Razi Grew!

After a tiring rehearsal with Vertical Rush, we were ready to pack up and head off for dinner when Jean - who was helping out on vocals with us - suddenly said we should pray for Razi - who is a longtime friend of ours and who also runs the practice studios that we rehearse at.

Now I have to tell you what mental state i was in. I was pretty grouchy by the time practice was over. I had to wake up a bit early in the morning (anytime before lunchtime on Sunday is early for me), and practice was pretty rough. We only managed to run through a third of the songs we wanted to do and we wasted a lot of time. Not only that, for some reason my guitar amp wouldn't work, and I had to drag another amp in from the other studio. To make matter worse, the vocals PA kept feeding back, my guitar sounded really awful and I ended up getting more and more frustrated through practice. By the time we ended practice, i was literally ready to bite someone's head off!

in any case, i gathered up what little was left of my good humour and head out with jean and esmond, not quite knowing what to expect, or what i was going to get myself into. we bundle razi out of the noisy studio into the *scape corridor. we make esmond and razi stand side by side and mark their arms with a sharpie.



after that, jean, esmond and myself laid hands on razi's legs and start to pray some really simple prayers. all this while my right brain was going like, oh man what if this doesn't work?!? sure very malu - not just for us but for Jesus as well. then my left brain was like - oh, even if there's a difference it'll probably be parallax error or something that could be rationalised away.

such a man of faith i am.

anyway even as we are praying, i could feel razi's leg growing. i laid my hand on his kneecap and notice its positioned right over the edge of the couch he was sitting on. when we finished praying for him, it looked like his knee was clear of the edge of the couch. i'm still thinking it might be parallax error at this point.

when we get esmond and razi to stand side by side, the results are just absolutely mind-boggling.



no way that could be parallax error. thank you Jesus. thank you Jesus. You've just totally taken me to school again about what living in faith really means.

back to the story: i basically went ballistic at that point. i totally had no clue that the results would be so clear, so obvious. in hindsight, its easy to say "duh, of course it would be this obvious. i mean, its GOD we're talking about right?" but at the time i was just going "WHOA!" at the top of my voice. i was completely stunned!


i think razi is still in a state of shock at how much he's grown! we said good bye and we hugged - as we did that i prayed for him again, and i could just feel him shaking and i could feel his heart racing.

this totally made my day. and i hope it did for razi too.

Reflections on Psalms 4

Thoughts:

1) v1 : Even King David laments and complains to God, Reminds me that its fine to be real to God.

2) v5:  Study Bible says that to God, our attitude of submission and obedience is more important than the actual sacrifice. Reminds me that there is more to "doing and serving".

3) v6 - 7: These verses remind me that trusting in the Lord is the key to joy. Many times, I worry and think too much of things around, career, future, house, etc. Trusting in the Lord yields a joy that is "greater" than "that of the world". The former is dependent on God, who is never changing and perfect, whilst the latter is dependent on the "grain and new wine" which is temporal. v7 - God alone makes us dwell in safety, this reminds me of God's sovereignty and that He is truly in control.

Olie

Reflections on Psalms 4

This psalm is often considered as a prayer for relief after a calamity. To me, though I'm not going through a period of distress or calamity, it is an assurance to know that God will always hear me when I call out to him (v3). Sometimes, I run out of patience when I ask God for something, some truth, some justice to be instilled, but yet I 'see' (physically) nothing happening. My tendency is to then take charge and work it out on my own. I find that my lack of patience can be a potential hindrance from seeing God's answers revealed in my life. And this lack of trust and tendency to be self-sufficient is something I need to work on.

(v4)'In your anger do not sin, when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.'

It is always a timely reminder or even warning to me regarding what I should do or not do when in anger; not anger in explosive spurts but mostly brewing displeasure/s that can be equally lethal. I am an escapist by nature and often shy away from confrontations of all sorts, and as a result, I do realise that I tend not to want to search my heart to discover my naked feelings as they make me real uncomfortable and uneasy. This verse reminds me to face up to the 'search' process that will allow me to be transparent with God, albeit an uneasy task. But I believe this step is crucial so that I don't harbour bitter sentiments that may brew and even fester into something worse. I'm reminded of the need to make right with God in terms of my every emotion and even the people that I may have been offended or whom I have offended.

Sharon

Psalm 4 - Marcus

In your anger do not sin

Its so easy to let emotions take over, to let emotions be an excuse for acting inappropriately. Its so easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment, to do something that doesn't please God, and try to brush it away or justify it by saying that it was "situational", that this case was "different". But the fact is, God's Word is not "situational", His Truth doesn't differ in every situation. It is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow, and it is uncompromising, unchanging.

There is no excuse for giving in to sin, and we should always be mindful not to let our lips or our actions let loose that which does not glorify the Lord, no matter how hard the circumstances are, no matter how irritating some people may be, or how stupid the situation may seem. God's Word still holds true for every person and circumstance. And as His Children we are called to do likewise - to be as God is, full of grace and love. However small or however challenging, we are to be God's people of grace.

You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound

Its also very easy to get caught up in the things of the world. The temporary, transient pleasures. To let these things distract ourselves from what is most important, from the one thing that truly gives the greatest joy. The things of the world give happiness - but that in itself is transient, fleeting, momentary - the things of God give joy, a deep lasting and unshakeable sense that all is as it should be, such that even in the midst of the storm we can celebrate and praise God. That's real joy.

We are challenged to think about why we spend money on that which is not bread, and labour on that which does not satisfy (Isaiah 55:2). Many a time in my life, I've spent nights partying and doing things that I shouldn't have, or which ultimately didn't satisfy. And I'd return home to the four walls in my room, and sink to the floor in despair feeling empty and joyless. God changed all that. He truly satisfies. And I'm still discovering new depths of how He can satisfy, and how His joy has transformed me.

God truly satisfies. And whilst He does allow us to find happiness in things, in people, in activities, He also wants us to know and embrace His joy. May we learn how to lean on Him for strength, courage, and joy in our lives, and not look to people, things or circumstances.

Reflection on Psalm 3

Reflection on Psalm 3 (I know im so so late)...

I think this Psalm really speaks of God's grace and mercy. Even during times of trouble, God is never far from us.

1) He is our shield- protection and favour

2) He answers us- He listens and continue to converse with us

3) The Lord sustains us- He will give us the strength we need

4) From the Lord comes delieverance - He wont leave us in the lurch and He will deliver us

Application:

I know and believe that no matter how tough a situation may be, God is never far. He will still be there to listen and provide us with His strength. His grace and mercy will always be evident and ultimately, He will deliver us.

Brings me back the my verse of the year:

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1: 2-4

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Leaning on the Lord,

Evie

Reflections on Psalm 3

Would like to apologize for not posting earlier, many things have been going on, and I also wanted to read up on the background of Psalm 3 before posting my reflections. Unfortunately, that took a lot of time to think through.



Personally, reading this psalm tells me a lot more about the psalmist's attitude than about God himself. It's a little frustrating when one is looking to learn about God without having to go through the psalmist and the emotion he pours into the psalm, and for awhile I felt like I identified more with people who have no understanding about why we are willing to have faith in Him than with being someone who truly knows God.

I suppose it's something we all have to go through periodically, so that when we finally recognize God's participation in our lives, it becomes truth and real knowledge, not merely blind faith. Anyway, thankfully, the psalm had a preceding description - "A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom." So I turned to 2 Samuel 15-18 to read the story behind the psalm.

To briefly summarize, Absalom was David's son, he took over David's throne by conspiracy, and later set out to kill David. Thus, David had to flee for his life, and along the way, he discovered many people who turned against him. Some of his trusted advisors, his men, and his friends were among these people.

Given his situation, David had every reason to despair and question God, yet he still chose to put his faith in God and expressed it in a psalm. And what really stands out in 2 Samuel 15-18 is that David received everything that he had declared in faith within Psalm 3. I've decided to leave further details on above to the end of this entry, otherwise this will eb very long.

My personal takeaway from this is that God rewards us for both our faith in Him and the subsequent actions undertaken out of that faith. Such actions don't have to be very significant or visible, it could be as simple as choosing to praise Him despite not feeling like we want to. The most important thing to know is that living out our faith is THE condition we need to satisfy in order claim His blessings.



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List of ways in which God answered David's declarations within the psalm in 2 Samuel 15-18. Verses listed are from the Psalm.

v3. "you bestow glory on me and lift up my head."
- God restored his status as king, both officially and in the hearts of his people.

v4. "To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill."
- God sent many others who were willing to follow him and flee with him or take his instructions to do what they could while Absalom was in power. When we think about David's position, it's actually a very lonely one - can anyone else understand what it means to receive such betrayal from a son, especially for a king? Yet God never left Him alone, and He showed it by allowing David to meet people who supported Him.

v5. "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me."
- I'm not sure if we can fully understand David's plight, imagine running long distance with great fear for your life and the others with you. But God sustained David so that he covered a great distance as he fled.

v6. "I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side."
- One interesting thing I noticed in 2 Samuel 15-18 is that David still undertook actions against Absalom's plans. For instance, he had people within the palace tell him of Absalom's plans, and frustrate Absalom's advisors' advice, even though he had no guarantee that God would indeed return him to the throne. Indeed, though David feared the results of Absalom taking the throne, he still had the courage to plan against Absalom and eventually planned a battle Absalom's men.