HOP-IN TO THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE

God is inviting you -

"His going forth is prepared as the morning." - Hosea 4:3

The new year has started, and God, with all His promises, favors and blessings, is inviting you to hop-in to the best year of your life. He promised that all of these has been prepared for you. He is inviting you to hop-in and have the best ride of your life this year.

Our God is a Big God, and let me remind you, He has the greatest ride in the world. God wants to bless you and to make you happy. He wants you not just a life but a fulfilling, abundant life. You must believe that if God will park something in front of your house and ask you for a ride, for sure it will not be a bicycle, but a Ferrari, a Limousine, or Lamborghini. Jesus has already became poor so that we will be rich. He already rode a donkey so that we can ride a chariot. He planned the best for us.

Yes, it will be a great ride in the best year of your life. Going where? Going to -

"The land which the Lord your God cares for: the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." - Deuteronomy 11: 12

God has promised to bless you, care for you, prosper you and protect you.
This is the year which God will give you your breakthroughs. But remember it will not happen unless you believe. And unless you open the door of His car, and ride on. You must fully give yourself to Him.

What will you fear? Challenges? O, they are but part of the thrill of the ride. Those things ought not to make you step back but rather to make you excited that God will take care all of them. What is making you step back and not to open that door of possibilities? inadequacy? Words of people which restricts you? C'mon - it is God who is inviting you. What is the thing restraining you? Guilt? Fear? God is the One saying to you, "Hop in. I care of your present and your future more than I care for your past." And besides, remember who is the One driving, ok? It is He, not you.

So, hop-in. Take your seat.  Relax, believe and enjoy the ride for 2011.


O, And by the way, He also said, 
"I can also give this car to you."




 

2011 IS COMING; IT INVITES US TO PAUSE FOR AWHILE BEFORE PROCEEDING

Two last numbers of the new year says it all. Two numbers which stands for an icon, a symbol, a button -

pause

2011 is coming, and it is inviting us to pause for awhile and,

- reflect.

Pause for a while and,
1. Count the blessings of the past year.
2. Learn from all of your experiences whether good or bad.
3. Cherish relationships above all - the laughter, the fun, the tough times, the love, the victories.
4. Celebrate your best victory from the tests you have passed this year.
5. Never carry any bitterness, hate and indifference for the new year.
6. Be thankful of all God's provisions.
7. Reflect on what you have done to make your life better, and how you make someone's life better.
8. Reflect on God's love.
9. Embrace God's grace.
10. Claim a promise from His words which you will hold for the next year.
11. Believe that the best is yet to come. Believe and declare.

2011 is a wonderful year filled with God's favor and blessings, but before you proceed,

pause

Embrace the Giver before being so excited for the Gifts.
Exalt the King before extending His kingdom.
Embody character before prosperity.
Embrace God's love, God's favor and God's presence.

Take a deep breath. Be excited. The best is yet to come.

HOW YOU STOOD UP AFTER A FALL MATTERS MOST THAN THE FALL ITSELF

"Peter stood up..." - Acts 1:15

All of us know the story of Peter denying the Lord. We have heard messages to messages drawn from this biggest mistake of Peter. We have read how he cried in repentance, and how his life was devastated by guilt and sadness.

But seldom we heard how "Peter stood up" after that known failure of his. Oftentimes, we focus too much on the mistake of someone instead of focusing on how he managed to rise from his dilemmas in life. The words in Acts 1:15 commended, appreciated and vindicated Peter, -

"Peter stood up." 

The saying is right which says, "It is not how you fall that matters but how you stood up after you fall which really matters." Yes, "Peter stood up."

He stood up and learned from his lessons.
He stood up embracing God's full forgiveneness.
He stood up to the challenge to face whatever people will say.
He stood up to lead.
He stood up to still unleash the potential that God has given him.
"Peter stood up."
He stood up saying to himself that from this time on, it will be different.


He knew it is easy to think of himself as the person he has been. Yet he realized that it is far more powerful to see himself as the person he can become. The mistakes and disappointments of the past may seem to be a major presence in his life. But at that very moment, however, he chose to leave them completely behind.


This may describe you too.
You may have fallen. You may have done some big mistakes in your life.
But let it be that the words be said to you will be, - 

"You stood up."

You stood up from the mistakes of your life.
You stood up learning from your lessons.
You stood up never accepting that defeat is the last chapter of your life.
You stood up rising now to the occasion.
You stood up to the challenges.
You stood up now enjoying life fulfilling your purpose.
You stood up saying to the world and to yourself, "From this time on, it will be different."


People will remember how you stood up after a fall more than the fall itself.
Above all, God favors the one who stood up after all through trials, pains and mistakes.


And you can say to the world, 


"O, all those challenges, trials, pains and mistakes, at times, they may have put me to the ground.
But that is not the end of me. I rose up. I stood up.
And by the grace of God, I am still standing."


That's what matters most.

CHOOSE GOD'S POSSIBILITIES OVER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

The reason why we are oftentimes disheartened is because we allow the circumstances and the situation determines our joy when it should be vise-versa- our joy determines our circumstances and situation. Yes, I understand, hard times and difficult circumstances happen in our lives. I have my big share in the past of how it is to have difficult times. I have experienced how it is to be in the rock-bottom.

- I have experienced to sleep in a bus terminal because I was a vagabond;
- I have experienced to be in the streets, drunk and broken;
- I have experienced to be in bad places and lived with no direction.

But I finally realized just like what a certain writer said, "No one cares of you being miserable, so rather, be happy." And freedom and blessings came into my soul when I fully embraced that in all these difficult situations, there is a gracious God who loves me and planned my life to be abundant, prosperous and victorious. When I started to shift my sight from the circumstances to the possibilities, from crisis to where Christ is and from defeat to triumph, my life also started to shift towards fulness.

This is what I have learned-

Circumstances and situations should not break me but mold me.
Circumstances and situations are but platforms where God will bless me.
Circumstances and situations are but a stage where God will show His power in my behalf.

There is a verse in Isaiah which said -

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." - Isaiah 35:1

The circumstance and the place was unlikely and difficult - wilderness, solitary place and a desert. But what God was implying here was this -

when you chose to embrace God's possibilities and power, and you chose to be a winner no matter how your hard your circumstances are, time will come that even these circumstances will be glad and will rejoice for you.

Yes, God's grace picked me up and I chose to be victorious. Since then, I lived a forgiven, fulfilled, happy life with love and direction from God. I have experienced now the upward way of life. I have discovered my potentials and purpose. I have renewed relationships. I have found fulness in using my talents, time and potentials to help many people. Yes, I am living now a victorious life.

And you know what? One time I visited those places where I used to squander my life, and somehow I felt the truth of the verse. The circumstances and the situations where you once in will be glad and rejoice for you because they were not victorious over you, as if -

- the bus terminal is telling me, "You won. We didn't have you."
- the dirty streets are telling me, "You won. We didn't have you."
- the bad places are telling me, "You won. We didn't have you."

You know what got me?
God's grace.

You may have bad times, but the bad times ought not to have you.
You may have failures, but failures ought not have you.
You may have tough situations, but tough situations ought not to have you.

And what the next verse has said was true to me -

"they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God." - Isaiah 35: 2

This is the actual bus terminal where I used to sleep six years ago- miserable, rebellious and vagabond. I took these photo when I recently visited the place. Just imagine what I look like at that time.

And this is where I am now - happy, forgiven, enjoying life and touching the lives of many. GOD IS GREAT!

WHAT IT MEANS TO CAST YOUR BURDENS UNTO THE LORD

A fisherman gets ready to cast his net into the sea to catch fish.
He must throw all of the net into the sea.
The net will settle down beneath the waters.
Then, the fisherman will wait.

After a few minutes, the fisherman felt the weight of the net beneath the waters. This means that he has a great catch! This is the opportune moment for him to to pull up the net to his boat as fast as he can.

This was the picture which the Lord was telling to us when He said in His words -

"Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you." - Psalm 55: 22

The word, "cast" here literally pertains to how a fisherman cast his net into the sea. What God meant was- when we have problems, burdens and worries, we must cast all of these to the Lord. Casting it all to the Lord means you depend on Him. Casting it all means, surrender. You are tired of them, and the only best way to do is to "throw" them all to the Lord in surrender. Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you.

If you will not throw the net into the sea, don't expect a great catch.
Same thing, if you don't throw all of your burdens to the Lord, don't expect a great catch of blessings.
God wants you to "let go and let God." You will not get a "great catch" if you just keep it to yourself. Throw it all to God. Cry it out to God and confess, "Lord, your will, not mine be done."
Throw the net into the sea and let it settle down deep beneath the waters. Yes, cast your burdens to the Lord and let it settle there. If you have to wait, then wait for the answers. But surely since you throw it all to the Lord, God will bless your patience and your surrender.

When you cast it all, you will get a great catch.
Isn't this a wonderful and radical truth-

God uses your burdens to get your blessings.

Your burdens are but the nets on which God will use to give your break. Your bad times are but the thing that will catch the good times that are coming. If you will not cast the net, you will not get a great catch. But if you cast it all, o, expect a great catch. Use your burden to catch your blessings.

Go out there and throw the net into the sea.
Let it settle down beneath the waters.
Wait. Patiently wait.

And you feel that the net gets heavier and heavier.
It is not a sign of a problem but of a blessing.
The more it gets heavier, the more it means the blessing is bigger.
Pull it up as fast as you can, and enjoy your blessings from God.

But if you didn't throw the net, you will not have a big catch.

WHAT GOD SAYS TO WHAT YOU SAY

A PRACTICAL CHECKLIST IN MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR JOB OR CAREER

As a spiritual mentor, there are lots of career people who asked counsel from me in regard to the job they will take or to the career path they will tread. They asked if the word of God has practical guidelines in which they can know to base their decisions. As far as I know, the answer is - Yes. There are practical guidelines which we can make as a checklist before making decision about our jobs and career.

The checklist which I refer to is found in Philippians 4 4- 9:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto men. Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passes understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally brethren, whatsoever is true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you."

So let me arrange to you this checklist based on these verses and as you make you decisions concerning your job or career, consider these first:

Prayer
What you face is not a - problem, but an exciting challenge to pray. This prayer must be a prayer of rejoicing and not sadness. This means that you are not complaining with your present situation but rather being thankful of what you have, no matter how hard the challenge is. This prayer is of thanksgiving and not of complaining attitude. It must not be based on complaints because complaints clouds our decision, and besides, complaints also breeds complaints. What you complain now, you will again complain in your new job. Approach things in a positive and thankful attitude. Hence, this prayer must be a declaration of your faith that better things are about to come in the decisions you will make. You make decisions based on inspiration and not on desperation. And at times, you have to wait.

Purpose
Is this job aligned with your life's purpose? Will these be true, honest, pure, lovely and of good report? Or let me revise the question - "Will this MAKE YOU true, honest, pure, lovely and of good report?" If the answer is "Yes" then go for it, but if not, then don't.

Passion
Do you really like this work? Be sure this aligns to your passion because if it is not your passion, you will never last with it. Don't sacrifice payment in exchange of your purpose and passion because you will only be efficient in any work when you are passionate with what you are doing and not just because you are just being paid.

Payment
Is the payment aligned with the first three checklist? Is it favorable and fair? Of course, you must consider these also because the word of God also teaches that the worker is worthy of his hire[Luke 10:17; Also read Deut. 24:15]

Progress
Will this be a stepping stone towards the fulfillment of your dreams? Will this job be a stop-over, a detour or a  main avenue towards your dreams?

Peace of God
As you depend on God in prayer, God will surely give you peace in making the right decision, and also right after you already made the decision. God is not the author of confusion. He will always guide you to what is best. You take note in the last part of the verse that it said, "DO, and the God of peace shall be with you."

Projection
This is what amazed me about faith and declaration. The reason why the above verse said, "The peace of God passes understanding" because there maybe things you may not understand in making decisions but because you believe in God's leading, for sure He will give you peace that even passes understanding. You don't have to know everything or else you will live by sight and not by faith. This is what faith plays a vital part. Don't declare what you don't want. Believe and declare what you want.  Believe and declare that your God can control everything to give you favor, and be excited with it. Anything is possible to him or her who believes.

You can add to these checklist but this is so far what I use based on these verses.
You don't have to be confused nor fear because when you believe, God will move according to your faith.
Believe that the best is yet to come. You are highly favored, don't forget that.

DISAPPOINTMENTS ARE HIS APPOINTMENTS

Disappointments happen to us all sometimes.
It can sadden us.
It can hurt us.
But it can also challenge us.

Yes, it can challenge us to look at it in a different perspective, and instead discouraging us, we can make it work for us. How?

Simply by changing the letter "D" in the word "disappointment" and replace it with "H."

Hence, D--isappointments become H-isappointments.

Make it an Appointment of Praise.
Complain cannot change things. The truth is, it just aggravates the situation.
This is one of the hardest thing to do, but this is how turning points of blessings happen. It is when we praise God through any disappointment that happened to us.
You can praise the Lord for not allowing things to happen as you expect it to be, because it means God has a better plan for you far better than what you expected to be. Someday, you will thank God's "No's" because they will point to His "Yes." So, why wait for someday when you can praise Him today? Praise Him. When things didn't work out as you expect it to be, for sure God is working something out far better than what you expected.

Make it An Appointment with Preparation
When things didn't go as you expect it to be, it could be that you may not be ready yet. This could be His ways of preparing you more, or it could be that He knows that this certain "break" could literally break you- break your family, break your heart and break your faithfulness. So, when disappointment comes, take it a challenge to prepare more. Think of this - God is more concerned of what you will be than what you will have in life.

Make it An Appointment with Your Purpose

Sometimes, a certain thing is not allowed by God to be given to us in order to re-align us to our true purpose in life. Sometimes, we commit this mistake of competing with other people that we thought our lives should also be like their lives. But each one of us has different calling, different potentials and different purpose. Maybe God allowed disappointment in order to point you of who you really should be, because God knows you will never be happy in life unless you live according to your purpose.

Make it An Appointment with Prosperity
Simply because one closed door means another door is opened for you. Why spent your strength trying to open a closed door when a bigger door is opened wide for you? Isn't this a wonderful truth? You will be more thankful of His "No" in the future because on how this lead you to prosper.

We all know the trials of Job, but we also knew how he was so blessed at the end. He testified -

He performs the thing that is appointed for me; and many such things are with Him. - Job 23:14

I declare this in my life - "Yes, Lord, you are the One who performs the thing that is appointed for me, and my, many such things are with You when you do it."

So, if you are undergoing disappointment, just change the letter "D" to "H" and you will discover that everything are His appointments. You don't have to fret. Everything will be okay.
The truth is, nothing can disappoint us to defeat. Everything just points to His better plan for us.


- A r t  R o y  R e m y

THE "NEW-EVERY-MORNING" PROMISE

The mercies of God and His love are new every morning.
Yes, every morning and everyday.
The mercies He gave you yesterday is different from what you have today. They are newer today.
The expression of His love which He expressed to you yesterday is different from what you will see today. They are newer everyday.

God said to you -

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness."[Lamentations  3:22-23]

This is what I call "The New-Every-Morning" promise of God for our lives.

The "New-Every-Morning" promise guarantees us that life is better everyday. Though there may be trials sometimes, but God guaranteed that He will make everything come out right.

The night ends at midnight and the new day starts right after that. But though it is a new day, we all know the fact that it is still dark from 1 in the morning to 4 in the morning,right? But this darkness do not discount the fact that it is already a new day.

There are times in our lives that seemingly hope is not seen because of the darkness being experienced, but this darkness do not eradicate the fact that a new day has already started. This is why the Psalmist said, "Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning." The "New-Every-Morning" starts at 1AM in the morning though it is yet dark.

The "New-Every-Morning" promise also guarantees us that life doesn't have to be perfect in order to be enjoyed. If we reserve our happiness in our "If only I have that...If only I have this...", we can never be happy in life. You don't need everything to enjoy life; rather, you need life in order to enjoy everything. Life is not perfect but it does not mean it cannot be enjoyed. The truth is, I have observed in life, life is enjoyable because it is far from perfect. Imperfection gives spice to life, and imperfection leads us to God. Accept the fact that your life is not perfect and you have don't have to wait your life to be perfect just to be happy. Enjoy life right now in whatever you have in whatever you can.

I was amazed to discover today that according to Astronomy, the sun never rises or sets down in the same exact place everyday. We may not notice it but science has proven it that the sun rises and sets everyday slightly moving further toward the south each day between 21 June and 21 December, and a little further towards the north each day between 21 December and 21 June. Isn't this amazing?

So, if the sun is never perfect in where it rises and sets, so why bother to expect your life to be perfect? If the sun don't worry about it, you don't have to worry about it, too. All the sun keeps on doing is rise up in the morning with all its vibrance and shining glory for us telling us,

"Hey, beloved, good morning! Today is a new day. Today, God's love and mercies for you are newer. The favor for you today is new. Your strength is new. Your life is new. Today, your success journey continues. Today, your potentials will be unleashed. Today, you will fulfill your purpose in life. Get up today with full of hope and happiness. Smile in the morning. Enjoy life to the fullest. God is with you."

This is the "New-Every-Morning" Promise. Claim it. Live it. Maximize it. Enjoy it.

GOD'S BEST IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN YOUR BEST

Always declare everyday that the best is yet to come.
There is no use of thinking negatively of what's wrong could happen. Always think that the best is about to happen. What you believe will happen because this is anchored on the One who can make it happen. God has promised that His thoughts for us are always for peace and for the best and not for evil.

Now, let me challenge you today. Pause for awhile and think whatever best you want to happen in your life. Can you give me at least 5 best things you want to happen in your life?

Now, whatever best you have thought of, this is an amazing promise from God -

God's best is always better than your best!

In essence, God is saying, "Is that the best you can think of, well, I can give you better than your best."

He said in Isaiah 60: 17 -

"For brass, I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron." 

Consider that promise. Is your best brass? Then God can give you gold. Is your best iron? Then God can bring you silver. Is your best wood? Then God can give you brass. Is your best stones? Then God can give you iron.

God's thoughts of best for you is always better than your best.
You can never out-best the Lord.

Therefore, God is just asking you to declare, think, pray and do what is your best.
And from your best, God will do the mark-up of His version of His best for you.
And let me guarantee you, His best is always surprising, overwhelming and amazing!

Take note, you are not required to declare, think and do what is best set by others for you, or your best based on the best of others. God is asking for your best as the basis. Your best is just His minimum, impossibilities are His expertise.

So, what is the best you can think of to happen for your life?
God is challenging you now, "Is that all you can think?"
Make it bigger. Make it higher.

God's best is always better than your best.


- A r t  R o y  R e m y

A BOY WHO DOESN'T KNOW HIS BIRTHDAY

It was already 7:00PM. 

I was waiting for our evening community hope session to start and I was preparing my message, when a boy approached us selling dried fish to our group. I got curious when I overheard that he is not a resident of Santolan community but resides in Cogeo. I was moved with compassion to know that this little boy was still selling dried fish at this very hour, and he still got to travel back to his home. I called the boy and invited him to sit beside me. I told him that I will buy his remaining goods and I will pay him ten times the prize if he will just sit a moment with me. When I asked him who is with him, he told me that his older brother is with him. I told the boy to call his brother to join us. 

Now this time, both of them were sitting beside me listening to me as I encouraged them not to let poverty kill their dream, but rather to take poverty as a fuel for their dreams. I affirmed them that God loves them and He wants to change their lives. As I speak, I can see tears in the eyes of the older brother. I know how it felt, I've been there. I shared to them the love of Jesus to them, and how Jesus wants not just to bring them to heaven but to change their lives as well. The names of two boys are Olwin and Gary Parahito.

When I asked about their birthdays, Olwin answered that he doesn't know his birthday. I told him that it is okay if he cannot give a date. I told him, "It's okay Olwin, anyway Jesus knows your birthday. He knows you full well, and today is more than your birthday, because this is the day that the Lord has made you His child because you placed your faith in Jesus." He got what I meant and he softly replied, "S-S-September 7." He said this with a grin in his face as if today is really his physical birthday, and now he knew what is his "birthday."

With the blessings they received today- eternal and financial- they left with a different aura of happiness and joy in their lives. I don't know when and where I will meet those boys again, but one thing I know- two boys are celebrating their "birthdays" today.

The children of God are the only people on earth that has two birthdays.

God desires that people in this world will have two birthdays.

WANTED: FIRST AID CHRISTIANITY

We have been reared in a Christianity that is always in a Fighting Stance. We have raised in a culture that we must always "defend" the truth to the point that we lost some fruits of the Spirit which are kindness, love and patience. We have seen bickering here and there, even in the name of "theology." And while we do this, we see how many people are going to perdition because we have lost our focus. All those times, we have a mindset of always fighting. We find glory when we thought we have defended the truth while we lost some precious souls. Some, because they don't believe anymore in present-day healing, have included that to heal people from their brokenness and spiritual wounds have also believed that these too are obsolete. 

There are lots of wounded people in this world- 

Inside and outside the Church, rich and poor, leaders and followers, young and old.

I also believe that those people who always hate other people, who are always judgmental to others, are actually results of their wounded and hurting souls.

Everybody needs healing. Everybody needs the Balm from Gilead.

I think it is time for us to really live what really is the identity of Christianity.

The church is not a museum, nor it is a war room; it is a hospital for all sick, wounded people.

Thus, when we are in our workplaces or wherever we are, what we bring with us are not guns and swords, but rather - a first aid kit.

Yes, this is a time for us to live the First Aid Christianity.

A kind of attitude which always finding the lost, the weak, the sick and the wounded. A kind of attitude which we always go for healing instead of hurting. A kind of attitude which we help those who are broken, heal the wounded and deliver the dying. A kind of attitude which we always foster peace and love, instead of polarization, legalism and indifference.

Wherever we go, we are carrying love, hope and the Gospel to heal wounded souls. Wherever we go, our mindset is not to hurt but to heal, not to bicker but to assist, not to war but to love. Jesus' mission is to  be the Great Physician healing the sick and the brokenhearted. Jesus commissioned us to go to the world not as armies to wage war, but as loving people who will help and heal those who are lost in their sins, and who are struggling in life.  

Many people are wounded today because we have left our First Aid kit in our church buildings, in our houses, in our prayer rooms, and in our study rooms. We go out with this mindset to always fight because we thought we are the army on a mission. But even you are an army, an army is not complete without the medical team. What will you do if you were hit by temptation, discouragement and criticism? You need a first aid kit.

Jesus cleared this when He said, "my people is not of this world, lest my servant will fight." "The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to heal the brokenhearted." 

No wonder it is not coincidence that the symbol of First Aid is not a sword or a gun, but - 

... a cross.

Carry love, hope and kindness wherever you go.

There are lots of wounded people in our midst.

What we need today is not  a Fighting Christianity but a

- First Aid Christianity.

- A r t  R o y  R e m y

Across The Wilderness of Hope

A friend online shared this poem that really touched my heart and my soul as a preacher. It spoke to me that no matter what happen in life, there is hope. John the Baptist was raised in the wilderness, in a very unlikely place, but even there, there is hope. It spoke to me since I have been in my own "wilderness" but even there, hope abound and made me what I am now today. It spoke to me that what matter most what we preached and shared is none other than Jesus. [Thank you Earl for this great poem.]

O remember John who spread news in the wilderness.

Who would listen out there, out there where abound the grass?

But he called all to shed their former selves for the new,

Beyond  regular days, not the ordinary.

Repentance is not shedding a tear, or showing sorrow.

And hope is not lost when there seems no tomorrow.

Something is coming like the wind, like refreshing water,

Something like fire burning, like hope making things new.

It is not in the city where lives are priced by real value.

It is not in possessions, that life is filled with riches.

Somebody comes to the poor to say God blesses,

Somebody whose life is a gift, a gift so very true..

Like John, we point beyond the Jordan to a greater one,

Our task is not to draw the world to us, not ourselves.

But find Jesus with others along a hope for all,

Across sea, hills, wilderness, plains, and villages.

- b y  E a r l  C a n l a s

When God Seems To Hide His Power

“ ..and there was the hiding of his power.” – Habakkuk 3:4

It is amazing to read these words incorporated in the whole paragraph, which says –

“His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand;”

Then it says,

“and there was the hiding of his power.”

Very interesting, isn’t it? But this declaration is true. There are times when God hides His power. When God hides His power, it could mean that our prayers are not answered. These are the times that we seek for deliverance, provision or answers and yet nothing came. We are disappointed and disheartened. How could God do this? It is because this is the time He is hiding His power. Habakkuk can relate as he admits that God hides His power and what he see was the “tents of Cushan, in affliction” (verse 7) and the “land of Midian did tremble.” This is also the time when “the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of olive shall fall, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls” (verse 17). We asks, “Where is God?” “Where is his answer to my plea?” This is an example of the hiding of his power.

Habakkuk started to investigate by asking “Was the Lord displeased against the rivers?” Truly, this is the time we ask if the Lord is displeased to us about a certain thing especially how we deal with the former provisions we have. In Habakkuk’s case, this pertains to the river Cushan and Midian. And yet, it was cleared out by Habakkuk that God is not displeased to the rivers since God even uses the river to cleave the earth to the amazement of the mountains (verses 9 and 10). This impies to us a lesson that you could be wrong in assessing things and judging any thing in your life based on your own perception. You maybe wrong of pointing the blame to something or to someone. You maybe wrong of complaining about something when it is actually the very thing that God is using to strengthen you.

Yes, when God hides His power- we are troubled, uncertain and disappointed and yet there is a good purpose why at times He hides His power. I want to share to you three dynamic and radical truths about this verse.

Not seeing the manifestation of power doesn’t mean there is no power.

Not seeing the wind doesn’t mean there is no wind. Not seeing the electricity doesn’t mean there is no electricity. This is where we go wrong. We thought that because we don’t see our prayer answered or our expectations met then we thought God has no power to change things. We are wrong. God hiding His power doesn’t mean He is powerless. You cannot just see it but it doesn’t mean the power is absent. The truth is, this power is working all through out for our good though we cannot see it.

You may not see the actual answer to your prayers but all the events, people and things are all conspiring as God is busy arranging all things for the answer to your prayer- in due time to be fully revealed.

God sometimes hides His power but He never hides His love.

It says that there is the hiding of His power but it didn’t say the hiding of His love. There is nowhere in the Bible that implies that He hid His love. The Bible declared that God openly showed His love when Jesus died on the Cross. We should not misjudge God when times are not all fine. When things don’t go as we expect it, we should not say that God doesn’t care or doesn’t love. He loves us all the way. What He is hiding is His power but not His love because He has a bigger plan to unfold.

And take note of this that even in this occasion of hiding of his power is the indication of His love. This can best be illustrated when the parents experience a problem in the family and a father has no power to change or control things. The father cannot use his power but it doesn’t mean that he has no more love for his family. This was also even experienced by God. God withheld all of His power when He allowed man to hurt and nail His Son on the cross. He withheld His power so that His love can be fully showed. This is what God endeavored since He created mankind, He wants to show that He is not just the God who is full of power but He is the God who is full of love In fact, He is love. Calvary is the epitome of His love though that it is the deepest example of withholding His power.

He hides His power because life is not based in sight but in faith.

When He hides His power, does this mean that you will not believe in His power?

Trust in God. It is in the time of hiding of His power and not in the revealing of His power that gives you the opportunity to show your faith in God.

- A r t  R o y  R e m y

“Don't just believe that 

there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Believe that you will be that light

for someone else.”

- u n k n o w n