The Bread of Life in Afghanistan

Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore, I will wait for Him.” - Lamentations 3:22-24

During the past month of hearing about the atrocities in Afghanistan, I have daily prayed the above lines of scripture from Lamentations, a book of the Bible that is all about death, desolation, and devastation. In the middle of this Old Testament book, we are reminded of God’s love and His compassions, which never fail.

As I practice praying truth from God’s Word about who He is, I have found joy in sorrow, clarity in confusion, and peace in hostility.

I read an article last week in The Wall Street Journal about a family in Kabul titled Afghanistan’s Economic Meltdown Leaves Ordinary Citizens Scrambling to Survive. The article describes a man’s struggle with selling almost all his possessions to buy some bread for his family.

Immediately I thought of what Jesus says about Himself to a crowd near the Sea of Galilee, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and He who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

Jesus wasn’t literally feeding them at the time. Nor was Jesus changing their circumstance. He was revealing His never-failing compassion to them as the One who cares deeply about the eternal destiny of people. Crowds of people were chasing after Jesus because they knew the devastating experiences of oppression, death, and sorrow, and they were craving this “bread of life” that Jesus was offering.

They were hungry and thirsty for Him.

We have been disturbed by the images of despairing people in Afghanistan, grieved by the loss of thirteen American heroes, and disheartened by the continuing chaos and desperation in that land. Yet, we must remember that God’s compassions don’t fail, and His faithfulness is great, and it is seen in the life-giving work of God’s people in the Cure Hospital in Kabul, supported by Be Team International.

My husband Cory and I have supported Be Team International as a part of their board of directors since Cory worked for CURE International, a global network of pediatric orthopedic hospitals. We are grateful for the commitment CURE has for healing women and children and sharing Christ with their families.

At the hospital in Kabul, hundreds of babies are being delivered safely and mothers are being surgically mended from obstetric fistula. Children with cleft lips and palates are being operated on, and neonatal infants are given a chance to survive.

Within the last month, a mother from the northern-most province of Badakhshan became incontinent after delivering her tenth baby at home. Driven by fear, she and her family fled to Kabul to the Cure Hospital, where surgeons operated on her, and now, she is healed.

This gives me a reason to hope for a better tomorrow in Afghanistan. This reminds me of the compassion of Christ. As His followers, we can pray for the Afghans and the faithful servants delivering babies, healing women, and sustaining human life!