“Do Justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8.
The United States has been captivated over the last three months by the Buddhist monks and their walk for peace. These monks have appealed to thousands, including Christians. Many have knelt in reverence to them and offered flowers, others have wept with gratitude, thousands have traveled countless miles at great expense just so that they could be part of this unique experience and the over-arching question is why?
It is my opinion, that God can use anyone and anything to convey his lessons. He used Pharoah (Genesis and Exodus); he used a donkey (Numbers 22) and he said he would use stones to worship him (Luke 19). In this instance, I believe he has used the Buddhist monks to give us a glimpse of what it means, to walk humbly; to be completely in service to others.
There is a competing spirit in the church today, to elevate ourselves and to brand ourselves. But the Walk for Peace has appealed to a deeper longing within us and reminded us that we were created not for ourselves but to be in community and to serve others. It has reminded us of the power of simplicity. And the timing has also been divinely orchestrated. The Walk for Peace has come at a time when many are broken, exhausted and open. They are longing for the peace of God. They are longing for the divine intervention of the One and only true God in the affairs of our world.
What does it mean to walk humbly with our God? To answer this question accurately, all we have to do is observe Jesus’ walk. In John 13, Jesus performed the duty of the lowest servant by washing the dirty feet of his disciples, including Judas who would betray him. In the second chapter of Philippians, Jesus humbled himself. Despite being God, he did not cling to his divine rights but took the form of a servant and was born as a human. At the crucifixion, Jesus humbled himself by submitting to death on a cross, out of obedience to God. Jesus states quite clearly in Matthew 20:28, that he did not come “to be served but to serve.”
Today, God is looking for followers who will walk humbly with Him in service to others. Are you ready? The walk has already begun.