Saying Wow To the Heavens

Ezra 8:22

"....The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who abandon Him."

On Sunday night I played a little game with Ethan at bed time. It was beginning to rain and the sky lit up each time there was lightning some distance away (we could not see the lightning). I told Ethan that each time we see the sky light up we will say "Wow" for God made the heavens and the earth. We got to a point where there was so many "wows" and my spirit was rising and praising God. Ethan, on the other hand had grown tired of the game and decided to go to bed! When everyone fell asleep, I just sat by the window sill enjoying God's presence and knowing that He loves me so much and because I am His sheep He disciplined me.

After Marvin's sermon last Sunday (http://www.fbc.com.my/1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=29 *click on the sermon 16 May 2010*), I realised I was so close to damnation living as a compromised Christian but because of His awesome love for me, he allowed the disease to happen to me as a wake up call. Leong Tien Fook mentioned last night at Hebrews class that God may decree something but it is always human's responsibility to make it happen like the curse of Jehoiakim-Jehoiachin (Jeremiah 22:24-30).

For me, it was not seeking God's purpose in my life, and chanelling almost all my energy on my children to the detriment of my health. And Mickey Quah said that what I faced was a typical urban girl's experience. Dare I say then that many of us live as compromised Christians? I believe that it was more than just a wake up call for me and I have been praying for God to show me, teach me, guide me His will for me. I just need to take baby steps.

What made me cry was when Marvin said Jesus would redeem me for all those wasted years. Imagine all those wasted years that I could seek Him and ask Him the same things I am asking for but now I am 10 years behind in contributing to the kingdom of God!

So, that night I sat at the window sill looking at the dark sky that kept lighting up and I knew God was showing me His awesome love for me. Now that I am beginning to unfold the hope of the new Jerusalem comparing between the earthly tabernacle, what Jesus did for us and the hope of the heavenly tabernacle, this hope of the new heaven and earth has become even more exciting. What more, we can experience God right now in our heart with the power of the Holy Spirit!

Tien Fook shared how so many of us just believe God for heaven. We lock up this truth in our hearts and THAT'S IT. Nothing more. It is when we start to believe God's word and His promises for us daily and releasing our cares and burdens to Him daily and standing on His promises that we will begin to grow. When our faith in Him grows, our hope in Him grows too.

In this journey, I am only now beginning to understand the hope of heaven in Christ beyond His promises for my daily living. So funny, I've gotten it the other way round now. Previously, I only believed in heaven and not His promises for daily living. Today, I'm all for standing on His promises and only now beginning to want to see what else He has promised us when He comes back again. Dennis says to me "Why want to know what is in heaven. It's heavenlah!" It is unravelling God's plan for the humankind, speaking to us in repetitions throughout history and the same repetitions unravelling to something better each time and ultimately heaven. Seeing it all gel together is very exciting and isn't it amazing how some of us could not and would not see till today!

It is faith and hope in a God whom we know as real that compels us to love or springs from us a love for others. It's then a continuous cycle of faith, hope and love until the second coming of Christ. Oh, I pray you will slowly surrender all your daily troubles to God and trust that He will deliver you from them.