Running the race #10 In the eye of the storm(5sep08)

Dear…

'…the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.'

Joel 3:16

'For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness…'

Romans 1:18

'The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue.'
2 Samuel 23:2

By the time this is completed, Hurrican Gustav should have made landfall in Louisiana and prayerfully, plenty of its erstwhile residents would have fled the "accursed" land, for to be hit twice in 3 years, almost to the exact date of the last one, Katrina, does give many a sense of foreboding, for lightning do strike twice or as the retired US General who was in charge of rescue operations during Katrina was quoted when asked to comment on Gustav, stated that God does bring nature back(maybe to remind us of His presence and our follies).

Interestingly, the difference this time is in the attitude, in Katrina, many were sitting pretty thinking that the levees would hold up well, come any storm or fury, and reality brought great grief. This time, fear brings to life, the phrase, "once bitten, twice shy" and many scooted town in a hurry.

But other than awe of nature, have many truly revisited the very meaning of life and for that matter, the very purpose for their existence or even the very efficacy of the "many gods" that they have placed their faith in?

'Tribulations and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile'
Romans 2:9

Symmetry seems to be the pattern of choice. The present global crisis which started as a US problem, restricted to the financial sector, seems to be broadening out globally, across the real economy this past couple of months. Almost a decade to the year 1998, when the Asian crisis which has been simmering since late 1994, boiled over into a full scale debacle. We have entered the phase of capitulation in the financial markets, but will we witness a terrifying firestorm to bring matters to a conclusion?

The eye of the storm is that physical space between the two walls of a hurricane. Within this space, the atmospheric pressure is the lowest and there is a quiet calm. Many have been caught out by this, when they come out of their shelters to examine the impact of the hurricane that just past through, not realizing that at the tail end of this spatial eye of the storm, is a more devastating 2nd wall of the hurrricane that is about to hit home. "The calm before the storm."

'Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'

Romans 3:16-18

After the great upheavals in the financial markets in the first half of this year, culminating with long low valued items like soft commodities putting on tremendous growth in values, and to then fall off the precipice, but not onto to the deep ravine, but thankfully, on to the ledge a few meters below, markets have sobered up and gone limpid. Are we truly at the bottom or are we just biding time in the eye of the storm before the full force of the hurricane hit us all.

In the movie, Jaws, just when you think that it was safe to go into the waters, out from the deep pop up the menacing jaws of the great White shark, making a meal of those who truly believed that the azure blue waters were now safe.

Having just returned from one of my regular sojourns to Bangkok, still very much the Land of Smiles, though somewhat battered by recent events, thankfully I was not on holiday, for then I would have been caught out by the airport closure in Phuket, and like some, might have taken that arduos 10hours overnight drive to Bangkok to take the next available flight home. My week in Bangkok last week was in the midst of the stirring of the disaffection with the present government, but conditions were generally peaceful. It is still relatively peaceful this week, though things did ratchet up a little with what a journalist who was one of two foreign correspondence to witness the ensuing violence, termed as a medieval battle, between the two opposing camps. Are we still in the eye of the storm, and the present calm is just a temporary reprieve?

God is always presecient and just last Wed, amongst the reading materials I brought for my trip to Bangkok was this little booklet entitled "Anchors in the Storm" by Joe Stowell, printed by the Daily Bread in their Discovery Series. Quite an apt read given the many storms that we are undergoing, be it natural, economic, social or political. The author shared certain Biblical truths that will hold us steady and I do encourage all of us to give this booklet more than a glance over, irregardless of whether your emotions are in tatters, or teethering over or amongst the privileged or more liked blessed few, probably tethered or anchored, come what may. What matters is not how badly we have lived our lives as of today, but what matters is, are we prepared to reorientate our whole focus away from the illusory and now very painful lusts of this present secular world, towards the certainty of our faithful and graceful Sovereign God, Who is the same today, yesterday and for eternity.

The author shared on 6 mental anchors in Scripture that give stability in the midst of trouble

1. Commonality

'…No temptation has seized you except what is common to man…'
1 Corinthians 10:13

2. Bearability

'…And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear…'
1 Corinthians 10:13

3. Supernatural options

'…But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it..'
1 Corinthians 10:13

'…The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.'

2 Peter 2:9

4. God's power

'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.'

Romans 8:28

'We are troubled on everyside, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair…
…Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

5. God's Divine Support

'And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness…'
2 Corinthians 12;9

6. A process with a purpose

'Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.'

James 9:3

'Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.'

Hebrews 10:33

'I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart…'

Romans 9:1-2

Much as the first part of this sharing might seem to imply that disasters will strike only the ungodly. It is far from the truth. For just like God allows the rain and sun to fall and shine upon all, sinners or not, all of us will sometimes find ourselves caught in difficult situations. The difference is that for a true believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will know how to anchor our responses not upon the natural but the spiritual. We will learn to let go of our own understanding and start to look unto the Lord our God. We will be thankful for all situations and in doing that, we will not be mired in our own emotions be it fear, greed, pride, anger or whatever is sinful. But rather, we will learn to be still and seek to respond to the will of our God. In letting God, the world will see the glory and grace of God upon our lives and will see the true difference between one who leans faithfully upon our God and one who leans otherwise.

Does it mean that a believer will not suffer collateral damage or even possibly lose one's life in a hurricane? That is never God's promise, for God looks at eternity, we tend to cling on to the temporal. But the world will begin to see in us that certainty of our faith that come what may, the only fear that we have is the fear of our God and nothing else.

'I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth..'
Psalm 34:1

God Blesses

Eng Hieang
(5sep2008)