Weeks 43 & 44 (10) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Follow on from my last message on the story of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped over 600m below ground for 69 days, I can see that that they faced it with determination and strong will (or faith?). One of them ran the equivalent of 5 km a day, pulling a heavy weight behind him. Instead of focusing on the problem, the hopeless situation of waiting to be saved, they practiced positivity.

In these past 2 weeks in particular, I have been learning to wait upon the Lord. I have also been trying to comprehend the meaning of God’s Word in [Ps 127:2] “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for he grants sleep to those he loves.”

I praise God that while I am waiting for my next job, I did not lose any sleep. Indeed God grants sleep to those He loves :o)

But I am also digging deeper in my faith – “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” [Heb. 11:1]

Daniel in the Bible was a man of integrity with no weak spots, no scandals, and no sins that his enemies could identify. And when King Darius came into power during Israel's 70-year captivity, he relied on Daniel's wise, insightful counsel. Yet there were others who didn't like this Hebrew prophet.

Because Daniel had a habit of praying openly every day, his enemies convinced King Darius to foolishly sign a law that would prohibit prayer to anyone except the king. The penalty for breaking this law was being thrown into a den of lions. Sure enough, Daniel prayed as he always had, and it was reported to Darius. The frustration for the king was that as powerful as he was, he couldn't change a law that he himself had set into motion. So Daniel was sent to die in a den of lions. Yet the Bible tells us that Daniel slept while the king was up all night. I find it interesting that the child of God in the den of lions slept peacefully, while the faithless man in the palace with all its luxuries was up and worried and stressed out. Yes, God gives rest to his loved ones.

And so it is for the person who puts his or her trust in God. When we are worrying, we are really saying that God isn't in control, that God is not paying attention. When we worry, we are not trusting in the providence of God.

And what is the providence of God? It is the belief that God is in control of the universe. And specifically as Christians, it means we believe there are no accidents in our lives. Nothing touches us that has not first passed through His hands.

Although I have a number of job opportunities, the waiting is not over yet. Besides, I want to be sure it is from God.

In the meantime, I practice positivity:

1) I do 45 min. of prayer jog plus aerobic exercise every morning.

2) I rented an office space and launched the BBC (Building Biblical Churches / Building Bridges for Christ) school last Saturday

Along the way I had a couple of pleasant surprises:

1) HSBC sent me HK$550 worth of SOGO gift certificate for being a good customer

2) A good Christian friend and business owner offers to pay me to help him with a small engineering project

While I am waiting for God to open the right door, I shall continue to “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” [Ps 118:1]

I can relate to the Psalmist when he said, “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD:"O LORD, save me!" The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The LORD protects the simple hearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. [Ps 116:1-9 NIV]. That is my kind of worshipper!

It would be very sad if this is what God think of me and my worship. “The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?" You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? [Isa 29:13-16 NIV]

When Jesus contemplated on the cross, he also had to dig deep in his faith. His human body simply could not cope. “……..Jesus….began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." [Mark 14:32-42 NIV]

Even the wisest and richest of al kings felt hopelessly inadequate and unworthy in front of the Almighty God. King Solomon couldn’t help but confessed “ "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” [Prov 30:2-6 NIV]

Amen and amen!