The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Today, I am thinking particularly of alumni who are weary and heavy-laden with many cares and challenges. Some of you are actually very discouraged with ministry/market-place work/homemaking, health issues, family concerns and life in general. You feel that God has distanced himself from you and you are all alone. Regardless of how you are feeling right now, can you hold on to God’s promises even though nothing has changed? Because the God we worship is a faithful God. He remains true to himself at all times. He will never go back on His word. Whatever he promises, it will come to pass, not according to our timetable, but according to His perfect kairos time.
Let me take you through some of these precious promises in the Psalms.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:8)
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (Psalm 55:22)
My flesh and my strength may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:28)
No matter how hard it may be to heal your heart, there will come a day that you will get through your hurt. (Psalm 30:5, The Good News)
These are only a fraction of God’s faithful promises. Take a hold of these wonderful unchanging truths that come from our eternal unchanging and loving Father-God. Know that the LORD loves you deeply and is at work in you though you cannot see it. God will always be there for you and he will always love you despite what you are going through. This too will one day come to an end and you will be able to see things more clearly…
I want to close with a testimony of one alumnus (graduated in 1985, SOTE), who lost his beloved son in 2016. Pastor Clarence Goh has been serving the Lord for 50 years and it was heartbreaking for him and his wife to lose their eldest son who was at that time serving the Lord as a music minister. Through this deep crisis, the Lord carried them through these past years, without a day going by, when they do not feel the pain and loss of Joel. Out of this experience, Pastor Clarence was able to write a devotional book on Joshua –?CALLED TO SOAR.
In his words, this book is?a compilation of principles gleaned from the Book of Joshua concerning living and overcoming life….In this book are the principles to help us navigate through the ups and downs of life in this journey till we finish it victoriously with the Lord.?(page 11).
Now unto him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever, Amen.?(Jude 24-25).
