Joey's Journal - August 24, 2006

Our Father in heaven, I offer this day to You; my works, joys and sufferings. May they be pleasing and acceptable to You. Thank You for watching over us and giving us this day to live for You. Lord, I commit my son, Joel into Your guiding hands and keep him safe and obedient in school. And, when he is home this afternoon, I pray Your grace to be with him and us; obedience for him to our instructions and patience for us to discipline him. Help Carlyn take care of the two boys tonight as Maria is away. May I spend today being more close and focused to You and Your Ways as I continue reading Psalms. I pray all these in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 22 - No one else can help me except You, Lord!

Everyday I call to you, my God; but you do not answer. Have you forsaken me? Why do you remain distant and ignore my cries? Yet you are holy, and the praises of Israel surround your throne. Our ancestors trusted you and you rescued them; they were never disappointed. But I am scorned and despised by all; everyone mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads and say, ‘Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!’

Don’t stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls, like roaring lions attacking their prey. My life is poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like the sun-baked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and you have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like packs of dogs. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count every bone in my body. My enemies stare at me and gloat; they divide my clothes among themselves.

Show the Lord reverence, all you descendents of Israel; for he has not ignored the suffering of the needy. He has not turned and walked away, and has listened to their cries for help. All who seek the Lord will praise him; their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and will return to him. People from every nation will bow down before him; for the Lord is king! He rules all the nations. Future generations will also serve him; our children will hear about the wonders of the Lord.

My reflection – After reading the psalm, I can’t help but put myself in David’s shoes and try to experience this situation he was in, being hunted by his enemies and fearing for his life. Facing certain death at the hands of his enemies, he cries out to the Lord to rescue him and describes how he feels. Scary for the most part of what he goes through thinking about death. But, he called on God to help and rescue him. And, God responded.

Oftentimes in my reading the psalms, I flashback to the car accident I had last year. I still clearly recall the events from the start; seeing that the car’s brakes would not be enough to safely avoid the mishap, my body being thrusted forward because of the braking motion and my mind thinking we would definitely hit the truck in front of us. Even for those seconds I was staring death in the face. Did I call on God’s help? I really don’t think so! Because it was only after the accident happened did I think of God. And, I even called out to Him and said, ‘Why?’ and had that voice encounter with Him. I was complaining to God why He let this happen now after committing myself to serving Him in our church in Surabaya. I vividly tried to move and lift myself up; my arms, shoulders, hands and legs but to no success. Even when the on-lookers were taking me out of the car, I was saying to my driver, ‘Saya mati! Saya tidak boleh krassa dan mundur! Anakku masih mudah.’(I am dead! I can not feel anything or move! My children are still young). While being transported to the nearby small hospital, I kept thinking about paralysis from neck down and could not walk, move or function normally. It was really scary! And, I called on the Lord to help me recover from this serious accident and help me walk again.

Like with David, God answered my call for help. He sent His Holy Spirit to my pastor and his wife to inform as many church members and friends and start the prayer brigade for God’s hand to be with me while in the hospital and that there will be no serious or unrecoverable injuries. My pastor when he saw me the next day, told me that God will fully restore me and I should claim His promise daily!

My prayer – Heavenly Father, may I always stay focused to You. May I always remember You are there by my side. Should I stumble or become weakened by the enemy, may Your Holy Spirit be my alarm bell to rebuke the bait of Satan and stay on the right path with You. May I always remember in my quiet time, to worship You; in my tough times, to trust You; in my happy times, to praise You and all the time, to thank You! All these I pray in Jesus Name. Amen.

by : Joey B