An eight-minute call

https://odb.org/2025/11/17/christ-based-connection

Proverbs 12: 21-28 NIV: 21 No harm overtakes the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble. 22 The Lord detests lying lips, but he delightsi in people who are trustworthy. 23 The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly. 24 Diligent hands will rule, but t laziness ends in forced labor. 25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. 26 The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. 27 The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt. 28 In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.

Could eight minutes change someone’s life? In a world where meaningful connections can be rare, author Jancee Dunn proposes the power of an eight-minute phone call. She believes such brief calls can help us connect with family and friends. Studies show that such calls a few times a week help reduce depression, loneliness, and anxiety. And Dunn cites the research of other experts who affirm that minor relationship adjustments can profoundly affect our well-being and that of others. (Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread 17 November 2025)

Proverbs 12:25 teaches that anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. There is a strong case to be made that as we encourage others with words of comfort and understanding, it will reduce depression, loneliness and anxiety. Perhaps a word of encouragement when in church or if we meet elsewhere. But ultimately, a call works best because our voice is heard and this may be done even if we are far away in another city. In this day and age when people just text, a phone call may work wonders as suggested by Marvin Williams in today’s ODB, an eight-minute phone call.

But if it’s less convenient to speak like in an open office environment which is the norm nowadays, texting is good enough. When we personally text another, we show that we care and that we’re thinking of that person. It could just be a hello message asking about their children. Of course, in texting we meet all sorts of people. Some will reply immediately while there are those who reply only after a few days. At the other extreme, there are the few who never reply. Just pure silence. But even if we wish to call, nowadays the protocol is to text first to call. So we could rarely avoid texting.

As believers, the least we could do for our fellow believers and church members is to pray for them and encourage them in their faith. Church communities don’t exist in a vacuum or in silos. It is koinonia. It’s a fellowship of believers coming together to learn the Word and worship God. In fact as I’ve said before, just attending and showing up is already an encouragement!

Have a good week ahead, everyone! May we dwell in the glory of His presence as we face and tackle issues of life and at work! May the LORD grant us wisdom and discernment always! Amen

P/s

I like to report that after months of negotiations and fine tuning, we are finally scheduled to sign today a key collaboration agreement that forms the core cloud business of my company! Praise the Lord for His goodness and support all this while. Many a times when I was stuck, I prayed and He gave me ideas to resolve impasse situations.

Waiting for God

https://odb.org/2025/11/14/waiting-for-god-2

Lamentations 3:22-24: 22 Because of the Lord’s great lover we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

The book of Lamentations presents the cry of Jeremiah, who waited for God and the end of His discipline for the sins of his people. The prophet remained confident in an everlasting God who he knew could be trusted. “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him” (3:25). God’s people can experience hope even when troubles overwhelm and relief seems impossible. Though they might need to humbly accept God’s discipline, they can cling to the reality that “there may yet be hope” (v. 29). Those who know God can experience a hope that flows from Him. “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (v. 26). (Win Collier, Our Daily Bread, 13th November 2025)

There must have been instances in our lives when we waited for God to help us get through some critical milestones or events in our lives. Not so much asking the LORD to do our bidding but more like we know God will bring us through, but reality is we are still where we are. Perhaps it’s a promotion that we have been waiting for many years. Or we are trying for a child for a few years already or like a friend of mine, she had a child after marriage but the second one took a long time to come. She eventually had her second child 10 years after the first. Or we have been looking for a house at a certain locality at a price that fits our budget. Or we have been wanting to get a better job but have not found anything suitable so far. Or we have been praying for the salvation of our loved ones.

In most things that we pray for, the outcomes are usually not spontaneous. Except perhaps healing where we may experience immediate results. For most things however, it takes time and God’s timing is perfect. He makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Continue to pray and believe and if it is in God’s will, it will come to pass in due course. The LORD in His compassion and love will work something out for us. For we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Maybe it is not exactly as we had prayed for and wished, nevertheless it is good and we will be grateful and thankful for His compassion and grace. His blessings are real and they are good because the Lord knows what’s best for us.

Have a good weekend ahead! May we find peace and contentment as we approach His throne of grace this Sunday! Amen!

Edom and Israel

https://odb.org/2025/11/13/kindness-for-the-suffering

Obadiah 4–7, 12 & 13 (NIV): 4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. 5 “If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night— oh, what a disaster awaits you!— would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes? 6 But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged! 7 All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it.  12 You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. 13 You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over them in their calamity in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster.

Edom’s betrayal of Israel cuts even deeper than one nation taking advantage of another nation’s plight (Obadiah 1:1-13). The nation of Edom descended from Jacob’s twin brother, Esau (Genesis 25:24-30). The tension between the brothers continued throughout their lives, but it’s epitomized in Jacob stealing Esau’s birthright and blessing from their father (25:29-34; 27:1-41). That family tension continued to plague Jacob’s descendants (Israel) for centuries (see Numbers 20:14-21).

The prophecies in Obadiah condemn Edom for rejoicing in God’s judgment against Judah and exploiting their vulnerabilities (Obadiah 1:12-14; see Amos 1:11-12). When someone is suffering, we honor God when we respond with kindness and generosity instead of exploitation. (Jed Ostoich, Insight, Our Daily Bread 13th November 2025)

I guess in a way it is human nature to gloat over or rejoice over some people’s predicament or misfortune, especially if those are the haughty people we hate. Particularly, wealthy people who were proud and condescending but are now bankrupt and living from hand to mouth. In our hearts, we tend to say, serves them right! Now they got their just desserts!

Alas, that’s not what the bible teaches. In Obadiah, the LORD condemned Edom for gloating over Israel, marching over their predicament and plight, and seizing their wealth. In the modern context, it would be similar to taking advantage of a disaster zone after a forest fire to buy up property on the cheap. It’s an opportunity but if we buy their property on the cheap, it’s a double whammy for the victims as they had already lost their homes. The biblical teaching is that we should refrain from taking advantage of the misery of others, as much as conventional wisdom teaches us to do so. An opportunity lost is an opportunity gained by someone else. Instead, we should offer kindness for the suffering, a very New Testament approach but already present during ancient times in the Old Testament.

Although Lahaina residents saw despicable actions, they also experienced kindness when churches on the island became hospitality centers offering shelter, hot meals, and emergency supplies. (Lisa M. Samra, Our Daily Bread 13th November 2025)

The message this morning is that as believers and children of God, we should always have a good and pure heart. Don’t take advantage even if it is our right. The law and the contract may be on our side, but do we glorify God by doing the right thing instead?

Dreamscrolling

https://odb.org/2025/11/12/beyond-dreamscrolling

1 Peter 1:3–9 (NIV): 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Each fall in my youth, my grandmother got the JCPenney Christmas catalog. With a zealous delight, I spirited it away to ponder its marvelous images.

These days, those images show up on our smartphones daily—the algorithmic distillation of our hopes and dreams, a personalized feed tailored to us. It’s easy to get lost in them. Recently, experts have named this digital phenomenon dreamscrolling. A survey conducted by OnePoll indicates that the average U.S. smartphone user dreamscrolls more than two hours a day! The images that tantalize our hearts invite us to hope, to believe, that if we just had this one thing, it would all be good. (Adam Holtz, Our Daily Bread 12th November 2025)

I think “dreamsrolling” is not harmful if done moderately, like most things. Looking at things and aspiring to own them one day is something that gives us hope as well as joy. Perhaps we want a nicer watch or a better car. Or a more trendy pair of shoes. Or just an aspirational Polo Ralph Lauren shirt or other high fashion branded clothes. As for me, I like to look at camping gear in the hope that one day when I have more time in hand, I could go exploring some campsites in Malaysia. Or maybe do some long distance travelling. Things I will struggle to do when holding a full-time job. I feel that dreamscrolling is OK since it gives us hope and joy to take us away albeit momentarily from the issues of life that we face at home or at work. It’s a temporary distraction for relief from the struggles of the world.

Yet if we are obsessed in dreamscrolling, we risk wasting lots of time doing something unproductive. For example, the time could be spent praying or reading the Word or just doing housework, instead of “dreaming”. Of course it’s most dangerous if we are pulled into those things such that we get disappointed and depressed because we are nowhere near our dreams in reality. Instead of striving us to work harder, we may end up playing victim, blaming ourselves for our perceived “failures” which can be really ironical when we are actually doing relatively well in life. It is a tragedy if our dreams make us perceive ourselves as failures. Fundamentally because in the process we forgot to be grateful for God’s blessings for our lives.

1 Peter 1:3-9 speaks of an inheritance that awaits us in heaven that can never perish, spoil or fade. It speaks of a time when we may need to endure some hardship to test the genuineness of our faith, which is of greater worth than gold. We have not seen Him but we love and believe in Him. We are filled with inexplicable joy and rejoice in knowing Him because in the end we will receive the salvation for our souls.

Someone once taught, and I agree with him, it’s not wrong to have dreams but it is better if we sanctify and align our dreams with God’s plans and purposes for our lives. This is to help us not to be seduced by the bright lights of the world that promote materialism lest we get carried away chasing after such things and compromising our faith.

Flashbulb memories

https://odb.org/2025/11/11/flashbulb-memories

John 20:18–20 (NIV): 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

John 20:30–31 (NIV): 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Early winter 1941. The Sunday service had just concluded. As their father lingered at the little north-country church, my dad and his siblings walked the short distance home. When their father came up the snowy hill to the farmhouse, he was crying. He’d just learned Pearl Harbor had been bombed. His sons—my dad included—would be going to war. Dad always recalled the moment in vivid detail.

Researchers call such events “flashbulb memories”—moments seared into our minds. Think of 9/11, or the day you lost someone close. Think too of your most joyous experience.

John recorded some of those moments, saying, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v. 31). “Flashbulb memories” with eternal significance.

(Tim Gustafson, ODB, 11th November 2025)

I believe everyone has flashbulb memories, events that are etched so deep in our memories that we remember them as though they just happened yesterday. Some may be vague in terms of the clarity of details but we nevertheless remember them. For example, my early years in ACS Primary in Sitiawan. Going to class with spelling of words to be learned on the blackboard as there is a spelling test each week for Malay and English words. I recall struggling to reconcile the word “air” having two distinct meanings in English and Malay! Or eating a bowl of plain curry mee for 20 sen at the school canteen. Those were the days when I didn’t quite like learning as a student. But after entering the working world post graduation, I realise that life as a student is blissful without needing to carry the family burden to put food on the table. I only needed 30 sen to go through my day but if I missed my bus home, I needed to walk home for about 5km as I will have no money to take the public bus. A different life it was then.

I also recall my secondary school days in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, particularly, the 10-12 weeks of bible study to learn how to become a Christian. I thank the Lord that it all culminated in my accepting Christ and entering the Kingdom of God for life eternal. As per John in chapter 20 verse 31: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”.

There are of course traumatic moments, also etched in our memories. Flashbulb memories we rather forget and yet may serve as a lesson for us and our children. Heartbreaks, disappointments, passing of our loved ones like my parents in my case.

I think the message the Lord has for us this morning is that as we recall our own flashbulb memories, may we be encouraged and grateful for where and who we are today. If we are going through a bad day, may our recollection of our past experiences with God give us the assurance that He will be by our side come what may! I thank the Lord for the wonderful blessings He has bestowed upon me and my family all these years! Praise the Lord for He is good and His faithfulness endures forever!

A God fearing woman

https://odb.org/2025/11/10/a-god-fearing-woman

Proverbs 31:24–31 (NIV): 24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

The book of Proverbs introduces us to two central figures—Woman Wisdom and Woman Folly. Woman Wisdom is the embodiment of God’s wisdom. She entreats the public to follow her way, which is also the path of flourishing (1:20-33). Woman Folly, on the other hand, seduces those who hear her voice, causing them to choose the path of foolish disregard of divine wisdom (9:13-18). At the close of Proverbs, we’re also introduced to the “wife of noble character” (31:10; see also 12:4), whom we can understand as a person whose life genuinely reflects the wisdom of Woman Wisdom. (Monica La Rose, ODB Insight, 10th November 2025)

When it comes to choosing a spouse, Proverbs gives good advice, that is, choose a woman (and likewise a man) who fears the LORD. Beauty is of course a characteristic that men look for (I believe women too). But if we are able to look beyond the surface and look at the beauty within (hence the phrase beauty is skin deep), it will stand us in good stead in the long run. A beautiful woman and a handsome man is good to have but it should not be the main criteria. In these contemporary times, educated women with jobs are common. But less common are those who cook and do housework (and vice versa for men). This is because in modern households even her mother may not cook when she was growing up. Either they ate out or they ate at the granny’s.

But for believers, it is better to choose another believer because as Proverbs teaches, a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Looks, education, cooking skills are important but, in my view, are not as crucial as a heart that is for God. If both are upright in God, it is more likely that we will live and raise our children with upright lives. Perhaps some compromises may need to be made to adjust to the demands of the world, but it is unlikely that we’ll be living ungodly lives if we are both in the faith, especially when we are both serving God. As a man, it is always better to choose a woman who puts God first as usually the spouse is the one with the final say on most things and thus if she fears the Lord, it can only be good for the family!

Have a good week ahead, everyone! Life is not without its twists and turns. Commit our week and our ways unto the Lord, He will make our paths straight and smooth! Oh Lord, give us the wisdom to resolve the issues we face at work and at home so that your Name may be glorified at all times! Amen!

Daughters of Zelophehad

https://odb.org/2025/11/07/working-together-in-christ

Numbers 27:1–7 (NIV): 27 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward 2 and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. 4 Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD, 6 and the LORD said to him, 7 “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.

In Numbers 27:1-7, Zelophehad’s five daughters act as one in their request to receive their father’s inheritance in the promised land. Their boldness in making the request (they followed proper protocol in approaching the leaders at the tent of meeting) is an example of both faith and humility. There was no provision in Israel at that time for women to receive an inheritance; it was only passed through the men.

Moses models the character of a good spiritual leader in responding to their request. Since there was no precedent for women to receive an inheritance, he inquired of God, who said, “You must certainly give them property” (v. 7). The courage of the women and the character of Moses led to a positive solution where the good of the people was served. As we face challenges today, we can seek God’s wisdom for ways to serve together well in Christ. (J.R. Hudberg, ODB Insight, 7 November 2025)

In my view, the story of Zelophehad illustrates excellently God’s wisdom in dealing with a difficult situation. A situation where there was no precedent. It speaks of unity and humility having achieved something out of the ordinary. It brought about a situation where justice and fair play prevailed. Zelophehad were not among the Korah followers who rebelled against Moses. He died without any sons. Nevertheless he was amongst those who were delivered out of Egypt and his family should be entitled to their portion in the Promised Land. His daughters made the plea – why should his name disappear from his clan just because he had no sons?

Jewish inheritance laws are still patrilineal in that property passes only to sons unless the family has no daughters although in modern times they could circumvent the law by bestowing gifts prior to their demise. Jewish identity however is still passed on through the mothers (matrilineal). But at least the daughters of Zelophehad had created that exception in the law. That exception could not be denied as God Himself spoke in their favour. Pretty amazing when we comsider that modern laws are man-made.

What can we learn from this? I believe that when there are situations of injustice affecting us or matters within our control, we should seek the LORD for a solution. Not all situations have precedents. Pray and seek God, He will give us a fair and just solution.

Have a good weekend, everyone! May we bask in the glory of His presence this Sunday as we worship Him in spirit and in truth! For those of us involved in ministry this Sunday, may His anointing be upon us and may He use our fingers, voices and ears to lead the congregation into a wonderful and meaningful time of personal and corporate worship!

The church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

https://odb.org/2025/11/06/of-first-importance

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 (NIV): 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Today we’re in danger of unintentionally missing a crucial point, one that concerns the body of Christ (the church). There are those who would distort its purpose. Maybe we see the church as a political action committee or as a place to be served. Perhaps we see it as a mere religious institution. The church’s priority, however, has always been the good news of Jesus.

Paul told the believers at Corinth, “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). While other things may have an appropriate time and place, the gospel is of first importance. (Bill Crowder, ODB 6th November 2025)

I look at the church as a place of fellowship. To congregate amongst believers to worship God but also to support one another’s faith with encouragement and spiritual knowledge so that we may all grow in our faith and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church is a place for service, a place where we may serve God in ministry whether in hospitality, worship, ushering, follow up or evangelism. Perhaps the church runs free tuition classes as an outreach to non-believers as a service to the community.

In all the things that the church does however, the first and most important must be the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message of the cross, His death and resurrection must be preached and told to the world. It was crucial during the birth of the church 2,000 years ago and it is still as crucial today. This is because without the death and resurrection of Christ, the world is doomed. It will be a world with its own morality and because of the original sin, mankind will perish along with the ruler of the world at the end of time. Without Christ, humans will be sent to a place of gnashing of teeth for all eternity. But with Christ, we have the opportunity to live in Eden Recreated, in the new heaven and new earth, the new Jerusalem where God dwells amongst His people, for all eternity while clothe in our glorified bodies like Christ was when He was resurrected. That is why in essence Paul’s message was simple – it is Christ death and resurrection.

As believers, our response is equally simple. Attend church, be an encouragement to our fellow believers. Serve God in a ministry God has called us to based on our God-given talents. Support the church in its efforts on evangelism, in preaching Christ’s death and resurrection. We ourselves preach the same, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice and living a life that brings glory to Christ. He is worthy and worthy to be praised because He died for our sins.

The Good News

https://odb.org/2025/11/05/the-victorious-jesus

Matthew 4:23–25 (NIV): 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

In Matthew 4:23, we’re told that Jesus’ ministry in Galilee consisted of “teaching,” “proclaiming the good news,” and “healing every disease and sickness.” The term translated “good news” (Greek, euangelion) points to the way Matthew’s gospel subverted the idea that the Roman Empire had ultimate authority. “Good news” was commonly used by the empire as part of its propaganda to celebrate events like a Roman military victory or the birth of an emperor. Matthew’s description of Christ’s widespread healing ministry would’ve also challenged Rome’s claim to have brought health and prosperity. By describing Jesus proclaiming good news while healing diseases and casting out demons, Matthew’s gospel undermined Roman propaganda by insisting that real hope was to be found in Christ, who was victorious over death. Let’s respond in worship to Jesus who defeated death, the ultimate enemy (ODB Insight, 5th November 2025).

I’ve always associated the Good News as the proclamation of the message of Jesus Christ as set out in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Or we could equate the Good News as also the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It essentially means that God is with us in the flesh (Immanuel), that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that in His teachings, Jesus proclaims the Good News and heals every disease and sickness among the people. But most significantly is the message that He died for our sins so that we may be reconciled to God and have everlasting life for all eternity.

Yet the Good News or euangelion in Greek was also the phrase used by the Roman Empire to proclaim its military victories or the birth of an emperor and the decrees of the Emperor. Thus the early Christians and the writers of the Gospels subverted the Roman message by using the same phrase for the message of Jesus Christ and thus implied that there is a more powerful kingdom at work (albeit in the spiritual realm). Early Jewish hope of the Messiah faded as they were thinking in secular terms of a Saviour to free them from the shackles of the Roman Empire but Jesus was the Messiah in the spiritual sense. The Kingdom of God proclaimed by Christ was a battle not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers of darkness and dark forces of the air. Basically, its fight is with the ruler of this world in the shadows.

The message this morning is that even the world as we see it exists in the natural and physical realm is as real as the pain we feel when we pinch our skin, there’s still another unseen world existing in parallel in another realm. That world can determine happenings in the natural world but its goal is not our successes or wealth or survival in the world, but our souls. The dark world’s only concern is where are we headed as spiritual beings. We may die and our bodies perish when we no longer have breath, but our soul and spirit remain intact. Are we on the narrow road that leads to eternal life or the broad road that leads to destruction? In the end, life is really just that. Will our faith be still alive when we breathe our last? Will we still be running the race then?

As much as challenges in life or at work may be overwhelming, don’t neglect our faith. Keep it burning for God. Make sure we are always on the right path. Always check whether our ticket to salvation, given to us by the grace of God, is still in our pocket. Lose it and we will be thrown out when the conductor checks.

Prayer moves mountains

https://odb.org/2025/11/04/anything-to-say

Isaiah 38:1–6 (NIV): 38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 “Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.

King Hezekiah became ill and had something on his heart to say to God after the prophet Isaiah told him he was going to die (Isaiah 38:1). He “wept bitterly” and pleaded, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion” (v. 3). His was an honest, desperate appeal for deliverance. Even though healing isn’t dependent on our “goodness,” and God doesn’t always heal, He chose to extend the king’s life by fifteen years (v. 5). After his recovery, Hezekiah thanked and praised Him (v. 16).(Anne Cetas, ODB, 4th November 2025)

One of the more well-known Kings in the Old Testament besides the trio of Saul, David and Solomon is King Hezekiah. Hezekiah is famous for having pleaded with God to extend his life when he fell gravely ill. Because of his prayer, the LORD extended his life by another fifteen years! Truly life and death is in the hand of God but most importantly as believers the point is God hears our prayers.

Certain things may look impossible like asking God to heal us from aggressive and terminal cancer. But we know that even stage 4 cancer patients have miraculously been healed through prayers of the saints. Even as we have been given authority by Jesus Christ to pray for the sick, the healer is still God and it is by His grace and mercy. Not everyone we pray for will be healed but there will be those who will be. All we need to do is to move out in faith and pray, believing in the grace and mercy of God.

But prayer extends beyond just physical well being and health. There are even impossible situations in the family or at work that prayer can change. As the saying goes, prayer moves mountains. Or prayer moves the hands of God. Prayer changes situations because it penetrates into the spiritual realm and calls for the will of God be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Pray for ideas and solutions if, for example, our business is threatened by changing consumer habits or economic tides. Maybe if our “brick and mortar” retail store has not been doing well for a number of years now, pray that the Lord will help us start another business? Or perhaps it’s time for us to retire and serve God more with our time?

The message this morning is to spend more time praying, for things which bother us and for our loved ones. That God will protect them from harm and give them the strength and ingenuity to deal with issues of life. That the spirit of salvation will sweep their hearts and the Holy Spirit will touch them. Once we start praying, we will realise that there are many things we may pray for. Let us become a vessel to bring change and transformation to our own lives and for the lives of those we are praying for. Amen!

P/S

We left Seremban at 5.30 am for PJ yesterday and so didn’t have enough of a window to prepare and do a writeup.