#180 Running parallel (10apr08)

'Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God'
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

My daughter is now in camp in the 'near wilderness' of one of the offshore islands fringing urban Singapore. With the comforts of life, it is natural that not many would willingly volunteer to be out in the harshness of the elements, in the company of leeches, scorpions and snakes, albeit for a few days. Still, deprivation does bring a mellowing of one's expectations and a maturing of one's character for the better, if the mindset is adaptable.
Prayerfully, she would learn to better appreciate her blessings and learn to have better empathy with the very real deprivation that many in the not too distant lands are going through on a daily basis, which is now severely compounded by the greed and fear driven rise in basic food prices.

'And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve…'
Isaiah 14:3

Life does not necessarily get better immediately when one moves from a non-believer to that of a believer. In fact, the odds of a more challenged daily life, is sometimes so burdensome that many who were slow to accept the faith, will be fairly quick to digress back to their heathen days. The devil never really care about you when you are already on his side, ie on the route to hell, but when you crossed over to the Lord's kingdom, the devil will not just be doubly crossed, but very keen to bring you back to the cesspool of a sinful life.

'I will save you from all your uncleaness; and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you'
Ezekiel 36:29

Strange as it might seem, the Sovereign God will allow us to be subjected to the machinations of the devil, for believing in God is just the first step of our journey of refinement of a still rudimentary faith, a faith that is untried and untested. Yet while the Lord allows us to be stretched, He knows our limits and He will not just bring us back, but bring us furthur up the ladder of an inner assurance that can only come from Him, not us or anyone else.
Our response is to learn to let go and let Him, to trust and obey. As imperfect human parents, would most of us not be running that parallel relationship that we have with God, with our beloved children. In letting my daughter 'brave' the discomforts of life away from our protective arms, we hope that she will mature in inner strength and depth of character. But as human parents, our love might be certain, our ways might not be. But with God, His love is more than certain, and His ways are Sovereign.

'As for God, His way is perfect, the Word of the Lord is flawless…..'
Psalm 18:30

'Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that are not good…..'
Ezekiel 36:31

Would this admonition in Ezekiel 36:31 be the apt phrase that a judge will use to censure all those 'greedy and ruthless' profiteers who are now starting to hoard rice and other esential commodities in the hope of making a 'big killing' without any regard for the well-being of the grinding poor.
Could the dawn of hyper-inflation be upon us, even as Governments continue to dither over the 'right' response and are we about to enter an unprecedented period of great social disorder and volatile geopolitical relationships as politicians take the easy decisions to please the hungry hordes.

'Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him!'
Amos 5:18

Just like day and night, greed and fear have been with us since time immemorial. If so, is what we are witnessing truly a new experience or there are historical parallels to draw upon?
The '20s was a time of carefree dalliances after the sombre days of World War 1. Unfortunately, it did not last too long and the great Depression reared its ugly head and it culminated in the 2nd World War. The '50s was a time of recovery and the human pysche was one of humility mixed with sobreity and some spiritual stoicism. By the '60s, the world had enough of the sombre bugbear years, and the Beatles were no insects and hippies were truly hip and low hemlines was running neck to neck with lowered morality. The '70s brought with it Watergate and not just a new term but a new experience, 'stagflation.' This was no stag party nor hen party but rather, a period of deep recession and roaring inflation, and many might have wished to be the half brother of the Jews, for the Arabs were oozing in cash, what with the oil price hikes and food shortages.

'….How is it that you do not know how to interpret this present time? Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?'
Luke 12:56-57

In times like this, soothsayers abound and prophets of comfort(and sometimes doom) are in demand as an uncertain world look for that stability or at least certainty in their lives. Are the conditions that we are in now similar to that of the 1970s or is there a hint of worse to come like the time of the Great Depression?
Don't worry be happy' was this fairly popular song that made the rounds in the 1980s. The composer of the song was rumoured to have subsequently killed himself but it seemed that the man was very much alive and kicking. According to the same internet source, the guy who wrote "pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile" did really kill himself. Is this again hearsay or fact but does it matter?

Rather than rest upon men, our comfort must and can only rest upon the Sovereign God.

The Lord our God has prepared us for such times, for we are in End times, where famines, wars, plagues, false prophets and all the ills of the world abound. The preparation is not about prediction, for no one knows when the Lord our God will return, but the preparation is that of our hearts, that God imbued certainty and deep assurance in our hearts, that come what may, we know that God is real and God journeys with us every moment of our lives, for in seeking Him, He has and continues to respond to us.

It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth, but he awaketh, and his soul is empty; or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh, but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite…..'
Isaiah 29:8

In all times, our response to a faithful and loving God is to love Him and to be like Him. Our souls might be a little hungry or thirsty for that inner peace, but a large part of the world is truly hungry as in the need for food. Why not take time to pray for them, instead of praying or more like worrying about your own needs. Why not translate that prayer into action by sharing your God provided provisions with the truly in need as God places them in your path?

'…because he asked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jew'
Esther 10:3

'The Lord has dealth with me according to my righteousness…'
Psalm 18:20

It is not by our good works or words that we earn the right to salvation, for God gives to all who believe. But in responding the way He wills, we will experience His presence in our lives, we will truly be able to grow in our faith and come what may, hold on to that faith, a faith that will be richly rewarded not just in Heaven, but on Earth.

'But unto you that fear My name shall Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall'
Malachi 4:2

God Blesses

Eng Hieang

Note:
Just as I finished penning this, a friend of mine who runs an orphange in Thailand gave me an update via email. A 45kg pack of rice now costs 1000baht compared to 590baht couple of months back. A phenomenal 69% increase. In absolute terms it might seem like a little ant-bite for most of us, but a significant erosion of purchasing power for a large part of the world's population.
Give while we can afford to, for God has provided.
Implausible as it might seem, the day might come that we in the urban areas have plenty of monies, but no rice to purchase, should the day come when the food exporters ever decide to hold back supplies for reasons of feeding their own or maybe just maybe to extract that higher pound of flesh from the urban rich!!

''Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand; they all look to their own way; every one for his gain, from his quarter'
Isaiah 56:11