In Search of Worship - Seek

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who loved him.' 1 Cor 2:9

  

The movie August Rush tells the story of a boy who grew up in an orphanage. A Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist had a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square but were soon torn apart leaving in their wake an infant, Evan Taylor. The movie has a captivating opening sequence of the young boy moving around in a corn field, en-rapt it seems, by enchanting music. Despite taunting by the other boys in the orphanage, Evan aka August Rush believes the music will lead him to his parents from whom he was separated from birth. Eventually, led by the music and his prodigious musical talent, a fairy tale re-unification with his parents occurred for August. It is a heart-wrenching movie, well worth the watching. August's tagline at the end of the movie, "The music is all around us, all you have to do is look" reminds of 'Seek and You will find.'

There is another quest, the Quest for God, which Calvin Miller wrote in his book 'Into the Depths of God' (Ref 1). A reviewer wrote, "Drawing upon the Word of God and a rich treasury of spiritual insight, ancient and modern, Calvin Miller makes the familiar phrase, 'the deeper life' means something personal to the searching contemporary Christian." The expanded title of the book reads:

'Into the Depths of God

Where Eyes see the Invisible

Ears hear the Inaudible and

Mind conceive the Inconceivable.'

Both searches, the uncanny impulsive search of August Rush and the intellectual quest of Calvin Miller are real and valid because they are searches by the soul. Like August, we should believe that there is music all around us, all we have to do is listen and see; this time the music will lead us to God.

There is a hymn "This is my Father's World" written by Maltbie Babcock. He would take strolls along the Niagara Falls to savor the overlook's scenic view, telling his wife that he was "going out to see the Father's world."

This is my Father's world,

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world:

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--

His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world:

The birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white,

Declare their Maker's praise.

This is my Father's world:

He shines in all that's fair;

In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass,

He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world:

O let me ne'er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the Ruler yet.

This is my Father's world:

Why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!

God reigns; let earth be glad! 

I remember the first time I saw the Niagara Falls. I was so overcome by the sight and the rush of falling waters; I wept. I realised that in weeping I was worshiping God and this hymn came to mind. As tears came down my cheeks, the refrain, "This is my Father's world. All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres" resounded in my ears.

King David exclaimed "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God" Psalms 40:3.

We do not have to go far to worship God. Put a song in your heart, come out of your shell into God's creation for all of creation join together in offering God's praise.

Lionel  

Ref 1: Calvin Miller, Into the Depths of God Bethany House, 2000.

Updated 1st Published 7 June 2020

In Search Of Worship – Sanctity

Stain Glass Basel Cathedral

'Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.' Isaiah 6:5.

The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord God Almighty seated on a throne, high and exalted. A train of angels attended the Lord, worshiping and calling to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sight of the majesty and grandeur in encountering God, Isaiah shuddered and uttered, "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Isaiah 6:5. Isaiah recognised the sanctity of the moment. 

The Rev (Dr) Ben Witherington at the Singapore Aldersgate Convention (Ref 1) observed that an encounter with God in true worship simultaneously and paradoxically widens and narrows the gap between God and us. Worship happens when we realise the distance and distinction between the creator and the creation. This revelation smacked in Isaiah's face as he exclaimed, "Woe is me. I am a man of unclean lips yet I see the Lord." "Such encounter will make clear that God is God and we are so not god" said Dr Witherington, "and worship happens when the creature realizes he is not the creator and bows down to the One who is." 

Is this happening in our worship services? Today, our attitude to worship is to treat it as a consumer's product. The modern worship services are in danger of becoming more and more a show for man, directed to man, with man-pleasing songs, entertaining musical performances and speeches which tickle the ears of listeners. We come to church to consume, not to worship. It is all about ourselves, we need to be inspired, we need to learn, we need to feel good, we need to enjoy the singing, we need to enjoy the music. We approached worship as a consumer but we failed to be consumed by the presence of God. 

Crowd restrictions by the Covid pandemic did not allow us to congregate as a church. Bishop Emeritus Robert Solomon shared that while we cannot enjoy the whole festivity of that Palm Sunday, we can still worship. "I suspect it has forced us not just to join a crowd but to experience the Lord Jesus Christ riding into our hearts. The limitation we have today does not stop us from worshipping. lifting our hearts in praise of Jesus. It is as if the Lord has chosen to ride into our hearts so that we can focus our hearts on Jesus." (Ref 2) Away from any festivities and festivals we can and should focus our hearts on God in worship

These words from the Bishop inspired our niece-in-law, Angela Goh, to write the lyrics and music of this lovely, inspiring song, 'Hosanna.' 

I sing Hosanna when at home

I sing Hosanna though alone

No palm to palm greeting we give

Confined to home so we can live

I sing Hosanna from the heart

From friends and family far apart

Uncertain times, when fears arise

Look at the world, God hears our cries

Hosanna, we lift our voice in praise

Hosanna, our prayers to you we raise

In trials, give us joy

This sickness, you destroy

Hosanna, we lift our voice in praise

Hosanna, our hearts to you we raise

Set our hearts ablaze

Hosanna till the end of our days

We sing Hosanna in one accord

From home to home to our Lord

United together, one spirit, strong

Distanced, not forlorn

We sing Hosanna loud and proud

Spirit united, we are a crowd

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Hosanna we extol 

Angela understood that congregational worship has been replaced by personal worship, when the time and circumstances do not allow for worshipping together as a church. She wrote 'Hpsanna' at a time when she could mot worship in church on a Palm Sunday. But it does not matter where and how we worship, so long as we do this with reverence; as Angie said, "from the heart." 

In personal worship we will meet with God and it will do us well to know that God is to be met and listened to, not sat down and talked to. Here God communes with man and we become overwhelmed by the sheer presence of God. 'Let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.' Hebrew 12:28-29. We can sing 'Hosanna.'

Lionel

Ref 1 Methodist Message 110(7) Jul 08

Ref 2: The Methodist Message June 2020

Updated. First published 14 June 2020

In Search Of Worship - Stillness

Photo taken at Scotney Castle, Kent 23 June 2005
'Be Still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' Psalms 46:10

Just as the still waters around Scotney Castle reflect the castle so perfectly, one can reflect properly only when one is still. When we look within and still ourselves; we can know our God. Psalm 46:10 states "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

When we worship, come into the right frame of mind and atmosphere for worship. In that contemplative mood, seize the opportunity to worship the Lord. So often our 'busi-ness' detracts and subtracts from intimate moments of our thoughts and feelings. If we can release ourselves from the noisy distractions around us, we can come into a time of worship.

There is a fascinating book entitled Small Graces which I would recommend to you all. The book helps me to reflect and understand life. One snippet should entice you -"We dream our lives in grand gestures, but we live our lives in small moments." 

From our first rising at the dawn, to our last conscious thoughts at night, our lives are spent in tasks that absorb our attention and keep us from contemplating the bigger issues of life. Why are we here? What is love? Does God exist? What lives behind the veil of death? These are questions that make us human. But their answers, and even their contemplation, seem far beyond the ordinary realms in which we live our days

Kent Nerburn is a sculptor, writer and theologian. One reviewer wrote "one of the clearest, most exquisite books I have read in a long time. I believe it will become a classic." Share with you, one passage from this book "The silence is profound this morning. It is not portentous; there seems to be nothing in the waiting. It is a gentle silence, liquid and pastel, a shimmering on still water. It is good to listen to the silence that surrounds each day. In the same way that music is made alive by the silence that surrounds the notes, a day comes alive by the silence that surrounds our actions. And the dawn is the time when silence reveals herself most clearly." 

For a very long time most of the world's churches will not be allowed to worship together. No more the loud singing, no shouts of praises not even the ability to sit together as a congregation to worship. We need to redefine our worship when we cannot meet in congregations. We are now alone before God when we worship. There we will bow in silence.  

There is a song 'Be Still My Soul' (Click on title of song). What does this say about being still and knowing God?

Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain

Leave to thy God to order and provide

In every change He faithful will remain

Be still my soul thy best, thy heavenly friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end

Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as He has the past

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake

All now mysterious shall be bright at last

Be still, my soul, the waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below

Lionel

Updated 1st Published 24 May 2020

If you carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders, I know my brother that He will carry you.

"Endure hardship as discipline. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however if produces a harvest of righteousness and peace..." Heb 12:7 and 11

For some of us, life has become tough. We hope to find the true meaning and contentment for our Christian lives and yet in the living of it some suffer pain, some are struck with illnesses and handicaps; others are laden with emotional burdens. 

Life has become a burden for the whole world as we grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. Many countries are now in a lockdown mode. All of us are supposed to stay at home, some enforced by law. Today for the first time ever, we will not celebrate Easter with a church worship service, we will do so by virtual meetings using the Internet.

We can only imagine the untold suffering and grief of those who have lost loved ones, lost jobs, lost businesses and lost hopes. It is not easy to bear this pain, this cross, this discipline. We know that the Christian experience can be a life of strenuous pilgrimage of endurance and perseverance and yet we ask, where and when will this journey end. There are no easy answers. Only God knows. 

We marvel at the fortitude of St Clare who stated “Ever since I have known the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, no suffering has been bothersome, no penance too severe, no infirmity has been hard.” But most of us cannot claim to possess such strength. 

Let us take some comfort in a prayer by St. Augustine

“God of our life, these are days when the burden we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies are grey and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage.

Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music, give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to Your honour and glory.”

This past week was the Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. We were banned from meeting together in church worship because of the complete shutdown from all human contact in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. We missed the physical furnishings, furniture and familiarity of our local churches. However, using IT and Internet facilitation we were united in spirit if not by physical contact. Although stripped bare of these physical props, it did not prevent the presence of Christ to reach everyone of us.

From Perth, Pastor Benny Ho encouraged us with 3 simple messages:
1. Crisis helps us to return to the basics, it drives us to God
2. Crisis helps us to rearrange our priorities such as our relationships and spending more time in prayer
3. Crisis helps us to review leadership, those that offer solutions rather than lamentations

Jesus Christ offers solutions. He does not set us on the long and winding road alone. He is with us and Christ is risen indeed! In Matthew 11:28 to 30 Jesus said to all who are on this long road, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

We do not need to unburden ourselves to come to Jesus. 'Gentle and humble in heart' characterises Jesus. This is who He is, tender, open, welcoming, accommodating, understanding, willing. If you carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders, I know my brother that He will carry you.


Lionel

Updated 1st Published 12 April 2020

A Wicked Problem

"In those days when your pray, I will listen.If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you" Jeremiah 29:12-13

A wicked problem is defined as 'a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise. It refers to a problem that cannot be fixed, where there is no single solution to the problem. The adjective 'wicked' denotes resistance to resolution rather than evil.' Ref 1

These days of the Covid-19 virus pandemic are unprecedented times. More than 187 countries and governments are navigating through life threatening and economy devastating realities. Recently the World Health Organisation stated that the virus will not go away; the whole world has to live with it and come out with work around solutions to save lives and livelihood. It has become a 'Thorn in the Flesh' for many a country and government. 

What about us personally? There are times when we will face with intractable problems. Some will face failures in business, others have family quarrels, some are out of work for a long time and still others have illnesses without cures. These wicked problems weigh heavily on our hearts and spirits. There appears to be no end in sight.

The Bible acknowledges that in this life, we will have problems. Old testament history tell of the struggles of the Israelite in times of famine, living in deserts and wilderness, oppressed by conquerors. But they remained God's people and God never left them. Oddly the Bible tells us to learn to live through these difficult times. James in his epistle said, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance have a chance to grow."  James 1: 2-3

Peter said, "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 1 Peter 1:7

So, we are to endure suffering with cheerfulness, take it with a sense of humour and carry on with life. Aristotle observed, "Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness not through insensibility but through greatness of mind." Aristotle also said, 'It is during our darkest moment that we must focus on the light' 

Indeed we are encouraged by Psalms 27:1 'The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?'

YouVersion published a 7 days devotional entitled Good News: Encouragement for a World in Crisis. It has this advice for us: When we remember who God is and what He's done, we'll be more likely to walk with hope when things are threatening to overwhelm us. What we fill ourselves up with everyday is important. 

• When we fill our minds with the truth from God's Word, we'll become so acquainted with it that when we're faced with something that isn't true, we'll know

• When we worship God through song or praise Him while looking at His creation, it'll build our spirits and lift our focus from the daily trials we face

• When we walk through life with like-minded followers of Jesus, there's built in encouragement for us in our experiences with them (Ref 2)  

Isaiah 40:31 'But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary they will walk and not faint.' God says 'Walk with Me.'

Lionel

Ref 1: Wikipedia
Ref 2: YouVersion Good News:Encouragement for a World in Crisis

Updated 1st Published 17 May 2020

The Way of Suffering

Via Dolorosa

'He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain' Isaiah 53:3

There is a street in Jerusalem upon which I have walked about seven times in my life. It is an alley way lined by small shops on both sides where the Arab merchants sell their merchandise of copper and silver ware, decorated pottery, carpets and souvenirs. Meandering upwards of, a now imperceptible, low hill, this street led to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher – Calvary. Someone else walked that street, nearly 2000 years ago. 

It was not an easy or pleasant 'sight-seeing' walk. This street, then, was the last walk for a prisoner condemned to die and on his way to the gallows. Jesus, having endured torture, carried the cross and trudged up this hill, with difficult, painful and stumbling steps. On both sides of his path, the multitudes, many of whom were pilgrims celebrating the Jewish passover, scorned, mocked and derided him. 

The street is called the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering. Pilgrims can walk the 14 stations of the cross beginning from the flogging of Christ into the streets to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day

The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street

But the crowd pressed in to see

The man condemned to die on Calvary

He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back

And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head

And He bore with every step

The scorn of those who cried out for His death

Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering

Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King

But He chose to walk that road out of

His love for you and me

Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary

The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men

Made its way to the heart of Jerusalem

Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering

Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King

But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me

Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary

On Sunday 4 Sep 2022, several members from Charis Methodist Church journeyed to Oberammergau to watch the Passion Play. About 400 years ago, the residents of this small Bavarian village prayed for God to spare them further losses from the Black Death. With prayer, the town witnessed the last of the plague's victims. They vowed to perform a play of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ every 10 years since.

Legend has it that ever since 1634, when the villagers of Oberammergau first performed their passion play, no more epidemic hit the village. However they could not escape Covid-19. Like so many places on earth, Oberammergau experienced several deaths forcing the village to postpone the event until 2022. 

We were able to relive the experience and sense of the suffering of Jesus Christ in His last few hours on earth. Then we celebrated the resurrection of Christ along with many others. 

Charis Methodist Church at Oberammergau

This experience of Jesus, tortured, scorned and derided, is a hallmark in the history of Christianity. Christianity began in pain. For several centuries afterwards, the early Christians, endured the same risk Jesus endured whenever they professed their faith. 

With the passing of time, Christianity became an internationally accepted faith; persecution stopped and Christians began to enjoy the bountiful blessings of God. Christians now enjoy acceptance, security, peace and well being. 

We become surprised and disoriented when we face a different experience. But pain and suffering can become a cross that some Christians will experience. When this happens it is easy to blame God. We live with the presumption this could not happen to us. 

How can a good God, who bestows goodness, allow this to happen? Woody Allen was purported to have said, “How do you expect me to believe in God, when only last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of my electric type-writer?” We do not have to respond with Woody-Allenian smugness. There are many fine examples of people who have endured suffering and come out more mature; their responses more elegant and erudite. The Via Dolorosa is a poignant reminder, etched upon the pages of history, of the suffering of Jesus Christ and that pain can and will happen to Christians.

Thomas Dorsey's "Precious Lord" presents itself to us a song of hope and faith. People around the world know it, sing it, and love it because of its profound message. 

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near
When my light is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Few know the song was inspired by a horrific tragedy in the life of its composer. In August of 1932, Dorsey was scheduled to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting in St. Louis. At the time his wife, Nettie was pregnant with their first child. He kissed her goodbye and made his way to St. Louis for the revival meeting. The next night, as soon as he finished playing, he received a telegram and pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: 'Your wife just died.' Nettie had given birth to a boy but later the baby died. In the midst of despair, a friend visited Dorsey and arranged for him to be left alone in a music room with a piano. For the first time in many days, he sat at a piano using his fingers to browse the keys. Soon, the young artist experienced a personal revival, "I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, one I'd never heard or played before, and words for "Precious Lord" came into my head—they just seemed to fall into place." 

'Weeping may remain for a night but rejoicing comes in the morning.' Psalms 30:5 

Lionel 

Updated 1st Published 22 Feb 2008

Hard Times but Life Is Beautiful

The Murray in Drought

'Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad - for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to the world.'  1 Peter 4:12-13

The Murray Valley is one of Australia's bread baskets. Fed by waters from the Murray river, this basin is lush with vineyards, olive groves and fruit orchards. From 10-16 Oct 2008, all 6 of us, Pat, Becky and I, John, Debbie and James, shared the rural pastoral experience of a town named Yarrawonga. It is located at the dam across the Murray River and Lake Mulwara. We swam, kayaked down the river, golfed, visited farms and wineries. The perceptive visitor will sense that there is a certain dryness, a land hardened by drought in this particular part of Australia. 

The shop-owner who rented to us two kayaks informed that the drought had so far lasted 10+ years. He had stopped taking tourist for kayaking tours because the interesting creeks along the river had all dried up. A farmer's wife at the Uniting Church where we worshipped, that Sunday informed Pat that the smaller farms had to burn their crops if there was insufficient rain. The church members are all senior citizens. They were so pleased to see us and to hear baby James cry in church. The younger people had long left the area to seek their fortunes in Melbourne or Sydney.

 

Droughts are hard times especially for a farming community but the week we were at Yarrawonga, coincided with the global financial crisis making it worse. Banks failed, the stock markets crashed and a global recession loomed. Many governments had to step in and underwrite their national banks. Australia was no exception. We can expect many people to suffer huge financial losses.

 

Kevin Rudd, then Prime Minister of Australia, rallied the Australians to tide over the global financial crisis with these words. "Anyone who grew up on the land knows that you can't control the weather," he declared. "Sunshine every day and rainy nights. That's what you dream of. But life's not like that. There are good years and there are hard years. And you don't choose the order in which they come. But the hard years teach you never to give up." Kevin Rudd was not just politicising but referring to character building; hard times whether in farms or in corporate rooms can bring out the best in character provided one learns life's lessons humbly.

Through these times, we learnt the bitter lesson that life wasn't meant to be easy. Christians despite our special relationships with God can fall on hard times too. Our faithfulness and the promised blessings do not shelter us from the hard knocks of life. Chapter 12 of the Book of Hebrews writes of discipline imposed on God's children and encourages us to withstand and overcome it,

'No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been through it.' Hebrews 12:11

We admire people who can go through very trying periods and still retain their sense of humour and sanity. The character, Guido in the film 'Life Is Beautiful' is a case study. Guido, goes to extraordinary lengths to convince his son that navigating life under the Nazis in the concentration camp is actually all an elaborate game. His behaviour in times of great suffering is comical and amuses his son, the narrator in the film who described his Dad's ruse as 'his gift to me.'   

Roger Ebert the film critic noted that in the real death camps there would be no role for, the comic, Guido. Ebert wrote, "But Life Is Beautiful is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit. It is about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. About hope for the future." The critic Tom Dawson wrote "the film is presumably intended as a tribute to the powers of imagination, innocence, and love in the most harrowing of circumstances," 

St Augustine, in his book the 'City of God' spoke of suffering and opined that what matters is not the nature of the suffering, what matters is the nature of the sufferer. Bishop (Dr) Robert Solomon wrote in his book, The Race(Ref 1), “In suffering, we need to find meaning. We need to also find love. It is difficult to suffer alone and many people feel they do. But we are not really alone when we suffer. God offers us His loving presence.” Bishop wrote on, “And when we allow Him to walk with us, we will find that suffering is redemptive. It changes us and makes us like Him. It gives depth and brings new life.”

St Paul wrote in Romans Chapter 8,

'I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the the glory that will be revealed in us...For we all know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purposes... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."  Romans 8:18,28,35 and 37

Matt Redman wrote a song, 'It is Well with My Soul' which is describes the relationship of Christians with suffering and the grace and blessing it can bring.

Our scars are a sign

Of grace in our lives

Oh Father, how you brought us through

 

When deep were the wounds

And dark was the night

The promise of your love you proved

 

Now every battle still to come

Let this be our song

 

It is well (it is well)

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul

 

Weeping may come

Remain for a night

But joy will paint the morning sky

 

You're there in the fast

You're there in the feast

Your faithfulness will always shine

 

Now every blessing still to come

Let this be our song

 

It is well (it is well)

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul

I trust your ways (trust your ways)

I trust your name (trust your name)

It is well, it is well with my soul

 

You lead us through battles

(You lead us through battles)

You lead us to blessing

(you lead us to blessing)

And you make us fruitful

(and you make us fruitful)

In the land of our suffering, God

 

Lionel

Ref 1. Robert M Solomon, The Race – Finding the Real Journey in Life. Genesis Books 2008

Updated 1st Published Nov 2008

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.

Updated 1st Published 7 Mar 2021