Dependency on God

Impact Ministries, in Tactic, Guatemala does an INCREDIBLE job of teaching their students first about Jesus and the fullness of life that He offers. Academics is valued, but not above teaching about Jesus. The students come hungry – both physically and spiritually. Their physical hunger is satisfied with daily meals provided, and their spiritual hunger is met with daily teaching and worship.  Families are being changed because of the work of Impact Ministries. Students learn about Jesus and then return home to share what they are learning with their families. The quality education the students receive can change the trajectory of their lives. In Guatemala, many students do not make it past Grade 6 because they are expected to work and help provide for the family. Illiteracy and poverty are the norm in places like Tactic.  

I recently went with a team of students and teachers from Living Waters school in Spruce Grove, to visit Impact Ministries, which included visiting our SPAC sponsored classroom. Our whole team was moved to tears when we were able to join the Vida schools for their morning devotional time. Each morning they sing and read from the Bible before starting their day.  There was something incredibly powerful that we could all feel. The songs were all in Spanish so I didn’t know the words. But that didn’t matter. The students and staff sing with EVERYTHING in them.  

I returned home and went to church the next day. I looked around me and saw something very different.  This is not a judgement but rather an observation. I LOVE my church and the people there. I serve on the worship team myself! So I am reflecting, on why here in North America, is my experience of things so vastly different in how we sing and worship the one who is worthy of it all? In many ways I think the difference is I have become my own god. I like to feel in control. If I don’t have something, I work harder or put in more hours in order to provide for myself. If I am sick, I go to a doctor. If I am bored, I fill my time with useless things. Sometimes it is when we come to the end of ourselves that we cry out to God and ask Him for help. However, the students of Tactic have next to nothing and recognize that their very breath and the necessities for daily survival are all a gift from God. This results in them singing with everything in them!  

I recognize in myself that the spirit of self-reliance runs deep. It is a temptation imbedded in our North American culture. It's part of the cultural DNA—"pull yourself up by your bootstraps," "earn your keep," "make your own way." From a young age, people are taught to plan, prepare, work hard, and take control of their lives. There’s wisdom in that ethic. Responsibility and diligence are biblical values. But there’s a danger when self-reliance quietly edges out our reliance on God. I see the contrast of this with the people I visited in Guatemala. In their country, poverty is widespread, material resources are limited, and people often face daily uncertainty. Yet, in the very places where earthly security is scarce, the people in the Vida schools have a faith that is burning bright. The people gather to pray, sing, and praise God—not because their lives are easy, but because He is their hope in the midst of hardship. 

I observe in my life here in North America that abundance can create an illusion of control. With access to healthcare, steady jobs, insurance, retirement plans, and emergency savings, people naturally begin to feel they don’t need help from above. Life is predictable. Problems can be solved with money, therapy, medicine, or a change of strategy. Prayer becomes the last resort—an emergency tool rather than a daily lifeline. 

For the mountain people of Tactic where we visited, there isn’t always a safety net. There aren’t always options. And when there’s no one else to turn to, these people have chosen to turn to God. Not because they are weak, but because they recognize something that I sometimes miss -- we are always dependent on God, whether we feel it or not. I've seen Guatemalan believers gather in simple, dirt-floored churches with open hearts and raised hands, singing songs of joy in the midst of need. Their worship is raw, authentic, and unshaken by material circumstance. They don’t praise God because life is good; they praise Him because He  is good. 

I know for myself that even as a Christian, I can become distracted by comfort. I can begin to expect that a blessed life should mean ease, convenience, and material success. When those things are threatened, my faith may falter—not because God has changed, but because I’ve attached my peace to the wrong foundation. There’s a strange blessing in need. When we have nothing, we are free to realize that God is everything. The Bible often speaks of the poor being rich in faith (James 2:5). Why? Because desperation clears away distractions. It forces us to look up. 

I have learned so much through this trip to Guatemala – there is message maybe here for all of us. The point is not to romanticize poverty, but to rediscover what it means to depend on God completely. Dependency is not weakness in the kingdom of God; it's the doorway to strength. It’s where real faith begins. 

I am sharing with you some videos from the worship at the Vida School with Impact Ministries. When I watch these videos, I am reminded that this is a glimpse into what Heaven will be like. People from all nations and tongues singing Holy, Santo!