The divine exchange

Recently, MAF staff discovered more about the Peace and Reconciliation ministry in South Sudan. The work — which has been part of MAF South Sudan’s programme for the last ten years — touched our hearts deeply.

We heard how vital the need for reconciliation is, particularly in a country that’s experienced one of the world’s longest civil wars.

South Sudan has 64 different people groups — the cause, at times, of incredible tension and misunderstanding, with resentments between the various groups going back for generations.

Many of the people affected by this have experienced trauma, grief and loss. Most have known hardship and poverty. Most have experienced abandonment and the loss of their home. Others have lost livelihoods, loved ones and opportunities for education. Life is hard for them.

To combat the effects of this, trained facilitators from the Healing Hearts and Transforming Nations programme are flown in by MAF to lead workshops that enable people to learn about trauma, acknowledge pain, and experience healing through Jesus.

The Father heart of God

These vulnerable, hurting people not only hear about the Father heart of God but also learn how they can find their unmet needs in Him. The course enables them to realise that He is the restorer of all things.

There is a poignant moment during these workshops when the attendees nail their pain, struggles and brokenness to a symbolic wooden cross using little scraps of paper, and receive a ‘divine exchange’ in their place — beauty for ashes.

The participants find that, as they give their pain to Jesus, so He replaces it with His freedom, healing and redemption. It enables these precious people to receive in a moment what might have taken weeks of counselling in the West!

The Peace and Reconciliation ministry in South Sudan demonstrates the divine exchange that Jesus offers His people. It reminds us that the cross is not only somewhere to which we can go for salvation, but is also the place where we can lay our burdens at Jesus’ feet. Every day, we can bring whatever’s troubling us, nail it to the cross and receive something far better in return.

The Scriptures below highlight some of the astounding exchanges we can receive from Jesus through His death on the cross

• ‘The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness’ (Isaiah 61:3, KJV)
• ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5, NKJV)
• ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go’ (Joshua 1:9, ESV)
• ‘I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid’ (John 14:27, NLT).

The Good News that Jesus brings is one of continual growth, healing and redemption. His work is a blessed constant in all the seasons of our lives.

Throughout the three-day Healing Hearts workshop, the participants learn that those who follow Jesus are members of a heavenly Kingdom that transcends all earthly families, clans and tribes. The participants then receive a gold paper crown which symbolises their inclusion in God’s holy, royal priesthood. It’s a simple, childlike reminder of a truth that believers often forget.

Isaiah 61:1-3 tells us that those who mourn will receive from God a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of despair. The righteous will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory.

It’s a vision of a restored world — a prophetic promise to the people of God who’d been conquered and ruled by other kingdoms, and who were now powerless and grief-stricken.

Isaiah’s words all those centuries ago promised restoration and blessing for God’s people, and are there for us now, whether we’re in the UK or in South Sudan.

God’s desire is to save, restore, renew and heal. It’s a transformation that is echoed by this comment from someone who attended the Healing Hearts workshop:

‘I slept really well, I felt peaceful. I had war in my heart for so long, but last night there was no war in me.’

May we continue to bring all our brokenness to the cross and receive His wholeness daily as we journey with Him.

Response

• What divine exchange do you need today? Bring it to the cross, and receive what God has for you in its place.
• Today, imagine yourself wearing the gold crown mentioned above, and remember that you are part of God’s royal priesthood.
• Pray for the MAF staff who, trained in reconciliation ministry, hope to hold Healing Hearts and Transforming Nations workshops in more than ten communities this year.
• Pray for those who attend these courses. May there be healing within and between the various communities — especially now, as the world’s newest nation awaits its first elections.
• Finally, let’s pray that the Church in South Sudan will not only grow spiritually but will bring hope and healing to war-torn communities.