Lord I come to You, let my heart be changed, renewed, flowing from the grace, that I’ve found in You. Lord I come to know, the weaknesses I see, in me, will be washed away, by the power of Your love. Lord unveil my eyes, let me see You face to face, the knowledge of your love, as You live in me. Lord renew my mind, as Your will unfolds, in my life, in living everyday, by the power of Your love. Hold me close, let Your love surround me, bring me near, draw me to Your side. And as I wait, I’ll rise up like the eagle, and I shall soar with You, Your spirit leads me on, by the power of Your love.
Would you expect such a simple song, a prayer to be so powerful, to have different meanings and significance to different people?
When such a prayer of one with a contrite heart is met with the power of analogy, the impact is irreversible, is life changing. It gives you a feeling that would be similar to how Moses must have felt when he saw God in the form of a burning bush: dazed.
That is exactly what has happened.
Our mission was to change lives, to sow the seed of the Word of God. And what could be better than starting it off by planting rice, an imagery of what we were about to do for the people of Tuao, for God. Walking in the mud for so long before getting to the designated field was the first of many humbling experiences. It was arduous work that required so much focus and effort to walk to the designated field as well as to actually plant rice. Wouldn’t you say that’s symbolic of spreading the word? It requires focus, focus on God; effort, not to be bogged down by the sticky mud, a distraction to all, and time, loads of it.
However, the whole process of God’s work began even before the trip. It was during the preparations for the trip, the deep reflections and sharing that we really felt inadequate. Being with sin, being so far from perfect, who were we to tell others what they should do, to behave like Christ, to emulate a perfect one? We saw the weaknesses in us, but we prayed for God’s mercy, for His guidance, and did not let that the brokenness stop us. And really it must have been the power of His love for us, for His people in Philippines, that enabled us to work through our weaknesses to gain strength to worship and glorify Him. He made what was our main weakness our strength, that being confidence, and in so doing blessed not only the people of Philippines but us also.
Even before we had reached Tuao, we were already standing in awe of God. The mountains and the rivers and the sunset and the stars, were all testaments to how powerful God was, to create that which we can never understand, yet which is so amazing and so beautiful at the same time. It was indeed a general revelation and one of the ways we could see God through His works.
The minute we stepped into on Taribubu soil, we were not short of being welcome. The people were extremely warm and inviting and this was really moving. It was like a reflection of God’s love for His people, and we saw it through them. What’s more, the love and kindness they showed us did not taper down once the feeling of novelty of having visitors died down. On the contrary, it grew, then became contagious and forged between us a bond that will never be broken, just like the bond between God and us because of His love.
How refreshing it is, to see how we could impact people by just singing praises to God. How powerful the twinkle in the eyes of a child, the smile on the faces of the people, as we sing, can be! It’s really amazing how God can choose such moments to touch us, to let us feel joy and in doing so spur us on to do His word even more zealously, to renew in us a spirit of God, the drive to serve God.
As we continued to sow the seeds and attempted to provide the right conditions throughout the rest of the week, I must say we were blessed. Nothing went according to schedule. A three hour elementary school session became a 45 minute session instead; A three hour session with 100 over high school kids became one with about 600 kids instead; Additional visits to the mayor and a child care center; Bible study sessions instead of project work and so on. However, everything just mysteriously fell into place. God really does work in mysterious ways. Our thoughts are not His thoughts, our ways are not His ways indeed. So, what a joy it really was for everyone to be resilient enough, to really submit to Him and letting him lead us to what we’re supposed to do, instead of forcing ahead with our own schedule. And how much more rewarding it turned out!
Usually, a mountain top feeling would complement the joy of doing God’s word. This trip, not many of us may have had that feeling. Instead, we had a mountain top experience when we climbed a mountain and learnt through analogy, and through God’s creation of nature, the importance of getting back on our feet after we slip and fall on mud, the importance of keeping focus as we go up and down the steep slopes and the importance of getting a good foothold on solid rock while wading through the river. Extrapolating these points to how we should live our lives in the Lord serves as a very powerful reminder that we need support, guidance and who better to rely on than God?
Through all this, God really blessed us and gave us the most comfortable conditions to work in. Electricity supply was cut quite a few times, but always came back on and lasted during crucial moments when it was time to study the bible or the likes. Supplies disappeared, but turned up again just when they were needed. Even the weather was on our side.
I really could go on and on because there is not end to telling of how wonderful God’s love, grace and creations are. We have come to realize that and have been reminded that we’re all subjected to His will. But just as importantly, we also have learnt to be strong in the Lord, allowing Him to mould us so that we will be in better shape to do His work. And it is through this that we gain renewal in spirit, grow closer to God, and feel the bar representing the lowest of our spiritual state rising because of the knowledge that God is constantly carrying us, guiding us, and being with us.