#161 The incredible lightness of being(5 oct 07)

'Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage'
Deuteronomy 6:12

It has been a while since I look at my history books. But I was, at least in the distant past, quite good at ingesting the whole myriad of dates and dynasty reigns that marked the turbulent years of the three Anglo Burmese wars(starting in 1824) between the then superpower, Imperial Britain, and its object of subjugation, the resource rich and strategically placed Burmese kingdom.
Till recently, I have consigned those 'brain damaging' exercises to history and my only recent interests in anything Burmese, or rather now Myammar, is in jade, or more specifically, in jadeite. An interest that is not new, for the Emperors of old in Qing China, vied to control the swathe of Burmese territory, for the best jade comes from Burma,unlike the lower quality nephrite jade in China.

'And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible'
Jeremiah 15:20-21

The Burmese finally broke free from the years of British colonial rule with the declaration of independence by the prominent independence fighter, General Aung San. Not many might remember the man, for he did not lived long to see his dreams lived out, having been assassinated in 1947 in the midst of preparations for independence from the British, but most of us will have read about his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi.
In the sinful world that we lived in, dreams and idealism are often rarely achieved, and even when they are, brevity defines its character, and almost all end up shattered and one nightmare is replaced by another.
The world today empathize with the burdensome yoke placed on the Burmese, having suffered under repressive regimes, but as some astute observers rightly mentioned, can hope overcome the cold hard steel of the military? Even if it does, like the people power in Philippines, who sent the Marcoses fleeing, without their shoes(at least for Imelda Marcos), is what that comes after possibly not just as repulsive but likely to be convoluted, as the removal of a repressive hand, gives rise to expressiveness of diverse and often conflicting and selfish interests?

'And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS; for He shall save His people from their sins'
Matthew 1:21

Often, in the inner desires of all of us, is that hope that a hero of magical attributes would roar in from the azure skies, to put to rest the evil doers, and bring all to a wonderful new life that many have longed for.
God did send the world a Saviour, but many were disappointed because it did not match their expectations nor desires. For a start, should not God be eradicating the world of the obvious sinners, ie everyone except ourselves, instead of cleansing me, the aggrieved and supposedly upright,of any perceived indiscretions??
'…..and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us'
Matthew 1:23

With man, things are impossible, with God everything is possible in His way. But will we obey His leading. Will we remember His grace?
This morning, is the start of the PSLE, the really first nationwide examinations for our 12 years old in primary schools in Singapore. Tension does permeate the air, and while some were more expressive of their inner fears, many seem quite nonchalant about it, though I suspect, beneath the calm lies bubbling tensions.

We are blessed to have in my son's school, faithful parents as well as school staff who come to pray for the boys and journey with them as they prepare to enter the final leg of their academic life in the present cycle.
God is good, for He not only provides faithful men and women, but He placed the desire and trust in the boys(believers and non believers) to want to come into His presence in prayers and supplication.

'…..and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from everyone of us.
For in Him we live, and move, and have our being…..'
Acts 17:26-28

As the Lord brought to a closure my latest round of struggles, He reminded me once again that there is a season for everything, but in all seasons, He is with us.
The milestones of reassurance and grace that God placed in our lives are a constant reminder of Who He is, and how blessed we are that He is there for us always.
Yet, often in the intermingling periods of providence in our lives, we often forget the source of all our comfort and grace.

'They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law;
And forget His works,and His wonders that He had showed them'
Psalms 78:10-11

For the boys who came this morning to be prayed for and to pray, they have not forgotten who God is. Yet, like some of these boys, many of us do remember God, but we are often blinded by our fears that we forget about His omnipresence and we place less credence to the past miracles He has done in our lives. We become gripped by our present fears, and allow our faith in the Almighty God to be loosened and shakened.

'And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust'
Psalms 78:18

Yet, like many of the students and their parents who are dealing with the stress and fears of the present examination, letting go and letting God is a bondage we find hard to release. We bring ourselves to a double jeopardy of not honoring God for what He has done for us in the past, and now, letting our fears and desires dictate our present relationship with Him.

'Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation'
Psalms 78:22

How can we truly let go, and let God?

The Lord brought me out of my darkness this morning, to a lightness of being , when He brought me to these two verses.

We have needs. God knows our needs even before we appeal to Him. Much as we want to deal with matters at hand, or even to extrapolate our needs and fears into the future, we are but the finite and imperfect man. The Lord knows our limits and His expectations from us are simple. Lets learn to put aside our expectations and instead, seek to response to His will. Childlike faith.


'Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man'
Ecclesiastes 12:13

'And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul'
Deuteronomy 10:13

What about God?

'And it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear'
Isaiah 65:24

Indeed, in letting go of what often mires my mind and heart, I know that God has already provided. But I must move from knowing to following. What about you?

God Blesses

Eng Hieang

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'For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears; we would know therefore what these things mean'
Acts 17:20