psalm2004.com

Note: This was written by Arcelie when she was in Hong Kong. She shared
this with us on November 2007 when she led our Bible Study.

We came to Hong Kong with different motivations, but most just to earn money in order to have a better living. But our plans were changed when God revealed His, as some, if not many of us, have come to know the Lord personally here in Hong Kong. That day is very memorable to us, there was real joy and excitement. But as we travel along with Christ, at times we may be uncomfortable with the twists and turns. In our Christian adventure, do we still have that kind of joy when we first met Him? Is our passion for Christ becoming so intense or deteriorating?

Behind the smiles, something is concealed. The laughter may be real or perhaps a person’s heart is ailing. For there is anybody who doesn’t undergo trials and sufferings? Sometimes, we will just find ourselves facing mountains of it. In moments of despair and uncertainties, we are tempted to give up, for even the strongest person get tired at times. But be encouraged as Isaiah wrote: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” We really need a lot of wisdom and strength to go on with our faith.

This is certainly true with a dear sister who took vacation to the Philippines just a few months ago. She got pregnant, but due to pressures she had a miscarriage. Two weeks of bleeding gave her a lot of discomfort, while at the same time tried to hide it from her employer for fear of being terminated. She informed her husband hoping to be comforted, but was advised, “better to commit suicide”, for he completely denied being the father of the aborted baby. This Christian sister confided that she used to receive a blow (even publicly) from her jealous-stricken husband.

In times like this, we need someone to talk, someone to listen and understand, to share our pains and be able to sympathize with us. But the only way we could really understand people’s problems is to experience for ourselves the difficulties they faced. If we can identify someone’s heartache with what we’ve been through, then we can effectively comfort and encourage them. Dealing with a jealous husband was never been an easy endeavour, especially if the accusation has no reality at all. It will drain up all your patience and sanity, even the love will eventually turn into hatred, until you have no more strength to move on. Yes, we know that God is Emmanuel and that He is bigger than any situations we face, but head knowledge is different. For who can easily grasp the presence and mighty power of God especially during our dark moments, when tears are overflowing, when we long for peace but the crushing goes on and on?

I came to Hong Kong in 1992, experienced salvation in 1994, and went home for good in 1996. But being in the Philippines for nearly five years was never been for good…. Though I always call God for help, yet, many times I compromised with my husband just to maintain peace until we came to a point of submission, with all pains physically and emotionally, when he forced me to resign from my job, considering my school kids. We never had peace since then. When I was five months pregnant, he stopped working, I became the sole provider of our daily needs and ended up working just the day before I gave birth. I finally quit my job and surrendered to his will of going home to the province. But when he went out that day to arrange for trucking, I went inside the room, begged the Lord for the last time. I said, “Lord you know my heart you know that I believe, do something to stop us if you are willing.” Yes. I poured out everything to God, asked for forgiveness, and kept singing praises to Him until I felt completely released, with the faith that God was really going to do a miracle. Just about an hour, my husband was moved, and he changed his mind. Granted another year of stay as my eldest son begged me, he graduated as a salutatorian despite going three different schools.

Now I can honestly say with the Psalmist, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God, He heard my voice (18:6)” Truly there is power through prayer as Sis. Pinky Merchant has stated, “do not despise the kind of crushing, for out of the crushing comes the Holy Spirit in our lives.” Being indwelt with the Spirit, “we are now more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) All things are possible, only if we believe. (Mark 9:23)

All things work together for good. That incident eventually brought me back to Hong Kong, and gave me the strong desire to study God’s word. God wants us to live in the expansive joy of His strength, realizing the security of His protection and the blessing of His favour. He lovingly urges us to dwell in the spacious mansion of faith and freedom in Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.” (Hebrews 4:6), drink deeply of God’s amazing grace, so that we will grace-dispensers to a thirsty world.

JSmile! In a Christian’s heart, there is real joy. If we take our responsibility and respond positively to whatever circumstances that comes our way, then we will come out victorious in out Christian walk. Keep on, keeping on!