Honey in the forest . . .

Last week, I had the privilege of going back into the “deep forest”. I was eager to see my friends there, but also a little nervous, because of how emotional I’ve been since my last trip. But I was determined this time to keep my eyes open, cling to the Lord, and just trust Him to keep doing whatever it is He’s doing in me, just as I know He is constantly active in the deep forest.

And God was faithful, as He always is. This second trip was a little different. He allowed me to see some things I missed last time. One day, as we rested in the heat of the early afternoon, someone brought us a bowl full of honey, with giant pieces of the honeycomb floating in it. This honey comes from plants found in the even deeper forest. Everyone took some . . . I had never eaten honey from the comb before. When I took a piece, the sweetest taste I have ever known filled my mouth. It was delicious!

In the Bible, honey is often used as a metaphor for sweetness, abundance: the Israelites are promised over and over that the good land God is giving them is flowing with milk and honey, and God’s Word and wisdom are described as sweeter than honey. On this trip, God allowed me to see that this village is truly flowing with His Word. Though I have never taught Bible stories in this village, many of the children could tell perfectly all the stories we’ve been working on! The believers who have come to the closer village to work on the stories have been faithful in sharing them when they returned home to the deep forest. The pastor, whose sons know all the stories, told me that every night after dinner, they gather around as a family and re-tell the stories they’ve learned. And as I watched the church discuss, worship, and even deal with challenging situations, I could see that God has truly granted them wisdom in following Him.

This time, I saw suffering, but I also saw dignity. I saw waterless land, but I also saw the Living Water of God’s Word flowing from the mouths of so many in the village who have learned the stories. I saw scarcity, but also tasted sweet, sweet honey. And I saw that in spite of real suffering and injustice, the believers in the deep forest are flowing with wisdom and His Word, so much sweeter than the sweetest honey.

So now I’m excited! I have a growing vision for how to minister in the deep forest in the next year, and am praying that God continues to direct that vision. I’m praising Him for giving me the opportunity to spend more time there in the future, and praising Him that He is the source of the life and growth and sweetness I see there. Mostly, I’m praising Him because yes, suffering is real, and yes, I have absolutely no idea how to deal with it . . . but still, there is honey in the forest.