent have been lost this way. And you know, we are not alone. We have been suffering. God is with us.
Through the strength of Christ, Thang says, they can have the peace that comes from trusting in God, even in the midst of the violence in Myanmar. These are not just words for Pastor Thang. They are the trust that has determined his life. Thang could have chosen to move to the United States, where some of his family already live. He could leave the violence of the coup behind. But instead he has chosen to stay in Myanmar, trusting that God has called him there for a purpose, for such a time as this. Thang later wrote to us:
“It is undeniably difficult to trust and believe in His control when we witness suffering, violence, and the crisis that affects so many innocent people. Yet, our faith calls us to trust that He sees and understands even when we cannot. As long as we understand that God is in control of the universe and our lives, we can find peace. Accepting His control isn’t always easy, but as children of God, we can do it—that’s part of our identity in Christ.”
There is peace from trusting in God in the wartorn communities in Myanmar. Join us next week as we hear from Pastor Pan, who also serves in Myanmar, as he talks about joy.