Deep Petition

“Make thy petition deep” (Isa_7:11, margin).

Make thy petition deep, O heart of mine,
Thy God can do much more
Than thou canst ask;
Launch out on the Divine,
Draw from His love-filled store.
Trust Him with everything;
Begin today,
And find the joy that comes
When Jesus has His way!
— Selected

All that night

“All that night” the Lord was working,
Working in the tempest blast,
Working with the swelling current,
Flooding, flowing, free and fast.

“All that night” God’s children waited–
Hearts, perhaps in agony
With the enemy behind them,
And, in front, the cruel sea.

“All that night” seemed blacker darkness
Than they ever saw before,
Though the light of God’s own presence
Near them was, and sheltered o”er.

“All that night” that weary vigil
Passed; the day at last did break,
And they saw that God was working
“All that night” a path to make.

“All that night,” O child of sorrow,
Canst thou not thy heartbreak stay?
Know thy God in darkest midnight
Works, as well as in the day.

– From the Streams in the Desert

… all that night.

“The Lord caused the sea to go back…all that night” (Exodus 14:21).

In this verse there is a comforting message showing how God works in the dark. The real work of God for the children of Israel, was not when they awakened and found that they could get over the Red Sea; but it was “all that night.”

So there may be a great working in your life when it all seems dark and you cannot see or trace, but yet God is working. Just as truly did He work “all that night,” as all the next day. The next day simply manifested what God had done during the night. Is there anyone reading these lines who may have gotten to a place where it seems dark? You believe to see, but you are not seeing. In your life-progress there is not constant victory; the daily, undisturbed communion is not there, and all seems dark.

“The Lord caused the sea to go back…all that night.” Do not forget that it was “all that night.” God works all the night, until the light comes. You may not see it, but all that “night” in your life, as you believe God, He works.

– From “Streams in the Desert”

As a father…

For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. – Proverbs 3:12 (AMP)

The love of our Heavenly Father is often compared to the love of a father. A good and loving father will provide everything that is needed for his children, including discipline and correction.

1. If the father delights in his child, then when he has to discipline such a child, he will not be filled with sadistic joy; rather his paternal heart would bleed. Likewise, when we are the delight of our Father in heaven, there will be times when the Sovereign Lord has to discipline us. During the chastisement, it may look or feel like the Lord takes pleasure in our suffering. But remember that His Fatherly heart feels our pain and suffering. The Man of Sorrows, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered so much for us, understands our weaknesses. The Spirit of God intercedes for us with groans that cannot be explained. During your affliction, remember these.

2. God chooses the method of discipline, knowing that is the best way to go for you under the circumstances. We cannot and should not compare the way He disciplines us with the ways He corrects others. Even for us, our Redeemer may have used some other form of correction and now is disciplining us differently; because He knows what is best. We should not expect the Lord to discipline us in ways we think are the best.

For example, in the Gospels, we see Jesus Christ often rebuking Peter. But when Peter did the worst of his sin, when he denied not knowing the Lord three times, Luke records it beautifully:

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. (Luke 22:61, AMP)

3. When a father corrects the son in whom he delights, he will do it with tenderness. The correction may be severe and at times, harsh, but it will not be cruel. Likewise when the Lord our God disciplines us, remember that the LORD God is gracious, loving and compassionate; that He is dealing with us with tenderness.

4. God always corrects us for our good. The good of our life is the ultimate object of His corrections. At times, we may not understand why we need to undergo such afflictions, how is the Lord glorified in these sufferings. Let us not try to understand. Instead let us trust our Father, Who gave even His only Son for us.

Lessons from ICU. 27. Playing it safe

And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent. – 1 Sam. 15:29 (Amplified Bible)

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I was watching an eye “specialist” giving a prescription for 15 tablets, 5 eye drops and an injection for a student with headache. Then another “specialist” dropped by to see if they could go to the canteen for a break.

She was shocked at the least and pulled the first specialist and told her to cancel the entire prescription and suggested to write one tablet and one eye drop and nothing more. The first specialist protested saying that those are nothing but generic medications, but the patient needed more treatment than that.

The second specialist’s answer jolted me. She said, “That’s not our problem. If something happens to her eye sight, you will be in trouble. Just give these. Then she will come again and may be someone else will take the risk. Let us play it safe, okay?” Then the first specialist returned and crossed out the entire prescription, and wrote just one eye drop and one tablet, both generic.

Let us play it safe. That has become the lifeline for many. Let us play it safe. And everything in life revolves around that concept: play it safe. Why risk anything?

But not our Lord. HE does not play it safe. HE takes risks, risks that are not worth taking in our eyes.

I knew a believer who is chosen by our Lord to be used a broken vessel for the glory of God. Now, this believer was one of the most adamant persons I have met. It is so difficult to prove a point with him. And there would be no trace of love of Christ when he would admonish others.

So, I was surprised when God chose him to be a vessel to show His love unto the world. He was the least qualified candidate in our church. Yet God chose him. Now we can all the see the changes in him. God does not play it safe.

Dear friend, there will be times you are left wondering why God picked you of all the people… in our eyes, we have nothing. And it is true, that we are nothing. But God chose you, and once you have dedicated your life to Him, He will not let you go as you are. Our Lord Almighty will fulfil His purpose for you. And during those times of intense suffering and weaknesses, He shall be the Strength of Israel unto you. Amen.

Lessons from ICU. 26. Treating the symptoms

They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.
– Jeremiah 6:14 (NIV)

As part of my treatment in the ICU, I was asked to undergo an eye test to see if my vision is okay. After doing the routine tests, I was asked to wait for one of the “specialists” to be available. So I sat near one of the specialists as she was prescribing medications for a teenage student.

The student had eye trouble from an young age, and she was already wearing thick glasses. Her complaint was that she has severe headache whenever she is trying to concentrate on her studies. So, they took few tests and now the “specialist” was telling her what to do.

The “specialist” looked at the test results and prescribed that teenage girl 5 different eye drops daily, 15 tablets to be taken and one injection per week. That was a total of 21 medications, 20 of them are to be taken daily. Especially 5 different eye drops!!!

I was sitting there bewildered. Yes, I am not an “eye specialist”, but I knew  that was wrong. It was then I realized that she was an intern, still studying and she is giving each medication based on the various test results, ending in such a massive list. She was treating the symptoms, but not the underlying cause.

There are times when we are allowed to suffer in this world. We look at the symptoms and search for a cure. “Oh, there is this secret sin in your life and hence you are suffering. Oh, you have a family curse and that is why this is happening. So and so has done witchcraft against you…” The endless list goes on and on.

But when our LORD takes over, the Great Physician does not treat symptoms, He treats the underlying cause. During that treatment period, there will be a question of why is He treating you so hard. During that time, you may become isolated from others. Sometimes the suffering may look like for eternity.

In all that, dear friend, remember that it is coming from your loving Father in heaven, Who gave His only Son Jesus Christ to be crucified just for you. So, if the loving Father has decided to treat you, remember that He will make sure to remove every dross from us and make us into fine gold.

Sometimes the LORD may have a greater purpose for you, greater than you can imagine and is getting you ready for that purpose. And you need to pass through the furnace. But the loving Father is still in control.

Probably you know all these, but in your weakness, you want to quit. You have no one to understand your pain, your suffering. No, dear friend, you have Jesus. The Son of God Who became the Man of Sorrows, and suffered a cruel death. The Redeemer Who came to give His life for you, yet at the moment of weakness, “Father, if possible, let this cup pass from Me.” Jesus understands your pain, your weaknesses and how you are seeking the end to all these suffering. At this moment, He is offering up prayers for your sake.

The Spirit of God is praying for with groans that cannot be explained in human terms. So, don’t lose heart. Soon you will be healed and take hold of your promises. God bless you.