FOR THE LORD

No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah [means my delight is in her], and your land Beulah [means married]; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. Isa 62:4

For I was deserted and made desolate, but You stepped in.

MIRACULOUS WAYS

KAU BEKERJA DENGAN CARA YANG AJAIB
Jonathan Prawira

DI SAAT KU TAK MELIHAT-MU
KU TETAP PERCAYA
KAU SELALU TAHU YANG PERLU
KAU LAKUKAN BAGIKU

DI SAAT KU TERASA JAUH
KU TETAP PERCAYA
KAU SELALU TAHU SAATNYA
'TUK BERTINDAK BAGIKU

REFF:KAU BEKERJA DENGAN CARA YANG AJAIB
DAN TAK TERDUGA DI PIKIRANKU
UNTUK MENDATANGKAN KEBAIKAN BAGIKU
YANG MENGASIHI-MU

KAU BEKERJA DENGAN CARA YANG AJAIB
ATAS SEGALA PERSOALANKU
UNTUK MENDATANGKAN KEBAIKAN BAGIKU
YANG MENGASIHI-MU

Ps Sunny: Do you believe that God can heal you 100%?

Journey with me as I walk through a process of healing of memories, with a God who makes all things new and works in miraculous ways.

I want to believe Lord, help my unbelief...

ARISE

My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig-tree forms its early fruit, the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."

Songs 2:10-13

When winter comes, it is imperative that we rest in the bosom of Christ. But winter does not last forever, and He makes spring come again. How many of us refuse to look out the window and see that winter is over? That gloomy times have passed, and we should no longer hide and insist to stay in our own imposed winter. See! He has made all things new again, He has made us whole and He calls us to arise and come, out of our depression, out of our dejection, out of our selfishness... to go away with Him, beyond the doors He has opened.

But it is hard, and even when He calls, we are not able to rise on our own. It is then that we should say together with Spurgeon, "O raise me, draw me. Thy grace can do it. Send forth thy Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until I leave life and time behind me, and indeed come away."

Yes, until I leave life and time behind me, and indeed come away....

I will arise.

THIS HEART

I remember a story I once read... of a young man who boasted of the most beautiful heart - it was perfect and flawless. Then an old man appeared who claimed that the young man's heart was no where as beautiful as his. The old man's heart was a heart full of scars, gaping wounds and tears. The young man laughed, and asked the old man how could he ever think that his heart was more beautiful, the way that it is. "Yes," said the old man, "Your's looks perfect but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my heart - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love is taking a chance."

What does your heart look like? If my heart was obvious for all to see, then you would notice many tiny scars, tiny, but visible. But what you would first notice is the large gaping wound, that stretches all the way from one end across to the other. And in it, are different tiny bits from many different hearts to fit in that gaping wound.

The gaping wound bears testament to the fact that I once dared to be vulnerable and gave much of my heart away, and received this gaping wound as a result. And the many tiny little bits in that gaping wound bears testament to the many people who saw the wound and in response shared with me a little bit of their own hearts.

No, I will not hide under a mantle of anger, but I will bear my wound proudly for all to see. I will not hide the fact that the wound still gives me pain from time to time. And when I look at the scar, I remember too, the people from whom the little bits of heart came from, and the love they gave. And I remember the One who keeps my heart beating. I know that at the end of this life, He will restore my heart, that it will be as new.

Until then... I will not be afraid of pain and I will not hide; I will come daily to the foot of Your cross, where You bore my pain along with my sins. I will boast in the fact that it is You who keeps my heart beating...

I offer this heart O God, completely to You.

EVERY MOMENT

I prayed for my faith to be stretched, only at the beginning of this year.

Everytime when I think that this is it, that this is You already stretching my faith, I was wrong. There is always more to come. Up to the point that now I fear, I fear saying, "This is it!" because there's probably still more to come.

I enjoyed every part of it. I enjoyed worrying about Your little ones; spending time with people I hardly know, to get to know them; I enjoyed bringing You to people sitting obliviously in front ot the State Library; pouring out soup on a cold night for people on the streets and just chit-chatting with them; and even playing in two bands; and just even being a 'submarine' when I was so broken hearted.

Every moment, I have enjoyed being with You.

And oh, the friends I never knew I had, the past I never knew existed in their lives, the sharing I never thought would be possible... that I wish it would never end; and indeed, one day at the end of our lives, it would never end.

I have enjoyed coming to You, knowing full well, what a wretched woman I am.... but knowing that You are the God who makes me whole.

And yet do You still have more in store for me? Do You really want me to build another Fellowship of the Mat, right here in Melbourne?

WE HAVE A MASTER TO SERVE

I received this letter from the RBC Director to pray for Japan along with my Daily Bread subscription. What struck me most about the letter was how it was signed off - We have a Master to serve. Indeed we do...and many times we forget. I shall now always sign off as he did, to remind myself and others, that we do have a Master to serve, and it will do us well not to forget.

Forgive me.... I am my brother's keeper...

I CANNOT

"...that all of them may be one.." John 17:21

Before His crucifixion, Christ prayed for unity, that we may all be one - that we would love one another, to sacrifice for one another, to put each before ourselves. Do we know His heart? Can we live contrary to His heart?

...his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jer 20:9

I cannot but take up my cross; indeed, I cannot ...

I cannot ...

*Sigh*

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Ps 51:17

We are like broken vessels before You Lord, broken by wear and use, broken by the harshness of the winds of this life. O God, we break not alone but together, concious that at this very moment we are among the many who also break. You have made it so, that in our brokeness we may find comfort in each other, that when the process of breaking has taken it's course, we may be beautiful vessels, broken, but beautiful....for Your glory.

Our prayers O God, you will not despise, we know we break not outside and alone in the cold, but together, under the shelter of Your wings.

MY GOD

Pain wakes me up, yet in that split second, something else fills the void, and I realize - it is Your love - and You are here. When the loss seems unbearable, Your love bears me up, and I know it is You who carries me.

You said, "Man shall not live by bread alone.." and indeed, in my darkest moments I feel no need of bread, only for Your words. And only now when I have feasted on what I most needed, do I feel natural hunger slowly coming back to me.

It used to be, that the tears that mingled with my drink came from sorrow, but now slowly, it comes not from sorrow, but because of the love and encouragement shown to me by all those near and far. And I realize, they are not so far off after all, and I thank You for them.

There is more pain in this world than I dreamed possible, yet it is also true that Your love is poured out more than I ever dreamed possible.

And although this world has many troubles, you have said, "Take heart, I have overcome the world."

And I know that I too, shall overcome the world with You.

I am the daughter of my Father.

ETERNITY IN OUR HEARTS

This is actually part of an email to encourage my friend. But it ended up encouraging me as well.

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand. Is 64:8

As clay we have no choice but to yield to the Potter's hand, to be molded as He sees fit, no matter how long or painful the process.

However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Cor 2:9

He is a Potter who knows best and intends to produce nothing but the best in His workmanship. We can rest assured in that.

What would it be like to spend eternity with our Creator? Honestly, I can't even start to imagine. It would be a million times more exhilarating than the beginning stages of an earthly romantic relationship, but unlike an earthly relationship, it is EVERLASTING and PERFECT. It is the answer to our deepest longings.

Surely, He has put eternity in our hearts.

May we spend our thoughts on grasping what cannot be fully grasped while on this earth.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jer17:9

I have learnt the truth of this verse. It encompasses all men, great and small, wise and foolish, saved or unsaved, spiritually matured or immature. No one escapes it's grip. I shall never assume again that any man (or woman) is excluded. Indeed we all try to deny it, but the honest man should realize that it is so and not presume that he is incapable of falleness.

It's funny how some people find the time to play games but not to write an email. Perhaps these people don't deserve emails. And rightly so.