25. Tibetan Monks in Monastery, Labha

The Goodness of God

I want to talk about the goodness of the Lord. Yes, the Lord is very good. The problem lies with us: we don’t have faith in Him. Two years ago I was posted for special duty. I had done this sort of exercise seven times previously, beginning from 1996 onwards. This was my eight [and last] time. My wife said, ‘You’ve been serving the Commission so diligently, why don’t you asking for a place of your choice?’ I was reluctant. But she kept pressing me, and finally I relented. I rang up the Commission and asked, ‘Is there a vacancy in the region S?’ They said, ‘No, sorry, it’s not possible.’ Then I said, ‘Can you accommodate me in the district D [which is adjacent]?’ They said, ‘Yes, we can work that out.’ My heart raced with hope. When I got my posting orders, yes, it was the district D! The lovely picturesque hills of D! So many friends! So many churches! My heart filled with joy.

Of course, I took my family. We had a wonderful, unforgettable time! Oh, I covered the hills all around. It was a glorious summer and the hills were full of flowers. We stayed for a month! I visited so many places, took so many photos. Visited so many assemblies, preached in so many churches. The photos you see on this web-site and the sister blogs all belong to those halcyon days. God is good, and His mercies endure forever!

Procyon

Faith Walk

Walking with God is not easy.
Like a horse, impatiently we rush forward
Or like a stubborn mule pull back.
We lack
The calm, steady gait
Of a man of faith.
We cannot wait.

Or often we are still waiting, even when
God wants us to walk
Forward into the sea by divine urging…
(But we would rather wait!)
Till God gives us a push!

And then
It’s a mad rush
Into the surging
Waves (we cannot swim!)
But God says to keep looking,
looking at Him!

How often, like Peter, our fickle faith
Sinks sadly into the Sea of Chinnereth;
The Lord has to stretch out His hand
And bring us into the boat and on to land.

“According to your faith, ” He saith...
But this faith-walk we don’t understand.

Tom Prato

The Power of Psalm 91

There I was in the room with 25 others. And the Course Director [a lady] was indirectly attacking me. I could feel the hostility. All because I took a stand to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole campus seemed to be a seat of Satan. The Management of the Academy was under the control of idolaters.

It was as if Satan was saying: 'You try preaching Christ here, and you are going to be attacked!'. That reminded me of the phrase oft repeated in the Book of Revelation: 'The word of God and the testimony of Jesus'! If we really stand for the word of God, i.e. practise the word of God; and have the testimony of Jesus [which includes being a witness for the Lord] -- then we are going to face the attack of the enemy.

So there I was in this room, and this woman was being hysterical in her anger. She was indirectly referring to me. I did not open my mouth. I held my peace. All the while I was reading Psalm 91. What a powerful psalm. Oh, the word of God is so powerful, if only we exercise faith in it! And I was literally claiming every word in that Psalm by faith. I could sense the presence of the enemy.

It turned out that the woman was telling a pack of lies -- outrageous lies. What would have happened had I confronted her? She would have broken down into tears. I would have been made a fool. I held my peace. It takes God's strength to hold your peace.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Psalm 91. Thank you for Your powerful trustworthy word.

[Referring to an incident that took place up in the hills during April 2006, when I was witnessing for Christ.]