Cry out to God

26/10/13

S: 2 Samuel 22:6-7 The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.

O: Saul pursued David all over Israel seeking to kill him. David sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. (2 Samuel 22:1)

I have not been hounded by anyone wanting to kill me like David did, but I have faced many situations where I did not know how to solve my problem. And time and time again, after I cry out to God in prayer, the problem went away without my explicitly doing anything.

A: So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen. (James 5:16, Easy-to-Read Version) (See other translations here.)

P: Father, we thank You that You are in control even when we don't know what's going on! In Jesus' name, amen.

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In these days of confused situations
And in these nights of a restless remorse
When the heart and the soul of a nation
Lay wounded and cold as a corpse
From the grave of the innocent Adam
Comes a song bringing joy to the sad
All you cries have been heard and the ransom
Has been paid up in full, be ye glad

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Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)

God does not enjoy punishing people

15/10/13

S: Ezekiel 18:30b-32 This is what the Lord GOD said. “So come back to me! Stop committing those crimes and do away with those things that cause you to sin! Throw away all the terrible idols with which you committed your crimes! Change your heart and spirit. People of Israel, why should you do things that will cost you your life? I don’t want to kill you! Please come back and live!” This is what the Lord GOD said.

Ezekiel 33:11 “You must say to them, ‘The Lord GOD says: By my life, I swear that I don’t enjoy seeing people die—not even evil people! I don’t want them to die. I want them to come back to me. I want them to change their lives so that they can really live. So come back to me! Stop doing bad things! Why must you die, family of Israel?’”

O: God does not desire the wicked to perish, but rather, that they would repent. As human beings, when we experience injustice, our natural inclination is to retaliate, to hurt the other person. Like Jonah, we don't want our enemies to repent and be saved; we want the judgment of God to destroy them.

But this is not God's heart. Romans 12:17-21 says:

If someone does you wrong, don’t try to pay them back by hurting them. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone. My friends, don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one who punishes; I will pay people back.” But you should do this: “If you have enemies who are hungry, give them something to eat. If you have enemies who are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this you will make them feel ashamed.” Don’t let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good.

A: Today, it is Hari Raya Aidiadha here in Malaysia. (Eid al-Adha) Yesterday, the Appeals Court in Malaysia made a terrible decision in favour of the UMNO-led supposedly "moderate" Muslim government to ban Christians and other non-Muslims from calling God the Father "Allah" in Malay, Iban and other related languages. This is in spite of the fact that Arab Christians have been calling God the Father "Allah" since before the advent of Islam, and in spite of the fact that Malay- and Iban-speaking Christians have been calling God the Father "Allah" since before there was such a country as Malaysia. Even Arab countries are incredulous at the Malaysian government's stance.

So this is a timely reminder for us as Malaysian Christians to not hate the people in the UMNO government. God does not desire for them to perish, either, but to come to repentance.

As people annoy us and do evil to us in our daily walk, we also need to remember this, and to see them with the compassionate eyes of Christ, instead of seeking revenge.

P: Father, help me to see people who do evil to me with Your eyes, and to remember that You would rather that the evil repent rather than die in their sins. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)

Sticking with God's principles even when it's inconvenient

5/10/13

S: Psalm 119:105-112 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations. I have suffered much, O Lord; restore my life again as you promised. Lord, accept my offering of praise, and teach me your regulations. My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions. The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments. Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.

O: Yesterday, I gave a ride to a friend and we were stuck in a long queue at a traffic light. As is often the case here in Malaysia, some annoying people forcing their cars into the queue from the next lane instead of properly waiting their turn. I mentioned to him that I've had the fantasy of taking a gun out and pointing it at them, threatening to shoot them unless they stopped. Of course, it's a fantasy, but this led us to talk about Luke 6:27-36:

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

My friend was saying that he was upset with Christians who tried to interpret this passage metaphorically -- while acknowledging that he did not live up to it himself.

Last night, in our cell group, the cell group leader taught from this passage in Psalm 119. THe psalmist notes that he had suffered much, yet he remained determined to keep to God's principles.

A: It's easy to keep to God's principles when it's convenient. It's much harder to do so when it is inconvenient. I certainly am not there yet myself, and my friend admitted he wasn't either. However, it's what we should be aiming for.

P: Father, keep bringing us into conformity with Christ. There are many areas I'm not there yet. There are even areas I'm not really willing yet to follow You in. However, I'm willing to let You change my desires ☺. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)

False Prophecy is a Grievous Thing

28/9/13

S: Ezekiel 13:1-7 Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to the prophets who prophesy from their imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing! Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the Lord. They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say, “the Lord declares,” though the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed. Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, “the Lord declares,” although I myself never spoke?”

O: God views false prophecy as a very serious offence. These prophets prophesying that all would be well and that the Lord would rescue Judea from the Babylonians were engaging in wishful thinking, misleading the people of Israel. God had allowed the Babylonians to conquer Judah because of their centuries of turning away from Him. The exile was necessary to purify Judaism and bring them back to worship the Lord.

In our Charismatic Christian circles, I have observed wishful thinking claiming to be prophecy. Many a beloved Christian dying has had "prophecies" said over them claiming that they would be healed... and then, when they die, many have lost their faith either partially or altogether.

A: We must not be glib about prophecy. Before you prophecy, you'd better be sure it's from the Lord. If you have falsely prophesied, repent and seek forgiveness both from God and from the persons you have harmed.

For this reason, I am also skeptical of the practice in certain Charismatic circles of telling people to "practice" prophecy. I've been in a crowd where we were told to pair up with some other person and to pray and ask God for a prophecy to speak over him or her. It seems to me that this is a good way to encourage people to make wishful thinking into fake prophecy.

Prophecy is God's prerogative. Its source is God, not man. We have God's written revelation and we can study the Bible and apply it to our lives and counsel others. (2 Timothy 3:16) We must not use "prophecy" that is actually wishful thinking as a short-cut to bypass this process.

Therefore, we must diligently study the Word of God like the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). If God gives you a prophecy, great! But it's His prerogative, not yours.

P: Father, teach us Your Word, Your Truth, and lead us to Your Life. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)

David the liar and genocide?

21/9/13

S: 1 Samuel 27:6-12 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months. David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times. David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish. “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask. And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites.” No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines. Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!”

O: Look what this "man after God's own heart" did! He lied to King Achish who had given him shelter from King Saul who had wanted to kill him. He attacked and massacred villages that did nothing against him, committing genocide upon those villagers. How can this be a "man after God's own heart"? He had shown no remorse or repentance for any of these horrible acts that today would have had him condemned in a United Nations war crime tribunal.

What, indeed, did God reprimand him for? For one adulterous affair with Bathsheba, for one murder of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite. (2 Samuel 11-12).

Why was that? Why did God overlook monstrous crimes where large numbers of people were massacred, and make such a big deal about one single case of adultery and one single case of murder?

I think the answer lies in what God could expect David to know about right and wrong. It was acceptable in David's time and culture to attack foreign villages and rape, plunder and kill them. But David knew full well it was wrong for him to steal the wife of a friend and murder him.

It was not that David's sins which he did not know were sins had no consequences. God forbade David from building the Temple because of the blood on his hands. (1 Chronicles 22:8) However, God did not expect David to repent of sins he did not know were sins.

A: I have been teaching my daughter Joni about confession and repentance before partaking of Holy Communion lately. One of the things that a spiritually-attuned child might worry about is "What if I forget to confess some sin before I take Holy Communion? Will I be then guilty of the body and blood?"

The example of how God dealt with David is one of the pieces of evidence that God does not expect us to confess and repent of sins we are not aware of. If at some point, He teaches us that something we had been doing in the past is wrong, we can confess and repent of it. Meanwhile, He only expects us to confess and repent of what sins we do know about.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) The blood of Jesus covers all our sins, whether we know them to be sin or not.

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

P: Father, thank You so much for Your grace and mercy upon us. Thank You for sending Jesus to pay for our sins and bring us into Your family. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)

The Green-Eyed Monster; loyalty to God transcends loyalty to the government

14/9/13

S: 1 Samuel 18:6-11 When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals. This was their song: “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.

1 Samuel 20:42 At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.

O: Saul was the anointed king of Israel, chosen by God Himself. Yet, he disobeyed God several times and did not repent, and now he was getting jealous of David.

This jealousy led him to attack David and try to kill him, even though David had always been loyal to him and only did him good. This eventually led to Saul's downfall.

Jonathan and Michal, though they were Saul's children and though their father was the legitimate king and government, recognized this and helped David escape their father's murderous intent.

A: Jealousy can lead one to grievous sin. It can blind one to ones' friends and make one their enemy.

As we celebrate Malaysia day this weekend, the example of Jonathan and Michal in defying their rightful government leader because of his abandoning God's principles also is applicable to our own situation. As people who want to change the government, however, we should also recognize that there are good people who continue to be in the government's party and not demonize them.

Jonathan continued to fight on his father's side when his father was legitimately fighting the Philistines. In fact, Jonathan died in such a battle, partially as a consequence of his father's folly.

There is a good and Godly man with whom I sometimes carpool who supports the corrupt BN government. He is a good reminder to me that not everyone who supports the BN government is evil.

Happy Malaysia Day!


P: Father, when we see our brother or sister doing well, keep us from jealousy. And help us to remember that those who politically oppose us are also people made in the image of God. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)

Looking beyond personal hurt

7/9/13

S: 1 Samuel 12:23 As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.

O: Samuel felt hurt when the people demanded a king. (1 Samuel 8:6) However, he did not allow his own personal hurt prevent him from doing the right thing.

Often, when I feel unjustly treated, I feel like hitting back. However, that's not the right thing to do. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but He only wants them to turn from their evil ways so that they may live. (Ezekiel 33:11)

A: We need to continue to follow God's Word and do the right thing even when we've been unjustly treated.

P: Father, sometimes it is so hard to keep on doing right when we have been hurt by others. But it is what You want me to do. Please help me to continue following you when that happens. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Thank you, Lord, for the trials that come my way. In that way I can grow each day as I let you lead,

And thank you, Lord, for the patience those trials bring. In that process of growing, I can learn to care.

But it goes against the way I am to put my human nature down and let the Spirit take control of all I do. 'Cause when those trials come, my human nature shouts the thing to do; and God's soft prompting can be easily ignored.

I thank you, Lord, with each trial I feel inside, that you're there to help, lead and guide me away from wrong. 'Cause you promised, Lord, that with every testing, that your way of escaping is easier to bear.

I thank you, Lord, for the victory that growing brings. In surrender of everything life is so worth while. And I thank you, Lord, that when everything's put in place, out in front I can see your face, and it's there you belong.

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Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)