Miaowkat's Blog

As we soldier on for another 2 weeks of restricted movement, we are reminded again to be clean and to stay clean. By now many of us would have gone out of our homes at least once, either for work or for essentials.

Many of us would also have had to go through the process of preparing ourselves with various forms of protection before going out, and sanitising and washing up ourselves and our clothes after we return home. And perhaps some of us may have even found ourselves deciding whether the hassle to wash up is worth the effort to go out at all!

This process of washing up ourselves reminds me of the OT biblical times when God’s people had to go through a process in order to be cleansed and sanctified. God detailed out various procedures for various occasions of purification.

There were laws for purification when in contact with the diseased and deceased, laws for purification for priests, laws to purify ones home, laws for the day of atonement and so on. These instructions handed down to God’s people were not as easy as it seems.

For example, Leviticus 13 outlines numerous procedures to identify and distinct between different instances of leprosy, boils, itches and Leviticus 14 outlines how to be cleansed from them which involved the actual cleansing and a ceremonial offering. And perhaps people in OT times would also have wondered if it’s better not to be exposed than to go through the hassle of purification.

We thank God that because Jesus paid the price for our sins we no longer need to have an atonement, nor a ceremony to purify ourselves. However from reading all the laws laid out for the Israelites, we can conclude that God takes purification and cleansing seriously… and so should we.

The practices of the OT are not to be ignored because they remind us to also take purification and cleansing seriously. Though we don’t observe those laws, we should observe the heart and purpose of those laws. It reminds us to be clean physically as well as in our minds and heart. Even though we can now come before God easily, we must not take lightly God’s stand on purification and cleanliness.

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…” Psalms‬ ‭24:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

All the more we should cleanse our mind and soul more often since we don’t have to spend our time to look for live birds to sacrifice. Just as we “ceremonially” cleanse ourselves each time we return, we should also prayerfully commit our heart and mind to Him whenever we leave and return home.

However apart from moments of prayer and cleansing, I treasure the most, the time before I retire to bed, where I can spend time in quietness to reflect and talk to God about what I’ve done up till the end of the day. I do this in keeping with Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” ESV‬‬

This is the one time in a day, I basically bring everything before God to ask for forgiveness and cleansing. To purify and restore a relationship with Him (Psalm 51); a relationship that is lived in grace and mercy and the power of the Holy Spirit.

I would like to share this wonderful poem that helps me to remember that although I do this daily, it doesn’t become a ritual because I am not just taking out the trash at the end of the day, but I am coming before a person, who not only helps me take out the trash, but takes the time to cleanse me from the dirt that comes with it.

He came to my desk with a quivering lip, the lesson was done.
“Have you a new sheet for me, dear teacher? I’ve spoiled this one.”
I took his sheet, all soiled and blotted and gave him a new one all unspotted.
And into his tired heart I cried, “Do better now, my child.”

I came to the throne with a trembling heart; the day was done.
“Have you a new day for me, dear Master? I’ve spoiled this one.”
He took my day, all soiled and blotted and gave me a new one all unspotted.
And into my tired heart he cried, “Do better now, my child.”

Anon

Lamentations 3:21-24, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’ “

Read Genesis 26:12-33

Today marks another 2-week extension into the nation’s movement restriction order in the attempt to battle Covid-19. Many people will begin to feel the pinch from their place of employment. Businesses loosing income will start to tighten their belts to make ends meet.

If you belong to an organisation which values employees as their greatest asset, then you are blessed and you can be assured you will still have work in months to come. However, many will likely be finding themselves looking for work or a means to generate income.

The story of Isaac digging wells May not be familiar to many, but it gives us an important reminder for many to think of in times to come. And that principle is to “keep digging wells until you find water”.

Isaac had just reaped a bountiful profit because of the Lord’s blessing on him. However the enemy envied Isaac and filled up all his wells with dirt such that he could not sow anything. However Isaac knew that God is faithful and if God could bless him once, He could certainly do it again.

As he began to dig a new well, all looked fine until he came across opposition which forced him to move elsewhere to dig again, and again, and again… until God shows up and assures Isaac that He is still on his side.

The Pentecostal influence I grew up under taught me an interesting phrase regarding prayer which is “pray through it, not pray about it”. What it meant was that you don’t stop praying over a matter until God moves into it. Perhaps you would have come across acronyms like P.U.S.H. which stands for Pray Until Something Happens or “keep praying till the answer comes”.

Isaac, who kept digging here and there, reminds us that we need to keep praying here and there, until God shows up in our situation. Matthew 7:7 tells us to keep on asking, keep seeking and keep knocking and the important verse is the next one which says “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:8 ESV

If you are in a situation where you’re looking for a job, continue to “dig another well to find water”, in the realm of job hunting and in the realm of prayer. If you are in a situation where business is failing, continue to dig here and there to find a new source of “water” and keep on praying until God shows up. Whatever your situation, whatever uncertainty the future may be, God will show up to meet and assure us if we only “pray through it”.

(Read Daniel 1:3-20)

Have you ever wondered what living in exile is like? Being outcast, without freedom to live your life as you want to?

That may be pretty much what many people are now experiencing in this season of isolation and quarantine that is caused by Covid-19. Different circumstances will cause different individuals to experience various degrees of “exile” but there is a sense of imprisonment nonetheless.

I find the exile of the Israelites in Babylon to be most similar to the “exile” we are facing now. Despite being unable to worship and congregate the usual way, the Israelites had access to choicest food. Babylon being an advanced kingdom in that era, could also offer them education and information that was considered modern.

Much like we live, confined in our homes, having access to online food services and gigabytes of information, we are like Daniel, living in a time where we’re unable to worship and congregate in the usual methods. So, there are 2 lessons we can learn from this account of Daniel that could help us get through our “exile”

1. Appetite

Daniel did not compromise his conviction in God, and that resulted in him and his friends trading away their appetite for extravagant food to a simple diet. Unlike of what we know of a diet today, the goal of their diet was to train their appetites and yearnings. They turned their yearning for food to become a yearning for God.

Perhaps we are tempted to give in to simple comfort or laziness because he are home bound. Perhaps we have been so used to our lifestyles of variety and choices for food and activity that we find simplicity and repetition difficult to adapt to. Daniel used the way appetite works to his advantage, he trained it by feeding it less, instead of more.

2. Comfort & Satisfaction

Daniel and his friends also recognised that they were about to be indoctrinated with a belief foreign to that of God’s. They chose not to solely depend on information that was available to them, but they went an extra mile to seek wisdom from God. At the end of 3 years of supposed indoctrination, the king instead found them to be wiser than the existing “professors” of their time.

Many of us access information daily and this information expires and evolves so quickly that it can overload us. Information overload works to our disadvantage, because, though relevant information does gives us a certain satisfaction and comfort, it is our drive to have satisfaction and comfort that causes us to want to know more. Feeding our appetite for information will cause confusion, remove peace and we soon find that we are indoctrinated to find comfort in the knowledge of the world, rather than rely on God’s wisdom to obtain comfort.

A simple point to illustrate this is the fact that until now no one can be truly sure if wearing a face mask will protect you from Covid-19. Some information say it is airborne. Others say it can enter through the eyes. You don’t even reach a point of fear and you will already be in doubt because of the confusion information overload causes. Instead, if you choose to find comfort in God’s wisdom, you can “walk through the valley of shadow of death and fear no evil”, regardless of what ever might befall you because, “God is with me, and His rod and staff comfort me”. Psalm 23:4

As we think on these lessons from Daniel, let us also reflect on them in context of God’s beautiful illustration of our soul yearning for God, being like the deer that pants after water (Psalms 42).

As Easter approaches, let us also reflect on the words of our Lord, that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And as we journey on in this time of “exile”, not knowing when it may end, but we can know that we are truly comforted and satisfied in our appetite for God when we find that our appetite is for His kingdom and righteousness. Seek it and all other things will be added to you.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.” Genesis 8:12 ESV

Today marks the start of another 2 weeks of restricted movement and everyone is anxious; having thoughts about how to cope and wondering if the restriction will extend.

Noah’s family was in a similar situation. In fact they had it worse. They were in an ark for what historians say is up to a year; full of animals, primitive conditions and they could not even leave the ark because of water all around them.

The ark was a means of preservation that God instructed Noah to build. Much like our homes that we are confined to now. Our homes are preserving us from Covid-19.

The ark represented God’s saving grace. When the world was about to be destroyed by flood, God had a plan for Noah. God had Noah in his sights whilst the flood was ongoing too.

“But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” Genesis 8:1 ESV

The story of the ark also reminds us that God keeps his promises. The promise that He will care for us no matter what the cost.

“And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart,
“I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.”
Genesis 8:21 ESV

If we are in the shoes of Noah now, we ought not to be anxious or concerned about our future because of the principles above. We are in our homes which is God’s plan for us. We are saved by His grace and God remembers us.

When we look at the account of Noah, I believe right now we are at the moment where Noah is standing at an opening of the ark, letting a dove out to search for land. We are looking ahead to the horizons on when this situation will subside.

Have hope because the day is coming soon, when the dove will return with an olive branch and it will tell us that God remembers us and the waters are subsiding. Even if we have to repeatedly send out doves like Noah, the important message is that, Noah kept looking out for a sign, he kept on his wait on God. In the meantime, wait on Him, He will give you strength to persevere.

“And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.” Genesis 8:11 ESV