Is this the time to Sing?

The other day I was reading the book of Habakkuk. The last chapter is a prayer song sung by the prophet. The ‘Shiginoth’(v.1) refers to a song with turbulent lyrics. Surely the lyrics are turbulent especially the last few verses of the 3rd chapter:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

These verses really trouble me. Was that a good time to sing, rejoice and be joyful? How can one sing and rejoice when there’s nothing favourable and good? I also found similar situations in the Bible. The only time we read that Jesus sang was few hours before his arrest (Matt26:30). And there’s also Paul and Silas singing in a Roman jail (Acts16:25). How could these people react to a grave situation by singing?

If I were to be in such a situation, I will probably react with anger, self-pity and will be murmuring against God. Sometimes, maybe I will accept it with a sigh but the relationship with God will remain unsteady for sometime. But to sing and rejoice seems to be impractical.

But Habakkuk seems to have a completely different perspective about it. Even when the ‘Physical reality’ around him was breaking down, he was finely tuned to the ‘Spiritual reality’. He was able to look beyond the shattered reality to a God who is still in control. Hence, he is able to sing, rejoice and be joyful.

To find meaning in such a situation is to see it from a higher perspective. But such a perspective seems elusive in the midst of a storm. It’s a choice, but it’s still difficult to sing and rejoice.
I’m just praying for the grace to have more faith in God and to sing and rejoice in the midst of a storm.

 

An Eternal Love Story

When I think about the love of God, three things come to my mind and I would like to share that here.

Firstly, God loved and chose us even before the creation of the earth(Eph1:4,5). He was rejoicing and took delight in mankind while the earth was being created(Prov8:30,31). It’s not something that is easily comprehensible but, it’s wonderful that we were born into this world being loved of God.

Secondly, when man fell because of sin, God sent His only beloved Son to die on the cross for our sins because He loved us. That divine love constrained Him to come down to the earth to save mankind (I John4:10). Otherwise we would have perished in our sins. He endured the cross because of the ‘joy’ that was set before Him(Heb12:2). The love that He had for you and me gave Him meaning to suffer and die on the cross.

Thirdly, He is preparing great mansions in Heaven so that we would be able to dwell with Him eternally to enjoy and rejoice in that love for eternity.

The love of God spans from ‘former’ eternity to the ‘latter’ eternity and continues forever. It’s so huge, vast, immeasurable, undescribable, unimaginable, incomprhensible. But it’s a fact.

So, what do I infer from this? From the day I was born till the day I reach home, every day of my life is completely covered by the love of God. Therefore I need not fear because perfect love casts away fear. When I’m guilty of sin, He forgives because of his love and helps me to live better. When I fall down, He lifts me up and gives me more grace to move forward. When I feel things are not going my way, He says that He loves me and has got better plans. When I call to Him in need, He answers and provides out of His love.

His divine love does not change. It’s an eternal love. When we all get to heaven and look back on our lives….it will be the greatest love story we have ever known.

7UPs For The Soul

(I got this as an email message from a friend and I thought it would be nice to post it here)

1. Wake Up!

Decide to have a good day. “Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24)

2. Dress Up!

The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7)

3. Shut Up!

Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. “He who guards his lips guards his soul.” (Proverbs 13:3)

4. Stand Up!…. for what you believe in.

Stand for something or you will fall for anything.. “Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good…” (Galatians 6:9-10)

5. Look Up!… to the Lord.

“I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

6. Reach Up!… for something higher.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

7. Lift Up!… your prayers.

“Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything.” (Philippians 4:6)

Simply Trusting

Diana, Sharla and many other bloggers are meditating on the book of Proverbs for the month of February. Althought I couldn’t get myself involved fully, I thought I could get into the Proverbs ‘train’ occasionally and travel with them. So here I am.

I was blessed by the 5th & 6th verse of the 3rd chapter of Proverbs. It says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

When I read these verses, I was reminded of a story from my sunday school days.(many of you might have heard this before)

A mountain climber was climbing a very steep snowy monuntain. It was getting darker and the climbing got tougher. He was very tired and at one point he lost his balance and his feet slipped. He was now rolling down the mountain like a ball and was getting badly hurt because of the rocks that were on the way. Since it was dark he could not see anything and couldn’t hold on to anything strong that could stop him from falling. Suddenly, in that dim light, he saw a rope beside him and took hold of it. Inspite of holding the rope he couldn’t stop himself from falling down further but still he held on to it tightly. At last, to much of his relief, he came to a stop. But he found that he was now hanging in the mid-air supported only by the rope. By now he was badly hurt and was bleeding. He didn’t know what to do. Finally, realising that he had no other option, he cried unto God to somehow get him out of this. And God told him to take his hands off the rope that he was holding. He was shocked to hear it. It was like adding more fuel to the fire. He felt that it was the most foolish advice and he regreted asking God for help. He tried many ways to save himself but couldn’t and was finally dead.

The next morning, when another set of climbers came to that mountain, they were astonished to find a dead man hanging on to a rope that was only five feet above the ground. If only he had trusted God and took his hands off the rope, he would have had a very safe landing.

Trusting in God isn’t easy at all times. It’s a matter of choice. Sometimes trusting in God and obeying what He bids us to do may defy pure reason and seem illogical. We, finite beings with our limited perception, react to pressing circumstances around us and fail to see the big picture and with our finite minds we cannot comprehend the mind of an Infinite Being. So trusting and obeying God makes sense. Though we may not be able to see immediate results, but in the longer run it really pays off.

The most comforting truth is that He has already gone through this path and has carried this cross, so I would rather trust and follow Him who knows the way than lean on my own understanding. And in all my ways I will acknowledge Him and He will make my paths straight, however crooked they may be. Because of His unfailing love He will not forsake us and His amazing grace will take us to through any rough path. All we need to do is simply trust.

-Martin.

I do not ask thy way to understand,

My way to see;

Better in darkness just to grasp thy hand

And follow Thee.

- Minnie Lousie Haskins

Musing while I’m Walking…

Life is a journey. We all have unique paths or roads to traverse. But it’s not always a smooth ride. It gets bumpy at times. I have always wondered why can’t the road be smooth all the way till the end. Why should there be ups and downs in life? Why should I undergo trials and sufferings? When I’m down with depression I plead with the Lord to make my path a bit easier to walk and I doubt whether God listens to such prayers. And, I have seen that God never changes the path or gives a smoother one. But, He responds with more love and grace and does something better…..He changes me instead.

Such rough paths helps me to stop and analyse my life and enables me to have a completely different perspective of life. Suddenly there’s a closeness to Him that I’ve never known before. There’s always a newness and growth in my life whenever I come out of such dark periods. He showers me with His love and gives a lot more grace to tread the same old, rough and narrow path. I feel that with God’s love and grace we’ll be able to walk without falling in this journey called life.

I’ve been treading this rough path for the past few years and it has changed me for better. But the journey is far from over. There’s still a long way to go……….

While I’m on this journey…my only prayer is this:

Even if I have to tread an unknown terrain

Even if I have to cross a broken bridge

Even if I have to sail through a stormy sea

I will still follow You.

 

I dare not reason why

I dare not disobey

I’m just content to know

That Your LOVE is everlasting

And Your GRACE is never-ending.

 

- Martin.