This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes!

Dubrovnik In The Morning

'This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalm 118:23-24

This picture of Dubrovnik, in the morning, captures some interesting colours of the city and clouds painted by the rising sun. It is one of the most charming cities we have been to. The sun has just arisen and the old town, a fortress and a harbour directly in front of us, glistened in the light. Against such a background, it is refreshing to spend our Quiet Time and read the Bible.

On the 20 Sep 2005, I was sitting on a balcony overlooking this morning sunrise in Dubronik. I was reading from “Make Me a Instrument of Your Peace” (Ref 1) by Kent Nerburn. It is a simple commentary on the prayer of St Francis of Assisi. The book was described as ennobling by a reviewer. I knew what this meant at once. Mr Nerburn has a gift of commenting on life in a most endearing manner, linking profound truths to ordinary encounters and even the mundane events of daily living. He draws soul-deep lessons in a simple, easy to read, manner. I like his writing. It has encouraging perspectives and insights.

The Kent Nerburn style is the way we ought to read the Bible. We could annotate each reading with a life-event commentary, drawing soul-teaching and spirit-enriching lessons. Can we learn to experience life and interpret the truths that each ordinary event is teaching us? Can we draw insights from the unfolding scenes life presents to us whether mundane or significant? What is the Bible teaching us? Can we “see” God?

I was reading from Isaiah's commentary on King Hezekiah's near death experience. On the same date in 2003, Pat was reading from the same passage  a passage of Scripture in Isaiah 38:1 to 40: 31 in Grenoble, France sitting on steps of the cathedral. This was another beautiful city set near the French Alpine region.

That piece of scripture informs us that the good things in life are the Lord’s doing. The passage in Isaiah relates to Hezekiah, who was struck by illness at the prime of his life. He was instructed to put his house in order because he was to die soon. There was some resignation as he prayed and asked God, to recognise that he had "walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and done what was good in Your eyes". 

The Lord spared Hezekiah and added another 15 years to his life. In a subsequent prayer, Hezekiah recalled his petition in his dying moments. Isaiah 38:15 noted that it dawned upon the king that sparing his life was entirely God's doing, only by God's grace. Hezekiah wrote "What can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. Lord by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too".

I understand that these were the same words Queen Elizabeth I of Great Britain uttered when on 17 Nov 1558, a messenger arrived from London with the long awaited news that she is to be crowned Queen. "A domino factum est mirabile in oculis nostris – This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes."

So what does a near death experience and a coronation have in common? What about reading the scripture in Croatia and France? 

The common thread is in the phrase, "There by the grace of God, go I." Life events are lived and experienced entirely by God's grace, be it a re-living after a near death experience, ascension to a throne or recalling of more simple and less dramatic experiences. Both are the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes. 

There is an Christian song I learned in the 1970s written by Jimmy Owens, 'Illusive Dream' which always reminds that we live in reality by the grace of God and not in illusion. It is only by God's grace could we have enjoyed the lives we live and experience.

Where might you be going this fine day, my friend

Off along an aimless road that soon must end

Chasing an illusive dream that shines so fair

But when found, isn't there

I can understand your weary sigh, my friend

There, but for the grace of God go I, my friend

Come and let Him lead you to your journey's end

So come along and walk with Him

If without the grace of God your life should end

And before the face of God you'd stand, my friend

What would your illusive dream avail you then?

So come along and walk with Him

Like Hezekiah and Elizabeth I, let us recognise that all that are happening to us is the Lord's doing. We walk with Him and live by His grace. It is marvelous. 

Lionel

First published 3 Sep 2007

Ref 1: Kent Nerburn. Make Me An Instrument Of Your Peace - Living in the Spirit of St Francis. HarperOne, 1999

How Great Is Our God

Butterflies Will Soon Be Free

'Great Is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty.' Psalms 145:3-5

These are uncertain times. When will the Covid pandemic end? Can we return to the normalcy of pre-Covid days? When will we be able to travel? Will the vaccinations confer adequate personal and herd immunity? Can we eradicate the Coronavirus from the face of the earth? 

At such times, Christians turn to God holding on to the promises God has given us. We reflect on the greatness and goodness of God, convincing ourselves that in the end God is greater than the Covid-19 pandemic and he will deliver us from this scourge. 

In a virtual format, the Charis Methodist Church choir sang a lovely hymn, extolling the promises of God, The Hymn Of Promise. Drawing on God's creative powers, this hymn reminds us, even in these uncertain days, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, for at last will come a victory.

In the bulb, there is a flower

In the seed, an apple tree

In cocoons, a hidden promise

Butterflies will soon be free

In the cold and snow of winter

There's a spring that waits to be

Unrevealed until its season

Something God alone can see

There's a song in every silence

Seeking word and melody

There's a dawn in every darkness

Bringing hope to you and me

From the past will come the future

What it holds, a mystery

Unrevealed until its season

Something God alone can see

In our end is our beginning

In our time, infinity

In our doubt, there is believing

In our life, eternity

In our death, a resurrection

At the last, a victory

Unrevealed until its season

Something God alone can see

With the uncertainty of these times in mind, our choir director, Rosalind Goh, made these comments in introducing this hymn,

 

"Against the bleak background of an uncertain future, we, God’s children, can rest securely on His unbreakable promises. God’s promises reflect His limitless power as Creator God, His loving faithfulness as a caring Father and His omnipotent rule as Sovereign God.The assurance that God fulfills His promises in His season, is our blessedness and enduring hope."

Rosalind explained that in a surprisingly gentle and flowing manner, this hymn that celebrates the Greatness of God which is  

• Evident in the activity of creation 
• Unravelled in processes of nature
• Displayed in the turning of the seasons
• Secured in the fulfillment of every promise
• Experienced in the resurrection after death

Those who have eyes will see the greatness of God and enjoy His goodness. Isaiah 40:25-31 declared:

 

"To whom will you compare me? 

Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One. 

Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? 

He brings them out one after another, 

calling each by its name. 

And he counts them to see that none are lost

 or have strayed away. 

O Israel, how can you say 

the LORD does not see your troubles? 

How can you say God refuses to hear your case? 

Have you never heard or understood? 

Don’t you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, 

the Creator of all the earth? 

He never grows faint or weary. 

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; 

he offers strength to the weak. 

Even youths will become exhausted, 

and young men will give up. 

But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. 

They will fly high on wings like eagles. 

They will run and not grow weary. 

They will walk and not faint.

Do we worry about the uncertainties, pain and suffering of the Covid crisis? 

While in prison facing the uncertainty of death the apostle Paul recalled his personal deprivations and hardships, wrote:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38  

God is a God of Promise. How great is our God!

Lionel

Three Scores and Ten

Painting by Tan Soh Beng

 

"What is your life? You are like a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes. In the morning it springs like new but by evening it is dry and withered." James 4:14 and Psalm 90:10  

Today is my 70th birthday. I have reached the Biblical watershed of Age, three scores and ten. I do not feel old yet and believe that there will be many more good years of service for God and the church. Consider James 4:13, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live. 

I hope I have lived well. Scripture describes living well as a person who is like a tree planted by the waterside. 'Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find joy in obeying the law of the Lord and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do. Psalm 1:1-3

A man's life is valued by how close he has walked with God, the family he has brought up and the friends he has made and kept through many years. One does not leave behind any great legacies, only lasting memories. On that score, I am a very fortunate man, as this video of birthday greetings will attest, I have many faithful friends.

So what lies ahead? J I Packer in his book, Finishing Our Course With Joy wrote "Some grow old gracefully, meaning, fully in the grip of the grace of God. Increasingly they display a well-developed understanding with a well formed character: firm, resilient and unyielding, with a firm sense of proportion and abundant resources for upholding and mentoring others." (Ref 1)

Packer introduced the idea of Spiritual Ripeness. He wrote, "Spiritual ripeness is worth far more than material wealth in any form, and that spiritual ripeness should continue to increase as one gets older. The Bible's view is that aging, under God and by grace, will bring wisdom, that is, an enlarged capacity for discerning, choosing and encouraging." 

My buddy, Edmund Lee introduced me to a song by Alan Jackson entitled 'The Older I Get'.  

The older I get

The more I think

You only get a minute, better live while you’re in it

'Cause it’s gone in a blink

And the older I get

The truer it is

It’s the people you love, not the money and stuff

That makes you rich

And if they found a fountain of youth

I wouldn’t drink a drop and that’s the truth

Funny how it feels I’m just getting to my best years yet

The older I get

The fewer friends I have

But you don’t need a lot when the ones that you got

Have always got your back

And the older I get

The better I am

At knowing when to give

And when to just not give a damn

And if they found a fountain of youth

I wouldn’t drink a drop and that’s the truth

Funny how it feels I’m just getting to my best years yet

The older I get

And I don’t mind all the lines

From all the times I’ve laughed and cried

Souvenirs and little signs of the life I’ve lived

The older I get

The longer I pray

I don’t know why, I guess that I

Got more to say

And the older I get

The more thankful I feel

For the life I’ve had, and all the life I’m living still

In a country and western catchy tune we are told that Aging with God should be the principle of our next lap. Like Alan Jackson, J I Packer gave three advice:

First, live for God one day at a time. We should acquire the habit of keeping God informed every morning and reviewing before God as each day closes.

Second, live in the present moment. Packer said to get into the way of practicing God's presence. Get God into the picture of our day and cultivate divine companionship moment by moment.

Third, live ready to go when Christ comes for us. As far as we can put our lives in order and get right with God day by day. Then we will always be prepared. 

And so I hope to journey on under the guiding hands of God. This is God's promise. (Proverbs 2:5-6 and 9-11)

'Then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom; 

from His mouth come knowledge and understanding

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair

- for every good path

For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge

will be pleasant to your soul

Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.'

 

Lionel

Ref 1: J I Packer. Finishing Our Course With Joy - Guidance from God for Engaging with our Aging. Crossway 2014

The Blame Game

Straits Times Illustration: Miel

'Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?' Job 2:10

Who takes responsibility for the Covid-19 pandemic? In the anniversary of the pandemic it has devastated public health, hospitals and economies around the world. By 14 Mar 2021 it has claimed 120,033,813 victims and 2,658,861 lives. There were plenty of blame -  countries blaming countries, people blaming governments, citizens blaming each other. Was it a failure of public health? We are all playing the blame game. 

The modern world seems unable to accept disasters. We see ourselves as being able to improve the world, able to control its destiny. We see God as being obligated to arrange things for the good of this world to everyone's benefit. Hence when things go wrong some blame God. Every new major tragedy evokes the same kind of public questions and challenges to faith; questioning God and even blaming Him in the face of the disaster. 

It may be easier for many of us who are bystanders to the Covid Pandemic to just become oblivious to it although we may realise that it has changed society and the way we live. But for those who were infected or who have lost loved ones, the suffering is real. 

Considering the experience of Job, Charles Swindoll (ref 1), wrote 

• There are days too dark for the sufferer to see light
• There are experiences too extreme for the hurting to have hope
• There are valleys too deep for the anguished to find relief. 

No wonder people lay blame for their difficulties and some blame God.  

The disastrous experience of Job and his family, evoked Job's wife to enter into the Blame Game. She said to Job, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job 2:9

The self righteous friends of Job posited that Job's suffering was his fault, Job was not right with God.  

Job replied to these accusations with a profound question, "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" Job 2:10. The suffering was so hideous that Job came close to blaming God and he questioned His Maker but he eventually refused to lay any blame on anyone, least of all on God.

But the whole world will still ask questions of this plague and finding fault. 

In the book 'Walking with God through pain and suffering' (Ref 1) Timothy Keller introduced the position of Peter Berger that every society and culture must make sense of the suffering and disaster inflicted on them. 

Peter saw in the Bible two ways of resolving this inner and eternal struggle:

• The Suffering of Job. Here we have the most difficult and severe truth, that in the face of disasters and suffering in this world we cannot question God. When Job, attempting to find a reason for the calamity, asked God to explain the sorrows and griefs that had come upon him, God's response was Job had no right to pose the question in the first place.

• The Solution of Christ. Against the harsh reality of Job's experience which many would be unable to understand nor withstand, there is a second position, Jesus Christ who came to suffer for all. In this suffering, Christ provided empathy, sympathy and comfort for all subsequent sufferers so that we can withstand and understand the disasters that may befall us.

Timothy Keller wrote, 'The book of Job rightly points to human unworthiness and finitude and calls for complete surrender to the sovereignty of God. But taken by itself the call might seem more than a sufferer could bear. Then the New Testament comes filled with an unimaginable comfort for those who are trusting in God's sovereignty. The sovereign God Himself came down into this world and experienced its darkness. He personally drank the cup of suffering down to the dregs. And He did it not to justify himself but to justify us, that is to bear the suffering, death and curse for the sin that we have earned. He takes the punishment on Himself so that someday He can return and end all the evil (and plagues) without having to condemn and punish us. God voluntarily become weak and plunges Himself into vulnerability and darkness out of love for us.' 

God is with us in this pandemic.  How Great Thou Art! 

Lionel

Ref 1: Charles Swindoll. Job, A Man of Heroic Endurance. Thomas Nelson 2004

Ref 2: Timothy Keller. Walking with God through Pain and suffering. Hodder and Stoughton 2013

   

Crisis, Calamities and Challenges

 

'For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.' Psalm 103:14   

The book of Job is a study of crisis, calamities and challenges. It also lays out a simple message, life is difficult and not the airy-fairy success stories that the modern multi-media like to spin for us. 

Furthermore, life can be unfair, What can we say to someone who at the pinnacle of life is struck down by severe cancer? Or how can we console parents who have just delivered a child with multiple congenital defects?

There is really no answer we can provide that will satisfy nor comfort the anguished soul suffering such calamities. The biblical Job suffered untold miseries and his struggle to find some sanity to all that he experienced have been used by Christians to try to survive unexpected and unsought crisis. Many a Christian will cling on to the lessons in this Bible book to withstand the challenges of an unfair hand.  

Job was a man, loved by God for his uprightness and envied by Satan. God was proud of Job, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him, he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Job 1:8. In order to prove God wrong and thinking that Job's faith would buckle under pressure, Satan asked God's permission to inflict extreme suffering and misfortune on Job. And God allowed it.

Throughout the ordeal, Job searched for answers including listening to opinions of four friends and his wife. They blamed Job or blamed God for this predicament. There are no easy answers.

The apostle Peter was also acquainted with suffering. He wrote, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:12-13 

Gradually Job understood although he could not fully explain his misfortunes fully. Timothy Keller surmised (Ref 1), "Suffering can refine us rather than destroy us because God himself walks with us in the fire? But how do we actually walk with God in such times? How do we orient ourselves toward him so that suffering changes us for the better rather than for the worse? Keller too left some questions unanswered. 

John Piper observed that suffering cannot be explained by the simple principle of retributive justice, where each person gets what he deserves: suffering for the evil and prosperity for the good. Often in life, it is the righteous who suffer and the wicked who prosper. But suffering is not dispensed willy-nilly among the people of God. It is apportioned to us as individually designed so that our faith might be refined, our holiness might be enlarged, our soul might be saved, and our God might be glorified.

Throughout Job's ordeal, God was ever present although Job may not even have realised this because for a long time, God was silent. Yet, in the end Job's fortunes were restored twice over. Despite crisis, calamities and challenges Job did not blame God. The Job Suite by Michael Card explained: 

Blameless and upright, a fearer of God

A man truly righteous, no pious façade

One about whom God was accustomed to boast

And so one whom Satan desired the most

One day the accuser came breathing out lies

"It's Your holy handouts, his faithfulness buys"

In one desperate day his possessions were lost

His children all killed in one raw holocaust

His children all killed in one raw holocaust

And yet through it all

Through the tears and pain

He worshiped his God

Found no reason to blame

Once more the Deceiver denounced and decried

"It's skin for skin, and hide for hide,

Strike down his flesh and he'll surely deny

And confess that his praying has all been a lie."

"Very well, take him, " the Holy One sighed

But you must spare his life, my son shall not die

So Job was afflicted with terrible sores

Sat down in the ashes to wait for the Lord

Sat down in the ashes to wait for the Lord

And yet through it all

Through the tears and pain

He worshiped his God

Found no reason to blame

Rev (Dr) Leonard Wee, Registrar Trinity Theological College of Singapore wrote a Lent meditation (Ref 2), "In the midst of life's challenges, it is sometimes easy to forget that we have a God who loves us deeply, and whose mercy and compassion would never fail. When situations become discouraging, we wonder if the Lord is going to withhold His mercy. Yet it is also in life's most difficult challenges that we often experience the lovingkindness of God." 

Lionel

Ref 1: Timothy Keller. Walking with God through Pain and suffering. Hodder and Stoughton 2013

Ref 2: The Bible Society of Singapore. From Fear to Faith, Daily Devotions for Lent 2021. Sower Publishers, 2021.