CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: CHRISTMAS VISIONS AND DREAMS OF GREEN TREES AND ISAIAH 61

On Christmas Eve, Jack had a dream. It was a vivid dream which he had not had for quite some time. He recently returned from a journey to a foreign country. It was a cold and tiring journey during which he was led to pray a lot and in the spirit. it was more like a spiritual working journey. He was relieved on reaching his own comfortable spacious home and looked forward to a good rest.

However, he was soon led to another journey overnight during which he was led to pray considerably in the spirit too. That night after all the praying he asked the Holy spirit to reveal to him more about things which he lately concerned with, i.e. his own family (and those of his siblings), their future and the work of God.

On Christmas Eve, he was given a vivid dream. In the dream he was asked to look out of his window and he did. He saw a picturesque scene of tall green pine or fir trees at a distance with shorter green trees (like cedar trees) and bushes nearby and lush green pastures everywhere (filling the empty space on the ground), with rolling green hills afar. The whole scenery was green. It was like a picture. Yet it was real scenery with real trees and not like a painting. It was a very soothing and lively scene. He woke without knowing the meaning.

On Christmas Day he had another dream. This time it was a totally opposite picture. In the same dream he went through two episodes. First, he was helping one of his younger brothers to re-process some sweet sticky food stuff in an old, run down shack (more like ruins). There was no wall on one side of the shack and rain and wind came in through the crevices despite the canvas sheet which substituted the wall. Some workers were working too. However, the owner management of the shack came over and warned that they could not use that space to process foodstuff. Jack tried to give the excuse that they were only re-processing and not manufacturing. The management then said that they (the management) were meeting that evening and would decide whether to continue to let them use that space. One worker tried to use a lot of detergent to scrub the cracked and blackened sink in vain. Jack then asked them to pack and left. It was pitched dark and they had to find a way out through the car park. He held the wrist of his younger brother and tried to lead him to the exit, crossing a dried up drain. The wrist was tiny and skinny like that of a young child.

In the next episode, he was in a warm building (a bit like the wooden quarters they used to live in younger days) with his siblings. One sister was cooking. Other siblings seemed to be around somewhere in the building too. One younger sister came to him for help. She seemed desperate and helpless. He asked the cook to work out a budget for basic survival. He woke after that.

On Boxing Day, Jack decided to search the Bible for answers to these two dreams. He found passages in the Bible which he was led to read from two sections: Isaiah 61 and Psalm 104.

Isaiah 61 prophesied the arrival of Jesus to save, heal and set free. The relevant verse (abut trees) thus promised: “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

There were a number of assurances following that verse, “And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations”,

“Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers, but you shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall receive double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.”

Psalm 104 described how God provides all resources needed for a living on earth. The following verse declared: “The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your (God’s) works.” God’s works include causing the grass to grow for the cattle, vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of the Lebanon which He planted, where the birds make their nests, the stork has her home in the fir trees.

On reading these he was filled with peace. He realized that God has answered his prayers. It is God Who provides. God has saved his siblings and will plant them like trees. God is the expert gardener as Jesus has described. He will prune and make His plants fruitful.

There is thus nothing Jack needs to do except to obey the instructions for watchman in Isaiah 62. The relevant verses gave the following job specifications: “They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)

December 27, 2009

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN: VISIONS OF COOKED PIG HEAD, NATIVE INDIANS WITH AX ON MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK SCAFFOLDING OF BIG CHURCH

Lately Jack had not been seeing much in his spirit. However, he has learned not to focus on seeing visions or trying to remember dreams. He had a lot of dreams in which he discussed matters with the Holy Spirit. But he could not remember them when he woke. He reminds himself daily he seeks God alone and not visions or signs and wonders or what God can do for him.


As he will embark on a journey to a distant land shortly he has been preparing himself physically and spiritually. He prayed for divine slimness and fitness so he would not feel cumbersome when required to walk a long distance which requires good stamina as well.

Soon after his prayer for divine slimness he saw one vision which revealed the humorous (though direct and even hurting to a man’s ego) side of the Holy Spirit. One day Jack was praying in tongue (in the Spirit) a lot as he knew he had lagged lately. He remembered the teaching that the more one feels unspiritual the more one should pray in the Spirit and let the Holy Spirit work into oneself. So he persisted. Then by the time he went to an evening service in the Prayer House, he saw a clear vision after worshipping awhile. He saw the head of a piglet in a ring like a cartoon. So he thought this could be an unclean spirit and he cast it out in Jesus’ name, though he did not grasp the meaning then. Immediately the picture changed. The piglet head became a cooked piglet head (with the word “cooked” and “cake” appearing in his mind), followed by a clear phrase in his mind “the spirit of gluttony”! It dawned on him that he had the spirit of gluttony so he repented and renounced and cast it out!

He felt good after that day and realized how fast the Holy Spirit acted in response to our crying out for help.

Another day he went to his former church to hand over some stuff to someone. When he wanted to leave a thought came to him to go and pray in the prayer room as it was a day of intercession for churches and nations. So he went. This was the first time he prayed there. He prayed in the Spirit for sometime and saw a vision. On that church’s construction scaffolding of the new multimillion dollars multi-storey car park, he saw two American Indian chiefs complete with headgears, carrying an ax and standing with legs apart.

He thought it was not a good sign so he prayed against whatever evils it could mean. When he went home he was troubled. He asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to him and confirm whatever report it means in a second time as God repeats twice to show things established by God and that He will shortly bring it to pass. (Gen. 41:32) No further revelations. So Jack read the Bible on interpretations on ax and native.

He found that John the Baptist warned the Pharisees of their arrogance and impending judgment, “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt.3:10) Jesus warned of the fig tree that was barren for three years and agreed to give it one more chance before cutting it down. (Luke 13:7-9) He also read about how God warned the arrogant spirit of Assyria in Isaiah 10:12-19. In Isa. 10:15, “Should the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?” The verses that followed were frightening, “Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send leanness among his fat ones; an under His glory He will kindle a burning like a burning of a fire…will consume the glory of his forest…then the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number that a child may write them.”

He was more troubled. That evening he attended an over midnight worship and prayer meeting. During the sharing of God’s words, the preacher spoke on the topic of “self-righteousness” (hypocrites and judgmental) which is a religious spirit of the Pharisees. He ended his sermon with the example of the Laodiceans which boasted, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” and the Lord rebuked them as those who “do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”. Jesus called the Pharisees blind guides and hypocrites (Matt.23). He noted a frightening correlation between the Laodiceans church and the Pharisees.

Jack is in a dilemma. He does not know whether to share the vision about the Indians with ax on scaffolding of the multi-million car park he saw with the leaders of that church. Is he being judgmental? Is he the one who is self-righteous? Is he the Pharisee? He searches his heart. He finds that he has nothing of himself that he seeks to honor and/or thinks highly of. He does not covet big construction. (He tends to remember how God caused the downfall of the Tower of Babel and he shudders). He was a part of this big project in fact as he had financially supported the building with a considerable monetary donation and an interest free loan. He should have been proud and boasted of it if he was a Pharisee.

On the other hand, he is still looking to the Holy Spirit to raise another watchman to speak to that big church. (Sigh)

2009-12-14

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: SPIRITUAL NOVICE COUNTING BLESSINGS!

One thing Jack learns to tell himself is not to give the false impression that he is so spiritual that he can hear God loud and clear, knows God and practices perfectly all things pertaining to godliness. That is false. He must admit that he is still a novice in all spiritual matters and all things pertaining to God. He has a long long way to go to live in the Spirit and by the Spirit.


He is still concerned with two things: Is he living in the Spirit correctly as instructed in the Bible? Is he known by Jesus?

The worst thing that can happen to any Christian is to be addressed by Jesus as worker of iniquity and to be told to depart from the living God forever and ever when that day of the Lord comes.

Things continue to happen to him and his family and friends. As they seek God they discover the positive intervention of the Holy Spirit to make their paths easier. The Holy Spirit indeed provided guidance and arranged for people and events to work together for them.

Recently Jack found that some major prayers were answered in ways that he never thought could be possible. God is a worker of the impossible!

He also learned not to give up hoping and seeking God.

In review, he found that he has again received a big bonus from the Holy Spirit. Two years ago the market crashed and all that he had invested previously in the fund market lost significant monetary value. He was led by the Spirit to read Jeremiah and trusted in the Lord’s faithfulness. He was asked to read “Enter by the narrow gate”.

After reading Jeremiah, he trusted God and hanged on to the original funds. During this year he listened and bought more of certain funds (which value he had earlier lost) at lower cost.

At the lowest time he was led to buy a particular stock at the time that everybody was selling. He sold the stock earlier this year when he made a good profit. The benefits of this one deal were as follows:

1. He used part of the sale proceeds to buy a similar stock at the same earlier buying cost of the sold stock. However, the new stock is worth twice the value of the sold stock.

2. A month later he made a second profit from the new stock which gave right issue at a cost way below the market value.

3. Within two months the stock gave dividends at an earning rate way above other stocks.

4. Within half a year, the stock gave further dividends, totally the best earning in the market.

5. He banked in the remaining unused profit after giving one-tenth of the total to support his church evangelical and healing ministry.

During the last month of this year the original funds which had lost value two years ago had regained their values and gained considerable further value. He just sold some to reap the promised harvest. All in all, just as promised in Jeremiah, God’s steadfast loving kindness and faithfulness are new every morning!

Lean year or fat year, a Christian’s hope and security rest in the Lord.

No wonder God asked His people to come out of Egypt and enter the Promised Land prepared for them. All they had to do was to follow Him, obeyed His command and sought His presence all the time.

Translate the above to today’s scenario, all we need to do is to deny ourselves (be separate from the world and the worldly values), follow Jesus (including His cross), obey His words (carry our crosses), and seek His presence daily, i.e. living by the Spirit.

Another year is over soon, have you come out yet?

P/s: Jack is not a stock market pundit and never has much interest in stock market. The one stock he invested was in plantation as he was led to read the particular passage in Jeremiah, meditated on it and trusted the Holy Spirit to lead him to the right counter at the right time. The same applies to the funds.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE: CONTINUE TO ENTER THE NARROW GATE TO HEAVEN

Due to the constant flow of traffic of readers to read my blog on “chapter nineteen: narrow gate and difficult way to heaven? Journal Day 22-24 Enter by the narrow gate”, I am led by the Holy Spirit to write further on this subject just to remind myself and my loved ones the urgency and importance to know how to enter into heaven at this end time.

I list below the Bible verses on this life and death matter. I also append my observations in the brackets following each set of verses.

1. The narrow Gate: Jesus spoke these famous sayings in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

(Contrary to the general and popular teaching of other religions and most modern churches, a lot of people are being excluded from entering heaven, simply because they have chosen the broad and easy way).

2. The seeker of God: “You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come”. (John 7:34)

(Although many seek God/Jesus, read up on the subject, study religious materials and Bible, and take part in evangelical rallies and other forms of spiritual pilgrimages, not every one who seeks God/Jesus could find Him or go to heaven where He has gone).

3. The doer of “religious good deeds”: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” “And then I will declare to them, I never know you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21, 23)

(Although many practice some forms of religions including Christianity religion, follow the required religious rituals, practice religious living, believing that they are serving God, not all who call God/Jesus as Lord and think that they have served Him could enter heaven).

4. The knower of religious knowledge: There are people who claim that they know God/Jesus because they read up the Bible, take part in church or other religious services, religious activities, religious ceremonial meetings, and so on. (Luke 13:26) but Jesus said, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity,” (Luke 13:27)

(Not all who think they know God/Jesus in their physical senses and their minds are known by God/Jesus. To God they are workers of iniquity!)

Who are those who are being disqualified by God/Jesus?

1. They are lawless and workers of iniquity: Proverbs described the characteristics of these people. They hated knowledge (of God), did not choose to honor and fear God reverently, would have none of the Lord’s counsel, and despised God’s every rebuke. (Prov. 1:29-30) Jesus warned: “Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me.” (1:28)

(Take note that these people also seek God diligently but could not find God. Why? They go to church physically without really going with their hearts. They do not believe or want to follow God’s words. They continue to live by the world’s standards and values, and not the values and standards of the kingdom of God).

2. The prophet Hosea also stated that the people (with their flocks and herds) shall go and seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. Why? God said they had dealt treacherously with Him. They had begotten pagan children, indulging in pagan worship and idolatry. (Hosea 5:6-7)

(These religious people try to look for God bringing their whole family too. They go to church like any other Christians do. But God said they have married the world and begotten pagan children! They have lived the lifestyle of the world, be in close intimate relationship with the world, and produced pagan offspring instead of citizens for the kingdom of God!)



3. Jesus warned about the false prophets (pastors and preaches of today’s churches) of His days. Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” Jesus also said, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (eternal damnation). (Matthew 7:19)

(Only where Jesus and His salvation are being preached, then people can be saved. If a preacher/pastor preaches anything but Jesus and His salvation, there will be no production of Christian (good fruit in God’s eyes) for the kingdom of God, thus resulting in eternal damnation of his followers/members of the so called “church”).

How to enter the narrow gate to heaven?

Jesus said, “I am the gate/door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own”. (John 10:14)

Jesus said, “The sheep hears His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.” (John 10:3-5)

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” (John 10:14)

(There are no other way, but to learn to know Jesus, follow His voice, and be led by Him into the narrow gate, into the kingdom of God living.)

Jack’s application: Practice living daily the sheep life (kingdom of God living) by faith. Follow Jesus daily. Make sure He knows me. Watch and pray as Jesus has commanded His followers.

2009-12-02

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: WHEN GOD COMMANDS A WATCHMAN NOT TO PRAY

In the book of Jeremiah, a watchman would find it hard to obey certain instructions. For example, in the following verses, a watchman is commanded not to pray.

Jeremiah 7:16: “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.

Jeremiah 11:14: “So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.

Jeremiah 14:11: Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good.

He is commanded very specifically not to pray for the people there or make intercession for them, for their good. It makes no sense. The purpose of existence of a watchman is to watch and pray (intercede) for the nations (kings, priests, people). What is the point of being a watchman if he cannot pray?

So Jack was troubled at these verses. He re-read the relevant context chapters in Jeremiah to find his answer. He found that the words of warning, that Jeremiah was asked to speak, addressed specific audience as follows:

1. Jeremiah was to “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say” them. (7:1)

2. The words were directed to “the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem”. (11:2)

3. The words were meant for those who “come and stand before God in this house which is called by God’s name” (7:9)

4. The words were from God to those who have broken the covenant with God: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ (11:3-4) “the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” (11:9)

5. The warnings addressed those families who made offerings to the queen of heaven and other gods (7:17).

6. The warnings addressed those who practiced religious practices which God did not instruct them to do, such as making burnt offerings. (7:24)

7. God commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you.’

8. God admonished them: “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD.” (7:11)

8. God had sent messengers (“all My servants the prophets”), “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”

In the modern context, the message is meant for those who are called by God’s name, the Christians. The Christians are Abraham’s descendents by faith. The Christians are under a covenant (the New Covenant set by Jesus) with God. They go to church to worship God.

God called them backsliding children. (3:14, 22)

They have committed two evils: “My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns –broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (2:13)

God described them as, “This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction.” (7:28)

God described their iniquities as “refused to hear My words, and they have after other gods to serve them”; they have “broken My covenant”. (11:10)

It is frightening to note that the backsliding Israelite who went after other gods (queen of heaven, idols) went to the temple of God to worship too and even offered burnt offerings. They had no real respect for God or for His words.

Today are there such people in church? Are there churches which have broken the covenant made with Jesus’ blood? Are there churches that do not pray and thus become a den of thieves instead? God said, don’t pray for them or intercede for them!

Frightening but a reality as Solomon said, nothing is new under heaven. History repeats itself.

Reading Jeremiah is indeed a sad experience. “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night…” (9:1) A sad day for a watchman.

2009-11-30

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: A LIGHTNING BOLT AND JEREMIAH 7

One evening Jack was exercising on the stationery cycle, and watching Jeremiah the movie. He watched how young Jeremiah (the son of a priest) was called to be God’s prophet. When Jeremiah reached the age of a young priest, he was called by God to be a prophet instead. His first prophetic action was to admonish the king, priests and people who entered the temple gate to worship the Lord. Jeremiah cried out to them as the Holy Spirit put words in his mouth:

‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these. For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’?”’

No-one paid attention to him. The people did not listen. The next scene was Jeremiah being woken at night and beaten by thugs who warned him not to prophesize again.

At this point there was a huge thunder bolt and the electricity shut down. The house was in total darkness. Jack was shocked. There was no lightning or thunder or rain before or after this one thunder. The weather was fine and there was no rain cloud.

Soon after that he went to the Prayer House to worship and pray. He was hoping to hear a confirmation or clarification on this matter. But there was none from the message that night. Then he read Jeremiah Chapter seven and found the verses that Jeremiah spoke above were from Chapter seven 1-10.

He continued to read verse eleven and found this verse:

“Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD. “

When he reached home he was tired and sleepy but he managed to continue to read chapters six and eight just to see the context. Then he slept.

The next morning he woke early and re-read chapter seven. He thought of the thunder. It had to be something important and he asked the Holy Spirit to let him know what he needed to know. He wanted to know whether the message was meant for him. Is he being admonished? Is he being ignorant or disobedient of God’s instructions? He had to know.

Then he had thoughts of the children. He remembered seeing a baby boy who just had his first year’s birthday learning to walk in the Prayer House. He thought of his own family members, the younger generations. A thought appeared. What if a day comes when all grown-ups on earth vanish and the very young have to survive on their own? When he thought of today’s children who are hooked on digital games and live entirely in the virtual fantasy world, he shuddered.

The children are saturated in the values of the world, the abominations (deceptions, violence, greed, disobedience, immorality and idolatry) in God’s eyes. Even Christian children have succumbed to such strongholds. They would be no match to evil.

So he repented for not interceding for the children of the nations. As he read the verses, he repented and asked God for mercy: to wake up more watchmen, more Christians who will cry out day and night like the prophet of old, who will intercede for the nations (including Christian churches who uphold worldly values).

Meanwhile, he is still pondering on the meaning of the thunder. One thing is sure, he must remind himself that his body is a house of prayer (a temple of the Holy Spirit) too. If he does not pray, he would become a den of thieves. He shuddered at this thought.

He prays that whoever reads this blog will ponder hard and take action to pray and intercede for the nations before it is too late.

2009-11-27

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: AN OPPRESSED AND DEPRESSED CHRISTIAN

The more Jack asks the Holy Spirit for guidance so that he could know God more and understand the reason why Christians live like the yo-yo (up and down, wandering and wondering in the wilderness of life,) are often weak, sick and powerless, the more the Holy Spirit responds and reveals to him from the Word of God, the Bible, which is life and Spirit.

For quite sometime he was led to read psalms and detected how the psalmist suffered from oppression and depression too! King David was one example. As he read, he saw a pattern emerging from the confessions of King David. Today he read Psalm 13 and summarized below what he has learned:

Psalm 13

1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?



3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;

Enlighten my eyes,

Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest my enemy say,

“I have prevailed against him”;

Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.



5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

The psalmist was deeply depressed. He was oppressed by the spirits of death, rejection, and darkness. These are revealed in the following verses:

Verse 2: The adverse situation affected his emotion and mental state. He was sorrowful daily. “Having sorrow in my heart daily”. His mind was affected. He suffered mental agony. He could not help thinking about his problems over and over again. “Take counsel in my soul”.

Verse 3: The situation affected his sleep. He slept like a dead man. “Lest I sleep the sleep of death.”

Verse 4: The situation affected him spiritually. “I am moved (fallen)”.

In fact he had suffered this sickness for quite sometime. He used the word “long” to describe his inability to tolerate anymore. Verse 1-2, he asked God “how long” three times and strong word like “forever”!

The cause of his sickness can be summarized as follows:

1. The psalmist looked at God in a negative way (he suffered from unbelief). In verse 1-3 he was blaming God for his condition. He accused God for forgetting him, ignoring his plead (not answering his prayer), not seeing him and talking to him. The truth was, the psalmist could not feel God’s presence, see God, or hear God. Instead of acknowledging his own distance from God, he projected his problems to God, “You forget me”, “You hide Your face from me”, “consider and hear me”, “enlighten my eyes”. (Verse 1, 3)

2. The psalmist was obsessed with his enemy. He felt oppressed. In verse 2 and 4 he complained that his enemy might win over him. “Exalted over me” and “prevailed against me”. He was worried and indignant that his enemy would “rejoice” at his fall. He was oppressed by the thought of his enemy winning, laughing at him and saying things that hurt him!

However, as he persevered and prayed with honesty, the Holy Spirit revealed the solutions to his depression, in verse 5-6. He remembered the goodness of God, which God had given him in the past: mercy, salvation and abundant life! “Your mercy”, “Your salvation”, “has dealt bountifully with me”.

Then the faith that God has given to him rises. He “trusted” God afresh, his “heart rejoices”, and he “sings to the Lord”. Indeed, he worshipped and praised God despite his depression illness. His focus was on Jesus, the salvation of Jesus on the cross.

Thus, the depressed psalmist was healed!

2009-11-22