I know some of my friends have been questioning the content of my recent posts of late. Just to share a little, my start of the year has been a rather messy and strange one. It seems like my life has turned topsy-turvy and I don't understand why.
But the above is definitely not the gist and definitely not the crux of this post (it's gonna be a lengthy one!), rather its just the starting point of drawing closer to God in a way I can never imagine.
I was very tired today. Things just simultaneously happened to blow up. But, I decided to just relax and rest. So, I went to put on my Kose Black Mask which I haven't put on for ages. Anyway, thats not the point. Whilst I was having the mask on, I got nothing much to do except to wait for the thing to dry. Hence, I was just looking for some cds to play and I chanced (or rather, God made me) upon this rather old audio sermon from my church. Its rather bizarre but upon retrospect, it really isn't that bizarre when I felt this inclination to play that cd. It felt as the cd was calling out at me, "PICK ME UP, YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO ME" Haha, seriously.
And I played it. God spoke to me right there and then. You gotta believe it.He told me to look at Romans 8. And it is mentioned that,
If the bible were a ring, then the book of Romans must be the diamond. and if Romans is the diamond, then Romans Chapter 8 is definitely the sparkle of that diamond.
Because, in that chapter, it shows the writer's (who is Apostle Paul) thesis of the magnificence of our salvations through Christ. And Romans 8 is the climax of the entire book. For those who knows Romans 8, it starts with No condemnation for those in Christ and the chapter ends with No separation from God's love. How wonderful is that! I am set free from the power of sin. As a result of God's love, nothing can separate me from Christ.
I know the above might sound really too much. But what I am trying to say is, no matter what the circumstances, present or future, in all things, I am called to be more than a conqueror.
These 2 verses spoke to me figuratively and I know the meaning applies to me.
"...But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently" Romans 8: 24-25
I will hope and wait. Its not with a waiting attitude of resignation and passitivity. This hoping and waiting is not a "This is really bobian and grit my teeth" kinda thing. Rather, I will seek to go through all these with perseverance and to emerge as more than a conqueror, to be more blessed, more glorious and in the process, better able to bless others as well.
God, I am sure you will bring sweetness out of bitterness, strength out of weakness, victory out of loss and blessing out of heartache. I want to have a "Paul" mindset. Even though he was stuck in the hideous Roman prisons (which back in those age, were the most horrid prisons), he turned them into his own "retreat centres" where he wrote his most joyful letters. In a situation where he is supposed to cry and wail about his pitiful and painful state, he didn't but he was joyful instead. How amazing. Joy instead of sorrow when its supposed to be. Definitely, Paul's strength didn't come from himself, rather it came from God. So thankfully, that being more than a conqueror, we need not depend on our mere shelves, but rather, we rest upon His promises that God will provide His strength and all His resources to aid us through whatever trials and hardships we face in this earthly life. God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses.
I know what I am going through sounds like nothing as compared to other people's problems like facing a loss of a loved one, accidents, other failures in life. What have you. But take heart, sometimes in life, we might not come to understand the reasons for the human suffering that happen to us or to the people around us, or even to strangers in other parts of the world, but the "Whys" are not important. Questions are not important. Does questioning endlessly and self-pitying over our circumstances give us solutions? Course not. It will give us more worries and heartaches. What is important is definitely to be assured that God is with us to help us overcome the daunting circumstances in our lives. I mean God is God, if He can't help, who can in this world? And let's come to a realization that there is no point questioning the doubts, rather let's learn to respond to every nuance of God's love. Let His peace transcends all our understanding. Let me say to Him that, my understanding over areas of my life is limited, but His peace and rest are limitless/infinite!
You say, How does God express His love to me? I can't see Him. Yes, He does express His love even though He is invisible. Even though God cannot be seen, doesn't mean He's not there. It like, you can't see the air around you, but please do not say that there isn't air around. And even though I cannot see Him, I know He expresses His love and encouragement through all the friends He put in my path (yes, non-christians and christians, every one of them is God's blessings), sermons and worship songs. His encouragement is shown forth in the times when I am down, there are definitely "support cushions" that never fail to catch me and prevents me from dwelling on sadness. If you know me, I don't get sad too long. The joy is supernatural. God won't allow me to dwell in self-pity and sadness too much for my own good. This is the nature of my God. His ever loving, gracious and merciful nature.
After the entire message, this reminder that His extravagant and immense love will build up my faith and enable me to be more than a conqueror in my life just resonates. I can feel its lingering presence. At this juncture, when I feel weak and lost, I am gonna cling onto God's goodness, promises and love. I will draw ever closer to Him than before. And I am so going to tell the Evil One with all his crappy guilt and condemnation accusations, to get lost and go fly kite (which means in Singlish, to buzz off or rather crudely, to F off)! Seriously, with God in my life, all the bad drama will just cease and go away. Definitely have to.
Ok, a long post. I feel great after sharing =) Thank God! He still amazes me so so much for what He has in store for me.
Gonna end off with one of my favorite songs, "Still" By HillSong.
Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me within Your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are king over the flood
I will be still and know You are God
Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust
I know with His help, guidance and support, I am going to get through all of this, and emerge stronger than ever. More than I can imagine. =)
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