A Psalm, Song For Sabbath

Wow ... I was enjoying Ps 91 & 92 much and was taking time to pray through some matters using these 2 chapters ....

Ps 91 .. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. He is My Refuge and My Fortress, My God in whom I trust! God will deliver me from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover me with His pinions, and under His wings I will seek refuge. I will not be afraid of the terror of night or the arrow that flies by day; or the pestilence that stalks in darkness; or the destruction that lays waste at noon...No evil will befall me, nor will any plague come near my tent. For God will give His angels charge concerning me to guard me in all my ways. They will bear me up in their hands that I will not strike my foot against a stone... I will call upon God and He will answer me, He will be with me in trouble; He will rescue me and honor me. With long life will I be satisfied and see His Salvation.

Ps 92 .. It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to declare His lovingkindness in the morning. Yes! A brand new morning... And His faithfulness by night. For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep ... cheem ah! The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow ... Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age (Phew!! What a comfort!). They shall be full of sap and very green, (Beautiful? Gorgeous? Attractive? Haha!) to declare that the Lord is upright. He is My Rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him! Amen & Amen ....

Unwell ...

I missed Church today (rare occasion ...) as I was feeling unwell and dizzzyyy... sigh. Must have been overworked and too exhausted.

Thank God I had a time to rest and also to rest in God's presence .... It is much needed, doing my QT in bed.

Prayer For Help

I realised that the Lord has been setting a pattern of prayer for me. I have been waking early in the morning to read and to pray... allowing my prayer to rise up to Jesus. Also, allowing a spirit of thanksgiving and praise to arise.

Let my prayer come before You, incline Your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles ...Lord I have called daily upon You. I have stretched out my hands to You. Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Shall Your loving kindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Shall Your wonders be made known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of the forgetfulness? PS 89

But You O Lord, I have cried out, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. Why do you cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth up; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught...

Stand Fast In The Faith

The Lord has been reminding me to Watch, Stand Fast in the Faith, be Brave and be Strong. Let all that I do be done with LOVE ... 1 Cor 16:13-14 ....

It is a timely reminder as I walk many uncertain 'roads' in my life ....

Encountering God

I had such an encounter with the Lord last evening. Do you know that if we silence ourselves in His presence, we will hear Him speak?

That's what I did last evening and I was so broken before the Lord. He began to show me the condition of my heart - the deception, the meanness, the unkind thoughts and actions etc. I was in bed weeping and sobbing till I felt the Lord forgave me.

At the end of my time with the Lord, He reminded me that just the week past when we celebrated Good Friday and Easter, He died for all my sins and He loves unconditionally. I was filled with remorse and wished that I had repented much earlier. I decided in my heart to turn over and allowed the Word of God to fill my heart again. I read Ps 86 and realised that I am indeed poor and needy. I cried to ask the Lord to save me and have mercy on me. Vs 5 - You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

I ended my time with a prayer to the Lord to teach me His ways and to walk in His truth. His ways are loving and kind. Unite my heart to fear Your name and I will praise You.

Righteousness Will Prevail

Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway. Ps 85 ...

Me was up at 5.30 a.m. because the Lord laid a heavy burden on my heart. Was in much prayer to believe that He who began a good work in my life will be faithful to bring it to completion.

Indeed, I want to claim and believe that NO good thing will be withhold from those who walk uprightly. Felt oppressed on many sides ... and yet have to stand strong. Sigh.

My Heart & My Flesh Cry Out

My heart is crying out to God for many things ... Ps 84 depicts that condition of my heart...

1) To make a clear stand about convictions of the Lord regarding discipline.
2) Defining God's destiny and plan for my life as I walk in obedience and submission.
3) To dare to walk in the unknown knowing that God is ahead of me.

For a day in God's court is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield. The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Kids Will Be Kids ....

I was rather upset by the way some parents failed to discipline their kids and teach them the ways of God in Church today.

I wonder why they allow their kids to be noisy at church services when we should be teaching them a reverence and awe of God from young. Also, why do they not teach their kids that it is rude to eat other people's food without permission ... no table manners? Also, do we allow kids to jump in the car from the front to back without being belted? Sigh ....

In the recent days, God has been teaching me much about the Father's heart. What do you think of all these matters, God? Does it grieve you when your children live in such insecurity and self-centeredness and do not train their kids in the instruction and fear of the Lord? How then we do we say that kids are a gift from God when we do not take time to discipline them and nurture them to be more and more like Christ? How can they then be like sharpened arrows being shot out from the quiver .... ?

Marriages

SP shared a sober message about Husbands needing to take the lead and responsibility in the home last evening at the Sanctification Weekend meeting ... Husbands must affirm and love her in order to invoke the beauty of his wife as said in Eph 5:23.

The Lord has been speaking much to me in my times of devotion about marriages and what we need to teach our ladies that should be responses to submitting to our husbands.

Leaving the 'man' part of deal to them, I would like to share what the Lord has been speaking to me about how the women should respond and react. As wives, the Lord told me that wives need to make their man feel needed. They are our "heroes" and we need to make them feel assured and secure that they belong. Ladies need to assure their man that they want their covering, protection, leadership, assurance and love. Our women must also learn to submit themselves to being encouraging and affirming their husbands not just with their words but also with actions. They must learn to satisfy their husbands as unto the Lord.

It seems queer for me to share this thought being a single, but I believe the Word of God has much to teach us about these areas because He is committed to building strong families in our churches as well as nation. God is allowing us a glimpse of His heart and His intentions for His dear children as we disciple them to have a heart after God's own.

Good Friday Thots ...

Recently, the Lord has been giving many warnings from our daily devotion about being stubborn, stiff-necked, proud, haughty etc... Ps 81 also is a warning to Israel against worship to foreign gods and those who do not heed the voice of God ... and there is a consequence when we disobey God. He will give us over to our stubborn hearts and walk in our own counsel.

God forbid that we should take this course of action to walk in our ways and ignore the sweet presence and fellowship of the Holy Spirit.... He is longing for more and more of us. Our intimacy, our devotion, our honour so that we will bring Him much delight and joy!

Let's keep pressing in to seek the face of God rather than just His hand of blessing, success and reward. When we learn to honour the Lord .. Matt 10:40, He will know how to honour and reward us in return. He is a God of His Word. His Word will not return to Him void.

You know, I have been deeply grieved when I see much self-centredness, greed and lust of the flesh from some around me... I wish we could still our hearts together and begin to allow the Lord to speak and reveal His broken heart to us this Good Friday. He really misses us .... He wants to have all of us, He is a jealous God who is waiting to sup with us and draw near to us. He wants to come and heal us and make us whole, He wants to mend broken marriages and bring deeper intimacy and love, He wants to demonstrate signs and wonders among us .... all because He is God!

May we take time to reflect and ponder on the goodness of God and give all glory, honour and our heart-felt devotion to Him. Glory be to His Glorious Name!!

Restore Us, Revive Us!

Tonight is Sanctification night! Let's prepare our hearts to encounter the Lord and allow Him to heal us, bring wholeness to our spirit and also allow His manifested presence in our lives to transform us.

Was reading Ps 80 this morning, and this verse repeated itself 3 times. Must be something important for us to note ... 'Restore us, revive us, make your face to shine and we shall be saved'.

When I look at God and all that He is doing in my life and around me, I can't help but feel restored and revived! The goodness of God is flowing and indeed He is making His face shine upon us as we are saved. The kind of challenges and ministry cases seem to mount, but God is allowing me to see that He is in control and that Kingdom work belongs to Him.

Sad News ...

I just heard a piece of very sad news from a friend. My ex-cell member, who was in my cell for a good number of years, went with us to Malacca, invited me to do her house blessing recently when she moved to a new place and who just retired as a school teacher has just passed away. She had 4th stage of colon cancer.

I am sadden & grief-stricken when I reflect about her life .... what have we done in our short time on earth that was impactful and meaningful? Have we committed ourselves to complete devotion and service to God and His people while we still have breath? Have we submitted ourselves to honor leadership - civil leaders, social leaders, domestic leaders or even church leaders? Do we harbour offences and unforgiveness?

In fact, I am reading a book by John Bevere entitled 'Honor' Reward'. It is timely and yet scary because how we value, respect and treat others determines our rewards ... It teaches us how to extend honor to our Creator, family members, authorities and those who fill our world. Do we want a full reward, a partial reward or No reward at the end of our life?

Make my life count for You, Jesus!

A Heart Of Integrity

Ps 78 vs 70 Why did God choose David, His servant and took him out of the sheepfolds .. to shepherd Jacob, His people & Israel, His inheritance? He had a heart after the Lord and ... like vs 72, He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands?

Many times we cannot understand the way the Lord selects us. But I would like to think that while we are willing and are able to serve the Lord while we can, we ought to be faithful and excel in all that God has purposed for us in this lifetime.

Was reading an article and it is good food for thought ... strangely, I was kept awake a long time last night and was conversing with the Lord over an obedience-based decision. First draft only ... more to go .... sigh.

There are two types of people in the world. There are those whose activities are designed to generate a reward in this lifetime. And there are those who live to generate a reward when they meet our Lord in Heaven.

Not every Christian models the latter. How does one judge whether they are living for the future reward versus the earthly reward? There are several key indicators.

Future reward people tend to be givers. They make their time and resources available to be channeled for Kingdom purposes. They realize their sowing will ultimately be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ where what they have done on earth will be judged and rewarded by God (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Future reward people live a life based upon obedience-based decisions. They don't make decisions based on their perceived outcome. They realize a decision based on obedience alone may not result in an immediate outcome. Jesus was obedient to the cross, but the immediate outcome was His own death on the cross.

Future reward situations show up in daily life in a number of ways. Perhaps a person has wronged you and God calls you to forgive and even bless that person without expectation of their response. Perhaps God calls you to sow money into a ministry or another person's life without expectation of return from them. Perhaps you are called to serve another person without expectation of any earthly reward. The situations we might encounter are unlimited.

Are you living a life based on a future reward, or short term reward? Today, evaluate how you make decisions and how you allocate resources. This will reveal whether you are a future reward Christian.

Rushy Rushy ...

It has been and will be mad rush for me today ... went to the gym, came back to prepare for KA workshop this afternoon, tuition in the late evening and attending a friend's dad' wake in the night.

Some kind of Sabbath?? Sigh ... Guess I am learning to find rest in the midst of strezzzz....

God help!

Oh Man!

I hardly slept a wink last night as I felt the Lord was holding my eyelids open, my soul refused to be comforted and I was too 'troubled' to speak. ... Sounds like Ps 77 ....

But I called to rememberance my song in the night and meditated within my heart, my spirit was diligently searching for God ... where are you, God? Where????

Little Baby Esther Is Finally Out!

Hey, bb Esther is finally out! We are rejoicing together with E & A. Thank God for the short, safe and smooth delivery.

Do Not Be Proud

Ps 75 is a gentle reminder for us to remain humble and meek. L and I were having a conversation recently and we were commenting that it is not easy to remain meek and gentle. Meekness requires God to bring us to a place of brokenness and being contrite in His presence.

No wonder, vs 5 can be sung ... Do not life up your horn on high, do not speak with a stiff neck..... God is the Judge. Vs 10 ... the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

Can we encourage each other to be humble, gentle and meek? Are we willing to associate ourselves with those who are in pain, hurting or even those in agony? Can we have compassion on those who are weaker than us and be patient, constantly exercising the fear and the love of Jesus? Are we able to demonstrate Christ in tangible ways so that Christ be made known? Do we personally allow the Lord to heal our rejection, wounds and learn to find acceptance & significance in HIM?

Into Your Sanctuary

Ps 74 I am reminded that God is the God of summer and winter...especially with the unpredictable weather these days. He has set all borders of the earth. The day is His and the night is also His. He has prepared the light and the sun. We really cannot thwart the plans of God. There is indeed a time for everything under heaven and earth ... God governs and rules with righteousness. Let's just do what pleases the heart of God and His people.

Yes, I just want to come and dwell much in His presence .... enjoying His covering and security.

Sin & Its Consequences

Ps 73 vs 21 .. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind ... I had such a gruesome dream last night but I trust the Lord had a message for me. When I tumbled out of bed, I was suddenly drawn to the severity of sin in our lives and what consequences it has when we hurt, offend and provoke the wrath of an Upright, Holy, Flawless and Virtuous God.

It must have grieved and caused God's heart to bleed when we do not recognise our folly and continue to sin and walk in plain rebellion and defiance. Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end ... sigh.

Am still processing Ps 73 .. Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Blessed Be His Glorious Name

These few days have been raining cats and dogs ... and it has been cold & miserable for many. But I seem to enjoy the rain and the cold. God has been good and I am learning to bless His name inspite of ..............

I am learning to rest and find God in the midst of different weather conditions and I guess, it is the same with our lives ... In the different facets of life, we are learning to find God and see Him in every situation. He is loving, kind and gracious and there is much to praise Him for.

Ps 72?

My Trust From Youth

Do you know that God has been my strong refuge and trust since I was 12? I want to determine in my heart that God will help me to be strong the next lap. Not just physical strength but spiritual stamina and energy to love and serve Him till the day I die.

May Ps 71 be the cry of my heart that God delivers me from the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. May the Lord be my hope as He has been from my youth; He has upheld me from birth and He is the One who took me out from my mother's womb, my praise shall continually be Him.

Lord, may you never cast me off in old age and not forsake me when strength fails, even when my enemies are out to get me. You have taught me from my youth to declare Your wondrous works... You shall increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. Wow! I am so awed by God's love for me ....

Poor & Needy

Ps 70 is a prayer from relief from adversaries and I made a prayer while in the shower this morning for the Lord to deliver me from any stronghold, bondages and even sickness. I have been having dizzy spells these few days and was feeling unwell.... sigh.

Make haste O God to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord.

Let those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, Let God be magnified!

But I am poor & needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer. O Lord do not delay.

Kids

Today was meaningful as we spent an hour praying through Ps 63 together as a congregation. It's not often that we pray as a Body to lay hold of God together. It was quite awesome to see the whole entire Hall 10 filled to the brim. Can you imagine when we praise the Lord together and worship Him in Heaven? That would be a beautiful sight!

We visited Uncle in hospital after service and sad to say, he lost his little last right toe to Diabetes. But his spirit was good so we were not so discouraged. Poor man, he has been fighting this battle for almost 3 months. Hopefully he will be discharged soon.

After the hospital visit, the 4 of us had yummy waffle & ice cream at Gelare in Siglap. It was a good time of chatting about our 2nd half in life, the kids in our midst and especially, how kids in our day and age should be disciplined and brought up in the fear and authority of the Lord.

More than just being concerned for the children, my heart has been crying out that the Lord will speak to the parents in order to teach and instruct their kids God-ward. In many scenarios, we really cannot blame the children for being ill-disciplined or even rebellious. The parents have not taught and modeled for them or have not been good examples for them to follow. Having said that, is there a place where the community can come in to speak into the lives of the parents or children? Is that where God wants us to influence and keep our own families in tact before we can go out to make an impact in the world? My heart is deeply grieved .... sigh.

My Humble Abode

Strange, I was woken at 1.26 am this morning and I believe it was the Lord who woke me up because the Lord gave me an answer which I was asking Him recently. Why do I need to get a place for myself? No reason at this moment to move out or even spend extra cash etc.. Then I heard a still small voice whisper to me that my humble abode will be used to house the fatherless and those who are needy.

I decided to get my PDA and I turned to Ps 68 and was utterly shocked that the Lord indeed had a specific word for me to partner with Him. Vs 5 ... A Father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, God sets the lonely in families or gives them housing, He brings those who are bound by chains into prosperity .... And I knew in my spirit that my question was answered!

Blessed is the Lord who daily bears my burdens....

Cause Your Face To Shine On Us

God, be merciful to me and bless me, and cause Your face to shine upon me, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among the nations.

Ps 67 Let the peoples praise You and let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

Would like to encourage us, in this season, to take time to seek the Lord and wait for Him. He misses us and longs to be with us. We do not want to run after worldly possessions and things that do not last for eternity. Let us guard our hearts and come before the Lord in true repentance.

Miracles Can Happen

Do you believe in miracles? I do! And they can happen .... Ps 66 tells us to 'Come and see the works of God. He is awesome in His doing towards the sons of men.' He can turn the sea into dry land ....

Our response to Him would be go into God's house with burnt offerings; fear God and declare what He has done for our souls. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear. Blessed be God who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me.

God Is God

Ps 65 God who established the mountains by His strength, is clothed in power, stills the noises of the seas & waves and the tumults of the people... You visit the earth and water it, You enrich it, river of God is full of water, You provide for their grain... and bless its growth. Wow! You are a God worthy of praise because You are God!

I receive that as we enter into a Year of Sabbath, vs 11, The Lord crowns us with a year of His Goodness and our paths drip with abundance... The pastures are clothed with flocks, the valleys are covered with grain; we will SHOUT for JOY, and sing. Thank You Lord for Your provision and abundance.

Complaint?

I was up at 3 am chatting and complaining to the Lord about many things. Guess I'm discovering that mid-nights are wonderful times to think and pray.

Ps 64 was David's plight when he was oppressed by the wicked and yet he was rejoicing in the Lord.

I would like to learn and do the same ... Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity, who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows - bitter words.

... Let's not wait till God shoots at us with an arrow before we respond to Him. We will suddenly be wounded, He will make us stumble over our own tongue.

Hey, just went with mum to order a new Toyota Vios. Was a good buy. Worth every cent! Thank God for His kind provision.

Joy in Fellowship With God

When David was in the wilderness of Judah, this was his heart's cry ...Oh God, You are my God; Early will I seek the Lord, when my soul is thirsty and my flesh longs for You.

O what a joy that we could do likewise to earnestly seek the Lord and long for His sweet sweet presence, in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

His loving kindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. This I will bless you while I live, I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul will be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

When I remembered the Lord in the night watches on my bed, I meditated on Him... because He has been my help, therefore in the shadow of His wings I can rejoice. My soul follows close behind Him and His right hand upholds me.

Those who seek my life, to destroy it shall go to the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals .... eeks!

Wait In Silence For God

When there are many things and people screaming for our attention, I am grateful for God's reminder from Ps 61 to wait in silence for His redemption.

I can again declare that God is my ROCK and my SALVATION. He is my defense and I shall not be greatly moved. My soul, like David, desires to wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.

Trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart before Him, do not trust in oppression, not vainly hope in robbery. If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. Power belongs to God. Mercy belongs to God.

For you will render to each one according to his work. In order words, you recompensate us according to the cleanness of our hands. Thank you that You are a just God who indeed is our pay-master, not our earthly employers. What a comfort!

Lead Me To The Rock Higher Than I

I felt 'exploited' by responses from KA and felt pressurized to fulfill many unspoken expectations which really troubled me.

I cried out to God at 4 a.m. this morning and was claiming Ps 61 that God would hear my cry and attend to my prayer. In my sleepy state, I remembered telling the Lord that when my heart becomes faint, He would lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I ... this Rock is Jesus who is unchanging, all-knowing and is in control of every situation. He is my strong shelter and tower from the enemy. I can hide under the shadow of His powerful wings.

Vs 5, even in my 'exploited' state, the Lord promises an inheritance for me when I choose to fear His name. If He can prolong the life of the King, He will definitely do likewise for us ... and grant us success to see many generations fearing the Lord.

Even in my distressed state, I can still sing praise to God's name forever.