The Cry of a Saintly Man

   
                              The cry of a saintly man


Up now, slight man! Flee for a little while thy occupations;
hide thyself for a time from thy disturbing thoughts.
Cast aside now thy burdensome cares, and put away thy toilsome business.

Yield room for a some little time to God
and rest for a little time in HIm.
Enter the inner chamber of thy mind;
shut out all thoughts save that of God and such as can aid thee in seeking Him.
Speak now, my whole heart!
Speak now to God, saying I seek Thy Face,
Lord will I seek.

                   Anselm

Pain Could be a Blessing in Disguise

 It was one of those October afternoons in Madurai, South India in 1970’s when the sun was burning bright and wind was nowhere to be seen to blow on the Neem branches to make them sway and wave. Meanwhile, inside the building which was marked “Chemistry Lab,” on the outside door, fifteen women in their late teens with lab coats worn over colorful cotton saris were busy doing experiments at the bench stations or scurrying up and down the room with test tube or a beaker in hand to get the necessary reagent for their experiments. I was one among those final year chemistry major students in the room on that day.

Because our professor Miss.Rhine was away that afternoon, we were at ease to smile and exchange some funnies whenever possible. Always watching the clock on the wall and the supervising TAs walking around the room, we tried to some fun amidst tiring work and pungent smell of chemical fumes coming out of our experiments. Being on our feet and doing experiments all day long had been hard enough, but managing the time to finish the task in hand was a challenge to most of us in the room. Especially, to someone like me, who was slow and a perfectionist.  Time seemed to be running fast , and  It was then I realized I was running short of a reagent.

Quickly grabbing a small measuring jar off the rack, I hurried to the shelf on which stood strong acids and corrosive liquids. Scanning through the printed labels on the brown bottles across the shelf, I quickly spotted Phenol, the reagent I needed for my experiment.  The bottle being full, felt heavy when I took it off the shelf.  In my haste, I overlooked the nature of the liquid and tried to pour it into the narrow mouthed - cylinder from a rather heavy bottle. Result- the corrosive liquid quickly overflowed the cylinder and ran down my left arm within seconds.  At first, it felt like cold smoothy running down my arm; but, within seconds its coolness turned into vengeance and started to scorch my hand with intense pain. I felt as if my whole arm was set on fire and I was about to faint.

Quickly, the cry of those nearby alerted our lecturer and the TA to rush to my side and apply first aid. After my injured arm lavishly powdered down with baking soda like substance, I was rushed to a nearby hospital in a taxi with our college nurse. At the hospital, the wait was long and my pain became intense. Because my case was not life-threatening, the staff at the hospital let me wait till they attended to more serious ones. After sitting an hour or so on the hard wooden bench in the emergency room, I was finally called in to be seen by the doctor. The doctor quickly me a tetanus shot in the other arm and applied my left forearm from elbow to the wrist with a dark purple ointment. Painted in purple, my arm would have looked perfect to wave on a parade, but the scorching pain made me to whimper and groan instead.

Back in my room an hour later, I blurted out in a loud cry.  Far away from home, I longed for my mother’s touch and her gentle strokes on my back at such a time. I also longed for the company of my brothers and sisters, who would have tried to make me laugh and forget my pain by their humor and comical gesture at a time like this. On any other afternoon, especially,  after standing long hours in the laboratory, the gentle breeze coming through my wide open windows on the upper floor would have lulled me to sleep. But, not that afternoon. Utterly feeling alone and homesick, I cried out to the Lord in self-pity.

“ Lord, I’m in terrible pain. My whole arm is burning as if it’s set on fire. Why don’t you do something Lord? Please make the pain go away soon.”  I tried to remind Him of His promises and expected Him to make my pain go away at once.  No miracle took place. The pain remained intense and unbearable.

Then something strange happened. Suddenly my attention turned to the suffering of Jesus Himself on the cross. I began to see the pain He underwent on the cross, with huge iron nails piercing through his palms and feet, and a crown of thorns poking His head all around. What an agony, Jesus must have gone through at that time. In comparison, the pain in my arm was like a pin prick. If the Lord could endure such pain patiently for my sake, what am I wailing about? Why am I making a big fuss over a little pain in the arm. How much more Jesus should have complained of the terrible pain He underwent for you and me? To my surprise, the more I thought about it, the lesser I became aware of the pain in my arm.  In fact, the moment I took my eyes off myself and focused on Jesus, I felt my pain sliding away. Within minutes, the scorching pain left me without a trace.

Truly I couldn’t even believe it at first. But it did happen. The pain that was tormenting me all this time simply vanished. When I shared this experience with someone years later, she thought it might the injection the doctor gave me. I was told the shot the doctor gave me was a tetanus shot and not something for pain.  Even if the doctor had given me a pain killer shot, I doubt whether it would have brought me instant healing like this. We could call it a coincidence, medical intervention or a miracle. I would call it a miracle, for I had never experienced such an instant healing like that ever before or after.

 Yes, God has the power to heal us when we cry to Him in our need. But, His methods differ from time to time. Sometimes He does it miraculously; sometimes through medication and other times through changing our focus, hearts and circumstances.  God has His unique way of answering our prayers.

I also saw this incident as a blessing in disguise. Many in my resident hall, including my juniors, to whom I haven’t even uttered a “hello!” before, came to my aid when I needed to use my injured hand. Because I needed to keep that arm from getting wet to prevent any inflammation, I could only use my right arm. In our college at that time, we didn’t have the luxury of dishwasher or taps in our dining room or kitchen. We had to wash our own plates and tumblers by pumping water from the ground by hand.

So, when the girls in my hall found out about my injury, they offered their hands to help me wash my plate, carry my books, comb my hair, dress up in my sari, and making me comfortable in every way. Not only God enabled my pain to go away, He also opened my eyes to see the love and care of my fellow colleagues-Christians as well as Hindus.

This incident taught me a great lesson which I’ll never forget. When our eyes are on Jesus, our mindset seems to change. When our focus is on others’ needs than on our very own, our problem  seems to matter less.  What a better way to overcome pain and strife?***

The Radiant Face of Faith

                                  
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Romans 8:35

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding.”Proverbs 3:5

“My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn. I have thanked Thee for my roses, but not once for my thorn. Teach me the value of my thorn,” prayed the blind Scottish preacher George Matheson.

“If I had not lost my sight, I could never have written all the hymns God gave me” said Fanny Crosby, who wrote some of the best loved hymns of all time, including ‘Blessed Assurance’, ‘Blessed Redeemer’ and ‘To God Be the Glory!’

From the depth of a Nazi concentration camp, Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “No matter how deep our darkness is. He is deeper still.”

Who would have ever imagined for a poor cobbler like William Carey, with no formal education in theology, to take the gospel to India and get the Bible translated into forty different Indian languages?
Being poorly funded and unable to speak the native language, Carey and his family ended up living in a house amidst matted jungle swarmed with snakes and tigers. Disease in the new land caused his kids Ann, Lucy and Peter (all under age five) to die, and their loss plunged his wife into depression and to insanity.

Years later, when fire devoured his years of translation work in the printing press, Carey responded with tears brimming his eyes, “ How unsearchable are the ways of the Lord!...The Lord has laid me low that I may look more simply to Him.”

In such scenario, I would have pulled out my hair to baldness and drowned myself in the well of self-pity. But, Carey, amazed by God’s unique ways, wrote to his son William, “All our hopes must depend on the power and faithfulness of God. All His promises were made with a full intention that they should be fulfilled , and it’s our duty to live by faith, and to walk by faith.”

More than anything, what awed me the most was what Carey told the Scottish missionary Alexander Duff, on his death bed, when Duff went to visit him., “ Mr. Duff, you have been speaking about Dr.Carey….Dr.Carey …Dr.Carey. When I’m gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey—speak about Dr. Carey’s Savior.”

Today, in our success and recognition craving culture, I wonder how many of us would honestly radiate such humility and unshakable faith. Don’t we all want to stand in ovation before these giants of faith?

What was their secret? What made them so strong that neither hunger nor hardship nor blindness could separate them from God?

If we could read through their lives, we’d find a common link running underneath. They all had a kingdom perspective. Their eyes were focused on God, and not on their circumstances. They were aware of problems and roadblocks in their path, because Christ had already warned them about it.

“In this world, you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33b
They sought God for who He is, and not for what they could get from Him. They must have valued their quiet and quality time with God, more than the quantity time they spent in the name of service. Because they delighted in the Lord, whatever they did became a worship unto God.

Experiences have taught me to focus on the One, who answers prayers, rather than on the answers alone. It doesn’t matter whether my requests are granted, delayed or denied, my prime purpose of praying should be to know the heart of God and to dwell in His presence in utter adoration.

In Oswald Chambers’ words, “We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God’s grace.”***

A Mother's Prayer on Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day,
I thank You Lord for blessing me to be a mother of two lovely daughters,
 and for have given me a godly mother.

I pray this day,  whatever I'd learned from You and taught them
 they would wear like garlands around their necks to beautify them
.
They have seen my ups and downs,my strength and inadequacies
They have also  heard my prayers, heart desires and constant naggings

Guide them to choose the good and noble
And guard them from following any of my wrong and selfish doings.

Bless them with wisdom
And teach them how to wait on You in patience.

Let them learn to delight in You as I do
and dwell in Your faithfulness with confidence.

Waken their ears to listen to Your small voice
And direct them to walk in faith with no worry or fear.

Bless them to become godly mothers
and to carry the torch of love and faith

Help them to trust You for ever
And to pass down their faith to their children and to their children

 Yes Lord, it is this mother's prayer on this Mother's Day
that I ask You to bless me to have a godly generation down the  line.

How Big is Your God?

" How big is your God?" asked Robert Schuller facing his Crystal Cathedral congregation one Sunday. Since I  was watching the service on television, the question was thrown at me too. "Oh my God is sooooo big!" I felt like shouting and declare my faith, but then something stopped me.

 I could get all worked up and shout as much as I want to declare my faith, but do I truly display God's greatness in my daily walk?  How does the world see my God through me? Big or small? Almighty and powerful or small and invisible?

Some years ago, while driving through the rocky mountains in Alberta, Canada during the freezing month of February, my family and I were caught in the twirl of a winter blizzard. Blinding snow clouded our vision and its' anger shook our aged oldsmobile like a rattle and almost toppled  it over. In the back seat, our seven-year -old and eighteen -month -old daughters were sleeping like angels with smile shading their faces,undisturbed by the calamity outside. In front, my husband and I, who were thought to be great giants of faith, sat frozen in fear not knowing what to do next. Gladly, it occured to me to pray and that's what I did.

"O Lord, stop the blizzard! That's the shortest prayer I'd ever uttered. I doubt whether I expected God to stop such a monstrous winter storm instantaneously. But it did happen.  Yes, I saw the blizzard brought to a halt at once, and a wedge of blue sky widening  before my eyes. On that day, I witnessed a miracle happening just like the Jesus' disciples who witnessed the storm brought to a stop by the rebuke of Jesus. Here I didn't hear any audible voice halting the blizzard, but I saw the blizzard vanishing without a trace within a blinking moment. To me, it was so unbelievable that I teared up every time I thought of that incident.

Like many of you, I've experienced God's grace helping me out of trouble, sickness and danger at many times. However this incident stood like a pinnacle among them.  For a long time, I couldn't understand why this particular act of God stood out from all the other deliverance in my life. Then it hit me.

Even though I prayed, I hadn't expected God to come to my aid and stop the storm as Jesus did for His disciples on the boat.  In some way, I've thought my God is not big enough to whisk away a blizzard. Maybe in my mind, I've considered nature to be more powerful than the God I worship. In words, I may have praised Him to be great and all-powerful, but when disaster or distress blindens my path, I somehow forget the omnipotent vision of God.

Who knows, I would be even quick to defend myself if someone has pointed that to me, for I wouldn't have even realized it for myself.  Either I've seen myself too unworthy for God's intervention or God to be not too big enough to handle such a deadly winter blizzard. In either way, I'd been  wrong in my belief. If I'm a believer in Christ, God becomes my heavenly Father who is capable of delivering  His children when they cry out to Him for help.  On the other hand, God is also the creator of all creations.  Sun, moon, rain,thunder , wind and storm obey when He summons them.  So, it's my thinking that need to be corrected. Otherwise, my faith becomes just a talk, but not a walk!***

Today I received an announcement of a Liebster Award for my posting on this blog from Jan Cox, the owner of Under the Cover of Prayer site. Jan had written two devotionals and a number of articles for magazines and a Bible study
 She wrote -Just found this blog from a fellow Inscribe membr. She wrote a wonderful post on prayer called Precious Link to God: P-R-A-Y-E-R.
Remember to check out Jan Cox's blogs
http://underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com/
http://jancoxabetterway.wordpress.com/

Precious link to God-P-R-A-Y-E-R.

This morning when I woke up, it's still dark outside,but my bedside clock read 6.45  in bright red. Yes, it was another morning of hurried prayer uttered on knees, a quick shower and ten minutes dress up, devotional read, cereal instead of warm oatmeal with cinnamon and honey, grab the jacket and out the door. Yes, it was one of those late mornings you hate to get up to go to work. Worse, my hubby wanted to take a conference call and he needed to use the telephone on my desk. Result-I had to drag myself out of my bed to the dining table for my morning  devotions.

Let me not utter anything before I share what I read this morning from  my favorite devotional book Streams in  the Desert.  I want you to be blessed as I was when I read what prayer warriors like Andrew Muray and A.B. Simpson had told about Prayer.

"Do we know the power of our supernatural weapon? Do we dare to use it with the authority of faith that commands as well as asks? God baptizes us with holy audacity an ddivine confidence! He is not wanting great men, but He is wanting men who will dare to prove the greatness of their God. But God! But prayer!" A.B. Simpson

"Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think. Each time you intercede, be quiet first and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, of how He deligts to hear Christ, of your place in Christ; and expect great things. "Andrew Murray.

Can I expect great things with my kind of hurried prayer? Does my prayer look like a supernatural weapon or has the holy audacity and divine confidence these men talk about. I say nay, nay, and nay with great conviction. Prayer has lost its' power in my hands, in my circle and in the church of today. Why? Because we've either become too busy working for God or too busy working for us.

O God, Awesome and Almighty One,
Help us to wake up and see You as You want us to see Your power and majesty. You've so much to give us but we are too blind to see the divine inheritance You're provided us. It's only a prayer away the key to victory abides and yet we are so ignorant and power deprived because of our prayerless or quick-fix prayer life. Help us to become prayer warriors like Andrew Murray , A.B. Simpson and others like them, so that this world could witness what a powerful and mighty God You are. Amen.

Worry-The Worm that eats us alive

Worry, just the mention of the word make me weary and mournful. Like a gnawing bad tooth that need to be pulled out ,worry need to be pulled out firm and whole for us to know the joy of living. Life without worry is sure to be wonderful. Yet, we choose to worry. Why? Maybe it has become a second nature to us from the time of the Fall in the garden of Eden.

From the moment, Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit in the garden, worry entered without permission to displace the joy and contentment she enjoyed with Adam at that place. Worry made her drag Adam along and hide under the bushes to get away from God's sight and wrath. Worry does make us do stupid things and get frantic in panic.

The have- nots worry of not having enough to spend and survive, while those who have, worry about how to secure what they have from losing them.
The homeless worry they don't have a house to call their home, while those housed in mansions worry they have no free time to enjoy the luxury of the houses they've acquired.
The unmarried worry of not getting married at all, while the married worry about how to keep their marriage happy and secure.
The unemployed worry about not finding a job, while the employed worry about keeping the job and toiling long hours.
Some women worry about not getting pregnant, while some others worry when they become pregnant.
Funny it may sound, but it's true that we start to worry when we haven't got anything at all to worry about. It's no secret worry depletes our enthusiasm to enjoy life, drains our energy, degrades our confidence and delay and destroy our opportunity to do anything productive. Still, we give into worry.

So, how do we get out of this menace called worry?
Pray, ponder, prioritize, release and rest.
Pray about everything you fear and worry about.
If you worry about not having enough to make ends meet or about your future, , go to the One who saidl
"For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you."
"What if?" is the question we raise most often and tend  to imagine the worst possible scenerio and starts to worry.

But, if we trace back the record of things we worried about in the past,  we'd  realize that  most of the things we were anxious about hardly came to pass. In vain we had wasted our God given time on worrying, instead of doing something productive. So, the next time the " What if " question strikes you, be courageous enough to slap it with the question, 'So, what?"

As long as we trust in God's goodness and faithfulness, we need not give into the habit of worrying.
"Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Mathew 11:28.

If in doubt, look back on some darkened pages in your life and see whether God had ever failed you.
He may have allowed you to go through some difficult periods, but you survived and came through stronger and better to handle and share your story for others benefits.That should give you the reason not to worry but to rest in the Lord.

Thirdly, we need to learn to prioritize the things in our lives. Stuff and busyness stews worry which in turn morphs into stress. We need God's wisdom to know what is valuable and worthy to spend our time on and distract the unneeded and unworthy activities from our to do list. By doing so, we save time, energy, marriage, family, and store them up for contentment.

Instead of being Worriers, let us prepare ourselves to become Warriors of Prayer and Faith. When we do, we become show pieces of God's faithfulness.***

Pain, Prayer and Praise

Why, why and why, that's what I asked God when I heard that Leela acca, my highschool teacher and closest neighbor in my hometown forty years back was hospitalized and was much in pain in Edmonton, Canada. Two months hadn't passed since her husband died and caring for him  an year when he was almost bed-bound, must have made her not only grief-stricken but exhausted too.

No wonder, she took the invitation of her friend and went away from Toronto for a month or so to get over her sorrow and loneliness. Never would have she imagined what was in store for her during the holidays in Edmonton. It was there, suddenly she developed an unbearable pain and was rushed to hospital and underwent an emergency surgery for perforated intestine. Not a good thing to happen, a serious one too.

If it have been one surgery, it would have been bearable, but  she has had atleast three abdominal surgeries within a week or two. I never knew about her serious condition until a week ago and that's when I took a call to the hospital and was able to talk to her. She sounded so frail and in much pain. She wasn't a person who complains, but the pain must have been so severe that she talked nothing else, but about her pain. That night after talking to her, I couldn't sleep. I almost felt her pain and sadness. She hasn't got her husband beside her for comfor. Having no children and siblings, she must have felt lost and saddenened on top of the physical pain. That's why I cried out to God asking why, why and why.

If she had fallen ill like this in Toronto, her her friends and neigbbors and her husband's nieces and nephews would have been around her doing whatever help they could do. But in Edmonton? I don't know how many people she even know there. Friends and relations may not be able to fly over there to be with her even if they want to. Maybe one or two may go, but how long could they stay. Why should it happen this way? In her condition, she wasn't allowed to fly by commercial plane she was told. To charter a flight and go, it would cost at least $ 50,000. she had found out. It didn't seem right. And it didn't seem fair.

After all she's a sincere Christian, always ever ready to help those in need. How many of her relatives in Sri Lanka she had helped and even helping. She and her husband were in charge of an orphanage when the war in the country was at the peak. The village they stayed was under crossfire and threat of looting, gun shots and , hunger faced them constantly. There was no reason for them to stay there with the orphans. If chosen, they could have abandoned them and gone somewhere else for their safety. But they didn't. They stayed for the sake of those children. They ate what they ate. Once she told us that they make a huge pot of rice porridge everyday and that's what they ate morning , noon and night. In that war climate, things were scarce to buy and money was short. They could feel snakes slithering underneath their mats at night while they are sleeping and once her husband, a heart patient got a chest pain and not having any help around or medication to get for the pain, she had given him his old medication, the expired date one.

 Prayer was the only thing that kept us alive and gave the strength to keep going in such a time, she used to say. Such was her faith and obedience to God. And that's why I asked him, why Lord now and why in Edmonton and not in Toronto where she has friends and neighbors to help.

God knows much better than any of us and his reason, I may never fathom. But think of it, Edmonton may have been a better choice , when it comes to access to doctors and medical care. I wonder whether she could have had similar or better care there, knowing well of the long delays for doctors appointments. She seems to be well satisfied with the nursing care she's getting and I understand she's in a private ward.

Probably paid by her husband's niece or nephew. For sure Leela acca won't be having funds or insurance for such things. Even though she has no children or siblings, she's blessed to have loved ones who care for her.
I'm glad that I asked Emma to go and visit her at the hospital and let me know her condition. That itself would show Leela acca that we care and she's loved. I haven't stopped praying for her eversince I talked to her at the hospital. Emma told me that she needs lots of prayers and she has included Leela acca's name in her prayer group's list. It's nice of Emma to do that. Sweet as she is, she's a dear friend who prays and have a listening ear for others.

I pray that God's miraculous power will heal this woman of faith and give her a speedy recovery so that she could travel back home without much delay. God, you answer prayers and you've answered many of hers and mine. We  stand in faith for healing to come through to her. Amen.