LIFE ACCORDING TO GOD’S WORD

Psalm 119:25-32 - My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes! Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! 

We can hear the cry of the Psalmist here: my soul clings to the dust (v. 25). The Psalmist is experiencing the lowest point of his life; his soul metaphorically clinging to the dust – his life comes into contact with dust, comes into contact with death itself, with the rubbish of life. He is at his lowest point. In verse 28 he exclaimed: my soul melts away for sorrow. There is something obviously painful and causing some sort of grieving. Not only is he grasping at a straw for life his heart is pained by deep sense of sorrow – sorrow that melts his soul. I have been there and I know how it feels like. The sharp pain that stabs at your chest repeatedly can send shivers up your spine and causes you to cling to the dust literally. In verse 31 the Psalmist pleaded to the Lord to let him “not be put to shame.” Shame is the most debilitating (devastating) thing that can happen to a person. It hurts a person’s dignity as a human being; it hurts a person’s sense of significance, self-image, and self-esteem.

We are not sure what he was going through in his life at this point of time but we certainly can know that he was hurting, he was in deep pain, and he was crying out to the Lord. The psalmist appeals to the Word of God, probably the revelation of God’s Word, so that he can gain life again. He was appealing to the revelational Word of God to strengthen him; strength to overcome his grief, his shame, and his sorrow. He wanted so much to run into the Word of God – the word that comforts, the word that assures, and the word that is YES and AMEN!

EXPERIENTIAL GRACE OF GOD

“The profundity of the experiential grace of God is ever present in the banality of our existential living.”

This statement fully describes to a great extent the mystery of the working of grace in all its complexity and intensity seen in our mundane everyday living. What might be passed off as trivial may actually be the working of the grace of God in our lives.

The grace of God is not the glossing over of our sins, failure, and bad decisions by God but a gracious and compassionate heart of God that is big enough to pick us up and to brush off the “dirt” off us and to bandage up the “wounds” we have inflicted upon ourselves. It is like a father who said to his child who run and fell and hurt himself just minutes after a firm instruction not to run around in a particularly dangerous area: “It’s okay. Let me clean you up. There, you’re alright. Get going but remember not to run there again!”

The grace of God can also be seen in the quiet confidence within us as we come face to face with situations in our daily lives – a kind of calmness and peace that defies understanding as we put our trust in Him. We may not always see the results we expected but certainly we still sense that quiet confidence of restfulness in His presence.

In the last two weeks I am confronted with a new challenge as reality hits me when my wife had to go through chemotherapy. Out of the ash heap of calamity comes the voice of God assuring my heart that He is here with my family as He always has been. That’s the power of the grace of God. It is not some kind of supernatural, heaven-open, earth shattering divine manifestation that zaps away my calamity. Strangely, it is the quiet confidence that came over me as I rest in His presence and listen closely to His soothing voice, “I am here with you, by you, and for you!” That, to me, is the profundity (the complexity, intensity, and greatness) of the experiential grace of God manifested in the banality, the ordinariness, of everyday life on this earth! 

BLESSING GOD, BLESSING OTHERS

This one week I have changed my outlook of life. I used to think a lot and in the process let anxiety, doubts, and fears loom over my mind. After last Sunday’s message by Pastor Cheng Kin I have decided to take Genesis 12 seriously – I am blessed to be a blessing! Therefore, I began to open my mouth and bless my family – bless my youngest son every morning as I drive him to school, bless Joyce and Judson in my prayers. But I have begun to bless my wife not just once a day but throughout the day.

First, I bless God for life. I bless God for provision. I bless God for loving people around us, helping us and really caring for us. I bless God for my family who stood by me in prayers and frequent phone calls. I bless God for the strength to lift my head up in worship. I bless God for saving me, for transforming me, and for giving me the opportunity to serve Him in FGA Centre. Yes, I cry out to Him when my heart is overwhelmed BUT I quickly turn to my soul and said, bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!

I bless my wife with the strength of the Lord. I bless my wife with the peace of God that passed all human understanding. I bless my wife with the faith that can move mountains. I bless my wife for the faithfulness she has in Christ. I bless her with health. I bless her with overwhelming good cells to be multiplied. I bless her with the Word of God – Christ comes with healing in His wings, and by His stripes we are healed. I bless her with the promises of God because God’s promise is YES and AMEN! I call her BLESSED because she’s a daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords. She is the beloved of the Lord. She is the bride of Christ. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Yes, that’s right! She is blessed because she has a wonderful Saviour, a glorious Redeemer, and triumphant King who have overcome sin and death on her behalf.  

I believe 100% what Pastor Cheng Kin spoke last Sunday. The little tongue can be used to curse or to bless. Paul exhorts us to speak words that minister grace to the hearers. It is not whispering in our hearts BUT verbalizing the blessings, the love, the grace and mercy, the purposes, the greatness and goodness, the healing, and the promises of God to those who need words of encouragement. It also means to ourselves too!

I am not advocating positive confession. I am advocating blessing God because it is right, it is the truth. God is love and God is Truth with the capital “T”. I am advocating blessing people around us with the Word of God, words of encouragement, and gracious words because that’s what the Bible teaches.