When i've lost my heaven's song...
Dear fellow seaweedsoupers,
Many apologies for not posting for so long a time... just yesterday as i was sitting down, feeling very tired at the amount of things to be done, frustrated at being unable to complete them, and disappointed with myself at not making a bigger difference in the lives of people God has placed in my sphere of influence, including my dear coursemates, group members and non-Christian Singaporeans whose friendships i've struck up over the past 2.5 years... Weary, i looked forward to my favourite source of destressing - surfing the internet for news, maybe games or youtube clips, maybe the joke my friend would sometimes send me on email...
For some reason i read a friend's blog instead... She posted her struggles on, sharing about her frustrations at her lack of concentration with her work, at her weaknesses of too often judging, comparing, losing her focus. She shared that she complained to God, asking God why she being given so many issues in life to deal with at the same time....
Then the next part really stuck me, the way her sharings always have.. She thanked God once again for sufficient grace, and that God's power was magnified in her weaknesses. That in spite of being a broken cistern, it was not how 'good' she looked or how well she followed God's laws, but how well she knew our precious loving God, then the rest would follow. She wanted to go back to the quiet place again, to know His voice and to delight in Him.
Seeing the struggles of a fellow believer, and her resolve to keep going back to the quiet place to know God better, reminded me once again that there was no temptation but such as was common to all of mankind... frustrations and exhaustion were not unique to me...
She shared a song in another post as well:
If You've Lost Your Heaven's Song
If you've lost your heaven's song
it's so hard to carry on
When tomorrow looks as sad as yesterday
Just remember Jesus came
And He keeps singing just the same
If you will listen, when you go to Him and pray.
The darkest storm cannot detain
The comfort of His sweet refrain
Words of assurance invite our hearts to sing along
Above the roar of sorrow's pain
The voice of Jesus comes again
"When you are weakest, be assured that I am strong!"
There is a song on earth we sing
The words can change with what life brings
Not so with heaven's song Christ sings for you today
The words are steadfast they are true
And they were written just for you
To give you comfort and to show you there's a way.
When Jesus came to live in you
He carried heaven's sweetest tune
With words, "I love you" and "forever I will stay"
When days are cold and darkness strong
Things might seem lost - but not for long
His song within you cannot ever pass away
His song within you cannot ever pass away
_____________
Blogs are powerful. As a writer, i'm forced to be held accountable to my friends as well as God, not to create a fake superspiritual life, but to honestly share victories and trials and temptations that i may truly bless. As a reader, i have always been encouraged beyond measure by the author's sharings...
It is easier for one to fall than for two together, and for two to fall than for three. I'm hoping that in the combined prayer and encouraging strength of our group, that we'll be a shining light to all who are in our sphere of influence, especially in our weakest moments when the glory of God is the brightest in us...
Do pray for me:
1. For a greater burden for my Singaporean friends who do not know the Lord, that i would want to meet up with them to talk to them about how to be a recipient of the 'elusive' lasting steadfast love that they are quietly and desperately yearning for.
2. To have discipline to actually implement the prayer meeting that i'm planning on organising for the people who live around my area.. it was supposed to start 3 weeks ago already...
Thanks, and do tag or comment if this blog or any others has blessed you as well.. as the poster, i'm always warmed when i know my post has blessed somebody, and encouraged to bless further... :)
Jonathan
Many apologies for not posting for so long a time... just yesterday as i was sitting down, feeling very tired at the amount of things to be done, frustrated at being unable to complete them, and disappointed with myself at not making a bigger difference in the lives of people God has placed in my sphere of influence, including my dear coursemates, group members and non-Christian Singaporeans whose friendships i've struck up over the past 2.5 years... Weary, i looked forward to my favourite source of destressing - surfing the internet for news, maybe games or youtube clips, maybe the joke my friend would sometimes send me on email...
For some reason i read a friend's blog instead... She posted her struggles on, sharing about her frustrations at her lack of concentration with her work, at her weaknesses of too often judging, comparing, losing her focus. She shared that she complained to God, asking God why she being given so many issues in life to deal with at the same time....
Then the next part really stuck me, the way her sharings always have.. She thanked God once again for sufficient grace, and that God's power was magnified in her weaknesses. That in spite of being a broken cistern, it was not how 'good' she looked or how well she followed God's laws, but how well she knew our precious loving God, then the rest would follow. She wanted to go back to the quiet place again, to know His voice and to delight in Him.
Seeing the struggles of a fellow believer, and her resolve to keep going back to the quiet place to know God better, reminded me once again that there was no temptation but such as was common to all of mankind... frustrations and exhaustion were not unique to me...
She shared a song in another post as well:
If You've Lost Your Heaven's Song
If you've lost your heaven's song
it's so hard to carry on
When tomorrow looks as sad as yesterday
Just remember Jesus came
And He keeps singing just the same
If you will listen, when you go to Him and pray.
The darkest storm cannot detain
The comfort of His sweet refrain
Words of assurance invite our hearts to sing along
Above the roar of sorrow's pain
The voice of Jesus comes again
"When you are weakest, be assured that I am strong!"
There is a song on earth we sing
The words can change with what life brings
Not so with heaven's song Christ sings for you today
The words are steadfast they are true
And they were written just for you
To give you comfort and to show you there's a way.
When Jesus came to live in you
He carried heaven's sweetest tune
With words, "I love you" and "forever I will stay"
When days are cold and darkness strong
Things might seem lost - but not for long
His song within you cannot ever pass away
His song within you cannot ever pass away
_____________
Blogs are powerful. As a writer, i'm forced to be held accountable to my friends as well as God, not to create a fake superspiritual life, but to honestly share victories and trials and temptations that i may truly bless. As a reader, i have always been encouraged beyond measure by the author's sharings...
It is easier for one to fall than for two together, and for two to fall than for three. I'm hoping that in the combined prayer and encouraging strength of our group, that we'll be a shining light to all who are in our sphere of influence, especially in our weakest moments when the glory of God is the brightest in us...
Do pray for me:
1. For a greater burden for my Singaporean friends who do not know the Lord, that i would want to meet up with them to talk to them about how to be a recipient of the 'elusive' lasting steadfast love that they are quietly and desperately yearning for.
2. To have discipline to actually implement the prayer meeting that i'm planning on organising for the people who live around my area.. it was supposed to start 3 weeks ago already...
Thanks, and do tag or comment if this blog or any others has blessed you as well.. as the poster, i'm always warmed when i know my post has blessed somebody, and encouraged to bless further... :)
Jonathan
