Remembering The Past, For The Future
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Hebrews 13 and Psalm 149 (NIV)
(Joel Choong, SGM Zone Leader)
READ:
God spoke to me through the Hebrews 13 (ESV) passage, particularly these verses:
“So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”” (v6)
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (v8)
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (v20-21)
OBSERVE:
The closing passage in Hebrews draws down on some key instructions the writer wanted his audience to take home. In verse 8, it is that Jesus is unchanging. In verse 6, the reason why one would try to live a righteous life would be to reflect their trust in the Lord. Verse 21 reminds us that the ability to do so is because of Jesus’ blood.
APPLY:
Another year draws to a close, and life slowly returns back to normalcy, leaving the pandemic lifestyle behind. A cloth mask hangs beside my work desk, the last one I had used before restrictions were lifted. Washed and cleaned, it sits there at the corner of my eye to remind me of the years when living with restrictions was a way of life. It was a difficult time, and I remember spending a lot of time praying and asking God for help, that He would give me strength to do the work that I had to do. I remember praying at our church’s Watchnight service, in masks, and safely distanced from other members. Thank God for carrying us through those times!
But this year, I feel I have lost that type of dependence on God. The world around us is changing rapidly, and I’ve forgotten the high dependence I had on God. I’ve started to go back to relying on my own strength instead, and I’ve started to think that good values, or good social morals, is the key to surviving our current reality.
But these shifting goal posts are not the right way., Instead, it is the unchanging Christ I need to return to. He needs to be my focus and my delight. Prayerfully, I want to be able to say “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”. More than that, I want to do good things according to His good will, and to be equipped by Him to do so.
DO:
It is not easy to refocus that quickly, but I must pray and ask God for the strength to do so. I believe that being anchored to the unchanging Christ is a series of small daily decisions that takes me closer to God step by step. Thus, the step of prayer is a small but crucial one, because it directs my mind to Him first.
While praying, I hope to know His will for the day, and to actually do it. Personally, this is difficult because I’m usually focused on the urgent, practical tasks in everyday life. Sometimes the important tasks are pushed back, until they become urgent. I pray that as I seek God’s will, may I do the tasks of kingdom importance, while balancing those that are urgent.
Finally, I remember that Jesus is the one who equips me and leads me through all this, and I shall not fear these simple yet difficult steps, because it is Christ who brings it to fruition.
PRAY:
Dear God, You are the Almighty, who has guided us through the past years. Forgive me for turning back to my regular life so quickly. Help me to depend on You once more in my everyday life. Help me also to do Your will, remembering that I am doing it for You, and not myself. Equip me for the tasks You have laid ahead, and help me to be obedient to Your will. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
