Lent Devotional: RestorationUzorak

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus teaches that the church is the salt of the Earth and the light of the world. He says, ‘Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 5:16)

In my work as Country Director for Tearfund in Bangladesh, I have the privilege of witnessing firsthand how local churches are salt and light to their communities.

Tearfund works through local churches because they are at the heart of communities. Often, when the church leads the way in restoring people’s lives, society is changed.

Although Bangladesh is a predominantly Islamic country, Christians have the freedom to practice their faith, so it’s a blessing that Tearfund’s community training can be successfully delivered through the church.

Housing for all

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Recently, thanks to our community training, local pastors in the village of Pachuria have facilitated schemes for both Christians and Muslims to access safe housing. This meets practical needs, building trust between the church and the community, and people see a display of Christ’s love.

Another challenge in Bangladesh is our geographical location, which makes the country climate-fragile. Our coastal areas are on the receiving end of extreme weather events such as flooding, which are the impact of climate change.

But through Tearfund, the local church is bringing transformation there, too. In one of the coastal areas, we set up a reverse osmosis water plant, which purifies water for drinking. Before that, the community had great difficulty accessing clean drinking water. Now they have clean water, and church members are helping to maintain the water plant for the whole community.

These are just some ways the local church is restoring communities in Bangladesh, just as Jesus taught us to do.

I am so grateful for the supporters who helped to make all of this possible. Thank you.

Reflect

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• How does today’s passage inspire you to dream of ways our society could be restored?
• Are there particular areas of society where you long to see God’s renewal - perhaps in business, education, family life, politics, healthcare, the arts, or somewhere else? How might God be encouraging you to contribute?
• Are there any injustices in the world that particularly move you with compassion? How can you support these causes in prayer or action?

Pray

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• Please pray for local pastors in Bangladesh – for strength, wisdom, and innovative ideas about how to take their communities forward.
• Please pray for the work of Tearfund in Bangladesh – that God would continue to restore and transform many lives through our partnerships with local churches.
• Please pray for churches we work with around the world – that God would bless our partnerships with them and use them to bring restoration to their communities.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for using your church to be salt and light in the world.

Thank you for the joy and privilege of partnering with you to restore societies and see your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Would you show me how to contribute and bring restoration where I am now?

In Jesus’ name, amen.

In Christ,

Sanjeev Bhanja

Sanjeev is Tearfund's Country Director for Bangladesh