On that day………..I will break the yoke from off his neck, and I will burst his bonds, and strangers shall no more make a servant of him. Jeremiah 30:8
The ‘stick stick’ men I saw in the Chinese city of Chongqing came immediately to mind when I read Jeremiah 30:8. Like many cities along the Yangtze River, Chongqing is very hilly with winding steep stairs cut into the rocky cliffs which lead from one location to another. The ‘stick stick’ men make up an army of thousands of porters who walk around with their bamboo poles. These poles or sticks can form a yoke over their shoulders which they use to carry produce, baggage, textiles, appliances and even construction materials for strangers who hire them. I marveled at the amazing strength of these men who climb up steep hills with heavy burdens. They work long hours for just a few dollars a day. Many are farmers who have been displaced because the government has flooded their land to build a huge hydro electric dam on the Yangtze. I spoke through an interpreter to some of the men. They are working to earn money to provide food for their families and an education for their children. They are at the bottom of the Chinese social ladder but they want better prospects for their sons and daughters. Hope for a good future for the next generation inspires Chongqing’s ‘stick stick’ men.
God gives hope for a good future to the children of Israel in Jeremiah 30:8. Someday they will no longer have a yoke around their necks, nor will they be required to serve strangers.
God you grant us hope for a good future. Help me to bear the yoke of today’s burdens with courage and determination knowing I have your hopeful promises to look forward to.
