Shan Dai Advocacy

#26 His Next Verse: True and Lasting Love

March 5, 2008 on 8:22 pm | In General |

Around Valentine’s day we are reminded of everyone’s desire to know true and lasting love. And, like the rest of the world, the Dai’s view of love has been hijacked by perversity and evil. They live in a system of merit making and doing good in order to receive. They live a life of appeasing spirits in order to gain blessing and not curse. They live in community in such a duty-bound way, that love becomes guilt-ridden, bitter-filled, and joyless, which is really no love at all. Most Dai have yet to experience the free grace-filled love of Jesus. They do not know the love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever…”

One of the first Dai believers wrote about this amazing love in song (please refer to the prayer journal for the book of 1 Corinthians). This month Lydia, who has also written many Dai praise songs, has been traveling to a nearby area to receive help in producing a Dai Music video CD filled with these songs. Many years ago this was done with the very first Dai praise songs, and it had an amazing impact. Those videos were even played on local TV. This next project involves producing over 3 dozen new songs and has the potential to reach the ears of those who otherwise would not listen. Lord, we pray that your love would penetrate the hearts of the Dai people, please help us, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, to love you more and love others better. We pray especially for this video music project, that it would go forward smoothly and most of all glorify your name, that all the Dai may hear of true and lasting love. Amen.