Recently I had a discussion with a lady. We talked about how we could recognize Jesus if he comes back during our lifetime. Will we confuse Him with others who claim they are the Savior? Can we tell who is Jesus?
 
I am not sure I can boldly say I could recognise Jesus with all the noise of the modern world but I rest my assurance that He will help me to recognise Him; that He will speak to me and He will not let me lost in the crowd because Jesus loves me. He knows me by name.
 
There are times I get overwhelmed with the noise from the world and I tell myself I might be chasing after the wind when I’m trying to be kind or wanting to shine His hope in this broken world. Ephesian 6 however, reminds me to pray in perseverance. Our hope is, when we are unable to approach the throne of grace and pray in perseverance, the Lord will help us. Just like how I believe the Lord will cause me to recognise Him if He were to return in my lifetime, I believe He too will enable me to pray in perseverance. I’m unable to do it with my own strength but I cast this need unto the Lord and He will strengthen me.

The Lord, He is our helper. Let Him help you.

Psalm 28: 7 - 8
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Ephesians 6: 18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

 - Jenni Wang

There is one morning not so distant in my memory; the warmth and peace it brought is what I would not forget. That one early morning, I opened the front door of the house and was greeted by nature’s silence, no sound of chirping birds nor moving vehicles, just the stillness of nature, the air and the rhythm of my own breathing.

A few snowflakes fell out of the grey overcast sky, adding to the sense of stillness and awe, the world is still sleeping and I stood there feeling grateful of the gift of life .

It was the very first morning of a new year, silent and still. Hope poised and expectations awaits for what the new year may bring yet what matters was the moment of stillness it gave, deafening yet assuring.

I’d like to imagine it was silent and still when God created the world and through those moments, He populated the world and created all the nature wonders. It was in the moment of quietness and stillness, He created and spoke. It was in times such as this, I could hear the stillness of God’s voice speaking, words of assurance for the new year. Peace and warmth followed after each word and I could feel the fullness of joy.

What a wonderful assurance to know that the grace I felt that morning is available, new and fresh to us every morning like the dew of rain on a parched land. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, let the Lord be your very reward; your portion. His love and mercy will be your shield and comfort everyday, put your hope in Him in this new year.

​Lamentations 3:22-24
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.
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- Irene Soon 

Struggle after struggle and God brought into light how much I tried to depend on my own strength. There are times when it is too difficult to pray, but He gently reminds me of His love that always draws me back to Him in prayers.  As our family continues to go through some crisis, I went through restless sleepless nights, thinking when my family will trust and depend on God completely.

As a prayer coordinator, there are many issues that burdens my heart, the country I constantly pray for, my family, my health, praying to go the mission field and to spread the good news of the Lord. To think about it, I’m a fool if I don’t surrender all these burdens that I can’t control the outcome of, to the Lord. His love is vast as the ocean and overflowing like a river in my life. I am reminded that He is God and when I fall again and again, He will pick me up and reminds me that even if I can’t, He can.

When I am full of concerns, He tells me not to be afraid. Even when the trials and tribulations come to my life and my own foolishness make me forget who He is, He always reminds me to go back to Him and to learn to trust Him more and more. I am a lifelong learner of how trustworthy God is and I am learning to trust Him more and more.

May we continue to strengthen our prayer life and remember that when we can’t see any result, it does not mean the Lord is not working. Have faith, trust in Him and the Lord will carry you in all seasons of trials. 

Isaiah 12: 2 NIV
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.

- Jenni Wang

The hot water that would soften a potato could harden an egg as well as the same sunshine that gives warmth during winter could easily harden the clay. Although in our earthly life, we can’t choose circumstances that can happen to us, God wants our struggles to strengthen us and nurture the perseverance within us.

​His promises in the Bible encourages us to defend our faith in a living God than to give in to fear that the Lord has the power to conquer for us.

Paul writes, “We can rejoice too.. (Romans 5: 3). Paul spoke of a freedom to choose and if he who has gone through many trials and sufferings with imprisonment could still heed us to rejoice, we too can choose to rejoice during trials. We can because we have the confidence that the Lord is working His purposes in our lives for our good and we are never alone as we have the Holy Spirits within us. So, let us rejoice!
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Romans 5: 3 – 5 NLT
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

- John W.

​In everyday life, the Lord lovingly leaves His fingerprints on His creations. I believe, these are reminders for us to believe in His provision and plans.

Take a look at a palm tree – 1) This tree will bend but it will not break. Despite how strong the storm or wind may come its way, the palm tree will bend its branches even to the ground and when the storm eases, it will straighten its branches and be its strongest in the place where it bent. 2) You can’t kill a palm tree; you may be able to cut it but it will grow again. The nutrients it need to survive are stored through the tree’s rough outer rings and it also remains close to its roots. 3) Palm tree’s roots can grow as deep as hundreds of meters in search of water hence why it could thrive even in a dry place as it stays close to its water source.

If the Lord could equip a palm tree to be enduring and robust, how much more would He equips you? He readily equips us, His beloved children with His enduring grace. You may be overwhelmed and bend but you will not be broken, lay your root deep to the source of the Living Water. Let no wind nor storm be able to uproot and break your faith.

​Yes, you are more than able to endure and rise stronger. The Lord is your source and you have His enduring grace to rise stronger.
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Isaiah 40:31
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

- Irene Soon

​Over the past few months, our family has gone through many transitions and through it all, we now must go through season of grieving. Friends and families have helped with prayers and practical helps yet this is another season that I’m still learning to accept and comprehend. I am learning to trust God who knows the best and though it is difficult, I will learn to trust.​ 

Psalm 139: 7 - 10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

The verse above has always been a reminder for me that besides Him, I have no one else who fully understand our situation and despite our failure and brokenness, He embraces us in all our brokenness. God accepts us as who we are even when we reject Him in our sadness, anger or confusion. The Lord understands, He knows you better than anyone else including yourself and He will strengthen you in all seasons.

- Jenni Wang

There is a vast difference between happiness and blessedness. Paul had imprisonments, sacrifice and painful sufferings up to the very limit; but in the midst of it all, he was blessed. All the beatitudes came into his heart and life in the midst of those very conditions.

On one of his concerts, Paganini, the great violinist discovered that his precious famous violin has been stolen. On that discovery, he felt paralyzed for a moment and he stepped back behind the stage's curtain looking at the old cheap violin that has been left as the replacement of his stolen violin.

He remained at the back of the stage's curtain for a moment, then came out before his audience and said: “Ladies and Gentlemen: I will show you that the music is not in the instrument, but in the soul.” And he played as he would have with his precious violin. Out of the old cheap instrument, the music poured forth until the audience was enchanted with enthusiasm and the applause almost lifted the ceiling of the building;  Paganini had revealed to them that music was not in the instrument, be it an old or a a precious expensive one but in his own soul.

It is your mission, tested and tried one, to walk out on the stage of this world and reveal to all earth and Heaven that blessedness is not in the conditions, not in things, not in externals but it is through the peace and faith within your soul that trusted the Lord, your Saviour.

If peace be in the heart, the wildest winter storm will be full of solemn beauty. If peace be in the heart.

John 16: 33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

- Charles F Richardson

When we are faced with an unfavourable situation, the thought that is often the loudest in our mind tends to be why.

Life is like being in a boat and when we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, we can and should be assured that we have Him in the boat with us.
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At times we think that having Jesus, the sail would be easy. Then the waves hit, the storm rages, we think this should not be happening. Jesus is in us, with us and for us but why is this happening? Everything is against me, I am overwhelmed, why Lord, why?
 
Remember what Jesus says in John 16: 33
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
 
Yes, we have trials and sorrows but His promise is that He has overcome the world for us. This is where our faith in Him and His promises matters. Our faith in Him navigates through the waves and storm of our life. We are never alone and we have Him in the boat with us. It means that even though the storm hit, it will not sink our boat.
 
Practice to say His promises rather than the usual whine and why. A good skipper will defend his/her boat when the storm hits. We must also have the same stance and deny the influence of problems in our lives.

- Anonymous

“Today was a difficult day,” said Pooh. There was a pause.

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Piglet.

​“No,” said Pooh after a bit. “No, I don’t think I do.”

“That’s okay,” said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.

“What are you doing?” asked Pooh.

“Nothing, really,” said Piglet. “Only, I know what difficult days are like. I quite often don’t feel like talking about it on my difficult days either.”

“But, goodness,” continued Piglet, “difficult days are so much easier when you know you’ve got someone there for you. And ill always be here for you, Pooh.”

And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his difficult day, while the solid reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs… he thought that his best friend had never been more right. (A.A Milne)

Sometimes, our quiet presence with a friend in need is more precious than offering a handful of instructions which may overwhelm them on their difficult days. Sometimes, there won’t even be any words or actions that may help at that moment but your presence can comfort and it is an earnest counsel that you could offer. Just like little Piglet with his quiet and understanding comfort.

Proverbs 27: 9
Oil and perfume make the heart glad; So does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.

- Irene Soon