I received an ema
il from my friend in New Zealand the other day.
We’ve never actually met, but that is one of the blessings I’ve found in our current digital, Social Media world—being able to make friends all over the place, even without meeting in person. I know online relationships aren’t the same as face-to-face ones, yet I’ve built some true friendships that way, and when I’ve sometimes had the privilege to eventually meet these friends in person, the relationship has only gone deeper—even if there is the initial blip of “you sound a bit different than I imagined”! But for people who are genuine, I’ve found their online and real-life personas really aren’t all that dissimilar.
So my New Zealand friend. She initially contacted me because she saw something on my blog about the Christmas script I’d written based around the music of Michael Card, and she was interested in producing it with her Christian theater company in New Zealand. But as we corresponded, we found we had so much in common—both newly married, both writers, both lovers of story with a passion for quality Christian theater. We even both love Anne of Green Gables, discovered when I happened to use the term “kindred spirits” in an email. 🙂
And this week, she emailed me, partly to check in, partly with a writing-related question. And partly just to see how we were doing, we people here in America.
Because things have been rough lately, haven’t they?
“Things can’t be easy in America right now,” she wrote. “I’ve been thinking a lot of you, and others I ‘know’ i
n the States. It must be hard to feel hopeful at times, whichever side of the fence one sits on, with all the different issues that are coming up. It’s so reassuring to know that it’s all in the hands of our beautiful Lord and Saviour. Know that your whole nation is being enveloped in so much prayer from right around the world right now.”
And I started to cry.
I think I hadn’t even realized how much it had been burdening me, till her words brought the tears. Partly because hearing such from someone on the other side of the world made me realize in a different way that yes, the division and turmoil America is going through right now really is a big deal.
And partly because I honestly hadn’t realized that believers all around the globe might be praying for the US–praying for us–right now.
That means a lot, doesn’t it?
America, we who like to think of ourselves as the ones who have it together, the ones on top, the ones who can tell other nations how to run things—we are broken, and desperately in need of their prayers.
I don’t know what’s going to happen to our country over the next few months and years. I’m concerned about the steps that have been taken against our native peoples and refugees from other lands. I’m grieved by the hatred on both sides. I know the Lord is in control, but I don’t know what He might be going to take us through. And I know we as believers have a special role to play as we seek to follow Jesus through these tumultuous times, but I haven’t quite figured out what that looks like for me yet.
Maybe you have, or maybe you haven’t either.
But I was heartened, by my New Zealand friend’s prayers. It made me remember we aren’t alone—we have a whole family of God around the world.
And it reminded me of the most important thing I can do for now, too—pray, for our president, for the hurting families at our borders, for people, especially believers, on both sides.
Because nothing is impossible with God.
How have you built friendships online with people around the world? What is on your heart to pray–for your country or another–right now? Please comment and share!