There were three: the College of Prayer, our Missions weekend, and the Oneness Marriage Course. Okay, that’s just a joke. The Marriage Course is another shameless plug for our class. But we do have two spots left, just sayin’…
You know I Iove stories. So did Jesus. They are so good for teaching profound truths in an engaging way, a way that will promote both learning and retention. They also inspire wonder. This true story I’d like to share did that for me. And it ties both our notable occasions together. See what you think. It is based on a book, Ian and the Gigantic Leafy Obstacle, by Sheila Miller.
Ian and the Gigantic Leafy Obstacle
By Sheila Miller
Ian wiped his brow, exasperated in the heat of the blistering afternoon.The huge tree looked like an enormous sleeping giant sprawled across the rocky mountain road. Ian gave the trunk one more useless shove and turned to the exhausted villagers. They all had been helping their new friend, a Scottish missionary, who had arrived at their village-at-the-end-of-the-road just two days earlier. He shook his head. No one had any idea how to push the tree off the roadway that hugged the steep mountain path, the only way in or out of the remote little town.
“Teacher, teacher,” one young man called. “You told us that God answers prayer. Why don’t you pray now? Ask God to move the tree.”
Everyone was silent, waiting to hear what Ian would say. He had come to Thailand and then up their mountain in his landrover to tell them about God. He’d brought a thing called a projector which had a light like a little moon shining in the dusky tropical night. And it made pictures. The pictures had been about a man called Jesus, the Son of God.
“He can forgive all our wrong things,” the missionary had told them, “and you won’t need to be afraid of evil spirits any more. Jesus can make life worthwhile. He can take us to His beautiful home in heaven when we die” And yes, he had said that his God could answer prayer.
Ian swallowed nervously as he looked around. Of course he believed God answered prayer, but—a tree? Could it really suddenly disappear as quickly as it had fallen over and blocked the mountain track?
And then he remembered something quite remarkable. It was a verse in the Bible and, strange to say, it was about a tree. Jesus had said, “If you have faith you could say to this tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
So Ian decided to trust God and pray. He had never seen a tree move in answer to prayer, but why not? God can do anything
He bowed his head right in the middle of all the villagers. In the Thai language, Ian prayed, “Dear Father God, I’ve told these folk about you. Now I need to go down to the next village to tell the people there too. Please move the tree off the road so I can get through. Amen.”
Ian was almost afraid to open his eyes. Had the tree disappeared? No, it was still there as big, bulky, and leafy as ever, the road still completely blocked.
Before he knew what to say, a stranger rushed up to the group beside the fallen tree. The breathless man begged Ian not to go away. He pleaded with him to come to his village and show the films. His village? Where was that? Ian was confused. He had driven up the road to begin his teaching tour as far as anyone could go, to the village-at-the-end-of-the-road. He had planned to work his way down, stopping at every village on his way back home before monsoon rains made travel tricky if not impossible.
Ian had never heard of this man’s village but he agreed to go. What an adventure! There was no path at all, and Ian needed the landrover to provide a generator for the movie night, so they drove through rice paddies and fields. Villagers perched on top of the vehicle and ran alongside as they bounced and lurched over tiny bridges and shrubs. The last mile and a half (which took two hours) of the “road” was a stream filled with boulders that had to be rolled out of the way for them to get by. Finally, Ian reached the real village-at-the-end-of-the-road.
Meanwhile, in a logging village several miles down the mountain, old Mr. Boon was struggling through the jungle in search of Tusker, his favorite elephant. Tusker had disappeared earlier in the day and Mr. Boon feared the worst. His tracks led ahead in a straight line through the dense underbrush as though he were being led. He feared Tusker had been stolen. Compelled to get his elephant back and with night coming on in the dangerous jungle, Mr. Boon climbed a low tree, cradled in its branches, wearily ate his supper, and soon fell fast asleep.
In the morning, worried and wary, Mr. Boon resumed tracking Tusker on his unwavering flight through the jungle. He noticed where his elephant had stopped to eat and, when satisfied, had plodded on…still moving straight ahead. How strange! There were no other footprints that indicated a thief was pulling him along. All day Mr. Boon followed and then passed a second night in a tree away from the dangers of the jungle. He was exhausted and hungry in the morning, and his hope was fading.
Suddenly, up ahead, he caught sight of his saggy, baggy elephant. He happily rushed to greet Tusker just as Tusker started off once again. Apparently, his traveling days weren’t quite over. Mr. Boon was trailing behind, huffing and puffing.
Meanwhile, Ian had returned to the giant fallen tree in his now-muddy, scratched-up landrover. With no tools or equipment to use, nothing had been done at all about clearing the road during the two days Ian had been to the other village. He smiled at all his Thai friends who had followed him once more to the road block. “The people in the top village were so glad to see the movie and hear about Jesus,” he reported. “But here we are again.”
“Teacher,” called the young man who had spoken before. “There are no more villages, so you’d better pray again. Perhaps this time your God will move the tree.”
So prayed again in the Thai language so all could hear. “Thank you, God, for guiding me to that other village. But now I need to get home before the rainy season starts. You know we cannot move this tree so please, will you move it for us? Amen.”
The people breathlessly opened their eyes. The tree was still there. And yet another stranger.
This time it was a little old man with a crooked stick. No one in the village had ever seen him before. He pointed his stick at Ian and asked the villagers where the foreigner was from and where he was going. Ian answered for himself, surprising the stranger because he spoke his language. He told him he was from down the mountain and was trying to get home. The stranger pointed out the obvious. No one was going anywhere with the tree in the road. Everyone agreed.
The little old man then calmly shuffled across the path to the tree and poked it and prodded it with his stick again and again. “I’ll move the tree,” he said finally. He turned and mysteriously disappeared into the jungle. The villagers whispered to each other that they thought he was crazy.
Until they heard the rustling and crackling in the undergrowth.
Nearer the noises came, crunching, snapping, and the ground shaking a bit. Then, high above the fallen tree, the little old man came into view riding on the back of Tusker, his wrinkled gray elephant. Tusker felt around the tree with his tusks and found a spot where he heaved and shoved and pushed the giant tree off of the steep road far enough so Ian could edge the landrover around it.
The villagers were amazed. They praised Tusker and the little old man and hounded him with questions. Where had he come from? How had he arrived at just the time they needed him? As the new friends exchanged stories, they discovered that Mr. Boon had just caught up with Tusker after a grueling two day pursuit and had slipped the chains on his feet to lead him back to the logging camp. He heard voices and came through the jungle hoping to find some food and water for his return journey. That’s when he found Ian and the villagers praying. He told them Tusker had never run off like that before.
Ian was nearly bursting with astonishment and happiness as he listened to all the conversations. He had stood on that exact spot two days earlier and asked God to move the tree, and just two days ago, Tusker had strayed. God had begun answering his prayer the very moment Ian had prayed. What a good Father!
Ian jumped in his landrover and inched around the cleared road to wind his way down the mountain. Waving goodbye and shedding a few tears, he was stunned again as he recalled how God had orchestrated the events of the past days so beautifully. While they all had to wait for the elephant they didn’t know was about to come and be the answer to their prayers, God had sent him on to that other village, the one he didn’t even know existed, the real village-at-the-end-of-the-road. The obstacle in the track meant Ian could tell other people about Jesus. “God certainly can turn a difficulty into a launching pad for one of His special miracles,” Ian smiled.
And that is the beautiful truth.
But do you also see how this story combines prayer and missions? God’s kingdom advances as God’s people pray and God’s people obey. What an amazing plan! Even elephants obey Him!
And, yes, it’s God’s plan for you and me….not just for the paid professionals or the chosen few. We all have a person-at-the-end-of-our-roads….or blocks. Or pews. Or desks. Or counters. They need to know Jesus too, don’t you think? Won’t you go? Ian went to Thailand. Will you go across the street?
Do you have some obstacles that hinder you? He may not send Tusker, but God’s got you covered. Pray believing. Sometimes it’s gutsy. Sometimes there’s a delay. Sometimes it’s confusing. Pray anyway. Prayer changes things. Prayer changes people. Prayer changes you.
Thank you, pastors, for two important and thought-provoking weekends. May we as a local body of believers grow in our desire for, our understanding of, and our competence in prayer and missions.
