All Creatures Great And Small

Jeremy the Mouse

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning - the sixth day."  Genesis 1:31

On the 4 April 2007, my younger daughter Rebecca wrote:

I recently got myself a pet mouse whom I named Jeremy - a docile, sweet and intelligent creature with a lovely tan coat. I played with this creature daily and was amazed by the different things that he did. 

I discovered that mice are amazing creatures. Small and tiny, yet intelligent and full of personality. They cry when upset or stressed - having glands that produce a red and sticky tear-like substance which also serve as a scented warning for other mice not to get into the same troublesome situation. They generally crawl about on their fours but will periodically stand on their hind legs when eating, fighting or orientating themselves; looking adorable when they do so. They are superb jumpers, climbers and swimmers. Do you know that mice will sing and dance to attract their mates? They have interesting rituals. They can also hunt like pack animals in groups and will warn each other of danger.

Studying Jeremy and reading about mice, I realised that God really put a personal finishing touch on these tiny creatures. Mice are just a teeny tiny part of the whole spectrum of animals, plants, earth, sea and sky that make up our world, His creation. God planned the entire global ecosystem, he made the air and oceans, with their careful balance of chemicals; He created the plants to replenish the world with oxygen and to nourish its inhabitants; he made the mice, elephants and all creatures great and small.

Indeed, the creations of God are "very good" and at the end, He made man to be the master of these things but more, to love Him and to serve Him. I see no reason not to do so. If God is able to plan all the complicated parts of an ecosystem, things that even us humans may never fully comprehend, He certainly can make me and ask that I serve Him. 

God is good. I see no problem with giving my life to Him. I hope that throughout life, God will plan for and direct me. He is an awfully good planner to me.

On the 25 May 2007, my elder daughter Deborah commented:

Actually, Meimei (Rebecca) has a very special capacity to accept God's creations and to appreciate them at full value, imperfect as they may be. In her post she did not mention that her pet, Jeremy was a three-legged mouse, a reject of the pet shop. When she chose the mouse to be her pet, she did not even notice this 'handicap' - she saw that Jeremy was responsive, happy and full of vitality

To appreciate people and animals for more than their physical and mental attributes, but for their personality and inner beauty is a rare gift.

Lionel Lee commented

As a father, I am very proud that both my daughters have a wonderful gift by which they both have learnt to appreciate God through observing the wonders of His creation. We can be oblivious to God's creative genius in creating the flora and fauna of our world when we should be appreciative. Genesis 1:21 and 24 describes this creative energy,

 

'So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds and every winged bird according to its kind. And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds; the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground and the wild animal each according to its kind." And it was so.'

We often gloss over these verses but the description of the creation of all creatures great and small portrays abundance and exuberance, as the word 'teems' reveals. 

When God created man and woman, he gave them a duty to look after the luscious and abundant world. Genesis 1: 28b and 29, 

God said, "Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."   

Some have interpreted this injunction as having dominion and authority over the earth. I think God gave us the responsibility to look after and respect His creation. Hence every Christian has a God-given duty towards conservation and protection of all living things and species. With this, we will become sensitive to God's creative energy which was not only present when the world began but continues as a mighty force at work for the beauty of the earth and all creation. Jesus in Luke 12:27 told us, 

"Consider, how wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed as one of these."

It is a blessing to have this special quality and inner sensitivity towards creation and conservation. This is celebrated in a choral anthem written by John Rutter, 'All Things Bright and Beautiful.'

 

All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small

All things bright and wonderful

The Lord God made them all

Each little flow'r that opens

Each little bird that sings

He made that glowing colors

He made that tiny wings

All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all

The color headed mountain

The river running by

The sunset and the morning

That brightened up the sky

The cold wind in the winter

The pleasant summer sun

The ripe fruit in the garden

He made them everyone

All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all

Cooler Becky

Debbie Lee

and Lionel

Updated from original article written by Rebecca on 9 April 2007

The Rat Race

'In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.' Proverbs 16:9

'Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it' 1 Timothy 6:6-7.

 

The Rat Race is a perennial struggle of human beings to get to the top. It is a endless competition to get ahead at all cost. This expression was introduced in the 1930 to describe a exhausting, pressured urban life spent in trying to get ahead with little time for rest. Here is a tragic depiction of modern society in a cartoon feature by Steve Curtis entitled Rat Race.

The Rat race runners try to burn the candle at both ends, they are always busy, busy, busy. It is an incessant push for success. Centuries ago King Solomon condemned it as an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. Since then, we have not learnt from the wisdom of Solomon.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon spoke of the uselessness and monotony of everyday life. He used the term 'under the sun' when he described that life as useless (Ecc 1:3). One can interpret this term 'under the sun' as life on earth. Solomon said in Ecc 1:4, "You spend your life working and what do you have to show for it."

Charles Swindoll in his bible study guide on the Book of Ecclesiastes entitled 'Living On The Ragged Edge' (Ref 1) gave a realistic appraisal of this futile race

• People Living Under Oppressive Conditions. Ecc 4:1 'Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were weeping and no one would help them.'

• People Living Under Aggressive Competition Ecc 4:4 'I have also learnt why people work so hard to succeed: it is because  they envy their neighbours. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.' 

Charles Swindoll wrote, 'Solomon is not referring to healthy, ethical competition. What he has in mind is the one-on-one rivalry of pushing, fighting and clawing - the vicious determination of two people to outdo one another at any cost.'

The saddest insanity of all is the man who is alone without any relatives or children labouring endlessly to make his millions to leave to nobody. Ecc 4:7-8 'I have noticed something else in life that is useless. Here is a man who lives alone. he has no son, no brother, yet he is always working never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless too and a miserable way to live.' Here is a perfect picture of someone who is enslaved to the Rat Race, the pursuit of wealth.

But Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes did not paint just doom and gloom. Yes, the book exposes the realities of life but it qualified this by making the claim that this is only true when applied to an existence without God. The only way to get out of this cycle of futility of life is to believe in God and to live as He intended for us.

In the same way, the young people would do well to prevent themselves entering the Rat Race by believing in God early. 'Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I find no pleasure in life' Ecc 12:1.

Living God's way as a Christian does not automatically mean we will have no struggle with life. Life was difficult for the early Christians and also for some today. Nevertheless we are told to persevere. Indeed Christians enter a different race of endurance and keeping the faith despite hardships and even persecution for some. 

St Paul told the young disciple, Timothy, 'Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs but tries to please his commanding officer' 2 Timothy 2:3-4. 

Like a soldier under discipline we do not get entangled in the rat race or be sucked into the lures of this world. 'Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs' 1 Timothy 6:9-10. Ecc 4:4 and 6 advised 'it is better to have a little, with peace of mind, than to be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind'.

We may plan all we like but eventually God will direct our paths. So what is God's way? In Ecclesiastes 9:11a, Solomon advised, "I have seen something else under the sun; the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance overtake them all" Yes while man proposes God disposes and He has a way of leveling even the best plans of clever, powerful and assertive people. 

Hence St Paul advised young Timothy, "But you, man of God, flee from this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life for which you are called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses" 1 Timothy 6:11-12.

Many people run the Rat Race but Christians should walk with Jesus. Enjoy this song, Just A Closer Walk With Thee.

I am weak but Thou art strong

Jesus keep me from all wrong

I'll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

Just a closer walk with Thee

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea

Daily walking close to Thee

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be 

Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o’er

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

 

Lionel

Ref 1: Charles R Swindoll. Living on the Ragged Edge - Coming to terms with Reality, Insight for Living, 1976

  

The Masking of Nations

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbour as yourself' Luke 10:27

Covid-19 pandemic forces several countries in the world to mandate mask wearing as a preventive health measure. It was felt that since this Corona virus spread by way of droplets, mask wearing could prevent infection from coughing and sneezing whilst at the same time protect the wearer. While many obeyed this rule dutifully, many others revolted against it claiming that mask wearing cramped their styles.

The masking of nations exacerbates a well-known but largely ignored condition of modern society - loneliness, withdrawal, seclusion and self-imposed confinement. In crowded urban societies individuals exist with glassy looks speaking to no one, glued to their computers, TVs and reduced to texting on their mobile phones. These individuals eventually become very depressed and suicidal. The social distancing and mask wearing imposed in the wake of the pandemic invoked a wave of suicides.

This condition is not new, the masking of nations only serves to unmask a condition which, as early as 1963, Paul Simon starting writing about. In 1964 the famous duo Simon and Garfunkel recorded the 'Sounds of Silence'.

 

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seed while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a streetlamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed 

By the flash of a neon light that split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never shared

No one dared disturb the sound of silence

"Fools," said I, "you do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you"

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the well of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets

Are written on the subway walls

and tenement halls."

and whispered in the sound of silence

Paul Simon was expressing his angst towards the extent of alienation in this modern world. Garfunkel summed up the meaning of the song as the inability of people to communicate with each other. In the end these become people who are unable to love each other.

Nothing was done to alleviate this condition and in the 2019-2021 pandemic, the mask became symbolic of people unable to speak to each other. 

In this silent crowded world, the Bible speaks loudly of love and of being brotherly, sisterly and neighbourly. We learnt about reaching out to the lonely, the marginalised and ignored people of this world by way of a trick question posed to Jesus Christ, Who is my neighbour? In response, a parable was told by Him. It will do well for the world and especially Christians, to learn and live the way of the Good Samaritan:

• Help a friend, a stranger, even an enemy
• Render assistance at  anytime and anywhere
• Give personal care and attention 
• Act from good underlying attitudes and inner beliefs
• Be consistent and not just offer a one-off act of kindness         

Yes Jesus Christ emphasised a deep abiding community spirit and rejected the  alienation in modern societies, Luke 6:35-38:

"But love your enemies, do good to them

and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

Then your reward will be great

and you will be children of the Most High

because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Do not judge and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven

Give and it will be given to you. 

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap."

There is an old forgotten song, a favourite of the late Rev Martin Luther King, that is worth listening to once again at these times when people are hearing without listening, 'If I Can Help Somebody As I Pass Along'.

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

If I can show somebody that they're travelling wrong

Then my living shall not be in vain

Then my living shall not be in vain

Then my living shall not be in vain

If I can help somebody as I pass along

Then my living shall not be in vain

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought

If I can bring back beauty to a world up wrought

If I can spread love's message as the Master taught

Then my living shall not be in vain

Lionel

Day By Day

 
'Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You will again have compassion  on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depth of the seas.' Micah 7:18-19

Today is New Year's Day for 2021, a year that all of us hope to be much better than the Covid-laden 2020. Having faced the pandemic how would we live 2021? What will be our New Year resolution? 

At the close of his book the prophet Micah asked the question Who is a God like You? It is a question many of us should ask. Who is God? And do we know our God? Perhaps we can make this our 2021 resolution, to know God better.

This brings us to a song Day by Day in the musical Godspell. Day by Day is a very catchy tune, like a modern day nursery rhyme. This song became a top hit as many people were attracted to the simple repetitive tune. It is based on a prayer ascribed to the 13th-century English Bishop Richard of Chichester.  

"May I know Thee more clearly,

Love Thee more dearly,

Follow Thee more nearly."

 

We know that the uniqueness of Christianity is the restoration of our relationship with God. However, many of us after being restored, fail to further this relationship. Perhaps we can use this song to deepen our relationship and to

Know Jesus
Love Jesus

Obey Jesus 

There is another song with the same title, Day by Day (and with Each Passing Moment), a hymn written in 1865 by Carolina Sandell Berg, known as the Fanny Crosby of Sweden. On a voyage with her father, Pastor Sandell, the boat they were on lurched to one side and her father was thrown overboard. He drowned as Carolina looked on. In this tragedy, she discovered that God's comforting presence is always near and this, inspired her to compose the hymn.   

Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best--

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,

He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in eve'ry tribulation

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith's sweet consolation

Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E'er to take, as from a father's hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the promised land.

So how would we make good this New Year resolution? We turn to God for every encouragement, help, mercy and strength to walk through life one step at a time, day by day, using this prayer hymn. The secret to a deepening relationship with Jesus, to know, love and obey Him, is to pray day by day.

May 2021 be the year where we discover God, His will, His purposes for our lives.

Happy New Year 

Lionel 

Give Me This Mountain

The Dolomites

 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith' 2 Tim 4:7

Caleb was a man that could truly claim that he had fought the good fight and finished the race. He was one of two spies that Moses sent to recce the promised land across the Jordan who came back with a positive and optimistic analysis of the terrain and enemy. The other spy with the same analysis was Joshua. Ten other spies brought back negative and depressing news that obstacles before them could not be surmounted. In Joshua 14:7-8 Caleb recalled, "I brought him (Moses) back a report according to my convictions but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.

 

So at age 85 years, just as the the Israelites were dividing the conquered territories of Canaan amongst the tribes, Caleb staked his claim, "Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me." Joshua 14:12 

Caleb in Hebrew means 'faithful, devoted, whole hearted, bold, brave'. True to his name, Caleb was a remarkable man, resolute and tenacious. Dr Alan Redpath who wrote Victorious Christian Living, Studies in the Book of Joshua (Ref 1) described Caleb's legacy as 

• A Faith that never wavered
• A Strength that never weakened

Caleb left an example for all who are living out the Christian life for many years. Our faith should not grow dim even as our eye sights may be failing us. Dr Redpath hoped that "the faith which is ours in youth may be undimmed in old age, that the vision of the Lord shall be clearer as we grow older, that when life's journey is almost done we shall not be content merely to survey the past but be ready and eager still for battles with the enemy".

Alan Redpath hit the nail on the head when surveying the challenges of the older and grey-haired Christians. Many of us who had retired from our lifelong employments think also that we can retire from our Christian duties and service. We feel that we have done enough and now it is time to sit back and relax and allow the younger Christians to take up the cudgel. Nothing can be more threatening to our continuing faith if we take a backseat, trying to rest upon the laurels of past service as though we can now cash in on our past investments. 

When we become Christians we have a perspective of eternity which has no place for retirements. Harry Blamires wrote, 'A prime mark of the Christian mind is that it cultivates the eternal perspective. It looks beyond this life to another one'. (Ref 2)

Caleb at a ripe old age said, "So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then" Joshua 14:10-11.

Most Christians do not live like Caleb who was wholehearted in his faith and steadfastly resolute to defend it. Bishop Solomon told the story that when the Irish tribes were baptised, their warriors raised their right hands above the baptismal waters, the hands that wielded their swords. The Bishop commented that they were willing to give up certain parts of their lives but hold back other parts from God (Ref 3). Most Christians are like that, half-hearted sacrifice and half hearted surrender. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, now known as OMF said, "Christ is either Lord of all or is not Lord at all".

Where are the Calebs today? In 1874, Frances Havergal wrote a familiar hymn, 'Take My Life'. 

Frances enacted her lyrics, a line of which says "Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold." In 1878, four years after writing the hymn, Miss Havergal wrote a friend, "Take my silver and my gold" now means shipping off all my ornaments to the Church Missionary House, including a jewel cabinet that is really fit for a countess, where all will be accepted and disposed of for me...Nearly fifty articles are being packed up. I don't think I ever packed a box with such pleasure."

1. Take my life and let it be
   Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
   Take my moments and my days,
   Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
   At the impulse of Thy love.
   Take my feet and let them be
   Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing,
   Always, only for my King.
   Take my lips and let them be
   Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
   Not a mite would I withhold.
   Take my intellect and use
   Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine,
   It shall be no longer mine.
   Take my heart, it is Thine own,
   It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
   At Thy feet its treasure store.
   Take myself and I will be
   Ever, only, all for Thee.

This is a hymn of total surrender, a hymn of consecration, a hymn for the Calebs of today

Lionel

Ref 1: Alan Redpath. Victorious Christian Living, Fleming H. Revel, Baker Book House Company 1955. 
Ref 2: Harry Blamires. The Christian Mind, SPCK, 1963 
Ref 3: Robert Solomon. Growing Old Gracefully, Following Jesus to the End, Discovery House, 2019

What Can I Give to Him?

' For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace' Isaiah 9:6

'Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!' 2 Cor 9:15

The Christmas of 2020 must surely be one of the bleakest Christmases in history. The news of the unrelenting Covid-19 pandemic hitting record highs in infections and deaths is unrelenting in the week leading to the 25 December 2020. A new highly infectious strain of the virus appeared in Britain, has crossed into Europe and threatens to spread throughout the globe. 

This season, governments are advising citizens not to go out to make merry, not even to meet in extended families to celebrate the Christmas. Christmas eve service in Bethlehem will not have a congregation. The Pope in the Vatican said Christmas mass without the usual crowded audience in St Peter's Square. Yesterday my family had our unusual virtual Christmas celebration on Zoom linking those of us from separate homes in Singapore, UK and the USA. 

The shops are depleted of customers. There is almost no Christmas shopping. No one is trying to go bargain hunting for gifts this Christmas. There will be many a disappointed young boy or girl who will not receive many, even any, Christmas presents.

The tradition of giving each other gifts during Christmas is symbolic of the gift of the Christ child at the first Christmas. It also signifies the act of adoration and giving of presents to the Jesus by the Magi who visited him guided by the star in the east.

Now that many of us will not be receiving gifts, we can ask ourselves whether these gifts, however expensive, really matter? Instead, can we offer to each other something of worth? Can we offer to Jesus something of real worth this Christmas?       

The Charis Methodist Church Choir rendered as a gift offering, a zoom virtual presentation of the song 'When I Kneel At The Manger Tonight' at our Covid-restricted, limited number, Worship Service on the 20 Dec 2020. The lyrics attempt answers to the question: What can I give to him? The real answer is, 'I have nothing to bring', nothing of worth, which is exactly what is happening with the lack of gift exchanges this Christmas. 

What can I give to Him, a heavenly King?
What can I give to Him? 

I have nothing to bring, but I'll offer my heart

When I kneel at the manger tonight

What can I give to Him, to honour His birth?

What can I give to Him?

I have nothing of worth, but I'll offer my heart

When I kneel at the manger tonight.

If I were as shepherd boy, I would give him a lamb

If I were a mighty king, I would give Him a golden ring

But what can I give to Him I have nothing at all?

What can I give to Him? 

Would my gift be too small, if I offer my heart

When I kneel at the manger tonight.

Is it necessary to bring a gift? What if you are too poor to buy one? The Christmas carol, 'The Little Drummer Boy' helps put to rest the dilemma that we are facing about gifts and their value on this gift-less Christmas. 

It is a tender story of a little boy who is told, apparently by the Magi, to go and see the new born Jesus bringing gifts to honour the baby. The boy is poor and doesn't have anything to give, so he offers to play his drum. His offering is accepted with Mary nodding her approval. The boy plays the best he can, and the infant King smiles at him.

Come they told me

A new born king to see

Our finest gifts we bring

To lay before the king

So to honor him

When we come

Little baby

I am a poor boy too

I have no gift to bring

That's fit to give our king

Shall I play for you

Mary nodded

The ox and lamb kept time

I played my drum for him

I played my best for him

Then He smiled at me

Me and my drum

In this  consumer-dominated world, we often value a person by the kind of gift  he brings. This Covid-19 Christmas will teach us that presents and gifts of whatever value and cost do not really matter. We can afford to strip Christmas of its commercial overtones. We can return to fully appreciating the real gift of Christmas, the gift of Jesus, an indescribable gift!

Lionel

Inspired by a sermon preached by Rev (Dr) Andrew Peh on 20 Dec 2020

A Silence That Speaks

Morning Silence in Vercor, Grenoble

'O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.' Psalm 131:2

When we visited Helsinki on 13 August 2010 we learnt about the great Finnish composer, Sibelius who composed the well loved anthem, Finlandia. The tour guide informed us that although Mr Sibelius travelled the world, most of his compositions were inspired and written in Finland. He had a famous quotation “In Finland there is a silence that speaks” and this was inscribed on his memorial. He meant that he found the peace and quiet of his country especially inspiring.

Sibelius Memorial, Helsinki

A silence that speaks - this phrase resonated with me when I first heard it because at that time I felt distanced from God. It seemed that the quiet whispers of God speaking to my soul had gone. If it had been present, as it surely must have, it was simply ignored and shut out. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, still there was no inspiration. I simply did not enjoy any contemplative moment. I was too hurried. I need to shut out the noise of a busy life, keep still, enjoy the silence and hear God’s inspiration. When I viewed the countryside around Helsinki, I knew that God spoke through the silence.

Kent Nerburn spoke of being in Saskatchewan once. The wind there was extremely strong and loud to him, a newcomer to the area. But the people in that part of Canada were so used to this wind that they hardly noticed its presence. So too is the voice of God. It is always present but we fail to give it the correct attention because life itself, like the Saskatchewan wind, sound-surrounds and shuts out God’s voice.

God’s voice like the wind does not stop, it just drops down to a whisper. Does this happen ever so often in your life? Our own self importance, our self directedness stifles the God given instinct for communication and communion. 

Our former Pastor Tan-Yeo Lay Suan once shared, "Stillness and Silence is always a prerequisite for receptivity. Telephones and television sets cannot receive messages when they are too filled with static and noise." When we learn to wean off the voices of the world, then perhaps we can start to listen to the voice of God. If we are to listen above the noise, we have to calm and quieten our soul like a child at the mother's breast, a child not hooked on the distractions of the busy life.

Richard Tan also struggled with this silence from God which he found perplexing especially with respect to unanswered prayer. He found insight and comfort in Eugene Peterson's sharing, "We have learned by experience that God's silence in the face of our prayers is not due to some inadequacy on our part or some technical glitch in the way we pray. God's silence is a common and repeated experience among all who pray. Like the widow who did not lose heart, why do we keep praying? We do it because we know who God is and what He is like. Having kept company with Jesus, we know the character and work of the God who is with us. That is why we keep praying and do not lose heart."  

There is a mountain in the middle of France near the town of Grenoble upon which a monastery was founded by St Bruno. It is called the Grand Chartreuse. For nine centuries, contemplative Catholic monks and nuns of the Carthusian Order, have been faithful to the vocation of silence. There in the stillness of the surrounding countryside in which the brothers pray and live their lives in silence not speaking to each other except for a few days in a year. Yet, the testimonies of the monks speak of them knowing God, the world, society and humankind in depth and truthfulness. Was it not, Mahatma Gandhi who said “It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without heart?” The Carthusian monks knew this secret centuries ago.

And God comes to them. There is song written by David Haas entitled 'You Are Mine' whose first line reassures that God will come to us in the silence

I will come to you in the silence

I will lift you from all your fear

You will hear My voice

I claim you as My choice

Be still, and know I am near

I am hope for all who are hopeless

I am eyes for all who long to see

In the shadows of the night,

I will be your light

Come and rest in Me

Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

I am strength for all the despairing

Healing for the ones who dwell in shame

All the blind will see, the lame will all run free

And all will know My name

Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

I am the Word that leads all to freedom

I am the peace the world cannot give

I will call your name, embracing all your pain

Stand up, now, walk, and live

Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

Lionel

Updated. 1st published 13 August 2010

Speak, O Lord

'My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.' Proverbs 3:21-24

In the 1980s, a systems approach to decision making and solutions for complex problem became fashionable. Predating the Artificial Intelligence era, computer scientists with psychologists derived methods, processes and systems to help decision making in complex situations. This systematic solutioning approach is called Sensemaking. 

How do we make good decisions? These days the art of decision making has become a science. Tools are being developed to help big businesses, corporations and governments to arrive at good decisions via computer aids, algorithms, data fusion and artificial intelligence.  Karl Weick, the 'father of Sensemaking' suggested that the term means simply 'the making of sense.' 

The Bible calls this Wisdom that comes from God as we discern His will for our lives and our decisions. Proverbs 3 contained many terse advice about exercising wisdom and receiving Godly guidance in decision making. It states in Proverbs 3:13-14

'Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold' 

If we want to avoid a bad decision, the best is to ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment. Who else can be to us a sound resource and a wellspring of guidance for the choices we have to make of our lives? 

Ask questions like: Will it bring honour to God? Will God like it? Can the Bible guide us? Will what we do bring dishonour to Jesus’ name? Will we have the blessing of parents? Will God be pleased with us?

I do not think we need to use systems like sensemaking. All we need is to discern God's will and listen to His voice. This is the era of information overload. The folly will be in listening to the many voices around us but failing to listen to that one voice that really matters. There is a song 'Speak, O Lord' by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend asking God to speak to our minds and hearts so we can grasp the great plan He has for us. 

1. Speak, O Lord, as we come to You

   To receive the food of Your Holy Word

   Take Your truth, plant it deep in us

   Shape and fashion us in Your likeness

   That the light of Christ might be seen today

   In our acts of love and our deeds of faith

   Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us

   All Your purposes for Your glory

   Teach us Lord, full obedience

   Holy reverence, true humility

   Test our thoughts and our attitudes

   In the radiance of Your purity

   Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see

   Your majestic love and authority

   Words of pow'r that can never fail

   Let their truth prevail over unbelief

   Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds

   Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us

   Truths unchanged from the dawn of time

   That will echo down through eternity

   And by grace we'll stand on Your promises

   And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us

   Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
2. And the earth is filled with Your glory

Lionel