John 9:1-3
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
Sometimes, we never really know why things happen to us the way it does. What seems illogical is when there is no cause and effect, or when bad things happen to regular folks who do not seem to deserve what life throws at them.
We can scratch our heads and ponder all day long, but things just happen as God decrees. This does not mean that God dictates tragedies to be in people's lives as He would deem it like a game. In His sovereignty, our minds cannot fanthom why things happen. But, one can rest assured that nothing happens without God knowing or His purpose being doubted.
In all the bad and horrid matters that life can throw at us, God is always with us. Yes, that even includes the tempests of bad news, the stillness of a stagnant moment or in the pains of physical ailments. God may never grant us the full picture of why things happen, but know that if we trust Him to work in our life, what is displayed in our life will always show that God is God almighty of our lives.
M.
16 April 2014
03 April 2014
Be clear about what God promised.
Genesis 15:2-4
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”
Genesis 16:1-4
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
I never realised that Abram had only heard directly the details of him having a son through Sarai after he had agreed to take Hagar as his concubine and she conceived Ismael. He was 86 years old when Ismael was born.
The right lineage that God wanted to bless Abram was through his union with Sarai, not Hagar.
As I trawled through the various chapters of Genesis to make sense of the timelines of actions, I only realised that it was very interesting to see that much earlier, God had revealed to Abram that he would be blessed with a heir. However, there wasn't any accurate details of how the heir would be birth from, until much later when Abram was 99 years old.
The key I realised it when God promised Abram of a heir of his own flesh and blood, he should have realised it would be a perfect promise. The heir would naturally come from his union with Sarai. However, how easy it is for us to not trevail before God for the promises He had spoken to us. In a moment of folly, Abram made a grave mistake by using human logic and accepting Sarai good intentions.
I can fully attest to how in a moment of waiting for awhile, the restlessness will kick in and suddenly, we'll do anything and everything that seems humanly logical. Therefore, to see the example of Abram is of great reminder to me even as I live through the current phase of waiting for God's provision of a job.
When I was in the early stages of my job loss, with high levels of faith, I knew that this would be the greatest thing that had happened to me. It would not be a troubling time, but one which I knew God had allowed in my life. Therefore, it was going to be purposeful.
However, as time ticked and the salary disappeared, and all the interesting jobs that I yeared for never materialised, I'm suddenly in a 4 month slump. The past interviews made me realised that I'm now willing to settle for less. Compromise is starting to be the name of the game so long as I am able to get started with work. What a different change of confidence and character when the spirit is unnerved by how life ticks by.
Today, before I leave for a short holiday in Bangkok. I found myself staring at some job postings and wanting to spam them with my resume. Even though I'm not 80% satisfied with what the role is about, I almost wanted to apply for it and hope for some form of response by next week. Such is the desperation of the moment that I would be willing to suffer should I get these as my next job. Afterall, I told myself, that I've already applied for the seemingly ideal ones and there wasn't any replies. Why be picky and stubborn.
I only stopped myself because something in me made me want to find out how Ismael was created. As I read and understood the scenario, I now know better. If God made a promise, even if it's high level without the nitty gritty facts, it's key for us to trevail before Him so we can see His promise come to pass. Not use what our minds, what good intentions that is told by others.
His ways are the best, and would also cause the least issues for us in the future. Surely, we must believe that if this good God created the earth with all the amazing intricacies of creation, He can and will do a great work in our lives. Afterall, we are created in His image and placed just below the heavenly.
So, I'm stopping all these non-ideal applications, I'm going to go to Bangkok to enjoy myself with Daniel. But I'm also going to trevail in prayers to see God's promise for my job materialise eventually. If He told me to "stand still and wait and see", I should really entrust my fears and hopes to Him.
M.
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”
Genesis 16:1-4
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
I never realised that Abram had only heard directly the details of him having a son through Sarai after he had agreed to take Hagar as his concubine and she conceived Ismael. He was 86 years old when Ismael was born.
The right lineage that God wanted to bless Abram was through his union with Sarai, not Hagar.
As I trawled through the various chapters of Genesis to make sense of the timelines of actions, I only realised that it was very interesting to see that much earlier, God had revealed to Abram that he would be blessed with a heir. However, there wasn't any accurate details of how the heir would be birth from, until much later when Abram was 99 years old.
The key I realised it when God promised Abram of a heir of his own flesh and blood, he should have realised it would be a perfect promise. The heir would naturally come from his union with Sarai. However, how easy it is for us to not trevail before God for the promises He had spoken to us. In a moment of folly, Abram made a grave mistake by using human logic and accepting Sarai good intentions.
I can fully attest to how in a moment of waiting for awhile, the restlessness will kick in and suddenly, we'll do anything and everything that seems humanly logical. Therefore, to see the example of Abram is of great reminder to me even as I live through the current phase of waiting for God's provision of a job.
When I was in the early stages of my job loss, with high levels of faith, I knew that this would be the greatest thing that had happened to me. It would not be a troubling time, but one which I knew God had allowed in my life. Therefore, it was going to be purposeful.
However, as time ticked and the salary disappeared, and all the interesting jobs that I yeared for never materialised, I'm suddenly in a 4 month slump. The past interviews made me realised that I'm now willing to settle for less. Compromise is starting to be the name of the game so long as I am able to get started with work. What a different change of confidence and character when the spirit is unnerved by how life ticks by.
Today, before I leave for a short holiday in Bangkok. I found myself staring at some job postings and wanting to spam them with my resume. Even though I'm not 80% satisfied with what the role is about, I almost wanted to apply for it and hope for some form of response by next week. Such is the desperation of the moment that I would be willing to suffer should I get these as my next job. Afterall, I told myself, that I've already applied for the seemingly ideal ones and there wasn't any replies. Why be picky and stubborn.
I only stopped myself because something in me made me want to find out how Ismael was created. As I read and understood the scenario, I now know better. If God made a promise, even if it's high level without the nitty gritty facts, it's key for us to trevail before Him so we can see His promise come to pass. Not use what our minds, what good intentions that is told by others.
His ways are the best, and would also cause the least issues for us in the future. Surely, we must believe that if this good God created the earth with all the amazing intricacies of creation, He can and will do a great work in our lives. Afterall, we are created in His image and placed just below the heavenly.
So, I'm stopping all these non-ideal applications, I'm going to go to Bangkok to enjoy myself with Daniel. But I'm also going to trevail in prayers to see God's promise for my job materialise eventually. If He told me to "stand still and wait and see", I should really entrust my fears and hopes to Him.
M.
