#99 He alone(6aug06)

'Gird up now thy loins like a man;
For I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me'
Job 38:3

Having been fed on a diet of visual and other sensory manifestations, most of us would expect God, if He truly exists to show Himself so we might consider to start to believe in His existence and His awesome powers.

God is Spirit. We worship Him in spirit.

My recent readings of the chapter on Job reminded me of God's prescience. Cliche as it may seem, God speaks to us in various manners, one of which is through His Word.

It has been a long time that I truly set down to read starting from the beginning, a specific book of the Bible. Job happened to be where my eyes were led to and I finished reading Job 1-37 before the weakness of the flesh demanded that I call it a night and take my 40 winks.
The next morning, as I picked up a different Bible, as I flipped open the Bible with no expectations other than every Word of God is good, the page that God brought me to was Job 38.

For followers of Christ, this coincidence is not just reassurances of God's grace and presence, but often, His leading to the faithful as they take the next step with Him.

I believe our Lord has a reason to bring me into this wonderful experience of His impeccable handiwork. But what??

Job 1-37 talks about how Job, a more than good man who was literally stripped of everything except his soul. It also talks about how aggrieved he rightly felt for he was a righteous man and how his judgemental friends felt otherwise, that he must have sinned to incur the wrath of God.

All of us believer or not, go through periods of despair when nothing seems right. There are also times when thing turn out right but we still feel that tinge of disappointment that it could be better, for we deserve better.

'Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us;
For we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways'
Job 21:14


Strange as it may seem, but by our very behaviour and emotions, it genuinely seem that all of us do have many 'gods' in our lives. Depending upon the situation and time of the day, that 'god' could be our peers, our bosses, our children, an object or even a stranger who happened to come into our radar screen.

Job 38 and onwards is interesting in the sense that it reminds us to look beyond our own understanding and be very aware that God is sovereign and who are we to question our Maker. Job 38 is where God started to answer the groaning Job out of the whirlwind.

Quite difficult for most of us to swallow, for thanks to Adam and Eve, we did acquire the flawed ability to judge the efficacy of things. However the benchmarks of what constitutes right or wrong, while not as varied as the shoes owned by Imelda Marcos, would still more than match up, the range of shoes and bags most of the fairer sex own. Of course, men are no better in their own varied pursuits.

'Be aware if you turn to evil which you seem to prefer to affliction'
Job 36:21

As the week closes, as I am no less afflicted with a throbbing headache this morning, a consequence of my not getting the pre-requisite sleep, I ponder upon the people I have come across upon this week, each with their own afflictions and troubles. Troubles are in every corner, except that this week I seem to be more cogitive of it as its rear its ugly head amongst friends and family.

Crazy as it may seem, there is joy in having afflictions. For even when we think we have walked right with the Lord, just like Job, afflictions remind us of our own imperfections and the lurking shadow of the devil just waiting to pounce on us, should we sin and we will.

For the less focussed on God, afflictions do clear away the dense fog of Satan's wiles to allow us to sense the presence and love of God better, and excruciating as it might seem, that through our pains, we will gain in responding to His love.

'...He speaks to them in their afflictions'
Job 36:15

As I rubbed my son's left neck this morning, of all mornings to be afflicted with a stiff neck, for he will be in his school's contingent in the static march past to celebrate National Day, one wish that God will just take away his ache and give him a miraculous experience.
It was not to be and it was not because I was rubbing him the wrong side of the neck.

His morning did ended well and the National Day celebration was a blessed event, with a nice touch of light rain to cool the hall packed with the boundless energies of the whole school.
I did shake the hands of some of you on this email and if you do detect the smell of a faint but lingering oil, rest assured it is not anointing oil but the good old Chinese medication used on my son's necks.

'..Shall we accept good from God and not trouble'
Job 2:10

For those who are familiar with the Book of Job, after all his afflicitions and struggles, God more than blessed him and it was a happy ending. Difficult as it may seem in our times of trouble to believe or accept this, God is indeed Sovereign and He alone is the great I AM.'

'Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him?'
Job 40:2

You will never be left alone to be mired in your troubles. For God will more than bring us through. But you must be willing to let Him.

'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world; but ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God'
Romans 12:1-2

God Blesses

Eng Hieang