Thursday 3 August 2017

Glory to God for Answered Prayers


Prayer is a timeless expression of faith. We pray at every opportunity about anything that concerns us. We ask God to provide for our every specific need. That’s why when our prayers are answered, we feel very blessed and we begin to thank God for it.

But there are mixed feelings over answered prayers sometimes. It’s so easy to get in our heads and be lost in amazement when people say, “You deserve it!” or  “You’re worth it!” Suddenly, the focus of glory shifts away from God to us.

God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27), out of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7).

I was nothing until God formed me. I was nothing until God breathed into me. Then, I become alive. We become alive.

We are just shadows of the real supreme God, without his Light, we are caught in darkness. We’re gone. Vanished without a trace.

We are image bearers. His Image we bear reflect His creativity, productivity, wisdom, knowledge, love and character – these are all gifts to bring Him glory. Nothing is commended to us.

So, we should not forget but always remember.

Glory belongs to God. It is the purpose for which everything was made. It is the reason grace is given to us so that in everything we do, God may be glorified. (1Peter 4:11)

Prayer becomes an act of worship to God whom glory belongs. Forever. Our Creator deserves highest praise and honor.

So then, we celebrate in our answered prayers. He gave us the reason to celebrate, not just answering a single prayer but by giving us the best answer to all our prayers.

Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the best Yes to all our prayers. His death on the cross and his resurrection provide our redemption to experience all the best things God can give us.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9


So, we keep on praying, presenting our requests to God and hoping for answered prayers. For His love has already given us the Best Yes to all our supplication, and He alone deserves the glory. 



Tuesday 4 July 2017

Looking forward to summer

Aah! It's been awhile.
I haven't visited this humble abode in a good while.

I miss this little writing space. Had been busy lately... mom stuff and work stuff.

But, thank God! Kids are off school and things are calming down. We're all looking forward to a relaxing summer holiday. I just want to put my feet up and relax. And this is it!

An outdoor activity...a trip to the beach is what we're planning for. It's always a family favorite. An out of town trip has always been our summer tradition. There are really good places to see here in Ireland. The landscape here is spectacular. You should come!

Hopefully, the weather picks up again, as we don't get much sunshine here. We get the four seasons in a day, kind of weather.😉

What's your plan for this summer?

Whatever you do, enjoy and stay safe.

Relax.

Rest.

Refresh.

And may you all enjoy your summer holiday too! Blessings ☺


Friday 20 January 2017

The Cord of Hope


She came to our unit for close monitoring: low mental state, metabolic acidosis and narrowly compromised vital signs. She must be seventy years old... no, forty-five?! Forty-five years old! Frail and emaciated, she looked like she just emerged from a concentration camp.

A camp she must have built for herself. Her history suggested alcohol abuse. Deranged liver enzymes showed a damaged liver. How can a person live through this? 

And she may not be the only one. There are more out there hiding in their own fancy yet fatal disguise.

I looked after her on that day and some days, too. I noticed a scratch on my arm at the end of my shift. I didn’t know where I got it, but then I thought it could be from her as she tried to resist me when I was doing my nursing care. 

The scratch has now became a cut. Her harsh lifestyle certainly cuts and she didn’t even know it. Unintentional. Unmindful of self.

How many days can you count before awakening?




I remember Rahab. 


When Rahab heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before the Israelites when they came out of Egypt and what they did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, who were devoted to destruction, her heart melted. 

She was called from her world of pagan worship and pornographic desire. Her dissolute character was forgiven.

She was stirred so she believed. Once a godless harlot is now a believer of the Lord God whom she described as God in the heavens and the earth beneath. (Joshua 2:10-11)
 
She hid the spies... lied to the king... deceived the king’s men.

She risked her life because she believed.

When her heart melted, her faith grew strong and it moved her.


By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11:31

Where true faith expose itself in good works and endeavor in risk for the cause of God, salvation is a secure reward.

Rahab, a sinner saved by God’s grace.

As she tied the scarlet cord in the window, grace flaunts in divine resolve. (Joshua 2:18, 21)

The cord in Hebrew is tiqvah, means Hope.

An expectation. A thing longed for.

As the scarlet cord dangles, her hope flourished and she waited faithfully until salvation arrived.

Hope is the only thing that will keep you from despair – C.S. Lewis

True. It sweeps insanity away. It shines like the morning sun, enables us to see with clarity and repurposes our thoughts. It replaces our dark, weary,  and challenged past because only light can reveal what shadows really look like. And shadows always stay behind us when we let the light stay before us.

I came back from my days off and she was already moved. Days have passed and I have not seen her again. Until one day, there she was from a distance, walking with a zimmerframe. With her faithful son, she was walking on the road to recovery. It may be long and narrow, but I hope she makes it.

And the scratch? It is now a scar. I’ve had so many scratches from nursing at bedside, they’ve all healed and gone but the caring experience remains. 

Hope beckons a new start.

We cling to the scarlet cord where three strands bind: the triune God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Every fiber of the cord stretches to the throne of grace to redeem and renew our spirit with blazing fire of hope. We will become radiant when we experience His glory.

We must believe. We must act our faith. Just as Rahab did. She didn’t sit on her faith, she walked by faith.

And she invites us to walk with her in faith.

Glory to God for Answered Prayers

Prayer is a timeless expression of faith. We pray at every opportunity about anything that concerns us. We ask God to provide for our eve...