My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me

'I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.' John 10:14a

My Christian brother, Dr Koh Hai Yong, once made this comment, "Oftentimes we as parents are overly anxious about our children. Are they doing well in school? Are they mixing with the right company? Are we providing enough for them? Then, this thought came to my mind – no matter how much we love and are concerned about our children, God loves them and cares for them infinitely more. I am emancipated!" 

Hai Yong's comment reminded me of this picture that my father in law the late Rev Kao gave us. It was a picture that hung on the family wall for many years. I chose this picture amongst many that he wanted to pass on to his children because at that time the song "My heavenly father watches over me" came to mind. This picture somehow gave me much comfort that I am under the watchful eyes of Jesus. The realisation that Jesus loves us including our young children, frees us from any anxiety of growing up in an unknown future.

John 10:14-16 states

'I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.' 

We used to sing the song 'there were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold, but one was lost on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold.' The song went on to indicate how Jesus the Good Shepherd will go out of His way to search for the lost sheep. 

Hai Yong was exactly right, we Christian parents can rest in the assurance that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Let me share with you one email I wrote to the my girls on 20 Oct 2001 when the world was filled with uncertainty. As parents, with children living far away in UK and Australia, what else can we do but to trust in the Good Shepherd? This email went, 

"Psalms 65:2 reads 'O You (referring to God) who hear prayer, to YOU all men will come.' Just one month ago, we witnessed a dastardly terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre, New York. Now, there are the Anthrax letters attacks on Washington DC. These are times of uncertainty. No one knows what the terrorists might do. Should we not turn to God?

Psalms 65: 9 says, 'You care for the land and water it, you enrich it abundantly.' This verse is really encouraging. Despite what these evil men can do, they cannot compete with the restoration God provides. God will heal the land. All they can do is create trouble, some mischief. Soon it will pass and they will be gone but God's creation remains. 

That God answers prayers is a statement of fact. It is not only when we turn to him that he hears our prayers. No, it just a plain fact that God hears prayers. And because he does, he draws us to Him, people like us who acknowledge His presence and preeminence at these times. I would you both to go to God in prayer often. 

We may not have the inclination to spend hours or even minutes in prayer. Few people do. But at every chance and every remembrance, whisper a prayer. When we travel and we remember someone say a prayer. When we wake up and when we go to sleep just pray a few sentences. If we have a need, pray to God. A few short sentences anywhere and at any time will do. We will then cultivate an attitude that acknowledges God as someone, though beyond us, is infinitely greater. Yet we can always bring a need, a fear, an anxiety, a joy, a laughter, an inspiration to Him and He will hear us."

The picture of the Good Shepherd makes me feel secure. See how the lamb is folded within the left arm of Jesus! And on the right hand is the staff to ward away things evil, destructive or predatory.

The hymn, 'My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me.' reminds us that we can put our trust in God at all times. When we experience the storms of life, when we appear to be in the lions' den or in a dark alley, Jesus is there keeping and watching over us.

1. I trust in God wherever I may be,
   Upon the land, or on the rolling sea,
   For come what may, from day to day,
   My heav’nly Father watches over me.
   • Refrain:
     I trust in God, I know He cares for me;
     On mountain bleak or on the stormy sea;
     Though billows roll, He keeps my soul;
     My heav’nly Father watches over me.
2. He makes the rose an object of His care,
   He guides the eagle through the pathless air,
   And surely He remembers me;
   My heav’nly Father watches over me.
3. I trust in God, for, in the lion’s den,
   On battlefield, or in the prison pen,
   Through praise or blame, through flood or flame,
   My heav’nly Father watches over me.
4. The valley may be dark, the shadows deep,
   But, oh, the Shepherd guards His lonely sheep;
   And through the gloom He’ll lead me home,
   My heav’nly Father watches over me.

Lionel

Updated Article, Previously posted on 25 May 2007

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

 

Helen Davies/Getty Images

'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.' Psalm 32:8

It is a great privilege to enjoy God's watchful eye upon our lives. The guidance of God in our lives is deeply personal. It is aptly conveyed by Psalm 23 which begins with the gentle statement, the Lord is my Shepherd- the Lord guides like a  shepherd guides his flock. The Lord, said the Psalmist,

• Leads us beside still waters
• Restores our soul 
• Guides us into paths of righteousness

The essential question is how does God guide us? Pastor Buddy Owen of the Saddleback Church in a sermon on God's Promises About Guidance (Ref 1) outlined the ways God will guide

God guides by His Holy Spirit. 'When the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth... He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you.' John 16:13-14

God guides by the Scriptures, His Word. 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.' Psalm 119:105

God guides through God's people. 'As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.'  Proverbs 27:17 'And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.'  Hebrews 10:24

God guides by circumstances. 'We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.' Romans 8:28

God guides by His still, small voice, speaking to your conscience . 'You will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' Isaiah 30:21 

Some people expect God's answers to prayers to be immediately obvious. Some expect signs and wonders to indicate that God is at hand. While on occasions the intervention of God in our lives may be dramatic, it is often more quiet and unobtrusive. Signs are fleeting, relationship is permanent.

That we are guided by God, stems from our ongoing relationship with God. he leads us step by step in that growing relationship with Him. A quote from Sinclair B Ferguson reads, 'God's guidance will require patience on our part. His leading is not usually a direct assurance, a revelation, but His sovereign controlling of the circumstances of our lives, with the word of God as our rule. It is therefore inevitable that the unfolding of His purposes will take time - sometimes a very long time.'

There is also an element of discipline, of obedience in discovering God's leading.

 

'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you ought to go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you' Psalm 32:8-9 

Whatever our circumstances and the state we are in, be assured that God always watches over us. Jesus said,

'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth many more sparrows.' Matthew 10:29-31

This verse became the message of the Christian song 'His Eye Is On The Sparrow' written by Civilla Martin (lyrics) and Charles Gabriel (music) in 1905. Many of us have been comforted, encouraged and ministered to by this song.  

Civilla Martin met up with a Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle whom she described as true saints of God. Mrs Doolittle had been bedridden for 20 over years and Mr Doolittle wheel chair bound. Civilla wrote, "Despite their afflictions, they loved happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience.

Why should I feel discouraged 

Why should the shadows come

Why should my heart be lonely

And long for heaven and home

When Jesus is my portion

My constant friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me;

I sing because I'm happy,

I sing because I'm free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

"Let not your heart be troubled"

His tender word I hear

And resting on His goodness

I lose my doubts and fears

Though by the path He leadeth 

But one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me;

Whenever I am tempted

Whenever clouds arise

When songs give place to sighing

When hope within me dies

I draw the closer to Him

From care He sets me free

His eye is on the sparrow, 

I know He watches me

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me.

Lionel

Ref 1:  Buddy Owens, God's Promises About Guidance 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMQTiM1b2Zg 

Love Lifted Me!

Old Jerusalem Mezuzah P1050664 

'Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.' Psalms 136:1

 

On the doorpost of every Jewish home is the ‘Mezuzah’, which is fixed at a 45 degree angle. This is a piece of parchment (often contained in a decorative case) inscribed with specified verses comprising the Jewish prayer "Shema Yisrael". This prayer is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9,

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates”.

A mezuzah is not meant to be a protective device, it is a sign and reminder of  God's covenant with His people. To Christians, God's covenant is anchored by Love in action. 

The word for love in the Old Testament is khesed in Hebrew. It conveys the idea of unconditional love, loyalty and generosity - a love that never fails. This is a love that endures forever, a phrase that is used 26 times in Psalms 136, which provided a litany of the wondrous acts of God for His people. Each verse ends with 'His love endures forever' to convey the unending love that resulted in many actions of God for His people. 

It is befitting that Moses in Deuteronomy was instructed not only to remember the commandment, but to impress upon the children and succeeding generations, in a very relentless way, the love of and for God. That Love is to be expressed most tenaciously, taught every time and every where, in all the places.

Similarly in Matthew 22:36 when Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, He replied, 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40

In putting across the two commandments in one breath, Jesus introduces the concept that love is not just a religious action but a social action as well, that is love must be seen and done.

The discourse with Jesus led to telling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan and in so doing, Jesus is saying that love of God, to be meaningful has to be expressed by love for neighbour. God loves us so we can love our neighbours. 

'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His love for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.' 1 John 3:16-18

This dual-action love should define our Christian living. It is the realisation that Jesus rescued us from the depths of sin and despair; restored us so that we can live lives of love in action. Love Lifted Me!

I was sinking deep in sin

Far from the peaceful shore

Very deeply stained within

Sinking to rise no more

But the master of the sea

Heard my despairing cry,

From the waters lifted me

Now safe am I

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me

All my heart to Him I give

Ever to Him I'll cling

In His blessed presence live

Ever His praises sing

Love so mighty and so true

Merits my soul's best songs

Faithful, loving service, too

To Him belong

Souls in danger look above

Jesus completely saves

He will lift you by His love

Out of the angry waves

But the master of the sea

Billows His will obey

He your savior wants to be

Be saved today

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me

Yes, Love Lifted Us!

Lionel

Was It A Morning Like This?

 

The Three Marys At the Sepulcher by
Giovanni Francesco Romanelli. The National Gallery of Victoria

The sunrise on an Easter morning is not like any other morning sunrise. There is an air of anticipation, of excitement and exhilaration during an Easter sunrise. We declare, "Christ is risen" and all others will respond "He is risen indeed." 

Not so the first Easter morning in Jerusalem when Mary Magdalene went with some women, with some trepidation, to anoint some spices over what she expected to be a dead body.

'On the first day of the week, very early in the morning the women* took the spices and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!" Luke 24:1-6a

Thus was declared the Easter message that has resonated for centuries, "He has risen." 

Perhaps the three women may not have recognised it but that morning was not like any other morning. The resurrection of Jesus Christ did not happen furtively; there were several extraordinary events surrounding the resurrection according to Matthew 28:1-4

• There was a violent earthquake. 
• An angel whose appearance dazzled like lightning, came down from heaven.
• The stone covering the entrance to the tomb rolled away.
• The guards were paralysed.
• The tomb was empty.
• Jesus Christ rose from the grave!

This song  'Was It A  Morning Like This' presents Heaven and Nature declaring the Easter morning news 'He Is Risen!' 

Was it a morning like this

When the Son still hid from Jerusalem?

And Mary rose from her bed

To tend the Lord she thought was dead

Was it a morning like this

When Mary walked down from Jerusalem?

And two angels stood at the tomb

Bearers of news she would hear soon

Did the grass sing?

Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?

Over and over like a trumpet underground

Did the earth seem to pound "He is risen!"

Over and over in a never-ending round

"He is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

Was it a morning like this

When Peter and John ran from Jerusalem?

And as they raced toward the tomb

Beneath their feet was there a tune?

Did the grass sing?

Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?

Over and over like a trumpet underground

Did the earth seem to pound "He is risen!"

Over and over in a never-ending round

"He is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

Over and over like a trumpet underground

Did the earth seem to pound "He is risen!"

Over and over in a never-ending round

"He is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

When my Lord looked out on Jerusalem?

He is risen!

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

What is the central message of Easter? It is certainly not about Easter eggs or Easter bunnies. 

Tim Keller tried to put the message across when he wrote, "If you believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and you put your hope in that, then death is now a gardener, meaning it plants us. It puts us into the ground like a tulip bulb, which becomes a lovely flower, or an acorn, which becomes a beautiful oak tree. All it can do now is make us better."

St Paul was even more emphatic and succinct when he wrote, 

'Where, O death, is your victory? Where O death, is your sting?' 1 Corinthians 15:55

That is what Easter means to me; a message to be declared for all generations since that first Easter morning.

Lionel

* According to Mark 16:1 Three women visited the tomb that morning, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and Salome or Mary Salome the mother of James and John 

Into Thy Presence Lord

Jonkers' Street Melaka, Hokkien Huay Kwan

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way." Hebrews 10;19-20a (NLT)

Door posts in different parts of the world are ornately decorated according to the different cultures and traditions. The most striking ones are found in Chinese houses. One example is this elaborately carved and painted door which fronts the Hokkien Huay Kwan Association along Jonkers’ Street, Malacca.

The two large warrior figures, Qin and Yuchi are known as 'door gods'. Door gods are supposed to keep evil spirits from entering the premises. This custom originated during the Tang Dynasty (618- 907 AD).

Two Tang dynasty generals, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde were ordered by the emperor to guard the door of his bedroom chamber. Apparently, a ghost was harassing the emperor, causing him to have sleepless nights. With Qin and Yuchi on guard, the emperor had a blissful sleep. The next day, the emperor, not wanting to trouble his two generals, ordered their portraits to be hung on either side of the door. Qin Shubao, who is most often seen carrying swords, has very pale skin (often depicted as red), while Yuchi Jingde has much darker skin and wields one or several batons. These door gods, Qin and Yuchi are meant to ward off unwelcomed visitors. 

Rev Soh Guan Kheng writing an article for Lent (Ref 1) pointed out that the design of the Jewish Tabernacle was not so welcoming either, 'The two sections, called the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, and the curtains that separate each section, were places of highly restricted access—only the priests were allowed into the Holy Place, and not without a prescribed liturgy of sacrifice for sin. Only the High Priest was allowed into the Most Holy Place and only once a year, with the prescribed blood sacrifice for sin. No one else was allowed into these Holy Places.' 

The design implied the inaccessibility of God. Rev Soh posited, "The message was clear—God is holy, and sinful humanity had no access to Him except by His grace and on His terms." He asked, "Whenever we gather for worship, do we “barge” into God’s presence unprepared—in a hurry, flustered by frustrations and worries, too casually dressed, or with an attitude that says: “I have a right to be here”, or “I’m doing my spiritual duty for the week” or even, “what am I doing here”? Are we ever struck by the awe and wonder of God calling us into His presence?

It is a Christian's privilege to be able to enter into God's presence. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and cleansing of our sins, for those who believed, ushers us into God's Holy Presence. Christ has done for us what the Tabernacle and the ancient rituals could not provide, the ability to worship in God's presence, unfettered and unencumbered.

Into Thy Presence Lord, I Bring My Heart In Praise

I Give My Life To Thee, My Hands I Raise

And As I Worship Thee, I Feel You Close To Me

Lord Make My Eyes To See Thee Face To Face

Within Thy Presence Lord, I Bow My Heart In Praise

I Give My Song To Thee, The Song You Gave

For On The Cross For Me, You Poured Out All So Free

And I Now Worship Thee, My Lord And King

The New Testament writer, Jude declared,

'To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.' Jude 1:24-25

Lionel

Ref 1: Rev Soh Guan Kheng Access in Christ into the Holy Places in Up From The Ashes Hope Will Arise - Daily Devotions For Lent 2022 Sowers Publication