On Sunday morning, as we headed to church, we met with an accident. Just before this happened, we were at a traffic signal, watching, as a guy in a scooter, presumably with his wife and kid, jumped his turn at the traffic light. Rufus and I were talking about how reckless the turn he made was, especially considering he didn’t have his helmet on and he had a child standing in front of him. The highlight of this is, we spotted them carrying a Bible and could only assume they were in a hurry to church, just like us!

Anyway, we made the left turn we were wanting to make and continued to make our way to church when suddenly the bus in front of us hit the brakes. We followed suit and broke speed in time. However, the two-wheeler behind us didn’t, and he rammed into the rear of our car. I was half expecting the hit so I didn’t shudder at that per se. But what got to me was the lady, who was the pillion rider in this scooter yelling at me. I was stumped when she rhetorically yelled the question, ‘Is this how you brake?!’ in Tamil. Well, I had caused her inconvenience, and to her, I was the one at wrong. She couldn’t see past our car to truly understand the sequence of events that had caused the accident. And if you haven’t already guessed, these were the folks we saw skip the signal.

I now had mixed emotions. Shock. Sadness. Annoyance. Anger. A little bit shaky from what had just happened. With this lady yelling, part of me wanted to shout back at her for being unreasonable. Yet, the more overwhelming urge in me was to shut up. This was very surprising to me. Because, in my head, I thought, in a situation like this, right or wrong, I would retaliate without holding back – very naively and impulsively. Contrary to the many emotions I felt on the inside, I appeared very calm on the outside. For some reason, I wanted to be quiet – unless I was invited to a conversation. In keeping with my emotions, my mind sifted through countless thoughts. Each one competing with a different emotion.

I was shocked the accident happened. I was sad someone crashed into my car and annoyed that they had the audacity to blame me for it. I was sad that we had just gotten our car fixed and knew that now we would visibly be able to see the impact of this accident. I was angry with the two-wheeler for not being cautious on the road – though I knew in some ways this accident was inevitable – in the sense, nothing else could have been done. I pulled over to the side of the road. But didn’t get off the car. I just wanted to see if this family on the two-wheeler was okay. As I mentioned, there was an odd push to stay quiet. Despite all that was raging within me, it felt like I was dumbstruck. I know Rufus and I had a few exchanges but honestly, it all feels like a blur.

The one thing I remember is, a couple of times, Rufus wanted to get down and check the car. And the one thing I insisted on and knew for sure was to stay in the car. Stay put and not move. When we saw that the family was fine and that they didn’t want to start a conversation with us, we continued to church.

I love listening to songs while I drive. That morning, Rufus was playing every song I wanted to listen to. After this accident, when he asked me what song I wanted next, my instant thoughtless response was, ‘Sovereign over us’ by Michael W. Smith. Considering I had struggled all morning to come up with songs to listen to, I didn’t know why this was such an instantaneous response.

Anyway, we got to church. Decided not to look at the rear end of the car till after the service so that we wouldn’t get distracted through the service or be worried about it. That was a good move, I should say. However, it took me time to calm down and feel settled.  My raging emotions and thoughts all summed up to ‘Whys’ of different kind. ‘Why did this happen? Why our car? Why was that lady mad at me? Why am I feeling restless when I know nothing else could have been done in this situation? Why was I dumbstruck? Why didn’t I counter that person who was being unfair and yelling at me?’ I couldn’t satisfy myself with answers. Well, how could I? Especially when I was looking at the whole thing all wrong!

Before I tell you how God calmed me down and made me feel settled, you need to know something that happened the night before. Rufus and I have been considering buying a car. We’ve made some effort towards this but haven’t taken any serious steps. I couldn’t really fall asleep that Saturday night. So, I was just praying. I felt God asking me, “Why have you not brought this to Me?” “Will you leave this to Me? Will you trust Me with this?” It’s not like we wanted to make this decision on our own, but honestly, I feel I left God out of it because I simply forgot to pray about- in a manner of speaking.

We have trusted Him for big things and small alike and have watched Him do wonders. So, the answer was a no brainer. Long story short, I surrendered our desire to God and invited Him to take control of that desire and provide for us as He saw fit. For some reason, I distinctly remember telling God, “What You give us, You bless us with it and bless others through it. Use it Lord, the way you see best. And use everything you give us, the way you see fit.” The next morning, I woke up and promptly shared this with Rufus.

Fast forward to us sitting at church, ready for God’s Word. The sermon topic was Truth & the Tempter. As the pastor began to speak, God began to open my mind to a whole other perspective of the series of events. I’m going to try articulating as best as I can, how God spoke to me.

The first thing God said was, ‘Don’t look at this accident through your lens of cause and effect. You’re limiting your view to what you see tangibly. Zoom out! Look at the bigger picture.” I asked God to help me see this bigger picture.

Two, when you surrender things to God, Satan is always trying to negotiate attacking us. You can be sure that when Satan knows you are secure in Christ, the only way He can get you to un-surrender yourself from God is by turning you against Him. His strategy is to wage war against you as he seems best. He could make you question God or distract you enough to cause you to make wrong choices. He’s just really looking for you to slip a little.

Thirdly, temptation is inevitable. It is present always, everywhere, in everything! How we recognise and handle it, matters. A definition Pastor gave for temptation is, ‘Enticing a person to get them to act against God’s desired plan.’ Satan does this all the time when we are in Christ. He is always waging war.

Finally, when you surrender to God, He will use us and all things He gives us, as He sees fit. That means, we may not like how certain things pan out. Some things may cause us inconvenience. Or we may even find it chaotic to be in the midst of it all. Yet, God knows what He is doing when we don’t. He is Sovereign.

God used this event and this sermon to remind me of His truth, the reality of following Christ, the deadly game the tempter wants to play and what God can and will do when we’ve surrendered to Him.

You see, there’s nothing wrong about wanting a car. But a want always warrants a temptation. Were we tempted to buy a car? I wouldn’t necessarily look at it that way. But when I take matters into my hands to have my want met, now that’s a slippery slope.

With the accident, I was merely seeing it as cause and effect (the bus braked, I braked, the scooter hit me). When God zoomed out that picture for me, I saw our car from a whole different perspective. You see, considering all things, if we hadn’t been there between the bus and the scooter – the accident would have been more horrific. A dented car is a small price to pay in exchange for the lives of people. With that, I heard God whisper, “I saw it fit to use your car.”

This was a battle that was happening beyond what we could see with our naked eye. A tangible, visible accident as a result of a much deeper, invisible, spiritual warfare.  A battle always has casualties. But I’ve learnt that staying with God reduces the impact we would face, without Him. I’m grateful I didn’t open my mouth that day – I may have found ways to justify my actions, but I wouldn’t have been satisfied with it.

As God taught me to zoom out of what I see, to look beyond what I couldn’t see, I heard Him ask me once again, “Will you continue to trust Me to use what I give you, the way I see best?” Responding to that came from an entirely new revelation of, ‘All that I have, rightfully belongs to God.’ Out of His plenty, He gives me.  And out of what He gives me, He uses for His plans and purposes – as He sees best.

Satan can strategise. But my God is Sovereign. He may allow me to be in chaotic situations, but I can still trust He knows best why I need to be there. Yes, our car needs fixing again. But I wouldn’t trade it for how God met with me that morning! 🙂

As mankind, we each have our own defence mechanism. A very psychology-oriented term, yet one that has daily relevance to life. Quite often, oblivious to our conscious self, we tend to adopt certain reactions or responses to stress or threat we perceive around us. These oblivious yet automated actions of ours that kicks in, is often, our defence mechanism.

Over the years, many forms of defence we commonly resort to have been identified. While we may be unaware of the terms used for defending ourselves, I’m sure we can identify with a few.

The most common one which all of us have surely done at some point or the other is to be in denial. This is the refusal to acknowledge the reality of a situation or specific emotions and thoughts that may be churning within us. For instance, Peter denied Jesus. He refused to acknowledge Jesus because he was directed by fear. What a missed opportunity to defend Jesus, huh? Let’s hit pause on this and come back to it.

Jesus challenged the Jews in every way. He came, taught, ministered and served in very unorthodox ways. The Messianic route was completely divergent to those who controlled the Judean narrative. To them: the Chief Priests, Teachers of the Law, and the mini Jewish court (Sanhedrin) – Jesus led a revolution against the Judean law. Although deep down they knew that Jesus approached God’s law the way it was meant to, they couldn’t admit this to themselves and definitely not to “commoners” they held authority over. Admitting it would mean giving up all the pomp and fanfare they had established for themselves. Their highest priority was self-projection and self-preservation. For this, they needed Jesus out of the picture.

And so, in the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, they had become some very defensive people. These folks had no just cause for arresting Him or predestining Him for death row. Yet, they tried hard to find some “good enough” reason to have Him crucified. They only ended up with false testimonies that didn’t add up in any way!

Projection, a form of defence humans adopt, was what they resorted to. Knowing full well that they were unholy, imperfect, relentless sinners; they refused to see these traits in themselves and rather projected as Jesus possessing these traits. They actively did not want to recognize themselves as lacking, but rather comfortably accused Jesus, of being the worst of sinners – A blasphemer! Their sin, my sin and your sin projected on Him! Our sin collectively – past, present and future, sent Him to the cross.

Their projection landed them the much-needed evidence to proceed for Roman approval of crucifixion. There, there was a man named Pilate. The Roman Governor for whom gaining the crowd’s approval mattered over gaining God’s approval.  And so, he initially adopted Avoidance, succumbed to Suppression and lived in Denial. Some key defense mechanisms are at play here. Pilate avoided facing the truth of whom Jesus was, despite hearing the truth. He suppressed this truth in his heart and mind to go with the crowd so he could belong. And he lived in a disillusioned world of denial that the choice to execute Jesus wasn’t his!

The world we live in, is constantly evolving. Yet one truth NEVER changes. Yes, Jesus’ mandate was the cross. But it wasn’t for the reasons orchestrated by man. It was in perfect accord with God’s plan to redeem mankind from sin and death and offer hope beyond the grave.

If you think you are not a sinner, think again! We all need Jesus. And it’s never too late to choose Him. If you’d like to know more, come let’s talk!

I Peter 3:15-18

¹⁵But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. ¹⁷ For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 

“I am the Lord; that is My Name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols. Isaiah 42:8

Whether we like it or not, whether we care to admit it or not, we all have idols in our life. An idol isn’t just something or someone we “worship” over God. An idol can be anything that holds captive our undivided attention, consumes our time, and has our fondest affection. But also, an idol, can be anything that clouds our judgment into thinking that it is an answer to our need for help. In short, an idol can be anything that plays the role of God, in our life. Ah! Now some of you without batting an eyelid may think, ‘That’s surely not me! God has THE UTMOST HONOUR in my life! I would NEVER replace Him!’ That’s exactly what I thought. My mind briefly scanned through all the things that could possibly attract my attention and crave my affection, and in the same speed dismissed them all. My mind’s voice, “Thank God none of those things I give importance to, over God.”

I love that in the exact same momentum the Spirit intruded, for me to slow down and reconsider.  Yes, there are days I am more attentive, eager towards or even entirely consumed by something or someone other than God. Maybe some days I love someone or something more than expressing my heart to God. How often does this happen for you?

But where the Holy Spirit really jolted me into thinking was, “What do you pride in as self-efficient?” Let me explain. Anything we depend on or resort to as an automated solution without considering God’s measures, takes His place. The solution may be our go-to because of its proved efficiency and reliability from prior experiences. And yes, there’s no denying that God may use these measures we fall back on to truly help us. However, the measure in itself is not our aid, God is. To think otherwise is foolishness. God alone is our true source of relief. A failure to recoginse this can lead us to turn to these resources spontaneously for our need, and not God.

Honestly, until I was reading on what God had to say about idols through Isaiah, I did not realise I was prey to idols. I failed to see the areas in my life where I depended on something I knew worked best for me, rather than depend on God. That’s the level of subtlety at which Satan works.

I’ve had a past. That has made me efficient in looking after my emotional needs. I have a seamless system in place. I know what to do when I have a bad day. It does involve an amount of talking and listening to God. Yet I know I depend more solidly on the system I have in place.  I do know there is nothing wrong with the system per se. However, if it has my allegiance over the active knowledge that God alone is able to help me overcome a bad day (even if it is through that system), then, isn’t it an idol?!

God has surely used the system to help me look out for myself. Nonetheless I needed that jolt from the Spirit, to remind me that relief itself comes only from God. And so, my prayer as I dwell on this truth and share it with you is:

God continue showing me people or things that I have allowed in my life to take Your place; that I may depose them and give You, Your rightful place! I want You to be stuck in my every waking thought. I want You alone to be my efficient sustenance system. And to You belongs my fondest affection, always. Keep me from making idols for myself. In Jesus’ matchless Name. Amen.

I am someone who is terrified of dogs. Barking is bad enough, and howling gets me completely rattled. So you can imagine what it must be like for me when I hear a street full of dogs howling late at night. The knowledge that dogs can sense/see spiritual beings doesn’t help! 🙈 Off late, my spontaneous response when I hear dogs howling (and mind you, this happens more often in a week than you think) is to start praying. My focus shifts from the sounds I’m hearing to the words I’m uttering and that really helps.

One such day when I started hearing a pack of dogs howling, I started praying. I love how the Holy Spirit aids not just my intercession but brings me the much-needed relief I need. Well in this case, relief from the fear that dogs howling stirred within me. He quickly reminded me of the story of Elisha and the Arameans. By the time I grasped the thought the Holy Spirit put in my head and had dwelt on it, the howling had faded into the background. Or had it stopped?! I don’t know. I was simply thrilled by what I was being taught.

Let me quickly review the story of Elisha and the Arameans. The king of Aram was looking for vulnerable spots in Israel to set up camp and lay siege. Each time the Aramean king identified a spot that he thought was ideal, God revealed it to Elisha, who in turn warned the king of Israel. The Israelite king then made sure these places remained secure by Israel. This frustrated Aram’s king. He thought he had a mole in his company. However, when he found out about Elisha, he wanted to capture him. So overnight, he sent many horses and chariots and a “force” to surround the city Elisha lived in. When Elisha’s servant saw this at morning, fear and fretting overtook him. But not Elisha! I mean, in hindsight, we should have known that if God revealed to Elisha the harm intended towards Israel, then He would have also revealed to Elisha the harm that was coming his way. And so, a cool, calm, collected Elisha responded to the rattled servant – “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Through Elisha’s prayer, his servant’s eyes were opened to see the spiritual army that was surrounding them and standing guard over them.

Back to my moment with the dogs and the Holy Spirit. Yes, it’s true that at any given point there is a whole lot going on in the spiritual realm that we cannot see always. But whether it’s the unknown or a known fear that’s howling at us, we are not alone. At any given point, those who are with us, are more than…. whatever is rattling us.

Not to forget we have the same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead living in us. These are truths worth reminding ourselves of everyday. What struck me most as I allowed this truth to sink in, was the strength I could draw from the knowledge that those I have on my side are overwhelmingly more, if not in numbers, surely in power and presence. I am NEVER alone! I DO NOT HAVE TO FACE ANYTHING, BY MYSELF.

In these past days, I have drawn strength from replaying this truth in my head. No matter what rattles me, I can remind myself that the army on my side already has the victory. They’ve got my back no matter what the earthly outcome looks like. And that outcome is still secure in Christ, in perfect accordance with His sovereign will.

There are so many memories that come to mind, when I think of mama. Through every life stage, I’ve had the privilege of enjoying mama’s company. Starting with when I was three or four and playing with his hair and making multiple small ponytails; to the more serious “adult conversations” we’ve had, I cannot help but wander down memory lane and enjoy it.

Mama was unique in how he expressed his love for the family. One such unique way of expressing his love – and I think everyone who knew him would agree that once he knew what someone liked, he remembered it. I remember the rose milk and badam milk packets that he would buy for akka and me whenever we went to their place because we liked it. At one point, we would also get this treat each time he visited us at Anna nagar. The “dinners he cooked” (which meant food bought from outside) were always delicious and included what each of us liked too :). Above and beyond this, are the conversations we enjoyed as family during these times together.

I also used to love walking into mama and athai’s house and listen to the music mama had playing on their audio system. Mama’s music collection was lovely and I remember hearing nostalgic stories or memories he had of some of these songs.

Another very fond memory I have of mama is from the day after Cedric annan & Paulin akka’s wedding. We the cousins had a separate room for ourselves. Mama joined us and spent the afternoon with us, as we were instructed to “rest”. While we all rolled on the floor trying or pretending to rest, mama also came and lay down on the floor, beside me. That day was the first in many to follow, when I heard stories from mama’s childhood and his young adult years.

Between 2015 and 2018, there have been many times when I had to stay alone while amma and appa travelled. In all those times, I was always told that I could go to stay with athai and mama whenever I wanted. While I tried to be independent, I decided to take them up on this offer, late one night as I was feeling very alone at home. I called athai past 9pm asking if I could come. Of course, I was not turned down – though I felt horrible for disturbing them. I was still a few meters away from their house when I saw mama waiting at the gate for me. He wanted to help me park and get in safe as it was late. I felt terrible and kept apologizing to which mama very coolly told me, “I’m usually awake till 11 or 11:30. So you’re not late or disturbing us at all.” I stayed with them for the rest of the time amma and appa were away that trip. And I loved that I could feel at home away from home.

A more recent memory that I hold dear and will continue to hold on to, is from the time we spent together in Daph akka’s place in December 2020. It was a much-needed break for all of us. While it’s one of many mini breaks/vacations we’ve spent together, this one was special because it was nice to be together despite the pandemic around us and because it was Rufus’ first vacation with the family, in this manner. Rufus thoroughly enjoyed mama’s company as they watched cricket matches together and discussed stuff about it that didn’t make sense to me. I guess Rufus truly met his match in someone who watched test cricket as much as him and enjoyed it – (probably the two biggest fans of TEST cricket). I also particularly treasure this break because it was simple, yet as a family we enjoyed the small things, from conversations, to playing card and board games to food and being together.

From mama taking me on his bike, his jeep and his car to then me having the opportunity to drive him around, I can say I have loved the ride of life with mama, and count it a privilege.

I have always hated goodbyes. From as early as I can remember my life, avoidance was my strategy to hold back the sadness I felt when it came to saying goodbye; even when I knew I was going to see someone in just a week. 

That is how I felt when I had to leave to go home after visiting with athai, mama, akka and annan. I was probably three or four years old?! This is when mama came up with a unique way of getting me to say bye rather cheerfully.  He waved a finger and said, ‘One finger bye!’ That stuck on. After each visit, the number of fingers used to say bye increased. We also then randomly started assigning the numbers we liked to say bye. Well, it was mostly two or three fingers; and this continued into my adult life – till the last time we saw mama, when he visited us, at our home (Rufus and mine in February 2021).

As I think of mama today, I miss him and feel sad. I’ve avoided recording this tribute for as long as I could. There are so many memories that have been flooding my mind. These memories bring back more precious memories; and I am reminded of mama’s love, his cheerfulness, and his incredible sense of humour. I can’t help but smile at that, because I know his radiant demeanour, is now, his everlasting reality.

One finger bye mama, till we meet again!

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved        (Hebrews 10:39)

While across the Bible we read of various faith heroes, the writer of Hebrews dedicated a section of his writing to be a Hall of Faith – a culmination of ordinary people with extraordinary experiences through faith. The ‘Hall of Faith’ (Hebrews 11) reflects the lives of these simple people like us who were a part of something greater than themselves simply because they believed in the promises God made to them.  And that unswerving faith in their God was credited to them as righteousness.

As was in the life of these faith heroes, when we fear God and choose to walk with Him, He unfolds His will for our lives. He speaks His promises into our lives. And as Habakkuk (Hab. 2:2-3) reminds us, these promises have an appointed time to be fulfilled. Yet, often while we wait for the fruition of God’s promises, Satan looks for ways to distract us and tear us down.  He places one obstacle after the other whether, physically, health-wise, emotionally, financially, in our relationships and most of all he causes chaos in matters of our faith.

This path that our ancestors trod wasn’t easy.  Satan was always looking for a way to devour them just as he continues to try with us now.  Today, one of the main ways Satan distracts us is to make us get caught in a web of self.  We become so preoccupied with ourselves and what we are going through that we cut off from people.  While it doesn’t happen intentionally, it is what Satan desires for us so that we don’t have the right people to help us and encourage us in our time of need.  Hebrews warns us against such a trap and instructs us to not give up staying connected with other godly people (10:25).  Instead of being unintentionally ignorant, faith calls us to be intentionally inclusiveness – whether we need someone speaking into our life or we need to speak into someone else’s life.

As a prelude to this Hall of Faith, the writer in Hebrews extends a call to us to persevere in faith (in chapter Hebrews 10).  He ends with a compelling encouragement, “..we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved..(vs. 39)” It is a profound reminder to those of us who fear Him.

We may now not get to be a part of the Hall of Faith in Hebrews, and not everyone has the privilege of having an ardent faith handed down through generations to them. However, we certainly can leave a rich legacy of faith for those who come after us.

It is essential to remember that while faith calls for persistence it also requires us to avoid falling for Satan’s pitfalls.  In order to persevere in our walk of faith, there are some simple reminders we can use. To make it easier to remember, let’s use the word ‘FAITH’ as an acronym.

Today, ponder on:

• Where is God calling you to exercise your faith?
• What are some of the promises God has been speaking into your life?
• And in what ways is Satan working to get to you?

As you persist in faith against all odds, know that you will see the fruit of it.  Believe and you will get to declare to a people yet unborn, ‘He has done it!’ (Psalm 22:30-31)

Abraham was called a friend of God
Moses had a face-to-face with God
David’s heart was after God’s own heart
What would be said of you and your God?

God made One the Father of Israel
Another He made the Leader of Israel
Still, another He made the Ruler of Israel
What would become of you through your God?

Each faltered at some point in time
Each sought God for His forgiveness
Each reinstated their faith in God
Where are you in your journey with God?

All three struggled through their own pain
All three flawed in the roles they played
All three depended on God all the way
What is it like between you and your God?

The three knew to look up t’ward their Father
The three knew how to look out for others
The three knew when to stand in the gap
Where do you stand with your God and others?

Do you desire to be like one of these three?
Know that you can be that and more.
Seek to do His will and let Him work
And together move the world;
You and your God!

 

We cannot worship God in our own ability.  The Bible says in John 4:23 that “…True worshipers will worship in Spirit and in Truth…”

What is it to worship in Spirit? In our weakness, as we long to worship, the Spirit enables us.  He is the Spirit of God Who resides in us.  We cannot truly worship unless we have the Spirit of God living in us.  For to worship in Spirit, is to worship in one accord with the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us. Worshiping God in accord with His Spirit reflects our own heart when words don’t suffice and knowledge cannot comprehend. And so, we are truly able to worship God only by His Spirit.

What is it to worship in Truth? In our uncertainties, as we long to worship, the Truth persuades us.  Truth is the person of Christ; for Jesus says, “I Am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life..” (John 14:6).  Jesus the Word (John 1:12) of God is the Truth that abides in us when we abide in Him.  No man is complete without the Truth (i.e. Christ).  The Truth gives us reason to worship.  Worshiping in Truth reflects our own mind’s fragment of understanding of the much greater and indescribable God we adore.  And so, we are truly able to worship God only through Christ, the Truth.

We cannot in our humanness worship God.  ‘God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in Spirit and in Truth’ John 4:24. Thus we see the Trinity come to life as we worship. For our worship reflects our adoration for God, persuaded through Christ, the Truth and enabled by His Holy Spirit.

What is your worship like today? Do you focus on the tools you use to worship or the Person you worship? Do you rely on your own knowledge, ability and skill? Or do you acknowledge that our redeemed fallen nature requires us to rely on Christ and the Holy Spirit?

Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth does not happen overnight. We need to commit to growing in worship. Would you surrender to the working of the Triune God?

Remember, your act of worship is for God, through Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Today, would you take time to reflect on what worship means to you, and commit to growing in worship?

 

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 Thought behind the thought…

This article covers one of the most important aspects of worship.  It is the facet of worship we employ in our personal quiet times with God and when we meet together as a congregation of believers in Christ.  John 4:23 is a verse we often hear quoted when we gather to sing unto our God.  After much pondering and waiting on God to have a better understanding of this verse, these are the thoughts He led me to. To sum it up, to worship in Spirit and in truth is to worship with what God has already deposited in us – His Spirit and His Truth. 

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23

What happened the day you first opened your door to the knocking you heard? “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

I remember an ‘over the moon’ kind of joy in welcoming Him.  Like a gleeful child, I was eager to have Him around and do everything with Him.  He wasn’t going to be a guest.  This wasn’t just a visit. He had come to make His home with me. In opening that knocking door, I had opened my heart and my life for Him to come and live with me forever.  I welcomed Him in because I knew He loved me like no one else could ever (He still does).  I welcomed Him in because I loved Him too and believed in Him with all my heart (I still do).  I welcomed Him in because He promised that no matter what, He would always be there to help me & that He would never leave me or forsake me.

That’s been a promise worth holding to everyday of my life. Let’s be honest though. At some point as the world crowds into your life, the ecstatic phase ends and things get hard. In the midst of hectic routines, complex relationships and demanding responsibilities it’s been easier at times to see it as “my life” and ‘mine to go through’ by myself (good or bad, more often when it is bad than good I guess).  Somewhere down the line, we think we are in control and can somehow do something about everything.

There is a two-fold error we make there.  First of all, we unnecessarily let our lives get cluttered.  There is so much happening in our lives that we think God is no longer an active part of it.  We enter into phases where we feel God is silent, not at work or simply absent.

Secondly, we fail to recognize His presence.  With time or based on the intensity of our situation, our ability to hear God’s voice or trace His hand at work begins to fade.  We get caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to find some semblance of control and stability that we forget the trust which once caused us to welcome our beloved Lord to make His home with us.  And before we realise, we begin to limit God.

Through all this, it’s easy to miss an important truth about God and us.

The thing about God is He never forces His way on us.  When He comes to make His home with us, He doesn’t seize control and dominate our lives.  He only desires a relationship. A mutual fellowship – “.. I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) When we are caught up in our own world, it’s natural that in some sense, we restrict our interaction with Him.  While it may not happen intentionally, our ability to recognise God at work gets difficult. This is true especially when things don’t seem to go our way.

The thing about us is that we can very easily be distracted from hearing God’s voice. This again is true especially when things don’t seem to go our way. There are so many voices that compete for our attention in a day, including the Voice of God.  It takes a deliberate effort to listen to Him if we are not constantly tuned to Him.

The antidote to avoiding phases of wondering if God is silent, or not at work, or absent is to question ourselves and taking time to introspect.

Am I calm enough or silent enough to actually listen for God?  Or am I letting the voice of doubt, anxiety and fear dictate my life?

The fact is, if we can rise above the storm, we can find rest for our souls even if not answers.  God doesn’t always hand us answers or solutions. However if we are eager to listen to Him, even when it feels like silence, we will be able to know His comfort. He may not always speak to us the way we desire. That doesn’t negate the fact that He does. God’s ways are unorthodox. He spoke through a donkey, whispered through the wind, wrote on a wall and even engaged someone in the belly of a fish. While we may or may not have a writing across the sky, we can know that if we seek Him, He will respond (Psalm 34:4).

If we feel He isn’t at work in our lives, we couldn’t be more wrong.  Take time to look around you.  In everything you will find the fingerprints of God (Psalm 8:3-4). He never ceases to work on our behalves (Philippians 1:6). He continues to weave rather intricately, our lives.

Finally, God is never absent despite our phases of feeling so.  How many such times have we prayed asking God to be present in our life or a situation we face? Don’t get me wrong, there is no harm in taking time to surrender to His care.  Yet there is a difference in inviting Him to be present and surrendering to Him each day. The day we received Christ to our lives, we are sealed with His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). It implies He is always present in us, and hence is with us.  Considering we wouldn’t repetitively welcome someone who is already living with us at home, it make sense to rather pray that we would be mindful in recognising His presence when it’s difficult to experience Him.

If we pause to listen, we will surely recognize not only His voice but His presence at home with us. Because that’s a promise He made when we accepted His knock at the door and received Him in. Don’t limit His presence to one area of your life. Rather, let us intentionally learn to recognize He is present and engage with Him. Let Him flood over every sphere of your life. No matter what life takes us through, we can keep calm knowing God is in the house.

While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who has not surrendered authority. – A.W. Tozer

Thought behind the thought..

..But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
The voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

                               –Voice of Truth, Casting Crowns

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