While I was still in prison in the courtyard, the LORD's message came to me again. The LORD, who made the earth, who formed it and set it in place, spoke to me. He whose name is the LORD said, "Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvellous things that you know nothing about.
"I, the LORD, the God of Israel, say that the houses of Jerusalem and the royal palace of Judah will be torn down as a result of the siege and the attack. Some will fight against the Babylonians, who will fill the houses with the corpses of those whom I am going to strike down in my anger and fury. I have turned away from this city because of the evil things that its people have done.
"But I will heal this city and its people and restore them to health. I will show them abundant peace and security. I will make Judah and Israel prosperous, and I will rebuild them as they were before. I will purify them from the sins that they have committed against me, and I will forgive their sins and their rebellion.
"Jerusalem will be a source of joy, honour, and pride to me; and every nation in the world will fear and tremble when they hear about the good things that I do for the people of Jerusalem and about the prosperity that I bring to the city."
--Jeremiah 33:1-9 (TEV)
The PKV's recent Committee Planning Retreat (CPR) at Gracehill Lodge, Bukit Tinggi, went well. (See pictures here.)
We have our theme and objectives for 2008/2009, and as to what that theme is, it's a surprise! All I can say at the moment is that LEGO bricks probably fit in the picture somewhere.
I'm writing this because a few days ago, I was reading Jeremiah 33. It happens that we chose for one of our objectives the supporting verse Jeremiah 33:3 (Call to me...), and I basically structured my devotions over the last few days around the verses we chose for the objectives.
It occurred to me that the Jeremiah passage quoted above somewhat sums up what our thrust for the coming year will be:
Building the city of God and living out the forgiveness which is its foundation.
Calling to God and listening to Him as He helps us make sense of what's going on around us.
Being a source of joy and honour to the nations.
Two songs come to mind at this point. The first is 'Rebuild' by Switchfoot, Relient K and Ruth. The second is 'God's Got An Army':
God's got an army, marching through the land
Deliverance is their song, with healing in their hands
Everlasting joy and gladness in their hearts
And in this army I've got a part.
And that's what the theme means to me really; about the unity in this army, the joy and the healing and the gladness we are called to carry to each other and to those outside the army. The sort of paradoxical army of a paradoxical kingdom; a kingdom whose King will not stay buried.
A kingdom whose power is not so much that there is no more death or hurt in it, but that the death cannot kill and the hurt can no longer cause pain.
It will be a season that calls for much change in our attitudes, I believe. And just this morning, I read these words on Sacred Gateway.
When we meet Jesus in prayer, we do not need to explain. He reads our hearts too. One of the joys of prayer is that it opens our hearts to us, so that we realise our own jealousies or resentments, our deeper feelings. To meet him in this way, we need to be still and stop making words.
Perhaps it is hardest for those like me (and maybe some of us) who are almost naturally wordy. Yen laughed at me (and with good reason, I believe!) when I said I thought of staying low-profile when the next semester begins, such that the incoming juniors would have to ask, "Who is Benjamin?"
But half a year down as Prayer Head, I realise this is probably what I need to change most of all. I need to be quieter that I may listen; I need to be quieter that I may write and reflect well. Above all, I need to be quieter because my rather active lifestyle is really taking quite a bit out of me, and God knows I need the stamina for the real work.
* * * * *
Four animals: four reminders.
The snake and fruit amidst the bushes reminds me of Satan's destructive activity and how he aims to lay siege on the City of God, of the power of his temptation and how he tries to make us forget our place in the garden.
The dogs at the entrance of the house remind me that God calls us to be faithful, loving and trusting, even as one family in one household. Of all the animals in the world, the dog is called man's best friend and is the reverse spelling of 'God'.
The wasps remind me of the importance of unity and teamwork in the body of Christ, for which Christ prayed in Gethsemane. In some ways the leaf that gives them shade against the sun reminds me of the vine God caused to grow for Jonah; of His grace in our weakness.
The lizard reminds me to be patient and still, to wait upon the Lord at all times. Reptiles, being cold-blooded, rely upon heat from the surroundings to 'activate' the enzymes in their bodies; likewise I am reminded to 'lean not upon my own understanding' (Prov. 3:5).
And I think, like the animals, we learnt (at least in part) what it means to depend on God's providence. Following Entangled, Adrian of the PKV called God the 'God of the Red Sea' because so many 'Red Seas' had parted in the run-up to the musical and also throughout the semester.
Following CPR, it dawned upon me that the Red Sea was only the beginning of the trials; the Israelites had only begun to experience God's power. The real testing would come in the desert, and the most miraculous providence would also come then.
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
--Deuteronomy 8:2-5 (NIV)
God provided for us in Bukit Tinggi; we had just enough electricity, an amazing variety of garden plants to supplement our cooking, a relatively complete kitchen, a good balance of rain and shine (and an experience of what someone called 'God taking photographs', i.e. thunder and lightning)...
And a whole lot more fun than we thought we'd have (read: piano, drum set and swimming pool with diving platform)!
So we've crossed the Red Sea; the desert lies ahead, and beyond that the Promised Land. May we not forget these lessons even in the coming semester.
(All photos taken at Gracehill, except wasps taken at the entrance to the adjacent private property. These were about all the animals we saw, barring occasional birds; I forgot to shoot the leeches... argh!)
