God, My Greatest Blessing!
BRD REFLECTIONS
Jeremiah 12 and Psalm 16 (NIV)
(Joni Ong, Co-Leader, Rainbow of Joy, Small Group Ministry)
READ:
His Word to me this season: Psalm 16
1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
OBSERVE:
Together with 6 others, I recently returned from a hiking trip of Tour du Mont Blanc, enjoying the often-challenging trails in good company. But the BEST friend in our midst was God, in whom we prayerfully took refuge as He kept us safe and secure. Coming home to reflect on Psalm 16 is an apt task only divined by Him. I take much comfort in the verses that applied well during the hiking and life in general. Overarching verse of all our prayers every day for our loved ones is ‘Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.’ (v1). Indeed, God’s protective presence as we journey this life on earth, through the storms and beautiful rainbows, gives me a great sense of faith and security. He is my refuge.
During the hikes, being the least fit and most clumsy, there were occasions when I ran out of stamina, huffed and puffed and felt I could not take another step, tumbled a little or kicked a hard stone or two. However, I found that keeping my eyes focused on the ground and 5 steps ahead prevented slips and trips; trusting my shoes and walking poles gave me confidence to ascend or descend steep inclines. Yes, we go where our eyes look! In life, if I focus my eyes on material accumulations and work achievements, these tend to consume me and take me away from God. But ‘I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.’ (v8). God is faithful, and even when I dart my eyes to the left and right sometimes, He holds me firmly in His grasp and stays at my right hand to re-focus me. Praise Him for His faithfulness!
Fellow hiker CW kept reminding us not to miss the big picture – God’s beautiful world. Almost unconsciously, under my panting breaths, I gave thanks and sang praises to God for His awesome creation of mountains and valleys, waterfalls and lakes and lovely companions on this journey with me. Amidst the majesty of the mountains and skies, I am humbled to acknowledge that ‘You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.’ (v2). While I declare that all my blessings flow from God, God Himself is my greatest blessing! As I grow older (and hopefully wiser), it has become so apparent that God is my all in all and that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. Amen.
APPLY:
• Like David, I want to keep my eyes focused only on the Lord.
• I will give thanks every day for His blessings and for Him being my greatest blessing.
• I will only take refuge in God alone; through every twist and turn, every up and down in life.
DO:
I shall follow Wesley MC’s 2022 deliberations on intentional discipleship very closely. Sharing life with my small group members who are my faith family, I commit to focusing my actions toward deepening my faith and going after God’s heart, together.
PRAY:
Dear God, thank You for being my Adonai, my loving Father and my forever Friend. I want to walk closely with You every day, so help me God. May I be a worthy child of Yours, loving all You have placed in my life journey and fixing my eyes on You alone. I love You, my protector and my refuge. May You be glorified, in Jesus’ beautiful name, Amen.
