Psalm 121

"I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalms 121:1-2 (NIV)

Just came back from an evangelistic meeting. Our church titled the event, "Praises in Suffering Times". How appropriate, I thought. I mean, there must at least some people who are suffering. And oh how they need to hear the gospel. But not for me. Nope. I'm fine. I'm dandily fine. I think... Am I?

Driving back, I was listening to Pastor Neil Rhodes preaching, and he touched on one point that I used to always overlook. He was saying how important it was for Christians to be more fervent in prayer when EVERYTHING was going good in our lives. I mean, the less problems or obstacles we have, the more we need to pray. I tend to do the opposite...

I then begin to look at my life. Currently, I have everything that I need. Spiritually, I feel that I'm doing my best for God. But I know that God still desires more for me. And by more, I mean, that God's plan and purposes for my life, has not even begin to reveal itself to me at this point. I'm beginning to sense that God wants more than just faithfulness in church-going, or church involvement. He wants more than just a sharing of the gospel out of convenience. I beginning to feel that God wants, at least from me, a life that is so desperately in need of Him. And to tell the truth, at this moment, I'm not in desperate need of Him. Why? Because I have all that I need. I have a home, a car, a job. I have friends and families. And I know that it is not God's will to take this away from me to suffer me, but rather, to bring me into a more abundant life than I could offer to myself. Therefore, there's a fear in me, because I know that what I have right now, will soon be taken away from me. I'm not sure how, nor when, but I'm convinced that it will happen sooner or later. But then again, there's a sense of excitement in all this. It's as though even when I lose all that I have, but yet, I'm beginning to understand that it is all these things that are preventing me from experiencing an even greater joy than the world could ever offer.

At this moment, I speak of things that are still very much unknown to me. I have no clue of how things will unravel. But this I know, that God is on my side. I can see with my mind's eye how people could turn their backs on me and cause me harm, however, I know that God's still my help. It makes more sense now when the Psalmist who wrote the 121st Psalm, proclaimed in those simple words, "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."

"Father, I thank You for blessing me with the good things in life. But Lord, I know that sometimes, these things can take our eyes away from You. I would rather Lord, lose all these things than lose You. So Lord, have your way in me. Show me O God Your power, that I might have the eyes of my heart opened, and realize that all things on earth are only temporal, but only You and Your word, is eternal. I pray Lord Jesus that You would take me beyond these words, and into the realm where Your understanding is engraved onto my heart, that I would not just say and believe it, but to also live it out. In Jesus' name, amen."