Some Thoughts
James Yeku
There is a River
It is almost a decade ago, on a university campus in Nigeria, when I received some terrible information that shattered my heart. I could not walk back to my room, as my legs struggled with my tearful eyes for expression. You are familiar with that kind of situation. Your heartbeats become faster. The world is almost crumbling on you, and you look around to see no one but Mr. pain. Then I asked the question we all love to hate, but still ask. God why me?
It is a question that always comes back to us anytime things go wrong: when the Lord calls home a loved one; when one of the kids is admitted to hospital; when your wife looks at you in the eye and you know your marriage needs an urgent touch from God. Or even when we have waited on God in prayer and fasting and have done all for things to work, only to still fail the exam or lose a position or a desired job. The pain! Lord, why me?
I wish I knew the answer to such questions. I don't. But I have seen people like Job say things like even if God slayed him, he would yet praise God. I have read about a certain prophet Habakkuk who said he would wait upon his watch to see what God would say to him even in moments of crises. He, it was, who said even if the crops fail and the bank account becomes zero, he will run to God to worship and dance, and not from pillar to post, blaming life, God or the devil.
There is something about pain that these men show us. Pain has got some good side to it. At this point, I am reminded of Ashlyn Blocker, the Georgia teenager who was born with a rare disease that made her unable to feel pain. Yes, she could set her hand on fire and lose the whole thing before she realised something was wrong. Her parents once spoke of the trials and tribulations of her this absence of pain!
Trials and tribulations of a painless situation?
Yes my brother! And maybe you too see the point God is making through job and Habakkuk:
the absence of pain is not pleasure, but discomfort. It was not the presence of pain or pleasure that drove Jesus to the cross. It was the will of God, understanding that God deserves to use our pain or gain for his glory.
I realise this may be a bit odd to say, but sir, we are unprofitable servants and our call on earth is not to gain the whole world and its riches. Even our Lord refused an opportunity to bow to Satan and get all the glories of the world. Our call on earth is to bow our will and follow God even if our precarity is a function of his permission, as in the case of Job.
Ashlyn Blocker does not feel pain, but her parents want her to. We feel pain and do not want to. That tells me the issue is not the presence or absence of pain itself. The issue is our surrender to God, allowing our pain, or even pleasure to reveal him to us. Only then will we be able to say like David, though a 9/11-like event happens to us, though the earth is removed and carried into the midst of the sea, there is a river.
God is in the midst of that river, my brother. Do not be moved! You are only passing through the valley of the shadow of death, not death itself, and you cannot afford to sit in it.
God is in the midst of the river. It can only wash you, not drown you.
Bolaji Idowu
Yancey's book on this topic of pain.
It is a good reminder, and may God help me to surrender all; be it
pain or pleasure so I can experience Him more deeply.
On 5/7/15, James Yeku <yeku....@gmail.com> wrote:
> *There is a River*
>
> It is almost a decade ago, on a university campus in Nigeria, when I
> received some terrible information that shattered my heart. I could not
> walk back to my room, as my legs struggled with my tearful eyes for
> expression. You are familiar with that kind of situation. Your heartbeats
> become faster. The world is almost crumbling on you, and you look around to
> see no one but Mr. pain. Then I asked the question we all love to hate, but
> still ask. God why me?
>
>
>
> It is a question that always comes back to us anytime things go wrong: when
> the Lord calls home a loved one; when one of the kids is admitted to
> hospital; when your wife looks at you in the eye and you know your marriage
> needs an urgent touch from God. Or even when we have waited on God in
> prayer and fasting and have done all for things to work, only to still fail
> the exam or lose a position or a desired job. The pain! Lord, why me?
>
>
>
> I wish I knew the answer to such questions. I don't. But I have seen people
> like Job say things like even if God slayed him, he would yet praise God. I
> have read about a certain prophet Habakkuk who said he would wait upon his
> watch to see what God would say to him even in moments of crises. He, it
> was, who said even if the crops fail and the bank account becomes zero, he
> will run to God to worship and dance, and not from pillar to post, blaming
> life, God or the devil.
>
>
>
> There is something about pain that these men show us. Pain has got some
> good side to it. At this point, I am reminded of Ashlyn Blocker, the
> Georgia teenager who was born with a rare disease that made her unable to
> pain*. Yes, she could set her hand on fire and lose the whole thing before
> tribulations of her this absence of pain!
>
>
>
> Trials and tribulations of a painless situation?
>
>
>
> Yes my brother! And maybe you too see the point God is making through job
> and Habakkuk:
>
>
> the absence of pain is not pleasure, but discomfort. It was not the
> presence of pain or pleasure that drove Jesus to the cross. It was the will
> of God, understanding that God deserves to use our pain or gain for his
> glory.
>
>
> I realise this may be a bit odd to say, but sir, we are unprofitable
> servants and our call on earth is not to gain the whole world and its
> riches. Even our Lord refused an opportunity to bow to Satan and get all
> the glories of the world. Our call on earth is to bow our will and follow
> God even if our precarity is a function of his permission, as in the case
> of Job.
>
>
>
> Ashlyn Blocker does not feel pain, but her parents want her to. We feel
> pain and do not want to. That tells me the issue is not the presence or
> absence of pain itself. The issue is our surrender to God, allowing our
> pain, or even pleasure to reveal him to us. Only then will we be able to
> say like David, though a 9/11-like event happens to us, though the earth is
> removed and carried into the midst of the sea, there is a river.
>
>
>
> God is in the midst of that river, my brother. Do not be moved! You are
>
>
>
> God is in the midst of the river. It can only wash you, not drown you.
>
> --
> *Department of English*
> *University of Saskatchewan, SK Canada*
> *+1306 8504149*
>
> *Do not curse the darkness, BE the candle. Do not just be the candle,
> REPRODUCE more candles (Matthew 5:14)*
>
Ayobami Ojebode
Ayo
Emmanuel A. Tsaku
Tsaku, Emmanuel A
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It is almost a decade ago, on a university campus in Nigeria, when I received some terrible information that shattered my heart. I could not walk back to my room, as my legs struggled with my tearful eyes for expression. You are familiar with that kind of situation. Your heartbeats become faster. The world is almost crumbling on you, and you look around to see no one but Mr. pain. Then I asked the question we all love to hate, but still ask. God why me?
It is a question that always comes back to us anytime things go wrong: when the Lord calls home a loved one; when one of the kids is admitted to hospital; when your wife looks at you in the eye and you know your marriage needs an urgent touch from God. Or even when we have waited on God in prayer and fasting and have done all for things to work, only to still fail the exam or lose a position or a desired job. The pain! Lord, why me?
I wish I knew the answer to such questions. I don't. But I have seen people like Job say things like even if God slayed him, he would yet praise God. I have read about a certain prophet Habakkuk who said he would wait upon his watch to see what God would say to him even in moments of crises. He, it was, who said even if the crops fail and the bank account becomes zero, he will run to God to worship and dance, and not from pillar to post, blaming life, God or the devil.
There is something about pain that these men show us. Pain has got some good side to it. At this point, I am reminded of Ashlyn Blocker, the Georgia teenager who was born with a rare disease that made her unable to feel pain. Yes, she could set her hand on fire and lose the whole thing before she realised something was wrong. Her parents once spoke of the trials and tribulations of her this absence of pain!
Trials and tribulations of a painless situation?
Yes my brother! And maybe you too see the point God is making through job and Habakkuk:
the absence of pain is not pleasure, but discomfort. It was not the presence of pain or pleasure that drove Jesus to the cross. It was the will of God, understanding that God deserves to use our pain or gain for his glory.
I realise this may be a bit odd to say, but sir, we are unprofitable servants and our call on earth is not to gain the whole world and its riches. Even our Lord refused an opportunity to bow to Satan and get all the glories of the world. Our call on earth is to bow our will and follow God even if our precarity is a function of his permission, as in the case of Job.
Ashlyn Blocker does not feel pain, but her parents want her to. We feel pain and do not want to. That tells me the issue is not the presence or absence of pain itself. The issue is our surrender to God, allowing our pain, or even pleasure to reveal him to us. Only then will we be able to say like David, though a 9/11-like event happens to us, though the earth is removed and carried into the midst of the sea, there is a river.
God is in the midst of that river, my brother. Do not be moved! You are only passing through the valley of the shadow of death, not death itself, and you cannot afford to sit in it.
God is in the midst of the river. It can only wash you, not drown you.
--
bukibassey
Thank you, James.
Peace!
doris favour esemuze
This is deep.
Please let's keep sharing. Thank you everyone. Have a great journey.
Favour!
