I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
(New Living Translation)
My In-laws – the Ling’s family has a meaningful tradition that they keep every year. They will organize what they term as “Family Altar” during the Lunar New Year (a.k.a. Chinese New Year) where different ones come together to share about their journey with God for the past one year and as they look forward to the coming year, what are the things to commit to God in prayer.
I became part of this tradition since the last two years as a result of my marriage with their third lovely daughter. For the past two years it has been such an eye opener and new experience for me. Sharing was given and prayer was offered up with much gusto then. Nonetheless, this year I shared about the ‘dark’ and gloomy year God has brought me through in year 2006.
Year 2006 no doubt marks another important spiritual milestone in my life. It was not because of any great success or achievement that God has led me into. On the contrary, it was a year filled with trials and sorrow.
First, there was the news of my bosses leaving the company, leaving a great vacuum behind as they ravage whatever business left in company. My company’s business had not been doing well and merely broke even for the past two years. Sensing that year 2006 and 2007 are going to be more challenging than before and anticipating the possibility of making loss for the first time, my bosses decided to leave and start up with a new but much lower overhead cost endeavor. One of them made use of his ‘special’ relationship with the oversea principal and transfer the distributorship over night to the new company. Due to my good rapport with them, they even offered me the opportunity to join them in realizing their millionaire dreams. I was severely tempted. For a moment, I thought it must have been God’s blessing due to my ignorance and lack of experience. After much prayer and consultation with my elders, it was discerned that this was not a path God has prepared for me to take.
Then came the even more disturbing news of a cancer illness suffered by one of my church leaders. She has been one of the pillars of strength to many of us. Over the years we have grown fond of her because of her wisdom and loving care to each one of us. To many of us, she is just like our godmother. And yet, God chose to allow such horrible thing to happen to her in year 2006. Within a period of less than nine months, God took her away.
There was also the desire for both my wife and I with regards to starting a family in the later part of year 2006. Again, God has delayed his blessing for us. We cried up to Him for mercy and we kept on reminding ourselves that God’s way is higher than ours and His timing is perfect. And yet, we are still waiting and wondering why the delay.
Hence, this morning I came across the verse in John 16:33. It came like a sweet assurance to me even though I have read it many times before. Nevertheless, the timeliness of this verse makes it taste like freshly baked cookies from Heaven (Reminds me of the cookies that were given to us by friends and relatives during the recent festive celebration). This, I believe is a divine revelation.
In John Chapter 16, our Lord Jesus warned the disciples that tough and difficult times lay just ahead of them. He wanted to make sure that the disciples would stay faithful even when persecutions come upon them. Yet, what is most comforting is the fact that Jesus had not left them to face all these all by themselves. He promised them the Counselor (John 16:7) who will guide them into all truth (John 16:13). It is during difficult and painful times like these we really need God’s Spirit to remind us of who Jesus really is and what kind of eternal destiny awaits us on the other side of heaven. Only with such renewed perspective, we are able to shift our focus from the pain and suffering experienced on the cross to the glorious resurrected body of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the closing of my sharing during the Family Altar 2007, I summarized my sharing in a statement: “I think God is teaching me to see his blessing in terms of the ‘absence’ rather than the ‘presence’ of things in year 2006.” We always find it easy to praise God and love Him in times of abundance. But God reminds me that we need to praise Him and continue to love Him even in times of neediness. The truth of the saying “God has not called us to be successful but to be faithful” has to sink in deeper in my life.
God bless me with John 16:33 ‘cookies’ this Lunar New Year. May He bless you with many ‘cookies’ as well this New Year.
By Brother Nai Kyn.
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