Status Single: The Desert Experience

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She was just a servant but she acted like a woman of great value before the eyes of Abraham. She was flattered by the honor of bearing his son in her womb, his firstborn — the fruit of his strength, the pride of his manhood. With contempt and arrogance she despised her mistress, the pitiful, barren woman. But before Sarah, she was nothing but a slave and her son owned no rights to take a pebble of Abraham’s wealth.

Seeing his beloved wife greatly distressed, Abraham, with a bread and a skin of water sent Hagar and Ishmael away. He knew none of this on the day he consented with Sarah’s plan; but he knew that this was the best thing to do. He had to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael for his wife and son Isaac’s sake.

Hagar departed with her son and wandered in the desert. Her heart was wrenched in anguish seeing her son and the bread and the water in hand. Abraham was rich. He could have given her a load of food and a camel to spare their feet from the burning sand; but a bread and a skin of water?

The last piece of bread had been consumed. The last drop of water had been taken in. Now they had nothing left to supply their need. She knew she had more—more strength, more faith, more hope; but her son had not. She was pained every time she hears Ishmael wail in thirst and hunger. The pain of being made a servant, sent away, and abhorred she could take; but not the pain of seeing her son waste away in the middle of the desert under the burning heat of the sun. She took him on her arms and tucked his face into the curve of her neck. She did not want him to see her pain. She did not want him to know that they were soon to take their last breath in the wilderness and vanish from the face of the earth. 

As the sun continued to suck away the life she and her son held tight, her life flashed before her mind. Back at her father’s house she was a princess but fate was hard on her. She was given to Abraham as a gift of friendship but she was made into a servant at Sarah’s tent. She served her mistress and gave her nothing but the loyalty she deserves; but she was forced to give the beauty of her youth and the bounty of her bosom to Abraham. She was envied and dealt harshly by her mistress, and she ran away. But an angel spoke to her and blessed her. She bore Abraham a son. She named him Ishmael for the Lord hears. Ishmael grew up. Isaac was born. She was again a foreigner, a slave, a stranger in a strange place. And now she had been sent away doomed to perish in the wilderness. 

Looking around, she found a bush and hid Ishmael there — limp and dying. She knew he’d die first, and that she could not take. So she closed her eyes while a bowshot away from the child; and felt the tiny stream of tears carving through her sunburnt cheeks. She accepted her fate and the end that awaits her.
—————
Have you ever had a desert experience like Hagar? Maybe not literally but emotionally and mentally. You’ve waited for so long. You’ve gone through the wilderness of waiting and none came, nothing happened. You had painstakingly stretched your patience and perseverance waiting for a job offer, a scholarship, a child to come home, healing from debilitating disease, a change in your situation, a man or woman after God’s own heart. You’ve consumed all the strength and faith God had given you. You’ve said all pep-talks you knew; and here you are in the desert—losing hope, giving up. As you savor the last drop of water on your throat, you knew you were an inch closer to giving up. 

You questioned your faith, your trust and confidence in the word of God. The words in Matthew 7:7 rang still, but your heart was too hungry, too thirsty, and too weary to trust. You hid your prayers away under the bush of pretense and rebellion; because seeing it unanswered was as heartbreaking as a clay pot smashed against a rock. You closed your eyes; and as you were about to delve into the darkness of unbelief, you heard a voice saying, “What’s the matter, my child? Fear not, I have heard your unspoken prayers.” You opened your eyes, and glimmering at a distance, you saw a well of water — a spring of hope.

Friend, waiting may really take a long long time but God has always had planted wells of water along our deserts. Whenever hope wanes, close your wandering eyes and hear Him speak through His word; and be watered by His love. No matter how the road seems to be so rugged and steep, be willing to take another mile. Because even if it is hard, there shall be brooks running with water to quench your thirst. Even if the sun hides beneath the mountains, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun. Even if your heart is shrouded in loneliness, you shall have a song and gladness of heart. At the sound of your cry, He will be gracious as He was to Hagar. And though He gives you bread of adversity and water of affliction, He will not hide Himself. What a wonderful opportunity amidst adversity! 

Among billions of men, only a few had a glimpse of God. Perhaps your desert is heaven’s chosen platform where God’s fullness shall be revealed, giving you opportunity to see His face and know Him deeply. After all, when Christ reigns supreme in the heart, when the mind is fastened upon Him, waiting you shall no longer be but living in the full radiance of His love.

Bible Reading: Genesis 16, 21:1-21; Isaiah 30

My PYC Story

About five months before PYC 2017, the reality of my spiritual wretchedness sunk in to me. I was a Senior Clerk in General Surgery at Chong Hua Hospital at that time and the load wasn’t as heavy as I used to have in my government hospital rotations. I had more time reading and more time conversing with my classmates.

One night, I had a conversation with a good friend. We talked about our lives and the struggles we were facing at the moment. She told me about how the enemy had been very successful in keeping her away from God through her past relationship, and how liberating it was to be back in the service of God after the relationship came to an end. The experience was exhaustingly difficult for her but the end was rewarding.

At that time, my friend did not know what was happening in my heart. As she was sharing her story of victory, I was loathing inside and wishing that God would grab me from the darkness I was in. I knew something was wrong with me but I didn’t know how to deal with it. I questioned God’s leading in my life and told Him how my senior clerkship brought me to a number of missed Sabbath events and outings because I had to attend to my patients in the hospital, and a number of hurried and shortened personal devotional times because of sleepless nights, toxic duties, and early morning rounds and endorsements. I missed the structured life I had as a third-year medical student. I loathe the fast-paced, highly competitive world of Medicine. My final year in medical school was the hardest and most trying year in my entire life. It felt like thriving in the middle of a desert alone.

Nevertheless, God kept my faith when I couldn’t keep it. Every desire for communion with Him in His Word was matched with endless streams of grace. Wherever I was and whatever I was doing, His Word was with me. He gave me heavenly thoughts to ponder upon while slowly pushing Calcium Gluconate to my patient. While I monitored dying and recovering patients, and inserted IVs, urinary catheters, and NGTs, He was doing miracles in my head bringing His Word alive before my eyes. On these moments, my thumbs were my pen, my smartphone was my notebook.

Few days after my senior clerkship officially ended, my sister invited me to join PYC 2017. At first I was reluctant to go because of financial reasons but before the online registration ended, I made my decision to go to PYC. My spiritual desert experience led me to join PYC and experience for my self something that I had never experienced before.

While preparing for the trip, daily I prayed that God would empty me so He could fill me up. I knew that this might be the only chance I had of joining PYC and if it was, I was willing to let God remove everything that was keeping me away from Him. I’ve experienced how it feels to be in a spiritual desert, and I wouldn’t dare let the heat of trials and temptations dry the streams of grace I daily received from God.

May 29, 2017. My sister and I finally stepped out of my father’s car at Ipil Integrated Bus Terminal, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay and began our long journey by land and by sea towards Iloilo City, the city of love. On the next day, we arrived at Bacolod City and decided to stay for a night because of exhaustion from the long and tiresome travel.

May 31, 2017. Approximately 2:30 pm, our taxi stopped right in front of Iloilo Central SDA Church. As my sister stepped out and the door swung open, I saw a very familiar face standing in front of the church. She was one of the most active adventist youth I knew in Mountain View College back on my nursing days. Phoebe Jane Fajutagana was my classmate, blockmate, and close friend in college. She was a prayer warrior, a spiritual friend, and a kind-hearted friend to me. With her widest grin, she went to me and hugged me while I was stepping out of the taxi.

A little later, she told me to go to Fine Rock Hotel for the registration/accommodation. My sister and I went and took our IDs and program pamphlets. While waiting for my turn, I reached out to my pocket and tried searching for my smartphone but it wasn’t there. I went outside the registration room and looked for it in my bag but to no avail. Even my small Samsung budget phone, the one I was using daily in the hospital was nowhere to be found too. My heart started to beat fast as I tried to recall the last time I was holding my smartphone. And yes! I held it last in the taxi before I saw my friend.

A wave of panic overcame me as I was thinking how to find my phones. I tried calling the taxi company, my smartphone and my duty phone but nobody was willing to return it. So my sister and I decided to join the opening program of PYC. I sat on one of the pews at the back unsure about PYC and worried about how I was going to tell my parents about it because ten months ago I also lost a smartphone while having a 24-hours duty in Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Physically and emotionally tired, I decided to stay at my hotel room with my sister. I knew I was missing something wonderful but my heart wasn’t ready for anything other than getting my smartphone back. My heart was bowed low before God. In a prayer, I asked Him what He’s up to and to my surprise a realization came: He was emptying me down so He could fill me up. It was too painful but I had no choice but to endure the loss.

For four days of being away from the distractions brought about by facebook, instagram, youtube, and other social media sites I was into, all messages and testimonies I heard hit home to my heart. I discovered that the reason why I had a bitter spiritual desert experience despite of God’s abiding love is that I was hewing cisterns that can hold no water. And instead of seeking God first, I sought for other things which embittered my entire devotional life. God spoke to me through His word in Isaiah 30:15, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling.” I was unwilling all along.

The extent of my spiritual desert and the gush of living water experience while at PYC added life to the barren tree that I was. I praise God for what He wrought in my life during the PYC 2017 at the city of love. Although I did not find the love of my life there, I found Him who had been searching for me all my life, the One whom I would never dare to lose. Here’s a poem describing who I was and what Christ did to me.

Like a barren tree…

As the dawn broke, I saw a tree.
Parched, deserted, drained of beauty;
Bore nothing on its branches and twigs,
Except for the few withered leaves.

Mightily like an eagle, the sun shined,
Spreading its rays of life and light;
Nothing below was left untouched,
Even the tree, desiccated and dried.

I noticed pilgrims passing by,
But never saw them sit for a while;
Under the shade of the old tree,
Which brings travelers no glee.

Then a ray of light flashed on me,
Opened my eyes and made me see;
The vista of an old barren tree,
Was an honest reflection of me.

Like a barren tree on a hill I stood,
With a heart so bitter and cold;
Spreading gloom and discomfort,
To the land deserted and scorched.

Oh! Wretched woman that I am,
Who’ll save me from death’s cold hand?
Will the sky pour its hoarded waters?
And the sun burn like a fiery furnace?

But on the highways of sin and pleasure
Christ bent over me and said,
“Wilt thou be made whole?,” I nodded
And He renewed my soul.
 
In love and pity, He breathed on me
He gave me life, hope and serenity.
He waters me with His love every day,
Now living life for His glory.

Today, I am experiencing the joy of delighting in the will of God. I still have random thoughts about the files I lost but I am comforted by the fact that if God was with me then, He will also be with me today and tomorrow. He will supply everything I need according to His riches.

I am currently working at Adventist Medical Center — Iligan as a Post-Grad Intern. Despite the bomb-threats the hospital is receiving, I am confident that God will keep us from anything that can possibly harm us. Along with the other PGIs and hospital staff, we are regularly conducting medical missions in various evacuation camps around Marawi City. I know that the work we are doing in this place will prosper; and as we do so, our hearts will be drawn closer to the only real source of strength and power, the only One who can truly satisfy.

Like.

Love.Wow.

These are facebook buttons we want pressed on our facebook posts and photos. Oh! How wonderful it feels to receive hearts, thumb’s-ups, and wow-smileys.
But do we long to earn likes, hearts, and wow-smileys for Christ? The only way is to reveal Him by crucifying our selves and letting Him live inside. 

“Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shallbbe perfectly reproduced in his people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” -COL 69
Good morning

Have you been hurt and charred many times? Ever felt like Leah, weary of chasing Jacob’s love? Ever felt like Hosea, being cheated on once, twice, thrice.
Our story may differ from theirs but at some point we’ve been hurt and rejected. We knew how it feels when love is trod in a one-way street. We knew how it feels when a dream takes a lifetime or a thousand more to fulfill. We knew the pain of disappointment and failure. We knew the pain of being in a place where we don’t think we’d fit.
But there was a blood-stained cross, an empty tomb, and scarred hands. We may look through these windows and find our satisfaction and love… 

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

Oh, Amazing love. How can it be that light should rise and shine on me?

Amazing love. How can it be that joy should come and tears should flee?

God loves you!

Deepest Longings

We are relational beings and it is in our nature to seek for companionship, love, and care. We oftentimes find ourselves longing for someone to talk to and share our burdens with. We lift our prayers to heaven with deepest longings only heaven can fathom. We are desperate for love and we look for it in every place we find our selves in — home, workplace, school, church, internet/facebook/IG, etc.

However, do we realize that what we are looking for is knee-high away, prayer away? Do we realize that what our souls desire is just found in the pages of this old history book (as many call it, but it certainly is more than that) — the Bible?

Here’s an inspiring testimony from a prophet of God:

“With the Word of God in his hands, every human being, wherever his lot in life may be cast, may have such companionship as he shall choose. In its pages he may hold converse with the noblest and best of the human race, and may listen to the voice of the Eternal as He speaks with men. As he studies and meditates upon the themes into which ‘the angels desire to look,’ he may have their companionship. He may follow the steps of the heavenly Teacher, and listen to His words as when He taught on mountain and plain and sea. Lift Him Up, p. 56

God bless!

Status: Single, Yet I will rejoice

Waiting isn’t a new thing. In fact, waiting has been one of the constant things in this world. Think about our first parents, Adam and Eve. They waited for the Messiah all their lives. Look at the Jews, since the time of Abraham until today, they are still waiting for the Messiah. Read about the Millerite movement, they waited for the second coming of Christ. And we, Seventh Day Adventist Christians, the remnant of that movement are still waiting for the second coming of Christ. Waiting can be dubbed as the greatest and the most painful constant phenomenon ever known to mankind.

In the Bible, we read of men and women who endured a lifetime of waiting. Habakkuk, the prophet was one of them. Habakkuk waited for God to deliver His people but God seemed silent. Freedom from oppression seemed to be an elusive dream. In the first chapter of his book we read his complaints to God. He asked, “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save?” (Habakkuk 1:2)
Have you been in the confines of despair like Habakkuk? Have you asked God, “How long will you keep me waiting?” Like Habakkuk, you are faithful to the cause of God. You have walked the path of self-denial and have pursued purity for years. You have seen God and have walked with Him. You have known His heart and have entrusted Him with your whole life. And you see the wicked in mirth and bliss while you are slain by loneliness each day.
However, as in the story of Habakkuk, God is not deaf to your cries for help. He hears your earnest plea. Ellen White said, “He who upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without a fear. When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice.” (CE 54.4)
God saw Habakkuk’s pain and He said to him, “I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” “But still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end — it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Hab 1:5, 2:3 ESV) Likewise, God speaks to you, “I am doing a work in your days which is greater than you have ever imagined. I will give you what you need. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come.”

Later, in the proceeding chapter, Habakkuk recounted the glory and power of the Lord. He beheld the might of the Holy One. He remembered the wonderful deeds of Him who promised deliverance and reward to the faithful. And in words humans can only muster Habakkuk said, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, 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: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord , I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet , and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19 KJV)

Like Habakkuk, recount the blessings God gave you in the past. These are evidences of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness. Behold the Greatest Love hanging on the cross. And with Habakkuk say, “Though singleness is my lot this season of my life; yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”

In the words of Melody Mason, the Lord is saying to you and me: “I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand. Trust Me, My child. I have not forsaken nor forgotten; but I am preparing you for even greater blessings.”

God’s silence in this season of waiting may be the greatest blessing we are yet to understand. Endure the loneliness. Experience His grace. And live the life He gave you to the fullest. Elisabeth Elliot said, “Today’s business is trust in the living God who precisely measures out, day by day, each one’s portion.” (Quest for Love, p. 215)

Status: Single, You are not alone

Waiting is a painful process but an invaluable chapter in one’s life. Here we are taught lessons of patience, endurance, and perseverance — virtues that we need as we journey through the steep and rugged road to eternal life.
You may think that you are handpicked by destiny to a life of eternal waiting; but I am going to tell you, “You are not alone.” I have my share of waiting too like most of my faithful christian friends. And a thousand more have had. Persons like Sarah, Abraham, David, Ruth, Naomi, Daniel and his friends, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, Habakkuk and the disciples had their share of waiting too — most of which were faith-shaking and life-risking kind of waiting.

However, there is another One, bigger than the great men and women of the Bible, who waited and is waiting until today. For Him, this waiting wont end until His Father says “Enough!” This person is Jesus Christ. Let me tell you shortly His story.

He loved the only way He knew how — purely and perfectly. With searching eyes He walked amidst the beautiful garden of Eden and cried, “Where are you?” He was out for a morning walk that day like every morning. He waited for His beloved but He found nobody in their meeting place. What went wrong? What happened to the holy pair? In His omniscience He knew, but His heart wailed in search for them, “Where are you?”
That day, His heart was broken forever. The holy pair fell to sin because they disobeyed His command. Because sin marred their holy nature, they could never again enjoy the intimate communion they once had with their Maker.
However, He loved them still the only way He knew how — purely and perfectly. He broke the deafening silence in heaven and said, “I am willing to lay aside everything, that I may have them back with me.” Michael became the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. The holy angels whose love for Him was as precious as their own lives protested, but the Law required the blood of the One equal with the Law. Michael had to die and bleed for the fallen race.
Thousands of years later, He came down as a babe in a manger. He grew up in favor with God and man; and taught, preached, and healed. He ministered to the needs of the ones He came to save but only a few accepted Him. Many, even the religious leaders of His time despised Him and afflicted Him.
On a table one supper, with a cup of wine in His hand He said, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29) Jesus knew his enemies were near. The time of His suffering had come. He could not rejoice now and drink of the wine with His disciples. So, He set Himself to thousands of years of waiting for you and for me. Then Jesus died on the cross at calvary.

That was more than two thousand years ago; and He is still waiting for that day until today. In your waiting, have you reached a thousand years, or a hundred years, or fifty years? How long have you waited? Have you waited long enough like Jesus?

The Comforter is promised 
Jesus knew how hard and painful it is to wait. When we are set to wait, we are set to be tested, tried, and challenged. We are made vulnerable to discouragement, disappointment, and depression. So He did not leave us alone, but He willingly gives the Holy Spirit to comfort us in this season of waiting. He declared, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever…” (John 14:16)

The Holy Spirit is the most neglected Persona in the Godhead yet He is as holy as The Father and The Son. If Jesus was “God with us” in the apostolic times, the Holy Spirit is the “God with us” today. He is our pillar of fire by night and the pillar of clouds by day. He is the joy that fills our soul. He is the warmth that comforts the sorrowful. He is the strength in our weakness. He is our wisdom and pow’r. He is as fierce as fire but as gentle as dove. He is the third person in the Godhead. He is God.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts, we shall manifest its fruit through our works and actions — virtues that give us inward beauty, the beauty of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures say, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23)

As written by Apostle Paul, the fruit of the Holy Spirit consists of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. These are virtues that make any man and woman worthy of admiration, not only by ordinary people like you and me but by the heavenly host. What a wonderful gift is the Holy Spirit then.

The truth of the Holy Spirit is a real comfort in this season of waiting. If we invite the Holy Spirit to live in us and do the work He does best, our season of waiting becomes a season of great blessing. Here we are molded to become men and women after God’s own heart. Here we become the greatest want of the world, “men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” (Education 57.3)

Status: Single, Waiting for the one

I am a Christian and I believe that God is at work in my life. From childhood to my teenage years until my young adult years, I had seen the hands of God work amidst the circumstances that life brought me. As a child, He spared me from the awful hands of death when I suffered from severe dehydration due to Amoebiasis. As a teenager, He saved me from unnecessary heartaches and gave me dreams to dream and fulfill. And as a young adult, He opened doors of opportunities to realize the lofty dreams I thought were impossible to reach. I became a nurse and at present, I am finishing my last year in medical school. God has been so faithful to me.

However, there is one area in my life where God seems to be silent. All my friends around me are in a relationship except me. Despite my deep longings and sincere prayers, He has not yet sent me my prince charming. Painful, it is!

Like a child to her father, I have asked God a thousand “whys.” If He is really concerned about my happiness, why wont He allow me to experience what it is to love and to be loved? If He withholds nothing good from those whom He loves, why wont He give me the love of my life? The list of “whys” goes on and I only heard God say, “Wait.”

The smile in my heart that once was sweet has now turned sour. The sweet melodious song that I once sang now became a sound of noise. The beautifully painted blue sky turned dark and gloomy when I heard the bitterest word — wait.

For a while I snuggled in despair, anger, and resentment. Instead of fixing my eyes on Jesus, I turned my gaze to the mirror. And I was led to believe in a lie that has broken the hearts of God’s children, “I am not good enough.”

I remembered the disappointment of Cain in the garden of Eden when God did not accept his offering. I remembered the pain Esau felt when the blessings that were his were bestowed to Jacob. I felt left out and laughed at. I felt like a rug being stepped upon by many and forgotten.

However, the voice of God kept whispering in my ears. “I have loved you with an everlasting love therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3) He loved me with a love that extends beyond the present and reaches the farthest skirts of eternity; and He has proved it by His faithfulness to me. I recounted the works of His hands and I found no fault in Him. He was perfect in all His ways and faithful in His promises to me. Should I continue on with my foolish grudging and questioning? Shouldn’t I intently listen to Him as He says “wait?”

There are a lot of young people who felt the same way as I did back then. Many succumbed into depression, and some even plunged into addictions of varied sorts. For them, love is cruel. For them, forever is nonexistent. For them, true love is a lie. But they don’t realize that love has always been there only that it does not come in the way they expect. It comes in a form of “wait.” So, how does God speak love through the word “wait.”

How does God speak love through the word “wait?”
To wait is never easy for young persons like us. In a world where we grow up, we are accustomed to having everything instantly. So even when in intimate relationships, we speed down the road disregarding the sign, “Slow down. Men at work.” So, most of the us find ourselves cut into pieces because of premature heartaches.

Nevertheless, in tones of love, God says “wait” because He knows what is best for us. He says, “Wait! You are not yet ready. Let me mold you into a better woman/man that you may receive the best gift I intend to give you.”

In this moment of waiting, God prepares us for a grander and sweeter love story we have never known. He fashions us to be men and women after His own heart so that He may fit us for the role of a virtuous woman and a faithful man in a love-story He had written for you and me long before we knew beauty. He says “wait” because He longs to give us the best.

Wait! God has a bigger picture in view
Sarah was a beautiful young woman and a wife to the wealthiest man in the plain of Haran. Her husband was Abraham, the friend of God. She was highly favored by God and deeply loved by her husband. But like you and me, she also went through the painful process of waiting and so was Abraham.

Early in their lives as a couple, Abraham and Sarah were promised by God to have offsprings as many as the sands of the sea. But as the years went by, Sarah’s womb remained empty. She had become a fool, a laughingstock. What was wrong with her? Isn’t God faithful to His promises? No. God was testing Abraham’s, as well as her faith. Ellen G. White wrote, “A delay was permitted to test his faith in the power of God.” (PP 145)

If the act of waiting is a means of testing our faith, what is faith that needs to be tested? The Bible clearly teaches that “the righteous shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4) Faith is an indispensable part of the christian armor. (Ephesians 6:16) It is a shield from the flaming arrows of the evil. It keeps us from getting discouraged in our walk with God.

God, in tones of love, might be saying “wait” because He is in the business of fortifying your faith so that your eternal salvation will be secured. So, fair well young heart. God has your best interest in view. This is just a phase. And by His grace and mercy, you’ll get through.

The blessing that comes when you wait
Many a young people hate waiting; because what can be more painful than this? Most of us feels like we are suffering from wait-a-lifetime syndrome when waiting seems to take forever. As the day stretches onward and another day comes, our hearts are wrenched by the fact that we still have to wait for another day and be in perfect peace.

King David, a man after God’s own heart, knew what waiting feels like. And he encourages us in his psalms, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14) With our best interest in view, God will strengthen our hearts while we wait.

My father was recently diagnosed with cardiac dysrhythmia and cardiomegaly. His physician told him that he has a weak heart and if not properly treated, it may progress to heart failure and cost him his life. It is not God’s design that His children will have weak hearts. It is sin that weakened it and breaks its fibers. So, as a part of the plan of redemption, He leads us to a painful process of waiting to strengthen our hearts and be men and women for His glory — full of courage and strength. Who wants a coward soldier anyway? Who employs a sickly heart to love God’s beloved? It takes a strong and determined heart to love the best man or woman of God. And because we deserve the best, He prepares us to be the best.

A wonderful promise of God was spoken a thousand years ago through prophet Isaiah. It says,

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

We may be asked to run a mile, leap over a wall, cross desserts and rivers, climb mountains and swim oceans; but we will not faint nor be weary. New strengths will be given every waiting day.

Take heart, my friend. God is at work in your heart.

Status: Single

I am just a typical christian lady. My desire is to wait on God in everything and do things His way. This mindset led me to confidently choose the profession and the kind of life I am now living. I fully believe that I am in the middle of God’s will. However, has life been always that smooth and easy? Wasn’t there any points of tension and pressure, where my will collides and contradicts with His will?

Among all the aspects of my life, there is one area where I usually keep my mouth shut. Not because I have nothing to say about it; but because I intentionally evade the question, “How’s your love-life?” There it is. There is no more hiding. I am just as preoccupied as the rest but is just pretending to be fine.

So what’s the big fuzz about it? Why am I acting so? Let me share to you something more about my self.

I am a single christian young adult. And let me add more words to that, I am single since birth, popularly called, “No Boyfriend Since Birth” or NBSB. Growing in a christian home and environment, being single wasn’t so much of attention during my teenage years. My family and friends were ever supportive and even commended me for keeping my head on school and not on boys. As a result, I ferried well in school. Most of the times I got the grades I needed and wanted. I garnered a number of victories that has given God the glory and honor and my parents pride and willingness to support me in my pursuit of a Medical Doctor degree. I could say that I am a pretty successful and blessed young adult until something happened. I turned twenty-five.

So what’s with this age? This is the stage where I am at now and the time when almost all the people around me are telling me to find the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Or maybe start looking and observing, or open my heart’s door to someone. So, my heart, that was once quiet and tranquil was disturbed by the thought of having to at least date someone.

I started searching but at the end of the day got hurt and discouraged. No one, I suppose, has ever considered me in their list. Or no one has ever thought of me. Or no one likes me at all. Or worst, everyone hates me – that they would not even dare to search my heart and see what good is there.

This thought left me lonely and afraid. I was led to believe in the lie that has broken the hearts of many ladies, “I am not that beautiful to be admired.” Everything got physical believing that every guy around me are after the outside beauty of the flesh.

However, the Lord who is Love did not leave me comfortless. His truth as my Creator gave peace to my weary heart, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” [Psalm 139:14] Being reminded that God is my creator is freeing. It gave me a sense of worth and meaning. It tells me that a perfect God does not make anything less than perfect, that an excellent Potter like Him does not do a second rate job. His handiworks are excellent, and I am one of the zillions. So instead of self-pity, I waved goodbye to loneliness and shame; and said hello to happiness and contentment.

 

My search of the scriptures did not end there nor was the hand of God. I was led to a conclusion that a servant never worries when her master is her Father. With God as my master, I need not worry whom to date and when, whom to spend the rest of my life with,a and who will love me and want me. He has apportioned for me an amount of love which He alone knows the purpose thereof. If He tells me to pour that love to someone worthy, I would lovingly and willfully love with all that I have to offer; but if He tells me to pour that love to Him alone for His work to finish, I would with all my heart and soul.

Staying single for the rest of my life may sound lonely and painful. But I know that God will meet my needs. He will open ways and means to make my soul glad in His service. For me, nothing is of greater value than to partake of the sufferings of Christ. Apostle Peter says, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” [1 Peter 4:13 KJV]

I rejoice in the Lord for this life that He has blessed me with. This moment of singleness is a specially-appointed time for me to know Him more and have more of Him for the life ahead. There is no more tint of sadness, only radiance of joy coming from a heart fully surrendered to His sovereign will.

Honesty

Honesty.It is a thing most often neglected; but is desperately needed.

From our feelings, down to the depths of our desires, up to the breadth of our imaginations, to the innumerable encounters with friends and strangers, to the God of heaven and earth, honesty is a sine qua non for peace.
But, what is honesty?

Simply, it is being truthful, being sincere.

It is coequal with veracity, integrity, probity and verity.
Honesty.

Honesty.

It is a necessity; 

But not without risk.

Plato predicted that a man who would tell the truth would in the end be crucified. So, is fear of condemnation, rejection, and torment keeps us from upholding honesty? Had somebody taken the risk?
Yes! 

Somebody did in its fullest measure. 

He told the world the truth and the truth itself, “I am the Truth.” 

As Plato foresaw, that man was crucified. 

That man was Jesus; and He calls us still to follow Him with the same conditions: 

“Let a man deny himself and take up His cross.”
Will we take up our cross for the Truth?