A lesson on prayer!

Praise God!! For He had answered my prayer once again!! Hee Hee!! Well, yesterday night, me and my girlfriend (Xueling) planned to go cycling at East Coast Park this afternoon. So, i told her to pray that there will be sunshine and no rain. I woke up early in the morning at 0530 to pray and spend time with God. Of course, I asked God for a wonderful weather so that I may have a wonderful cycling trip with Xueling.

In the afternoon, it started to rain heavily in my estate. But in my mind, i trust that God had heard my prayer and the rain did not cause me to doubt. Before i went out of my house to meet Xueling, I saw my umbrella and i thought "should i bring?... Na! God will answer my prayer!" I even brought out my sunglasses as I prayed that there will be sunshine. Ha Ha! Praise be to God! Once we reached East Coast, the rain stopped! The sun shone and the weather was cool! What a wonderful God we had! He listens to our prayer if we have faith in Him!

For Xueling, she learned a wonderful lesson on prayer today. Pray without doubting! During her quiet time with God this morning, God spoke to her on this issue. I quote her,

"I was reading John 17.... abt Jesus praying for His disciples.. and He asked God to protect the disciples cos He cant do it anymore (as He is going to the Cross), and after praying, he went to Mount of Olives, where He was arrested and the fulfillment of His earthly purpose began. What struck me was that He had a burden and He prayed... After praying, He was fully assured that God had heard and will answer His prayer accordingly and left for Mount Olives with his burden lifted. So I reflected, do I truly believe in what I pray? and the answer is NOT ALWAYS, because there are times when I pray and there will be a small voice within that doubts. Thus, the Lord showed me that my prayers are not effective. As written in James 1: 7-9 -That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. "

And God is good! He gave her an experience to illustrate what He said to her in the morning. I remember her asking me to bring umbrella when she saw the rain and told me that she will get drenched in the rain. She doubted her own prayer as she prayed in the morning that it will not rain in the afternoon. I, on the other hand, believed that my prayer has been heard and will be answered accordingly. And God be the glory, prayer was answered!!! Thank God that He is always patient to teach us what we lack in, and in Xueling’s case, faith to believe in EVERY prayer that she makes, be it over trivial matters (like the weather) or for His purposes to be fulfilled.

The morale of the story, PRAY! And pray without doubting! Prayer is a means for God to change our life. Our daily communion with Him in our secret closet allows Him to change us and mold us. That is if we pray. Most of us neglect the importance of prayer. We are just too lazy to pray, we find it a chore, we find it tiring, we rush through our meeting with Him, worst, some of us do not even pray! I do hope that my testimony will help you all to see the importance of prayer in our life. Prayer bring us back into dependency on God, it help us develop a RELATIONSHIP with Him, it allows God to change us and bring us to where He want us to be - His destiny for us.

" Therefore i exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet life in all godliness ans reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our saviour,... I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting holy hands, without wrath and doubting." 1 Tim 2:1-3, 8

For the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!

In G12 meeting last Wed, the Lord's word for us is to "grow in wisdom by doing good deeds with humility" ! This wisdom gained will help us to overcome the challenge of busyness to our faith in Christ. So, the good deed that God prompted me to do is to make my mum happy.

Some background story on my relationship with my mum, we had never really talk to one another since I was in primary school. The reason is because i hold resentment against her and there is a barrier between me and her. What happen was that she was always busy with work, because she have to feed me, my aunties and my grandma. She will always work from night till day and i never get a chance to see her. I will always have to sleep alone in the house (I'm the only child, my mum and dad divorced), fearful of the dark and the weird noises out in the kitchen. Will always hide in the blanket with a torch light waiting for my mum to come back. Well, the fact is that i never get to see her. By the time i went school in the morning, she was not home yet. I always understand why she could not be there for me, she have so many people to take care of and that's why she have to work very hard through the night. But the hurt is there. As years goes by, resentment grew into action... i stop sharing my life with her, i never talk to her. I'll just shut myself in the room whenever she is at home.

In responds to God instruction, I ask my mum out for breakfast this morning. I gave her a ride on the bicycle to the nearest Mac. (Hoping that she will feel happy, as i never done it before) I started asking her about her life, about what she is doing. Then we talk about God (my mum believe that all God is the same). I urged my mum to read the bible, hoping that God will show her His way in saving the world. She is extremely passionate in helping the poor and her heart is compassionate for the lost. But she is using her own knowledge. Then, i told her about the resentment i had towards her. We had a heart to heart talk. Now, i feel that there is a new beginning in my relationship with my mum. And I'm very happy about it.

And i give thanks to God for His wonderful work in my life, I'm really grateful to Him. I'm still very amazed by His love for me. By obeying God's instructions for us, we will receive His blessing, in my case, God renew my relationship with my mum and open a door for my mum to know of God's salvation for men. Therefore, if you love the Lord, obey Him. Our faith in God is dead if we do act upon His word. " Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead' James 2:17.

Lastly I would like to encourage every brother and sister in Christ to pray, for God has call us to "for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people" Isa. 56:7 and we are to pray unceasingly (1 Thess. 5:17). When we work, we work- but when we pray, God works! Therefore if we are committed to win soul for Christ, we ought to pray unceasingly so that we can move the hands of God to win the soul of our unsaved parents, relatives and friends. We by our strength cannot accomplish much, but with God, we can win the world for Him!

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Matt 7:7 "The strongest one in Christ's kingdom is he who knock the best,and the secret of success in Christ's kingdom is the ability to pray."
(E.M. Bounds)

The reason for blogging

29 June 2006, is the day I finally touched down on Singapore after an unwilling trip to Brunei. I bought nothing over there, as there is really nothing to buy. But I did brought back something that change my life... WORMS!!!

After I came back, I felt sick.. feeling nausea, bloated and diarrhea. Went to the GP 3 times and seen my MO 1 time... no cure. Went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) A&E, took a course of antibiotic and I thought that I'll be well soon. I was wrong. Went back to TTSH A&E 1 week later, the doctor told me to wait about 3 weeks for a specialist appointment. I thought to myself "3 weeks!!! Will I be able to survive till then!" After 1 week, my mind could not endure the torture of going toilet at least 5 times a day, nausea and having no appetite any longer. I made my way to see my MO again to ask him to push forward my specialist appointment date..

To cut the story short, I end up back in TTSH A&E and for the first time in my life, I went into the observation ward. There I was, puking gastric juices ( no appetite) and having adominal pain that is unbearable. The doctor say its not serious enough to admit me in immediately. So they made me wait for 2 days to go CDC. ( Communicable Disease Centre ) *sounds like I have some scary disease* 3rd August 2006, my birthday. Still suffering.. the pain is more severe.. went to the toilet more often.. made Xueling cry, (she was so worried) I BEGAN TO PRAY. Asked Xueling to pray for me, I brought out my guitar and I START WORSHIPING GOD in the midst of my pain. TA DA!!! I was not healed. But I received a birthday present that day.

4th August 2006, warded into CDC, for the first time in my life I was warded into hospital. I suffered in pain for the first 2 and day 2 night. I prayed in the middle of the night to ask God to take away my pain.(I wish I could die) But He was silent. I lost 8kg and lots of sleep. I looked like a dead man walking. 6th August 2006, my girlfriend left me a book "Growing Deep In God" by Rev Edmund Chan to read. My life changed on that day. The next day, I was diagnosed with Hook Worm infection and I was discharge on National day.

The reason for blogging is for me to share with everyone my spiritual walk with God, to testify His great love to everyone and that He may be glorified in my testimonies. On my birthday, God heard my prayer. He knew what is the greatest gift for me. A "Burning Bush" An encounter with God that is life changing. The whole event of "Hook Worm Infection" is the "Burning Bush". I met God there and he touched me, therefore I'm changed. God taught me that suffering is a reminder for us to realise that we need to depend on God.

Physical suffering reminds me of the God that heal, the God who love us unconditionally. It make me want to depend on Him. I believe that most of us be it christian or non christian, when we are suffering, we pray. When we are suffering from heavy debt, we pray. When suffering from life failure, we pray. When all else in the physical realm fail us, we seek the spiritual realm. Interestingly this is how God made us. He wants us to seek Him and depend on Him through our cries, our prayer! Quoting from Rev Edmund Chan book "Growing Deep in God"
"Prayer is theologically significant - not for what it can do for us, but more for what it can bring back to us! Prayer bring us back to God. It answer the cry of our creation"
Yes! God want us to pray so that we can be brought back to God!

After I encountered God, He stir my heart to dedicate my life to be a life of prayer. So that I might build a close relationship with Him. In obedience, I now wake up before day break to pray (about 5am). This is very difficult for me as I'm a lazy and I love to sleep! But by God's grace, I've succeed for 4 morning and I have faith that I'll be able to do it till the end of my days. The experience I had for the past 4 morning is great! God gave me a renewed spirit that I do not have for the past 5 years!
In the last 5 years away from God, i withdrew myself away from God and from the community. I tried to relied on myself in everything i do. There were a few times where i try to return to God but i just could not. I just could not open my heart again to the community of God and God Himself. But through this encounter with God, my heart open almost immediately! I felt free in Jesus Christ again! A big thank you for those who have been faithfully praying for me and especially God who never let go of me!

Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ,I encourage you to dedicate your life to be a life of prayer so that you may grow deep in God. Ask God for the Holy Spirit whom He willingly give (Luke 11:13)to teach us how to pray. For it is the Holy Spirit that guide and empower us in our prayers.

i praise God for all His good works in our life and i give thanks to God for every moment that He gave me!
*please pardon my poor command of english and made u read such a long story... i hate writing essay!! = P