'Then a spirit passed before my face, the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof.....'
Job 4:15
"The Other Side of Midnight" is not a Stephen King horror genre, but rather, one of the more popular novel by Sidney Sheldon, many of whose books were made into television mini-series in time past.
I do travel a little bit in the course of business but unlike the well travelled playwright, Noel Coward who mixed pleasure with work, writing novels and living the high life, I do not share the same surname nor high lifestyle as Coward. But till recently I was still a little cowardly, for I don't really fancy sleeping in a hotel room by myself. Some take on a bedmate for comfort, the fear of God gives me no room to indulge in such stirring sinfulness, so thank goodness for 24 hours financial news for my bedfellows. Of course, I never want to watch the show "Poltergeists" where it is not just gore that appears on television, but rather ghouls that reside in it.
'..there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?'
Job 4:16
By the grace of God, my few momentous experiences while on my overseas jaunt, in the quiet of the night, has been with the right Spirit. God has indeed brought me far in my journey with Him, for without His divine grace, I am in all likelihood still be groping in the illusionary bright lights of the dark and sinful world.
Yet, I am also reminded that it is often in the darkess moments of our lives that many begin to 'see' and start to acknowledge the very sovereignty and grace of God in their lives.
'Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause'
Job 5:7-8
If darkness is evil, than the devil is the personification of darkness. Imagine, if you have had the privilege of having the devil or its demonish cohorts in their less than delectable form standing right in front of you. Would you not run quickly to God, your source of grace and comfort in a jiffy, without any hesitation??
Truly, the devil knows the impact of its true presence and so, it rather keep you in a illusionary world of seeminlgy light-hearted sinfulness, and cloak the reality of its evil and its hunger for your very soul in the dark, till the day you will join him in eternal damnation.
'They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night....'
Job 5:14
My years of desiring to faithfully share God's grace in my life with all will bring some light to the darkness of your and my world. This confidence arises not because of the quality nor completeness of my thoughts or an arrogance of character, but rather, my belief and experience that the Word of God will speak to us, if we let Him. My response to God's calling is to place into words, the reality of our world, that because it is dark, and we are all imperfect, that even the faithful who desires to walk right with God, will stumble along the way. Key difference is that every step that we take, every fall that befall us, we are not just alone, but our Saviour, our Lord, Jesus Christ is there for us, to lead, to guide and to provide.
'And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not'
Galatians 6:9
For most who till the land, day in day out, the rewards of their toil seem pretty paltry compared to what the world values.
A farmer's life is tough work, rougher than the vagaries of the weather, and troughs are more the norm and times of feast are few and far in between.
It might be better to kick a ball like David Beckham, for the financial rewards are better and a tan is a matter of choice rather than necessity.
To want to follow God, to desire to serve the Lord our God, is often perceived by many to be a backward step into the black hole, of little if no material rewards, into a cauldron of emotional upheavals and pain, with no gain, a life of material poverty, discomfort and worse, no joy without the lusts of the world.
What can be bleaker and blacker and more foreboding than the darkness of night that we find ourselves in by shifting our focus from the bright lights of the world to the unseen God??
'All their works they do to be seen by men'
Matthew 23:1-12
Patina is that nice shade of old brown that characterise an old and well rubbed ivory. It is a soothing hue that visually enhances the smooth feel of a well carved ivory.
Life is indeed full of paradox. An elephant left in its enclosure in the zoo is a heavy expense given its voracious appetite, but given that its tusk are worth its weight in gold, it is valued more when dead than alive.
In the context of man's understanding, to have a material rich life, a life free of woes and worries, because our barns are full is often considered a blessing. But is it??
If we are on the way to hell, Satan will keep the bright lights of the sinful world shining upon us. The glare would ensure that we are not cognizance of the slow but steady rotting of our bodily shell and the eventual loss of our very soul.
'But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry'
2 Timothy 4:5
If we cannot see the love of God in the bright times of our existence, is it possible to fathom His love, His presence in the darkness of our lives??
In the darkness of our lives, it is indeed difficult to see the light of our salvation, not to mention that we should even think of being that light to others in similar if not more dire straits. Yet, the Spirit of God resides in us who believe and if we let Him, He will shine forth from us and sanctify and bless us, that we can be that bright and shimmering lamp up on the landscape of desolate miseries and pain.
'For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him'
Philippians 1:29
'..and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, siath the Lord of hosts:'
......when ye came out of Egypt, so My spirit remainteth among you: fear ye not.'
Haggai 2:4-5
As we come to the end of this very signficant week in our lives, on Good Friday, as believers, we know truly how God by His grace has brought us out of damnation to salvation.
Yet, if one was to picture the scene than on that fateful Friday when Jesus Christ, who had previously disappointed the Jews, who had expected in all likelihood, based on man's finite understanding, a giant of a man, both in stature and abilities to free them from the bondage of their conquerors, the Romans. Now this very same carpenter, who did after all provide some glimmer of hope, by showing some 'supernormal' abilities in his miraculous acts, is now about to disappoint them again by almost sheepishly going to the cross, without even a whimper of resistance, to be sacrificed. How dark can the world be!!
'For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
And I will shake all nations.....'
Haggai 2:6-7
'And this word, Yet once more, singifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain..'
Hebrews 12:27
Of course, on Easter, which is 3 days later, Jesus Christ did rise from the dead, and on hindsight, with the onset of darkness, rose the very dawn of our salvation, for with the risen Christ, the bondage of death that the devil placed on us, was forever broken.
It is time that we desist from behaving like the bunnies. For Easter is not about chocolate coated eggs nor lustful bunnies, or worse, dumbfounded ones.
As believers, we will continue to go through what seems and in fact are dark moments in our lives. Yet, to die is to live and as we learn to let go and let God, our faith will be strengthened, for we will see God and His grace. We will continue to experience these '3 days' cycle, of 'death' and of 'life' and then will we begin to understand and be reassured that as we go through the next midnight of our lives, the dawn of God's grace is just round the corner.
'...but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me,but evil.........'
1 Kings 22:8
This last verse is applicable only if you happen to be Dracula, the count of darkness
Have a blessed week
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
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