Praise The Lord
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Nehemiah 8 and Psalm 117 (NIV)
(Alvin Chua, Chairperson COSC)
READ:
Nehemiah 8 and Psalm 117 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Nehemiah 8 is filled with great joy and excitement of the Israelite community’s desire to know and follow God through His Word, upon witnessing the faithfulness and love of God in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. In fact, it was the restoration of the nation of Israel.
It began earlier with Nehemiah first hearing news about the broken walls of Jerusalem. This broke his heart;; he wept, fasted, prayed and surrendered his burden and plans to God. He responded boldly by pleading for the king’s permission and help to rebuild the walls. Israel came together in unity under his leadership, striving to do the seemingly impossible.
Ultimately, they not only rebuilt the wall in the shortest possible time, but also revived the order of their nation, centred on God’s Word and helping the poor and helping the poor and needy.
APPLY:
Over the years, as I serve the community in Jalan Besar with our church’s Christian Outreach & Social Concerns (COSC) ministry, I have seen and heard many stories that really break my heart: isolated and lonely elderly folks neglected by their children; frail individuals falling at home and being alone for days without help; children of broken families growing up without parental guidance and love; families with abusive spouses, parents and even children.
However, I have also witnessed God’s love and faithfulness. He has moved and stirred the hearts of many volunteers, Christians or otherwise, to respond in love and obedience to help the less privileged. This is especially so for Wesley’s COSC; for many years, we have been reaching out and impacting lives through our Youth Centre and Wesley Active Aging Centre that organise block parties, meal distribution, home visitations, outings, community events and more.
As we rejoice and praise God for what He has done through COSC, I also ask myself, have we done enough to redeem the broken lives in that community? Far from it! In our complex and rapidly ageing society, the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.
These stories of broken lives break God’s heart; will they break mine?
DO:
I will pray and ask God to continue placing a compelling burden on me to reach out and care for the last, least and lost. With humility and total dependence on God, I’ll surrender my time and talents to serve those He loves.
PRAY:
Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples. For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
