Overcoming Fear

Our friend Helen is a certified midwife. She told us that when she was in the training school, she had a classmate who was afraid of blood to the extent that she would faint at the sight of blood. But it was her dream to be a midwife. She worked hard to find ways to train herself to overcome her fear. With her hard work and dedication to succeed, she graduated and became a successful midwife.

Each of us has dreams inside us which we want to achieve but sometimes fear gets in the way. We may have big fears that make us freeze in our steps instead of moving us forward. In other times, we have fears so small we do not even realize they exist inside us.

Fear is a part of our human experience in this fallen world. Fear warns us of danger: we have fear if there is a car tailing us and it is moving in high speed, I am fearful if I am on a roller coaster, others are fearful if there is a strange noise in the middle of the night. It is not wrong to feel afraid. It is a part of our survival skills in-built inside each of us. Our ancestors needed this to survive, and so do we today.

But then, there are the unhealthy fears that rob us of joy and give us sleepless nights. Such fears may arise because we are afraid to try, or we allow the evil one to stop us from doing what God is calling us to do.  There are people who do not fully exercising the gifts and talents God has given them because of fear.

The devil uses unhealthy fear to try to crumple us from reaching what God has for us. He uses fear to put anxiety and worries in us and separate us from the love of God. Fear haunts us for thinking we are not worthy to be loved and not worthy to be used by God.

 

Acknowledge fear

When fear comes surging in, acknowledge it. Brushing it aside will not make it go away. Running from it will not be a good solution. We may spend a lifetime fearing something but have you considered bringing this matter before God? Tell Him what is holding you back. Ask Him for courage to overcome it. Share with some close friends and ask for prayers. They can also encourage us and keep us accountable.

 

Breaking Free

God does not want us to live defeated lives. We are people of hope, not fear. The devil may want to trap us in the prison of fear. So, let us not let fear destroy us, and eat us up on the inside. You are a child of God, there will not be problems too big that God can not do anything about!

I remembered vividly the time when I had to preach for the first time in front of a congregation of about 250 people, I was so nervous and afraid that  I wanted to give up and go home!  But God has called me to be a pastor. His grace is sufficient for me; His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV). “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9b, NIV). Our fears can be stepping stone for us to experience God’s presence, power, strength and faithfulness!

2 Cor 12:9b

 

May this verse be an encouragement to you. “ 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV). God has created us with great love and every part of us was made lovingly and with much thoughts by God. He has redeemed us from sins through the death of Jesus on the Cross. God has blessed us with gifts and talents to serve Him and others. Break out of the fear and start to use these gifts. It can be overwhelming at first but take it a step at a time. Trust in Him as you go. He will lead you and guide you.

 

We can live a fulfilling life in Christ Jesus, one that is filled with joy, peace and hope.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV)

 

In life, we have to be wise and sensible so that our wellbeings as well as those we love will be taken care of. However, there are dreams that God has planted in you for His glory. Step out! Do not fear! God is with you. He will strengthen you when you are weary and afraid. He will lead you through when unexpected circumstances come your way. He upholds you with His mighty and righteous hand! He will provide you with resources and link you with people so that you can implement the dreams that He has placed within you. In His infinite wisdom, God works for the good of His people. All that He wants from us is to trust Him and obey Him.

After all, it is not about you. It is about Him. May the Lord be glorified through you.

Hope in God

How can we have hope when our circumstances are unpredictable and seemingly hopeless? How can we have hope when we are in the midst of the pandemic?

Hope is one of the greatest virtues, together with love and faith (1 Corinthians 13:13). As Raniero Cantalamessa writes, ‘They are like three sisters. Two of them are grown and the other is a small child. They go forward together hand in hand with the child hope in the middle. Looking at them it would seem that the bigger ones are pulling the child, but it is the other way around; it is the little girl who is pulling the two bigger ones. It is hope that pulls faith and love. Without hope everything would stop.’

Hope helps us to move forward. Hope helps us to face impossible challenges. Hope is like the light at the end of a dark tunnel. We can move forward even in the darkness because of the hope we have.

During this pandemic, we often heard preachers and pastors telling us not to “waste this pandemic”, meaning that we are to use this time of the lockdown to reflect about our lives, be intentional about spending time with God and letting God shape us and transform us from the inside out so that we will be better people than before. In order to do so, we need to know the hope that we have in God.

Let’s look at Psalm 89, a maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite and let us learn to put our hope in Him.

 

Hope in God in our sufferings and despair

The psalmist cries out to the Lord “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?” (verse 46, NIV). When the psalmist was writing this, he had his own challenges to deal with. His circumstances were different. But this verse expresses what we are feeling now. We feel that God is hiding Himself as the peoples of this world are suffering.

God is always there. We can not see Him with our eyes but He is with us. He is faithful. He loves us with a great love. The psalmist says, “1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. 2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself” (verses 1-2).
There is hope in our sufferings because of who God is. He is love. He is faithful. He will carry us through.

Psalm 89: 1-2

 

Hope in spite of our short life span and the inevitability of death

Life is short—“your life is like the morning fog- it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14. NLT). The psalmist also prays to God, “47 Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity! Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?” (verse 24, NIV)  

The psalmist says despite our life being short and that we will face death someday, yet, he holds on to the promise of God’s love. He prays, “Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?” (verse 49). We will pass away; it is inevitable. But, as the story unfolds in the New Testament, believers will have eternal life through Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon Himself and died on the Cross for us. We have eternal life through Jesus Christ. Our life is more than life on earth. We have hope that we will have eternal life with God in Heaven forever.

Hope in God’s righteousness and justness  

The world is unjust. The evil and power-hungry people seem to be crushing the innocent. But the psalmist puts his hope in God who is righteous and just. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” (verse 14-15, NIV)

Even when what is going on does not make sense to you, trust in God’s righteousness, love and faithfulness.

Psalm 89:14-15

 

Hope in the presence of God

Those who walk with God (following His ways and commandments) will be blessed. They are walking in the light of the presence of God (verse 15). They will rejoice in God and celebrate God’s righteousness because God is their glory and strength (verses 16-17).

When all else fail, by walking with God, we will taste His presence and we even rejoice in the midst of difficulties because God is with us.

We have hope because God is with us.

 

Hope in God’s purpose

It seems funny and even a little rude for me to tell you about finding the good in our present situation. I don’t know what you are going through. You may be grieving over the loss of a loved one, you may be facing stressful times at home, you may be out of a job or you may be struggling financially. But let us lift up our eyes from the current situations to God.

This psalm reminds us that God is faithful. He loves us with a faithful love (verse 24). There is no powers or authority higher than that of God’s (vv 5-13). He alone is in control. He created the heavens and the earth (v 11) and everything belongs to Him. There is a purpose for everything He does. We can trust in His timing to work things out for the best according to His infinite love and wisdom.

Ezra, the psalmist, ends this psalm by asking God to remember him. The psalmist clings onto the hope he has in God. Ezra then praises God, “praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen!” (verse 52, NIV). There are always reasons to praise Him. He is sovereign, He is in control, His wisdom is beyond our comprehension and He loves us with a faithful love.

Let us put our hope in God.

Day of Pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit

Today is the Day of Pentecost. We commemorate the Day of Pentecost on the 50th day after Easter (or the Seventh Sunday after Easter).

On the Day of Pentecost 2,000 years ago (and 10 days after the risen Jesus ascended to Heaven), the apostles and followers of Jesus were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Harvest. In the rush of wind and in tongues of flames, the Holy Spirit came and filled them, just as Jesus had said. It was the most wonderful and powerful gift from God. These apostles and followers of Jesus were afraid of what would happen to them after Jesus had gone to Heaven, but when the Holy Spirit came, He filled them with boldness, authority, power and language to proclaim the Good News. A crowd came to see what was going on, and each of them were amazed to hear the Good News in their own language.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter (who only a few weeks ago had denied knowing Jesus three times out of cowardice) stood up with the other apostles and preached the Good News to the crowd so powerfully that 3,000 people became believers that day. The Book of Acts records many of the wonders and miracles the apostles did through the power of the Holy Spirit. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). They finally realized why Jesus had to leave them to return to Heaven—so that the Holy Spirit could come upon them.

Who will have the Holy Spirit? Anyone can receive the Holy Spirit. Today, the Holy Spirit lives in everyone who believes in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit who filled the apostles is with us today. It is the same Holy Spirit who was present when the foundations of the world were laid. It was the same Spirit by whom Jesus Christ was conceived. It was the same Spirit that was with Jesus as He walked on this earth, preaching about the kingdom of God, healing the sick and casting out demons. Jesus said to His disciples, “whoever believes in me will also do the works I have been doing” (John 14:12).

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, gives us new life, indwells in us and seals us and baptizes us into the Body of Christ. He also gives us spiritual gifts to serve God and to bless others (1 Peter 4:10) and to build up the church (1 Cor. 14:12).The Holy Spirit teaches us to obey all that Jesus has taught us (Acts 5:32; Hebrew 10:20). But, if we intentionally disobey the promptings of the Holy Spirit and continue to sin, the Holy Spirit can be grieved and quenched (Romans 6:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Therefore, we have to be very careful. We do not want to intentionally disobey God and subsequently quench the Holy Spirit.

On this Day of Pentecost, many of our countries are still in lock down due to the virus. We may be feeling fearful. We are uncertain about the future. So did the apostles 2,000 years ago. But then, God sent them the Holy Spirit and their lives were never the same again. The coward and fearful disciples became bold missionaries, bring the Good News to the world. They turned the world upside down for God.We are in a lock down, but we are still people of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

May you and I be filled with the Holy Spirit continually so that we will live a victorious life over the bondage of sins.

May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hop by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Recharge to Restart

The battery of my parents’ car was flat so we took it to the mechanic.

Sometimes when I am exhausted (when my battery is flat), I will take a nap. Sometimes when I am exhausted as a leader, I will read a book to take the matter off my mind. Sometimes when I am exhausted from the notifications on my Facebook, I log out and only sign in again until a couple of days later.

We recharge ourselves to get back on the journey again. Take a break from work as and when necessary. Take a break from social media, when you need some time alone to reflect, meditate and be still. Take a break when needed but never take a break from God. He is our everything.

Healing

My laptop hangs… For the past 30 minutes, I have been waiting for it to function as it used to be. There is a “temporary error” on my Gmail and I can’t work unless it is back to normal. So, I grab this opportunity to write while it gets its “health” back.

While walking around the garden yesterday, I noticed that there were some plants in pots which are not doing well. They are withering away. Dad moves them to another place and put some different fertilisers on them, hoping they will “heal” gradually.

This period of lockdown also gives me extended time to reflect and to heal. Whatever you are struggling with, give yourself time to heal. It can be a conflict in a relationship, a physical sickness, emotional pain or something else which is haunting you.

The Bible contains many verses which talk about healing. One particular verse I want to highlight is taken from 1 Peter 2:24, “who Himself (Jesus) bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed.”

Jesus died on the Cross for our sins. He freed us from slavery to sins and He also heal us: from fear, from guilt, from shame, from rejection and sense of worthlessness. He restores us to the person He has created us to be.

In Jesus, we died to sin but now live as new creations with His peace, joy, love and healing.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for in You, I find healing and I can live in peace, and joy knowing that I am deeply loved by You. Nothing can ever separate me from Your love. Amen.

Standing on the Solid Rock

There is much anxiety in the midst of the pandemic. In moments like this, we realise we are weak, we need to lean on something greater and stronger.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is a firm foundation; His Word is a firm foundation (Psalm 119:152). We can trust in the Bible because it is God’s Word. His Word never fails; what God says is “firm, and righteous” (Psalm 19:9, NIV).

In the good times and in the bad times, God’s Word stands secure. His word is “more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honey from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10, NIV). “His way is perfect” (2 Sam 22:31). Listen to God and obey Him is like a wise man who built his house on the rock; when the rain poured and wind blew and beat against the house, it remained strong because of its solid foundation on the rock. The foolish man, on the other hand, built his house on sand. When the rain came, and wind blew and beat against the house, it came crashing down  (Matt 7:24-27).

When we are fearful, God’s Word gives us comfort, encouragement, joy and hope. The Old Testament of the Bible records a prophet of God named Jeremiah. He was known as the “weeping prophet”. He lived at a very terrible time in history. He had gone through war, starvation and captivity. God called him to tell His people to repent, and he spent 40 years do that — calling people to repentance but they did not listen to him. He wept for sorrow for the people. He saw the destruction of the people he was giving warning to. God’s Word sustained him. He said of God’s Word, “they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16a).

May it be that at a time such as this, in the midst of pandemic, God’s Word is our joy and heart’s delight.   

Corona virus is not sovereign. The virus seems to have humanity falling on our knees, but very soon, in His sovereign power, God will put the Corona virus to an end. God is sovereign above all!

Let’s be encouraged and find comfort in God’s Word. God’s Word is a healing balm when we are anxious, worried, depressed, hopeless and lost. God alone gives the deepest peace and comfort our fearful souls are yearning for.

 

The Light

The fluorescent tube in the kitchen is not working. The sun is setting. Mum needs to prepare dinner.

Dad is fixing the light

Dad climbs on the stool and hooks a light bulb to the wires. This provides light until we can go to the store to get a new fluorescent tube.

Without light, mum can not cook in the kitchen. Without the Light of the world, we will be moving about in darkness. Praise the Lord, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'” (John 8:12)

Every morning, the sun gives light to the earth. Plants grow because the receive sunlight. The morning sun is good for our skin as it nourishes us with Vitamin D. During night time, the stars and the moon give light to the earth. Without light, there is darkness. We can’t see in the dark.

Jesus came to give us light. He shines in us and convicts us of our sins. When we truly repent, He forgives us and remembers our sins no more. We are no longer bound by the heavy chains of sins but we live in hope, peace, joy and freedom.

Be Satisfied

In the wilderness, God had supplied the Israelites with all that they had needed. He was with them: in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night to give them light so they could travel by day or night (Exodus 13:21). Their clothes and sandals never worn out (Deuteronomy 29:5).

In the wilderness, they did not have lands to plant vegetables for food. God then provided food for them, manna, which He rained down from Heaven. Manna in Hebrew means “what is it?!”.

“4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days” (Exodus 16:4-5).

As time passed, the Israelites were sick of having manna every meal. They began to get upset and frustration got a hold of them. they began to wail, whine and complained that they had lost their appetite because they had (eaten and seen) too much manna.

4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6) 

They were making comparisons with their old life in Egypt. They would rather be working as slaves in Egypt under the cruel task masters and had fish, and other types of food to eat, than being in freedom with God as their loving Provider. Being in the wilderness meant they had to trust God like never before.

They got what they wanted: meat. God sent them quails but it was not without a price.

It is easy for us to whine and complain. It is easy to find things to complain about. May God have mercy on us. May God help us to see His goodness, mercy, providence, forgiveness and love.

Let us cultivate a heart of thanksgiving. What are the things you can give thanks to God for today? Why not list them down and give thanks to God for His mercy and providence?

Principles for Discipleship Mark 9:38-50

What are some of the things that other Christians do that drive you crazy? One day, the disciples of Jesus were getting agitated by a man who was using Jesus’ Name to drive out demons. They disciples could not bear with him.

The disciples of Jesus were given the authority and power to use His Name. They had been empowered to preach, to teach, to heal and to chase away the evil spirits in His Name. They saw people being freed from bondages and being healed. When the disciples noticed that there was someone outside of their group of 12 doing what they were doing, they got agitated and stopped Him.

Jesus told them not to stop the man. There are a few things we can learn from Jesus’ response. These can be applied in our lives as His disciples.

1. Uphold unity (v 40)
The disciples judged the man for not worthy enough to use the Name of Jesus because he was not one of them.
The original audiences of the Gospel of Mark would see themselves behaving like the disciples. There were conflicts over Jewish-gentile relations. The church was a young church and yet, the Christians were quarreling and having disagreements with each other.
Much harm is done when Christians fight among each other, when we behaving self-righteously and condemning others. Jesus wanted His disciples to look at themselves first, and not be to judge others. Similarly, today, let us not be so quick to find faults in others or judge others lest we hinder others from knowing Jesus and experiencing His love.

2. No actions are forgotten by Jesus (v 41)
The second principle of discipleship is that no action is unseen by Jesus. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward”.
What Jesus means is that everything that we do in His Name will not be forgotten. Think about the missionaries who obeyed Jesus and went to foreign lands for Jesus. They left everything behind for Jesus: their homes, their comforts, their possessions, their cultures and for some, even their lives. Jim Elliot lost his life reaching out to a group of tribal people. He left behind his wife and an 8-month-old daughter, who later on went back to minister to the people who killed Jim.
Think about Mother Teresa, who left behind her homeland to serve the sick, forgotten, rejected and dying in India. Think about the many ordinary everyday people who served in Jesus’ Name, who prayed in Jesus’ Name, who ministered in Jesus’ Name, who are making differences in people’s lives because they love Jesus.
All that they have done in Jesus’ Name is not forgotten by Jesus.
May be right now, you don’t always see the results of serving in the church ministries. You wonder are all these worth it.
But the ripple effects will always be there. As what Jesus said, giving someone a cup of water has its life changing effect. Sometimes, the person who received kindness will be changed. We have all experienced kindness and love from someone: our parents, our Sunday School teachers, our school teachers, our pastors and so on. They may not even know how they have touched us and impacted us with their actions and love, but we remember their acts of kindness and we passed it on to others around us.
One day, we will be surprised to see the impacts of the little actions which we have done in Jesus’ Name. So, don’t be discouraged. Keep doing good to glorify Jesus. May He be exalted in your life.

The next 3 principles is the warning of Jesus about the way we live our lives:
3. Don’t stumble others (v 42)
Jesus said in verse 42, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”
Jesus said it would be dangerous if His disciples make people fall down, especially the children and the weak. Jesus said for those who stumble others, it would be better if they were to be thrown into sea with a millstone around the neck than do harm to the children and the weak.
As disciples of Jesus, we are to live out the teachings of Jesus. If we are careless, it will bring irreparable damage to the body of Christ. We have heard of stories of Christians living in such a way that repel people from Christ. May God grant us grace so that we will be watchful and not stumble people or prevent them from knowing and enjoying the love of Christ.

4. Live in purity (vv 43-48)
Jesus very bluntly tells us about the realities of life after death, and we will either enter Heaven or Hell. To those who believe in Jesus by faith, we will go to Heaven. On the other hand, Hell is the destination for those who sin against God, who rebel against God, who are not obedient.
We have to be watchful. Guard the way we live. Jesus specifically mentioned the three body parts: hand, foot and eyes. Pay attention to how we use our hands, our feet and our eyes. Are we doing things, taking things not ours, going to places that are displeasing to God? As we seeing things with our eyes that cause us to stumble and sin? May God help us to live in holiness.

5. Do it (vv49-50)
Therefore, live out your lives as Christians. In the Old Testament, the burnt offerings and sacrificed were offered to God. Salt preserve the sacrifices which were to be offered up to God.
Apostle Paul also mentioned being holy living sacrifices for God as our spiritual act of worship in Romans 12:1. “Therefore, i urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship”.

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
When Jesus said, “Be salted with fire” (v 49), it means, “to be empowered with the Holy Spirit”. Jesus was saying to offer ourselves as living sacrifices for God. Live in purity and holiness. When we renewed our hearts and mind, we want to live in ways that are pleasing to God.

Don’t underestimate the power of Christ in you. The power of the Name of Christ that sets you free from bondages and give you victory over temptations. As children of God, we have been given the authority to use the Name of Jesus. We pray in the Name of Jesus to cast away evil thoughts. When we are traveling, we pray protection and cleansing of the room in the name of Jesus. We also surrender our emotional and physical pains to Jesus in His Name and to receive healing. May our lives tell others the joy, the blessings, the peace and the unity we have as disciples of Jesus.

Sleep to glorify God :)

“30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:30-34)

When I was younger, I was shocked to find out my older friends needed 8 hours of sleep each night. I was thinking: why waste so much time on sleeping! The younger me could survive with only a few hours of sleep, and I did enjoy the excitement of not sleeping the whole night to finish up my assignments.

  I thought that sleeping less = being productive.

And I was so wrong.

Doctors recommended that we get about 7-8 hours of sleep every night for our well beings.

More importantly, the Bible teaches us that sleep is important.

Firstly, God created us to need to sleep. After God created Adam, the first human being, God made Adam to fall asleep. And God did His work during Adam’s sleep. When Adam was sleeping, God took a rib bone of out him and made a woman—a life partner for Adam.

When we sleep, God is doing something in us. Our cells are rejuvenating. Our organs are resting. God refreshes us in our sleep.

Secondly, sleep is surrendering to God. Sleep means we admit our own frailty as human beings. We can’t work all the time. We don’t have everything in control all the time. We never will. But God is in complete control over the universe. We sleep at night knowing that our God is watching over us. We can trust in Him.

For the Israelites, the Sabbath started when the sun set. Their day and night started and ended at sunsets. They started their day not by working, but by going to sleep. It means, total surrender to God. We can’t do anything apart from God.

Thirdly, sleep is a gift from God.

Psalm 127 tells us, sleep is a gift from God. We need sleep and rest from our work, regardless how much we enjoy our work.

1Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves”.

For God grants sleep to those He loves. It is a reminder that we should not be worry or anxious, but we should rest in Him like little babies, trusting in Him.

It is interesting how many times in Psalm 121 that we are reminded that God doesn’t sleep. It is His job to protect us. This Psalm tells us, God who watches over us does not slumber or sleep, therefore, nothing can harm us. He watches over from all harm. He watches over our life.

We can trust in Him and sleep in peace.

We read in Psalm 3:5–6, I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” Then we read in Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

When we sleep and when we rest, we are surrendering everything to God. He gives us rest and peace, and sleep.

The Bible is not asking us to rest and sleep and rest and sleep. There should be a balance.

In Mark 6: 7-13, Jesus sent out His disciples 2 by 2 to tell others the Good News. Jesus also gave them authority to cast out evil spirits. The disciples went out to teach, drove out evil spirits and also to heal many sick people.

When they regroup with Jesus again, they were so excited to tell Jesus everything they had done and taught. About that time, a big group of people in need came to Jesus and His disciples for healing and to hear the teachings of Jesus. The crowd kept pressing in until Jesus and disciples did not have a chance to eat. So, Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest”.

Jesus invited His disciples to come with Him to get some rest. Come with Jesus for a time of quietness and be recharged.

Soon, the crowd caught up with them. Jesus saw them and had compassion on them. Jesus demonstrated to us the balance between rest and work.

Jesus rested, and He worked hard too. In rest, Jesus glorified God, in His work, Jesus glorified God too.

We too, rest in Him to be energised to serve Him. We serve God and others to glorify Him.