Through the injustices and anger attack (Psalm 73 and 37)

In Psalm 73, we can read that Asaph was struggling with the feeling of being treated injustice. In Psalm 73:1, He stated his knowledge that God is good to those who are pure in heart. However, the injustice that he felt made him question many things, that in Psalm 73:13, he felt in vain in keeping his heart pure. In Psalm 73:16, he stated how difficult is for him to comprehend and understand the situation. Maybe, at this stage, he is thinking about how can this happen? Who's in charge? Is there anything that can change this? In Psalm 73:21-22, he stated how bitter he was and how his heart felt pierced within, which makes him like a brute beast. I can assume that he might have had an anger attack, in which his feeling was overwhelmed, his heart rate increased, his body was tense, and it was very difficult to control his emotion.

Anger is a natural reaction to feeling injustice, not only in humans [1, 2]. While our feeling might not be according to reality, if this feeling comes, we need to address it. We learned from Asaph that he found his peace not by trying to understand, but by entering the sanctuary of God (Psalm 73:17). In Psalm 73, God is not angry or disappointed with his angry reaction to injustice. God's response toward Asaph is assuring him that:

• God is always with him
• God holds his hand
• God guides him with His counsel
• God will take him into glory
• God is his strength
• God is his portion
• God is his refuge

This makes Asaph depends on God, desires God, wants to be near God, and tell His deeds.

From Psalm 37, we can learn how David face injustice:

• He trusts God
• He does good things
• Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture
• Take delight in the Lord
• Trust and hope that God will give the desires of your heart, will make us shine, will inherit the land
• Commit our way to the Lord
• Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him
• Refrain from anger

Jesus has died for our sin. That is unjust for Him, but He did it because He truly loves us.

1. https://youtu.be/meiU6TxysCg

2. https://youtu.be/6qTiGlCxrIA

Humility

 

There is time to give up (Ecclesiastes 3:6b)

Giving up is not always bad. There is time to give up (Ecc 3:6b - NIV). Give up here (lə-’ab-bêḏ, אָבַד, abad) can be translated to ‘to perish’, ‘to lose’, ‘to quit searching’, ‘to give up as lost’, ‘to destroy’, ‘to break’, ‘to die’, ‘put to death’, or ‘to spend’ [1]. Giving up on something can be a beginning of a new fresh start:

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24 – NIV)

There are things that we should never give up, e.g. our belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior, our trust that God -our Father- loves and cares for us, our belief in the promises of God, our belief in God’s ability, faith, and many others. However, there are things that we should give up, e.g. sin, flesh desires, wrong motive, arrogance, pride, and many others.

Sometimes, even though the vision/work we do is good in the eyes of God, flesh desires sneak in. I would like to illustrate this situation as a tree branch that has a disease on its beautiful leaves. Depending on the condition, the solution can be using medicine/treatment to treat the diseases or to cut the leaves and let new leaves grow out from them. There are times (maybe not so often) that giving up is needed to let something new grow by the grace of God.

The boundary of which to give up and not is different for every situation and people. Therefore, we always need the Holy Spirit to guide us.  

[1] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6.htm

God is in control

 

Blessing / Happy

 

Drowning in Negative Emotions

In some cases, negative thinking can be fought with faith and the word of God. However, there are times that I got drowned in negative emotions/thinking. The things that I tried to do just drag me deeper. One possible cause is that I failed to focus and have enough faith in God while walking on 'water' (Mat 14: 29-30). Failing to focus makes me difficult to cope with a situation. A little wind can easily bring my emotion down. I understand that it can also happen because of other things. But, if you are in the condition that you are drowning because of failing to focus on God, it is OK to cry out to God, "Lord, help me." He will help you to refocus again on God.

God Teaches Our Ways

Following my previous writing [1], I learned that God does things to make us acknowledge Him and humble. 

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear Him. - Ecclesiastes 3:14 (NIV)

Then, this thought come to my mind: What can I do anyway if God decides anyway on what will happen. I can only trust Him. How do I know His plan and what to do? Then, God directs me to some bible verses:

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. - Psalm 25:9 (NIV)

Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. - Psalm 25:12 (NIV)

The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. - Psalm 25:14 (NLT)

God is not a mute God. He wants us to be humble and to fear Him. But, at the same time, He is ready to make us understand what we should understand to reach His vision in us.

In addition, God is Love (1 John 4:16), and there is no fear (of punishment or condemnation) in love (1 John 4:18). I believe, when God directs you to the ways that we should choose, He will do it in love.

1. http://ivannatimotius.blogspot.com/2021/12/fear-of-god.html

Fear of God

Some time ago, I wrote about how God did many things to make people understand the sovereignty of God [1]. This theme is not only appeared in the book of Ezekiel:

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear Him. - Ecclesiastes 3:14

It seems like in life, there are some elements of randomity to build humility, trust, and the fear of God in us. Do not 'give up', but 'surrender' to God.

1. https://ivannatimotius.blogspot.com/2021/07/ezekiel-know-that-i-am-lord.html

Ebenezer (1 Sam 7:12)

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” - 1 Sam 7:12

I believe that Samuel did this so he and all the Israelites remember (especially during tough times) that the LORD will always help them.

I might have no stone, but I want to use this blog post to remind you that the LORD will always help you.  

Communication Skill in God

I struggle with my communication skill in my whole life, especially in spoken communication. I often have self-doubt about the way I am communicating: Should I be more open or reserve? Should I talk more? Should I be silent instead? Should I express things in a better way? Was my body-language/expression/motivation correct? How was my emotion? Should I have longer small talk? Additionally, I often lost words/blank out in the middle of sentences. I often face difficulty in learning new languages and in formal speaking (even in my mother language). When I was little, I did suffer from selective-mutism (which at that time was seen as part of personality). This somehow affect my spoken communication ability, especially when I am tired. But of course, I also know there are many people have more difficulty than me, e.g. communication difficulties that comes with autism.

Communication is defined as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals. Communication (to others and God) is a vital part of our live. It do have a big impact. For example, in leadership, communication is very important in expressing goal / vision / motivation / believe / faith / encouragement / point-of-view, public speaking, understanding, conflict management [1], project management, organization, team building, training, and discipleship.

There are times in life that communication is so tough and might lead to argument, disagreement, chaos, and confusion. However, there are also times that communication is so easy even without many words, heart to heart, and with one vision/thought. 

In a relationship to one another and God, a smooth communication is closely related to the ability to love (1 Cor 13:4-8). Communication is smoother when people learned to forgive and accept forgiveness. Also if they learned for being humble, listening, and investing time.

I believe that God can interfere with our communication. He can speak to people heart that make people understand others and also understand Him. He can make people heart/spirit/thought become one. Moreover, He can help us in learning new languages. There are several occasions written in the bible on how God interfere with the communication between people, e.g.

The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” - Gen 11:6-7.

(20) And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time. (64) Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. - Luke 1:20,64

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. - Acts 2:4-6

for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say - Luke 12:12

Even tough now you might feel not confidence about your communication ability, trust God that He can work in your communication with others and with God.

In the Wilderness, Desert, or Solitary Place

The Greek word 'ἔρημος (erémos)' [1] is translated in the bible as wilderness, desert, and solitary place. Wilderness [2] is defined as a region uninhabited by human beings. Desert [3] is defined as desolate and sparsely occupied. 

In the bible, some appearances of 'ἔρημος (erémos)' is in:

• Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 1 & 3; John 1: John the Baptist is preaching in the wilderness.
• Matthew 4; Mark 1; Luke 4: Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
• Luke 4:42; Luke 5:16; John 11:54: Jesus went out to a solitary place; Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
• Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9: Jesus withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place; Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.
• Luke 15:4: Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country, ...
• John 6; Act 7; Act 13:18; Hebrew 3: Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, ...
• Act 7:30: An angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

Wilderness, desert, and solitary place mean a place away from the population/public. It seems like many things, including spiritual growth, can happen in the wilderness. Even though being in a community is undeniably important, a place away from other people (together with God) can also bring growth in your spiritual life.

[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/2048.htm
[2] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilderness
[3] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desert

'Cry Out' vs. 'Wail'

They do not cry out to Me from their hearts but wail on their beds. - Hosea 7:14a (NIV)

Sometimes, even during one prayer time, I unintentionally switch between crying out (zaaq, זָעַק) and wailing (yalal, יָלַל). Of course, it should not be so. According to my current understanding, when someone cries out to God, he/she asks for help from God and puts their hope/trust/faith in God. Whereas, wailing sometimes come together with desperate feeling, blaming something/someone, self-pity, victim mentality, or many others. When you realize that your emotion is at (or near) the wailing stage, I pray that you will be able to put your hope back to our sovereign and loving God.

Ezekiel: Know that I am the LORD

As I read the book of Ezekiel, I found 59 sentences saying:

"Then they (or you or ...) will know that I am the (Sovereign) LORD."

These sentences come after mentioning both good and bad things. Seeing how many times these sentences appear in the bible and how big the events God did/allowed to happen for this aim, I can imagine how important is this matter to God. Acknowledging - that God is the LORD in every detail and every time - is not always easy to practice. However, I pray that the Holy Spirit will keep reminding you about this.

Dry Hope

In Ezekiel 37:1, Ezekiel was brought to a valley of dry bones, which represents the loss of the people's hope. In Ezekiel 37:3, God asked Ezekiel if the bones can live. Ezekiel's response was: “Lord, You alone know”.

Maybe, there are dreams in your life that are dry. That can be the hope of having a live partnership, the hope in marriage, the hope in any social relationship, the hope of having offspring, the hope of employment, the hope to attend a specific school, the hope of graduation, the hope of mastering a specific skill, the hope of physical or mental health, or even the hope of spiritual revival in a country. Maybe, the hope is so dry, that is so difficult to have incredible faith. The maximum that you can say to God is: You alone know.

Do not bury your hopes, just let God shine on them. God knows what He wants to do with it.

'Trust' in the book of Psalm

While reading the book of Psalm, I realize how often the word 'trust' appeared in this book. There are several Hebrew words translated to trust in English. One of that words is batach (בָּטח) appeared around 45 times in the book of Psalm.

The book of Psalm is filled with praises, worships, songs, and poems. Many of them sound as they are written in difficult times. Still, the word 'trust' is mentioned during that difficult times and many of them are sung.

It is not always easy to maintain our trust in God. Life difficulty, intimidation, own ability, wealth, or other things can easily low down our trust level in God. One thing that can help us to remind ourselves about it is by singing it. 

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5 (For the director of music. A Psalm of David)

Understanding God's work (Job 38:4)

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand." (Job 38:4, NIV)

This sentence was spoken by God Himself to Job out of a storm. In no part in the bible, has God ever explain the details on how did He lay the earth's foundation or other questions asked to Job. So, this question together with many other questions meant to open Job's (and our) mind that he (and we) can not understand every detail of what God is doing (except He specifically open it to us).

God's works are beyond our understanding. Job mentioned in Job 42:3b "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." In some matter of life, we only need to trust Him and put our hope in Him.

Even though Job can not understand God's works or plans, he said that his eyes had seen God. Unable to understand Him does not mean that it is useless to get hungry to know Him more. Trying to know God is trying to make a relationship with God, trying to understand what God wants in my life, and trying to see God.

Selamat Natal 2020

 

God is with you

From time to time we need to be reminded that God is with us. Many bible verses go in that direction, for example:

• God said to Moses (Exo 3:12), to Joshua (Jos 1:9), to Gideon (Judg 6:12,16), to His disciples (Mat 28:20)
• Many people/prophet said that to the people: Moses (Deut 31:6,8), Isaiah (Isa 41:10),  Zephaniah (Zep 3:17), the author of the book of Hebrew (Heb 13:5).
• By signs and wonders: by the presence of manna, cloud, fire, angels, etc.
• Holy Spirit is with us: Eze 36:27, John 14:16, 1 Cor 3:16, 2 Cor 13:14.

During my long journeys (eg. long academic studies/processes, in the effort of praying/believing for something), apart from small voices in my heart and from reading the bible, sometimes God gives me small reminders about His companionship. He suddenly answered my simple prayers/wishes (eg. want to have/eat something, want to talk with someone). Then, He said the simple sentence to me "I am with you". This helped me a lot especially when I feel emotionally tired or when I start to doubt (if I did/decided something wrong). 

The God that loves you is with you.

I believe in miracles for I believe in God

The title above is part of a song (with CCLI number 18981). This simple sentence expresses the reason why we have faith in God.

These days I am reflecting on Hebrew 11, which describes a list of men and women with faith in God. The more I think about them, the more I am amazed by their level of faith. Some of them have a specific God's promises beforehand, some of them don't. Some of them received what God has promises during their lifetime, some of them don't. The reason for them having the faith of God was not man's wisdom/knowledge, not security from their government, or any other than believing God.

For me, it is not easy to have this level of faith. Things like economical problems, uncertainty, relation problems, natural disasters, sicknesses, disabilities, persecutions, long term problems, something that is out of control, or even my weakness can bring me near to skepticism. For some, the struggle leads to questioning God or God's goodness/love. At that moment, it is important to keep holding on to God (through prayer, bible reading, communities, etc). 

I pray that you and I can have an unshakable faith in God for what He is.

Trust in God

Trust is a complex psychological process, which might be connected with the hormone of oxytocin. How someone trusts another person depends on many factors. Usually, we might trust a person to do one thing, but not the others.

Sometimes how people trust God also comes in parts. Numbers 20:12 (NLT) stated: 

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” - Numbers 20:12 (NLT)

Here, Moses and Aaron trusted God in many parts, but not to demonstrate God's holiness at that moment.

Fully trusting the Holy Spirit is easier said than done. Do we trust Him as our God? Do we trust His love? Do we trust Him as our teacher? Do we trust Him to lead our way? Do we trust Him to change our hearts? Ideally, we should be able to trust Him in everything.

As you invite God in your heart, learn to trust Him fully.