Bible base – Psalm 57
Estonia Mission Trip
In the Bible we read about many adventures and mission trips in support of people and their varied circumstances and the sharing of the Christian faith.
During the month of October I led a team of nine people that consisted of six men and three ladies. Our plan and purpose was to support and help a group of Christians and Ukrainian refugees in the town of Johvi in Estonia repairing some building work and taking part in a children’s ministry camp.
At this point I want to refer to Psalm 57 which is quite short and simple but is full of intrigue, pain and release that may be experienced on any mission trip and life experience.
Within the Psalm, David seems to suggest that it was a time when he was in the cave of Adullam as found in 1 Samuel 22 and possibly fleeing from the persecution of King Saul.
There are two sections within the Psalm; 1) from v 1- 5. 2) from v 6 – 11 and both end with the same refrain: “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth”. (NIV)
Or from the Message Bible; “Soar high in the skies, O God! Cover the whole earth with your glory”!
The two sections consist of strong feelings: Firstly one of fear and foe with a persecutor lurking nearby. The second feeling brings an assurance that in the midst of such fears there is faith and a God that is very much at work in all situations.
The opposition David faced is described as fierce, just like a lion and with teeth and tongues like spears, arrows and swords.
In this setting we may assume that David must feel downcast and depressed? But no, he believes such trials can be overcome as found in verse 1 and retribution will eventually fall upon all his foes as in verse 6.
So we find that just like a bird, David flees to God and that is where his confidence comes from. He trusts in a God who will grant him help and favour.
Within the Psalm, God is mentioned twenty-one times in just eleven verses. David seeks God’s mercy, love and truth as recorded in verses 3 and 10 which falls from heaven and is at work on earth.
God is likened to a Mother Bird whom David can rest and feel secure in, so being able to lie down peacefully amongst his enemy’s as highlighted in verse 4.
In this beautiful Psalm we find that God is a safe place, a sanctuary where those who are refugees can safely reside. The Psalm helps us to cope in the midst of all our Fears and Foes and as the theologian W Graham Scroggie says “there can be no triumph where there is no trouble”.
Prepare and Pray.
Within any mission trip, church activity and general living, it is important to plan, prepare and pray. Within our local 4M group, which consists of up to 13 men, we met each month to encourage each other in our walk of faith and seek God’s guidance as where to go on a yearly mission alongside some smaller jobs that can be completed locally.
Recently we have worked with an organization called Passion for Jesus visiting Albania and their leader Mark suggested that there was a possibility of doing some work and ministry in Estonia. The last mission trip abroad was May 2018 due to the restrictions of Covid 19.
Flexible
In late September a team of ten assembled that normally only included men but this time we had the joy of inviting three ladies to join the group. A few weeks before setting off, the 10 became 9 and at one point two others members were doubtful but thankfully joined the group.
In any mission and church based ministry flexibility is the key and a willingness to adapt to any situation that happens by design or by default and that is something we experienced very clearly.
Schedule
The team flew out early from Manchester Airport UK on the Saturday and arrived via Amsterdam in Tallinn around 2pm. We then took a two hour bus journey to Johvi and met up with our local leader Hanna and interpreter, Liza all the way from Ukraine in support of a number of Ukrainian refugee families.
On the Sunday Morning we met up with a local Methodist Congregation from 10am where Hanna and her husband attended. The church had over 120 people in attendance that included Estonian, Russian. Ukrainian and English speaking people. In the service I shared greetings from Manchester and Passion For Jesus and after some cake and drinks it ended just after 12.30pm.
On the Sunday afternoon from 4pm we gathered at the Way to Life Ministries Centre (Salvation Army) Tammiku, close to the town of Johvi. We prepared for the English Camp, as it became known, that comprised of singing, crafts, bible stories, testimonies and a talk.
During the meeting there was plenty of food that included the national meal of Ukrainian Borscht with lots of mothers, children and a few men attending.
In Psalm 57 David sang out in his distress in praise to God and during our times of praise and worship you could see how it brought a sense of release, joy, and comfort and so much more that continued throughout the week with lots of dancing and singing in praise to the Lord.
During the week there was about twenty children and a good number of helpers both in the centre and when visiting the nearby park and woods. You could visibly see the children’s hearts and feelings become stronger especially as they grouped together and so became less afraid and grew in faith in the Lord and themselves.
In the Way to Life Centre one of the major jobs was to complete a repair to a damaged plaster board in one of the walls of a room that acted as a play area for the children to play in and have fun together.
There were further jobs to do which were all successfully repaired and improved upon. In the photo below you may be able see on the left an outline of a cross, may we pray that for all who spend time in that room they will know the living presence of Jesus.
Accommodation
We stayed in the Wironia Hotel where the rooms were warm and comfortable and the continental breakfast was good. During any mission and everyday life we have opportunities to share our faith and life in the midst of all our fears with a strong faith.
There are many refugees and individuals in the entire world that are being chased and persecuted physically, mentally and spiritually. May the sentiments of David in Psalm 57 become a living reality for all of us as face our particular foes with faith and triumph over them with joy and thanksgiving? Pray for all those we shared with that seeds of faith will grow and not be snatched away.
I want to end with us listening to a children’s worship song that was played and sang quite a few times in the centre alongside the old children’s song “I have decided to follow Jesus”. They both represented lots of joy, fun, praise and worship.
The song Be Exalted is based on Psalm 57 and is sung by the Watoto Children’s Choir from South Africa who themselves would know about fear and faith and God’s grace and goodness.
Enjoy Graham
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