Dear....
"In fact, there are only two exercises natural to man
- before marriage, the hot pursuit, and after marriage the hasty retreat"
This was the caption(that I used back in 1990 for my wedding invitation card) from the delightful syndicated comic strip featuring Sun Tan, the colloquial kampong uncle of a rustic past, pursuing with glee, the damsel who was to become his wife. And years later, after marriage, being pursued by the same but older and grouchy iron lady now wielding a menacing frying pan.
( see link http://lambiek.net/artists/c/collette_aubrey.htm)
Did fiction become fact for me these past two decades of married life?
Thankfully not, and by the grace of God, imperfect as we all are, in placing Him as our focus, the family unit has become very much stronger.
'...if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you...'
Matthew 17:20
Seeing is believing, that is how carnal men process their very thoughts. And in not believing, you will never 'see' or more aptly experience the wonderful and miraculous handiwork of our Sovereign God. For affirmation comes after our step of faith.
Not seeing but believing empowers the spiritual man. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen(Hebrews 11:1). The next verse, Hebrews 11:2 follows up with 'For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.'
'Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat? Or "What shall we drink?.....But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.'
Matthew 6:31-33
Our good Lord impressed upon my heart that like all who seek Him with our all, I do have wonderful testimonies of how a desirous heart that seeks to please Him, that is prepared to take that step of faith, will have our prayers answered in ways that must truly be from the Divine hands of our faithful Father in Heaven.
What is nigh impossible with man, all things are possible with our Lord, and in experiencing His love in our daily living, our faith will deepen, unlike dear old San Tan's faltering marriage.
'I cry out with my whole heart. Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes. I will cry out to You. Save me and I will keep Your testimonies...'
Psalm 119:145-146
Back in the lows of the subprime crisis in April 2009, our good Lord impressed upon my heart the need to produce an art book, to use art to share the gospel. Illogical as it seem then, ill equipped as I thought I was, in responding in faith, God send me a wonderful helper and now dear friend, my publisher without whom, it will nay be possible for the project to take off as it has wonderfully since.(see link on testimony http://hieang.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html )
'.....And new things I declare; Before they spring forth. I tell you of them.'
Isaiah 42:9
And in late 2010, I said yes to the Lord's call to give Him my all. Never would I imagine the healthy me will end up with a potentially fatal 40% blockage in a key vessel of my heart. A thorn in the flesh it might be, but definitely an upgrade in my spiritual determination, this precise blockage at the main blood vessel of my heart. It is a very real reminder that every moment is a blessing from our Lord and it must be lived well in His service.
And how can one not thank the Lord for His Divine intervention in placing this great desire in me to do a CT scan when there was no compelling reason to. My Father is extending my life for a desirous heart that wants to serve Him. My cardiologist tells me that the odds of me having a fatal heart attack within 5 years is pretty high if this blockage was not discovered and addressed.
(see link http://john-4-23-24.blogspot.com/)
Prayers asked in His will, God will always answer. And prayers need not be words mouthed. It is a life lived that seeks to please Him. God knows our very heart and He will make possible what the finite us deem impossible. In our recent move to a new office, it was no longer feasible to continue the weekly office worship that has girded our lives all these years. God heard our desire to honor Him and He honored us by providing an even more wonderful place of worship, directly opposite my office and exactly at the same floor level,
straddled by a literal bridge of faith. And He is showing us the wisdom of His ways, for this new hallowed ground is where the diaspora from my present employ can gather as one, in unity of Spirit.
Then the word of the Lord came to me saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you: Before you were born I sanctified you....'
Jeremiah 1:4-5
A charmed life was the thought that came to me. The non believer define that as being materially blessed, healthy and a great social life, and trouble free. And many took that to heart by placing on their bodies many a charm to ward off evil or to draw in the gods of fortune.
'However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.'
Matthew 17:21
Believer or not, we live in a fallen world, and all are born to trouble. In fact, believers will attract more arrows from the enraged prince of the air, the ruler of our sinful world, the devil for daring to look past it's delusions. And many either stopped believing or dare not move from believer to follower of Christ, when their surrounds becomes unbearably daunting.
And in following, the devil and our still imperfect self often work in cahoots to trip us up. Matthew 17:21 above and James 4:7-8 will keep us well grounded upon the Lord our Rock come what may.
'Therefore submit to God. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...'
James 4:7-8
Lately I have been quite perplexed, not because the ground upon which my employ is shifting again. And I do know the general direction that God is leading me to in His service. But the imperfect me fretfully looks for a conclusion, when God desires my obedience.
The journey of Abram, from the book of Genesis( chapters 12-22) was where the Spirit of God led me to.
Abram was a man of faith. He obeyed unequivocally when God commanded him to leave his comfort zone. Yet, much as he was heading in the right direction, when perceived obstacles arose,this same man of faith erred twice when self preservation led him to misrepresent his wife Sarah as his sister twice over.
And both occasions, God divinely intervene much as Abram's flesh was weak, for Abram's heart was right.
The Perfect God walking closely with the imperfect but desirous man of God.
Has experiencing the omnipresence of God whose grace helped Abram move back on course, engendered in him this total trust and reliance on Him? That God knows that Abram will obey without hesitation the command to sacrifice his only son, for Abram knows that God is Sovereign.
'Trouble and anguish have overtaken me. Yet Your commandments are my delights...'
Psalm 119:143
A heart of peace I always have even, in the midst of challenges. A wavering heart that hovered over me these past few weeks, that is no longer the case. I know the will of God, and you will too, if you seek Him with your all every moment of your life. I know not the conclusion nor even the step ahead till His Spirit shows me. But I do know that He is in control, while I can be in control in how I live while awaiting His leading. And it is to be in His presence always with a thankful heart, and to live a life that honors Him. And like Abraham, God will honor the faithful, for God looks not for sacrifice, but our obedience.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
(30th April 2012)
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