youth overnight prayer meeting tmr.this song just came into my head: "still"hide me now, under Your wings
cover me, within Your mighty hand
when the oceans rise and thunders roar
i will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
i will be still and know You are God
find rest my soul, in Christ alone
know His power in quietness and trust
i understand, some of us have been hurt pretty bad recently. God doesn't ask us to wipe away the pain and the hurt and pretend it's alrite, it's ok. instead, Jesus asks us to come to Him. "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (matt 11:28-30)
in such a time of hurt, of disappointment, the fact that one can get so badly hurt even in church, even by church friends, it makes it so difficult to come to Jesus. so hard to let go and let God heal. no strength to deal with it, helpless to help others.
it is true. these things happen. when God sees, He hurts too, for He sees people hurting, He sees how the sins of man have caused all the pain. that's why He asks us to come to Him, to seek Him, even when we don't feel like it, even when we just don't have the strength. He knows the struggles in our hearts, the questions that we don't dare to ask aloud, questions like, "why, God?", and "how could You let this happen God?" even if people around us cannot understand these struggles, God understands. and He provides the solution, if only YOU are willing to accept it.
God's solution is simple: come to ME, be STILL, know I am GOD, and I will make things right.
trust in Him, present it ALL to Him.
it is a time of weakness for us all. all the more we must NOT let the enemy triumph! God is victorious, He has given us the victory. we must not allow the enemy to use any foothold to thwart God's plans. we will have a powerful, Holy-Spirit-filled meeting tomorrow and of course satan is not happy! i'm not simply disregarding all that has happened as an attack by the enemy, but since such things have happened, we have to be careful. we have to RISE ABOVE.
a phrase i learnt from someone recently: love covers all.
simple phrase, really, but so much meaning from it.
love covers, as in God's love covers all of us. love covers, as in the love God has given us covers each other, covers good times and bad times, covers and lessens the pain, covers all our weaknesses and our mistakes and our failures.
love does cover all.
and i pray, let God's love cover you even as you read this, if you read this. let God's love fill you, that you may have the strength to let your love cover too.
the issues some of us have had to go through will not just disappear as this happens. it will require a willingness to forgive, to listen, to explain. but let this all happen in God's love. let your heart first be healed by God. let Him. it's easy. we all know, because we have been touched by God before. so don't hesitate, don't be unwilling to let Him touch you.
when i was younger and i was learning how to swim, i once almost drowned cos i kinda collided with someone else (quite stupid of me actually). i was in the middle of the pool and my coach was at the edge, too far to come in time to save me. of course in the end i didn't die (ok, blame my really lame sense of humour for this). but i had a choice, stop learning how to swim entirely cos the risk was too great, or overcome the fear, the remembrance of that sensation of drowning and start swimming again. some people choose to not go near the water entirely. or maybe just where the water level reaches their knees. some people decide instead to overcome, to learn from the mistakes, to let courage succeed the fear.
similarly, it's a choice we all have to make at this point, or at any other point in life. what's even better for us now, is that we know we have God helping us! He will hold on to you as you learn how to swim again, He will swim beside you. and you will swim faster, with more skill, and more courage and agility. you will become a healthier person, you will be able to save lives and teach others what you have learnt. you will not have missed out on that wonderful experience on gliding through the water.
so i really hope, cos i cannot say i really understand what some of my dear sisters are experiencing now, that you will be able to rise above the darkness and despondency of the time, and increase your faith in God.
goodnite, and may i see you tomorrow at the overnight prayer meeting, to be refreshed, to be renewed, to be healed. =)
remember, love covers all.
Labels: loves- love covers all
i was jus reading through this small brochure with the above title. it's about dealing with depression. it's simple to understand, and so accurate, i think. hope it helps people who are going through tough times in life, so i've decided to quote some passages that i think are helpful.
the nature of depression: "the experience of depression has been referred to as a heavy blackness. others compare it to being buried alive. Charles Spurgeon likened it to 'the horror of a soul forsaken by God'. It is a hellish experience when people give up on life or feel that life has given up on them."factors that may cause depression:1) physical factors- disease, diet and exercise, genetics2) outside influences- family background and past abuse, loss and unfairness, deferred hope (Proverbs 13:12)"the experience of loss is often tied to a sense of unfairness. many Christians tend to struggle with feelings of injustice prior to and during their bouts with depression. at some level, they believed that if they worked hard enough, followed the rules, loved the Lord and served Him, then their lives would turn out okay. they knew, of course, that life would be difficult, but they didn't imagine it could be so unfair... they never thought they would end up feeling so lonely or meaningless."the process of giving up:1) blaming others "when we are feeling down and hopeless, there's a tendency to blame others. we blame the people in our lives for not caring enough. we resent their unwillingness to see things our way or to come through to us on our terms. blaming others justifies giving up."2) blaming ourselves "many depressed people drift toward the idea that it's their fault that life has taken a turn for the worse. they believe they've either done something wrong or they simply feel unworthy. they also tend to believe that they are to blame for being disappointed because they were foolish enough to hope that life would work out in the first place."3) hating pleasure "those who struggle with depression tend to find themselves in a state of enormous tension. although a part of them wants to stay hopeful, they tend to back away from anything that arouses hope. the pain of deferred hope and the increased levels of despair are just too much for them to bear."4) hating responsibility "someone who's depressed may feel that because life is hopelessly unfair, there's no reason to be responsible... since life is unfair and the rules don't seem to mean much, they see no point in following the routine."the reasons we give up1) refusal to live with deferred hope "while people who are depressed usually feel out of control in so many ways, they do have some control over how much pain they feel. more than anything, people who give up and become depressed are committed to living with as little pain as possible on their own terms, especially the pain of deferred hope. giving up helps to avoid feeling the kind of pain and emptiness that only heaven will take away."2) misplaced hopes "many who struggle with depression feel despair because they put their primary hopes for meaning and joy in all the wrong places- bf/gf, job, house etc. essentially, they placed their hopes in a false god of their own making- one that could never satisfy their souls (Ps 115:3-8)"the process of recovery"recovery from depression is like a gradual ressurection from the dead. the Spirit of God working in us can bring what is dead back to life... it's encouraging to know that God is in control, that He can provide for our deepest needs, and that He is able to renew our hearts in the midst of great despair (2 Cor 4:16). we must understand, however, that the One who works in us is the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17). so it's in the realm of truth that He is able to bring renewal and growth to our hearts.the process of recovery is built on the foundations of facing the truth, no matter how much it hurts. pain is not the enemy, it's a sign that life and feelings are returning to our deadened hearts."1) recovering hope by facing despair "as strange as it seems, facing despair is one of the best things a person battling with depression can do... they're too afraid that the darkness will devour them. but as they find the courage to begin facing the darkness, they are able to discover that 'suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Rom 5:3-5). facing despair is NOT an exercise in self-pity. instead of leading to deeper depression, facing our despair can increase a sense of true hope in the One."2) acknowledging the pain of loss "we can begin to feel the pain of loss when we admit to ourselves what it is we deeply hungered for that has been lost- a particular relationship, or the ability to achieve a dream. identifying our unmet desires and the emptiness of loss and disappointment will likely turn our world upside down at first. but in time, we'll see that there is something worth living for that is bigger than ourselves."3) admitting the failure of misplaced hopes4) recovering faith by facing doubt "in most cases of depression, one's faith in God is dying a steady, slow death. many feel that God no longer cares about them. they often feel they have a strong case against God. it's important to realise that God invites us to struggle with (not deny) our doubts to recover faith in the same way that He wants us to face despair to recover and strengthen hope" biblical egs-- Ps 22:1, Jer 15:18, Jer 20:7-8 "jeremiah's desire for and confidence in God increased because he struggled through his doubts.""struggling with God is no light matter. it exhausts all the energy we can muster. but it's in our exhuastion that we are more apt to be humble and quiet before Him. sometimes we're not ready to hear what God wants us to understand until we pour it all out before the throne of grace. and when there's nothing left to say (Job 40:4-5), the truth can sink in"5) recovering joy by giving to others (Acts 20:35)the process doesn't eliminate pain or fear... only heaven allows us those options (Rev 21:4) before it can get better it must often get worse. but those who learn to put their hope in God 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. (Isa 40:31)AMEN!whew, super lengthy, i've realised, but so true! and gives me hope too! thank You, Lord, for You are great. You are amazing beyond all of man's comprehension. i bow in awe of You and Your wonderful ways. i commit all of us youth into Your hands. please bring us all back to You.Labels: God above all
songs i was just listening to:
trading my sorrowslord you are goodbeautiful saviourlovely songs for a lovely God. :)
Jesus i love you. You give us strength each new day for where we walk.
My favorite passage now- Isaiah 35.
Joy of the Redeemed
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Labels: loves- love covers all
i love you girls. (:
all of you.
you, are my encouragement, are my lesson in life.
you bring light and happiness.
never darkness and despair.
you will always be dear to me.
it's not about me, never about me.
it'll be about you, how to be a better friend, a better sister to you.
it'll be about being strong to lift you up.
it'll be learning and understanding how you feel, what you are going through.
never judge. not once.
please come back to me.
and i love God.
for He is the one true source of hope
the only place to draw love to continue loving
the tower of strength when one has exhausted her own strength
God, You never condemn us, You never will.
Dear God, grant us all a good night of sleep. We remain Your children forevermore.
Many questions of life will be left unanswered; they will remain unanswerable. But the Bible has enough answers for us, if we will only look to it, and not to the world.
