341 Blessed Be Your Name - M. Redman/B. Redman
Today, God spoke, in a way that kind of freaks me out. But hey, He spoke!! And that is all that matters.
Let me recount what happened. It started yesterday.... This entry is going to be very long. But it does nothing but declares that God is indeed good...
Yesterday, after school, I was doing the Bible Study portion of the book I was reading. It asked me to 'lay your burdens, anxieties, fears, and misgivings on Him... asking for the Father's help.' And so I did. I thought I would write about the heartbreak I had three weeks ago. But I didn't. I wrote: 'My fear/anxiety? I do not know what is ahead of me. I can't see the path before me. Everything, my career, family and love life, is a new beginning. I do not know if I can deal with the uncertainty.'
And then, the second part of the book asked me to turn to Matthew 6:25-27 and 1 Peter 5:7. Both are about not worrying!! Should I have written on the heartbreak, these verses wouldn't have impacted me as much as they impacted me now. God spoke! He gave me these words to give me peace and to reassure me that He is looking after me. I felt weird or fearful cos I seldom had this kind of strong 'hinting' from God that He spoke.
That is not all. This morning, I prayed a prayer asking God to let me see His work in what I do today. To open my eyes and ears to see He is looking after me. Then, I was running late for work. It seemed to me that it was almost impossible to reach school in time. I gave myself a time: 653am. Dun ask me why such a weird time, I oso dunno. If the bus hasn't come by then, I will take MC, since I was to be quite free in school today and would not miss much. I rather miss work than be late cos being late is quite an offence in this school. Then the bus came at 650am. I thought in my heart, even so, I might not reach school in time. I prayed and this impression came to me: If God allowed the bus to come at 650am, instead of 654am, then it means He wants me to go to school. And so, He will not let me be late. Lo and behold, I wasn't late!! In fact, I still have time to go toilet and style my hair... Ha...
As I was walking from the bus stop to school, I was humming this song 'Your grace is sufficient for me; Your strength is made perfect when I am weak...." I dunno why cos this song is so old. But I did and somehow I knew this was to be the 'theme' of today. I sms-ed a close friend the lyrics of this song at 715am. Then at 10 plus, when I was bored in school and reading the 'My Utmost for His Highest' devotion for today, the theme was about GRACE!!! Too much of a coincidence, isn't it?
He spoke, not in audio ways like we humans do. But in His own marvellous way, He spoke and His children, His sheep, will know it is His voice.
Brothers and sisters, do not second-guess yourself if you think you hear something from God. We, His sheep, will recognise our Shepherd's voice. And He, our Shepherd and Abba Father, wans to speak to us.
I can write on and on on what God did today. Like how when my MP3's battery died on me when I just got on the bus to go home, I prayed that God will help 'resurrect' the battery and listen to songs that glorify Him till I reach home. I on my MP3 again and it lived! Ha.... And also, my PC at home died. I was very worried cos our financial status is bit tight and dun think can repair it. Then my sis 'resurrected' it. Ha... God listens to our prayers and it is His desire to look after us...
I want to end this by saying, God is good. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall lack no thing.
June 26, 2007
Drawing on the Grace of God— Now
We . . . plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain —2 Corinthians 6:1
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. ". . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses"— that is where our patience is tested ( 2 Corinthians 6:4 ). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, "Oh well, I won’t count this time"? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, "I will endure this until I can get away and pray." Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
". . . in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors . . ." ( 2 Corinthians 6:5 )— in all these things, display in your life a drawing on the grace of God, which will show evidence to yourself and to others that you are a miracle of His. Draw on His grace now, not later. The primary word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself. One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God is that you can be totally humiliated before others without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace.
". . . having nothing . . . ." Never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you. ". . . and yet possessing all things"— this is poverty triumphant ( 2 Corinthians 6:10 ).
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