An Agonising Wait, God’s Perfect Timing

“No!” and “Don’t!” are two words I catch myself saying to my son a lot more of in recent days. Since he started toddling and becoming more inquisitive and curious about things around him, Dorcas and I have found a growing need to be watchful of his every move – from where he ventures, to what he touches and chooses  to put in his mouth. Tiny non-ingestible objects, the electric power socket, a hot iron, wet floor, lying on a raised bed, a fragile display piece on the cabinet, etc.

By themselves, these things and scenarios pose little to no risk to adults, but they do to young children who’re unaware of the dangers. Little ones behave as if  the world and all that is in it is a sensory playground with no limits to touching, tasting and trusting. On self-reflection, we adults too behave that way don’t we? We do that not out of ignorance but defiance and self-assertion of our rights. Let’s transport ourselves back  to the Garden of Eden for a moment. God’s clear instructions to our first couple in Genesis was that they were free to eat from ANY tree in the garden EXCEPT the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The consequence was certain death – “for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” God had spoken to Adam and warned him but heed, he did not.

It’s likely you and I won’t hear the audible urgent voice of God calling out to us “No!” or “Don’t!” when we’re just about to perform a hasty act or jump into making  a rash decision. But as a new father learning to be a better one, I expect He would…and He has! Our loving Heavenly  Father  loves us far too deeply not to want to say anything, much less do something. He didn’t just speak instructions to us to protect us, His immense love for us drove His Son to agony and self-sacrifice at Calvary. We may not hear God speaking to us like our earthly parents would, but His instructions are far more precious than to remain as audio content and fleeting. They’re captured as commandments and reinforced in real-life stories in His Holy Word to keep us safe, to keep us from unnecessary suffering and on the straight and narrow road. For at the end of it is the promise of eternal life and union with Christ in the eternal Heavenly Kingdom.

God has shouted His warnings to us. Are we hearing them? May I encourage us to sharpen our senses and tune in to His Word, the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the counsel of His saints. These will keep us from carelessly exerting our self-righteous impulsive will and giving in to the serpent’s deceptive suggestions, to which we can say “No!” and “Don’t!” because we’re on the right frequency with God in all matters of this life.

By brother Stanley Leong

Reality bites. It does. To be authentic is to be raw and real. When was the last time you had a fall and scraped yourself? That raw wound stung didn’t it? You’d quickly clean it, apply some antiseptic cream and put a plaster over it to help it heal. But not all healing comes from covering up. In fact, cover ups can be damaging to self and those around you. When something is left to fester and is not acknowledged as something to be dealt with, it goes from bad to worse.

Recognising that you and I as children of God are part of a community, King Solomon in Proverbs 27:17 reminds us that iron is to sharpen iron. But if we’re all wrapped up, what good are we to sharpen and be sharpened by others?

Eight years ago, I was part of a mentoring group with our beloved Elder Chai Kee. One of the most distinguishing aspects about the group was how open and raw our sharing and prayers were. It was a safe place where we were able to ‘come clean’ about our failings, frustrations and foul ups. That honesty was precious and liberating. We held one another accountable, checked in on the progress made in our discipleship journey and encouraged one another to pursue Christlikeness with renewed fervour.

Two Sundays ago, our small group met over Zoom following the sermon when a member remarked at how open and honest Ps Adrian had been about an act in a moment of anger. We all have committed acts, harboured thoughts or spoken words we are ashamed of, but to publicly own up to them takes contrition and humility. That could well be that first step to drawing closer to God or returning to Him.

In disclosing our weaknesses, it can bring encouragement and strengthen the faith of others who can then know they’re not alone in their struggles. We need to remember we’re all on the journey of being sanctified and that makes our faith journey real. If we don’t struggle with our faith, maybe we aren’t grappling with it and exercising it enough.

Being authentic is about letting our guard down. It sounds contrary to do so especially in these times when the directive is to mask up. Authenticity requires us to go mask-less, rendering us vulnerable – the susceptibility to being judged, to be at risk of being thought lesser of, to become smaller in the eyes of others.

No doubt it runs counter cultural in a world where the strongest, bravest and most put-together persons are rewarded. But in a safe space with kindred of the same faith persuasion who are able to grasp the chief end of man being to glorify God, our lives and our choices are of vital significance to none other than the Giver of life – He who commands our life, our soul, our all. We live for Him alone and His affirmation is what we ought to truly seek. As fellow brothers and sisters in the household of faith, let us find opportunity to sharpen one another, so we can be effective in spurring one another on in our faith journey (Hebrews 10:24).

The wounds we have can be painful, but healing can come from bringing our wounds to the light rather than keeping them tightly under wraps.

By Brother Stanley Leong (YCKC Bulletin 24 May 2020)