Showing love through prayer

https://odb.org/2025/07/01/loving-others-through-prayer

1 Samuel 12:19–25 (NIV): 19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” 20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name, the LORD will not reject his people because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”

When I was younger, around 20-25 years back, I used to travel a lot for work. Mainly to Delhi and Chennai in India, but also to other cities like Seoul, Saigon, Ha Noi, Manila, Hanzhou, and Beijing. During that time, I also had a chance to travel to Dubai, Karachi, London, Moscow, and Sydney. It was an interesting time in my work life, and I recalled that my late mum and dad fervently prayed for me. Except for a bad bout of food poisoning from consuming fresh fruits at the airport lounge in Mumbai (it was a silly mistake), I don’t recall having had a bad experience during my travels abroad for work. I believe my mum’s and dad’s prayers and also of the saints in the church stood me well in those times, preserving and protecting my well-being. We used to pray that the blood of Jesus covers us and His angels keeping us safe.

Thus, as much as God allowed but was displeased with the Israelites depending on their King instead of Him; Samuel, His prophet, nevertheless did not cease to pray for the people of Israel. Samuel declared in 1 Samuel 12:23 – “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. ” It was a telling statement by Samuel. No matter what he thinks of their rebellious ways, his love for his people never ceases.

One of the ways we could show our love for others is to pray for them. Praying for others is beyond having communion with God. It is asking God to protect them or that He intervenes in their unique situations to heal or guide them along and often times despite their sinful, rebellious ways. We look beyond their human weaknesses and seek divine providence for them even though we may not even like them! That’s the meaning of love your enemy! We show love for our enemies by praying for their well-being, not their destruction! We don’t call down thunder and lightning but God’s love, joy, and peace upon their lives. We pray that despite their iniquities, God will touch them to give their lives to Jesus.

There are people who pray for us, especially our mothers, and I believe a mother’s prayer is especially special, like my wife’s prayers for our two beloved sons. We can see changes in them even as she prays for them. Likewise, we should reciprocate by praying for others. For our family, our cell group members, our church members, our friends and colleagues, and for believers and non-believers in this land and elsewhere. That’s one way we can show love – by praying for them.

Sleeplessness

https://odb.org/2025/06/30/sleepless

Psalm 3: 1 Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear, though tens of thousands assail me on every side. 7 Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

I think most of us would have experienced sleepless nights before. Sometimes, it’s just due to overthinking or over day-dreaming. The latter is quite an oxymoron as we dream at night when we sleep, but if we are not sleeping and still dream, then we are day-dreaming even though it’s not day! But mostly, we are unable to sleep because we are worried over something. Perhaps it was a mistake we made at work. Or an upcoming failure of a project. Or, it concerns a decision we are to receive for something like our examination results. Or we are just worried about what tomorrow brings when we don’t have much money left in our wallet. Or, like someone I know, she has trouble sleeping because the dogs next door bark through the night!

However, if we are always sleepless because we are always worried over things, then our lives are pretty miserable. We will be tired in the day because we didn’t have a good rest in the night. If we are tired, we will likely be less productive and more moody. All these will not bode well for our overall well-being and health if the situation persists.

As believers, although we are as human as other humans, we are spiritually awake and have direct communion with God. We can speak to our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Thus, when we experience sleeplessness, we should take the opportunity to pray. Pray in tongues if we are Spirt-filled. Enter into a time of prayer. Talk to the Lord or just pray for someone. Most importantly, commit the situation that is causing us to be unable to sleep to the Lord. In Psalm 3, David faced the heartbreaking situation of his own son, Absalom, going after his life, and yet He found comfort in the LORD. He believed that the LORD God would rescue and deliver him. He committed his unenviable situation unto the LORD. He trusted in the deliverance of God.

No one can escape sleeplessness. It is bound to occur. Just that it happens too often, it is not good for us in the long run. But if we are believers, don’t miss out the privilege of working with God for our situation. Pray for peace despite our anxiety. Pray for calmness of heart notwithstanding the uncertainties. The Lord is our shepherd. We shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He refreshes my soul. And even if He leads me through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil as His rod and staff protect me. Read Psalm 23 and commit our situation and life unto Him! Trust that surely goodness and mercy will follow us the rest of our days as we dwell in the House of the Lord forever! Amen!

Choose Christ and the Kingdom of God

https://odb.org/2025/06/26/priorities-for-christ

Mark 1:35–39 (NIV): 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

To be able to say that I decline this offer because God wants me to do something else or wants me to be some place else requires sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, courage, and faith. This is because most of us will treat an open door as a sign that God wants us to go there. Of course, if we have a few open doors, we will weigh our options and choose the opening that gives us the maximum benefit in terms of exposure, experience, skill development, travel convenience and income. Yet actually, the most important deciding factor remains where the Lord wants us to be.

We can pray and ask the Lord to guide us specifically if a few doors are opened or if we should decline one opened door to remain where we are. Or we could move in a trajectory that gives us the freedom and flexibility to exercise our faith and continue to serve Him. For example, there was once in my career, I was offered an opportunity to interview for a vacant senior legal position in Genting. First, working for a gaming company was not really in line with my faith. Secondly, the job required me to work at least one weekend and a Sunday at the hill for management meetings. That would have hampered my freedom to attend Sunday worship services (that was before the advent of Zoom) and serve God in music. Thus, as much as the rewards may prove significant, I had to decline the opportunity to pitch for the job.

My example above was a dilemma I faced but was nevertheless a no-brainer in terms of choice. In life, there could be more difficult choices to make. For instance, if we are given an opportunity that meets most of our hopes and expectations in the natural, and yet we hear a prompting in our heart from the Holy Spirit to let it go. There are no obvious contradictions, but the Spirit says God has other plans for us. Will we still decline the opportunity, or will we heed the Spirit’s voice? Do we go for our own ambitions, or we fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our lives for that season?

Very early one morning, Jesus retracted Himself away from the crowds to a solitary and quiet place to pray. He knew He needed to do that, although everyone expected Him to continue ministering to the crowds. The latter seemed obvious, but Jesus knew God wanted Him to go to some place quiet to pray and perhaps recharge Himself. And as much as the crowds were looking for Him, He decided to travel to somewhere else, to the nearby villages so that He could preach there as well. Jesus said that was why He came. In other words, He changed course based on the leading of the Spirit – but always keeping His main objective in mind.

For us, whatever choices come our way, whether it’s a job or a ministry opportunity or an invitation to preach, we should only choose as the Holy Spirit leads, remembering that we are to fulfil God’s plans and purposes for our life. If we follow this principle, we will have a fruitful and effective spiritual life, a life where our life in the narural will not contradict or hinder but will complement and support our spiritual goals and objectives!

Giving glory to God

https://odb.org/2025/06/25/credit-where-due

Daniel 2:13–19 (NIV): 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time so that he might interpret the dream for him.
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven

One of the issues we face as believers is our own ability and efforts versus God’s help. Will we attribute our successes to God or to ourselves, and I am not talking about false humility? False humility is when one deflects the glory but is effectively taking the glory for ourselves. Some do it better than others, but in the end, what really matters is what we ourselves think of ourselves in our hearts. If we are genuinely humble, our humility will not be false. CS Lewis has a good saying for this. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but it is thinking of yourself less! Here’s a good article to read on false humility:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/problem-false-humility-joel-blake-frsa?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via

In Daniel’s case, it was clear-cut that his ability to interpret dreams came directly from God. He and his friends prayed to God in heaven, and the LORD revealed the answer to him so that he and all the other wise men of Babylon may be spared their lives. Daniel gave all glory to God. But he could have turned it around and said that God favoured him and chose him as the special vessel to convey His message to the King. Some famous preachers fall into this trap and imply they are special in the eyes of God. That they are a specially chosen instrument to be the voice for God. Thus, as much as they give glory to God, they are giving glory back to themselves, and some use their “special status in God” to seek fame and riches.

Yes, I agree that it’s a fine line to draw. For those of us in ministry, it is best not to imply that we are specifically chosen in any way. Our attitude should be that God could have chosen anyone to do the same thing. We are all equal in the eyes of God. Remember that when God raised prophets of old, they lived a specially consecrated life fully dedicated to suffer for His service, often ending up in misery and even in dungeons because they prophesied things unfavourable to ears of the king or the ruling authorities. In other words, if we are a true voice for God, be prepared to live a life of suffering because that is how it really is.

At the most basic level, the easiest way not to take the glory for ourselves or to take advantage of any talent or gifting that God has bestowed upon us, in my view, is to recognise that all that we are and have originated from God. There is no need to be proud of ourselves and to proclaim it publicly because God can take away everything in an instance, like He did with Job. Especially so when God opposes the proud and exalts the humble. Be genuinely humble and do not practice false humility. In all things, give glory to God. Daniel was like that, and so was Joseph.

Our God who gathers the scattered

https://odb.org/2025/06/24/the-god-who-rescues

Jeremiah 23:1–4, 7-8 (NIV): 23 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. 7 “So then, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

Jeremiah 23:3 and 8 are a few of the verses from the bible foretelling creation of the state of Israel in 1948. That is what finally occurred in 1948 was the fulfilment of the ancient prophesy by Jeremiah. God had gathered the remnant of His people from all the countries that He had scattered them in the past and brought them all back to the land of their forefathers, as was given to Abraham and his descendants.

Verse 8 proclaims, God rescued the Israelites before when through Moses, He brought them out of Egypt into the wilderness and then with Joshua and Caleb, 40 years later into the Promised Land. But it was only in 1948 that the Jews finally had their proper homeland where they finally lived in their own land, where they would be fruitful and increase in their number. A place where the LORD God will place shepherds over them, and they no longer will be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing. Nevertheless, the journey was not without its hazards as the surrounding nations went to war with them, and even today, they still need to go to war to preserve and protect their existence. But God will surely make sure that His Word remains true, and we believe that Israel and her people will no longer be scattered or destroyed until the day the Lord returns.

In the spiritual sense, we may hold fast to these verses, believing that as adopted Gentile children of Israel, God will also bring us back into His fold all those who knew Him before but have now backsided and are now living lives of their own. He still loves them like He loved the Israelites.

Repent from your rebellious ways and return to God. If we confess our sins and forgive those who sinned again, He will surely forgive us and accept us back into His family like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. He will surely give us a robe to wear, put a ring on our finger, and slaughter the fattened calf in our name. Return to God and reclaim our sonship in His Kingdom as redeemed and rightful citizens of heaven!

Throw off everything that hinders

https://odb.org/2025/06/23/entangled

Hebrews 12:1–3 (NIV): Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Sometimes, at work, we get overwhelmed. Multiple projects are running at the same time with multiple deadlines. But work is always like that. There are down times, and these are busy moments. Even if you’re working at a call centre with quite a predetermined work scope, there are still days with fewer calls, and there are days with lots of calls. But when faced with multiple documents to look at, the only real way to clear the workload during busy moments is to either delegate or prioritise. For those work that can’t be delegated, we will have no choice but to deal with the more important ones first.

The thing about sin is that until we are in heaven, we will always need to deal with it. Our adversary, the devil, will spare no effort to tempt us and to divert our attention from God. He will seek to entice us to give up our narrow path and follow his broad path that leads to destruction. We may not notice our slow inclination as the devil’s methods are subtle. Sin has the ability to change our trajectory, and eventually, we will drift away and be caught up in his web of entanglement.

No matter where we are, a handful of sins to deal with or an entanglement of webs of sins, the first thing is to make the decision to stay clear. Then, we prioritise and deal with our sins one by one. We seek strength and willpower from God. We week His strength to overcome. We will likely be overwhelmed and give up if we want to fight all at once. Having said that, the best way out is still “cold turkey” – stop immediately and don’t look back, unlike Lot’s wife. Whether it’s cigarettes, drugs, alcoholism, pronography or solicited sex or compulsive lying, shoplifting, or plain anger management or pride or our selfish desires or manipulative ways or poison pill gossip, repent and don’t look back. Don’t get into situations that compromise our faith and principles. Stay far away, repent, and seek forgiveness from God. Over time, all these things will no longer hold any appeal to us.

Hebrews advises, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that easily entangles us. Instead, let us run with perseverance in the race that is marked for us. We all know what our weaknesses are and what are the sins we need to deal with. Cut them all out, but if we are overwhelmed, cut them off one by one.

Have a good week ahead walking with our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord, Saviour, and Redeemer! Amen!

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

https://odb.org/2025/06/20/and-god-sent-moths

Matthew 6:25–33 (NIV): 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do notlabourr or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

It is interesting to note that while moths are a pest to humans, they are food to the birds of the air and thus illustrate how God takes care of the birds in the natural. In our context, perhaps the common house lizard or gecko is a pest to us because of its droppings, but they help remove insects and mosquitos from the house. God has built an ecological system for wildlife and marine creatures to thrive in their environments, which in turn provide a source of food for humans. In fact, the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone National Park even reshaped rivers as the wolves preying on elks reduced overgrazing on riverbanks and thus strengthened the banks and altered the flow of the rivers.

Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 6, taught along those lines. Speaking to the believer, He advised us not to worry about our life too much. God will take care of us in the same way that He takes care of the birds of the air. The birds do not cultivate food (sow and reap) or store in barns, but they have enough to eat to survive. The important thing for us to know is that God knows our natural needs. He will take care of us. Our responsibility is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto us. In other words, focus first on the things of God, and the natural will run its course.

As I approach retirement age and reflect upon my past, I can see that God has indeed provided for me, my wife, and our family. Yes, I don’t own a business worth millions, and I’m not the CEO of my company. But can I honestly say that God hasn’t taken care of our needs in the natural? Surely not! Yes, in the early days, we struggled and adapted by living more frugally (actually, we have not changed much in this respect!). But over the years, we have tasted and enjoyed the finer things in life. For example, due to loyalty miles accumulated by my travel for work, there was once when we could travel overseas by business class as a family (incidentally with my late father a few months after the passing of my late mum). That was in 2009, and the boys were only 6 and 9 then. Until today, those moments are still remembered by the boys and have been immortalised by the photos taken during that trip.

Trust me, we will not miss out in life if we commit our lives to Jesus. Besides opening up the mysteries of the Kingdom and our eternal destiny, we will still have opportunities to enjoy some of the finer things in life as the LORD blesses us with material things and unforgettable experiences! Indeed, do not worry about life but instead seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these shall be added unto you! Amen

Equality in Christ

https://odb.org/2025/06/19/one-in-christ

Galatians 3:26–29 (NIV): 26 So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

The reality of the Christian world is that there is inequality in the church. The rich and middle class tend to congregate together. In the US, there are black, white, latin American, and Asian churches the same way there are English speaking and Chinese speaking churches in Malaysia and Iban, Kadazan and Chinese churches in Sabah and Sarawak. Most churches are formed by the language spoken in terms of the songs, the hosting, and the message. When we were in Bangkok a few years back, we joined a Cantonese speaking church for worship, made up of mostly immigrants from Hong Kong or Canton. In Cardiff this year, we joined an Anglican church with a mixed congregation but set up in a unique contemporary setting amidst a church building of at least a few hundred years old.

What’s important for us as believers is that in Christ, we are all equal before God, although in the natural, we may come from different backgrounds and social statuses. God didn’t promise that once we accept Christ, our social standing will be alleviated even though in practice and over generations, people in the faith do become better off socio-economically. Thus, even if we are a slave, we are equal with our master in the eyes of God. That’s what matters. God doesn’t see us as Jew, Greek, or Malaysian or Chinese, but He sees us all as children of God redeemed by the blood of His beloved Son.

I think what’s really pertinent for us is that no matter who we are in the world, we are all saved in Christ and have an equal chance to make it in our spiritual walk. We have an equal chance as an ordinary church member, a leader, or a pastor. We are not handicapped by our past, of the evil things we might have done in our previous life before we knew Christ. Even if we had sinned yesterday, if we repent today and seek forgiveness from God, we still have an equal chance to make it to the finish line in our race. Christ is the Great Equaliser of men and women!

Therefore, my friends don’t despise our past. We were who we were. We can’t change what’s happened or what we did before. But look ahead to the things Jesus has prepared for us for our future in Him. Embrace His plans and purposes for our lives. Live out fully His will for us. We will surely make it to the very end! Amen!

Courtesy and dignity

https://odb.org/2025/06/18/no-ordinary-people

Titus 3:1–11 (NIV): 1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. 3 At one time, we, too, were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. 9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

In Titus 3:1-2 above Paul teaches us to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. In addition to being compliant with the law, we ought to be ready to do good, not to slander anyone, to live in peace and gentleness, and considerate with everyone.

In a way, we can sum all that up with extending courtesy and dignity to others around us, no matter their station in life. For example, to the riders and delivery boys, the Grab drivers, the general workers, to the foreign workers at the food stalls, petrol stations, and convenience stores. We mustn’t have an air of superiority just because we are redeemed by the blood of Christ or because we have more money or wealth. Instead, since we are justified by our faith and Christ has saved us, we must be careful to devote ourselves to doing good. Nothing harmful will come out of doing good, and nothing evil will arise if we extend courtesy and dignity to the underprivileged but hardworking masses around us. Especially those who are still lost and have found the faith and need to struggle through life without Christ by them.

I admit that when I’m driving, I can be less courteous and more aggressive. I can get upset if someone were to cut into my lane without warning or honked me when I’m slow off the mark. Sometimes, I become a different person on the road. It’s a weakness I need to deal with, and I know that Christ can help me.

How about you? What are your weaknesses that break your countenance vis-a-vis others? Will we be determined to deal with these character flaws of ours? In Titus 3:9-11, Paul warned against divisive people who like to dwell on foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law. Such pursuits are useless and unprofitable. There are bound to be controversies here and there. We should learn about them, but don’t spend too much time arguing about them. Instead of being divisive, focus on being courteous and giving dignity and doing good. The name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in the process.

God’s thoughts and ways are not ours

https://odb.org/2025/06/17/missing-chocolates

Isaiah 55:8–13 (NIV): 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers, the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”

Just yesterday evening at our young adults’ cell group, we were talking about God’s healing and whether God always answers prayers. The humorous answer was, “Yes, He does! It’s yes, no or later!”. But of course, you and I know the true intent of the question, and the answer has to be no. There are times when He says no, and most of the time, we don’t really understand why.

About 15 years ago, a close friend of ours, a lay pastor who worked with a few of us to run a small church, passed. We questioned why God didn’t protect Him by reminding him to go for his medical examination earlier. He was 40 then and only went for his first medical examination and, at that age, only found out he had a congenital heart condition. The same day his GP referred him to hospital, he had a heart attack, and for seven days, we prayed for him as he lied in comatose, but God didn’t heal or revive him. He left behind 5 young children and a widow.

In retrospect, while we couldn’t understand fully, we saw that God had a different plan for him and his family. Now, 15 years later, his family has thrived and experienced genuine love and support from the family of God. There was even a brother who gave them a car to use in addition to various brethren chipping in to take care of the education needs of his children. Another sister gave his widow a job to run her music centre while affording her the opportunity to teach piano. The family experienced many other blessings from God.

His thoughts are not our thoughts, and neither are His ways our ways. As believers, we may not fully understand or grasp His true and long-term intent. The best way forward is always to trust Him. He knows what’s best for us and our loved ones. Certain unexpected things might have happened, but we know that as Paul believes, in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Commit all that has happened in our past, good and bad, unto Him. Trust that He will work everything out for good, and we are confident that He will because His thoughts and ways are not ours!