"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

1 Thess 5:18

Found this poem online, which I thought really gets to the heart of this verse:

I woke up this morning and knew that today,
The sun would not be shining and the clouds would be gray.
As I stepped outside, rain fell upon my head.
My car wouldn’t start so I walked to school instead.

I forgot all of my assignments I failed all of my tests.
I dropped my head in disgust and asked the Lord for one request.
“Lord, why is it that things won’t go my way?”
He gently replied, “Dear child it is because you didn’t thank Me yesterday.

“I woke you up and enabled you to see the sun again.
I gave you shelter, protected your family, and even let you make a new friend.
I blessed you far greater than I ever had before.
But you were too busy to thank Me once more.

“You didn’t feel sick because I maintained your health.
You had money in your pocket because I maintained your wealth.
You had shoes on your feet and clothes to wear, too.
You had plenty of food to eat, and what did you do?

“You ignored Me and went about your tasks.
But when you wanted something you never hesitated to ask.
I was there when you needed Me and that wasn’t too long ago.
But when things started going your way, it was Me you did not know.

“As if that weren’t enough, I provided your favorite luxuries.
This was something I didn’t have to do – they weren’t even necessities.
And when it was time to get on your knees and show your gratitude,
You decided that after such a fulfilling day, you weren’t in the mood.

“So I decided to give you just a little test.
To show you how it would feel to stop being blessed.”

I began to realize what the Lord was saying.
And when I got home, I fell to my knees and started praying.

He said, “My child, you have learned and you know I do forgive.
But remember this day as long as you shall live.
I love filling your life with joy, and your pain I’ll alleviate it.
“But just a simple ‘thank you’ would show how much you appreciate it.”



It's easy enough to do this when things are going great and I see God answering prayers, but sometimes in the mundane of my life, I forget that God is still moving, still shifting things, still granting me favours, still watching over me behind the scenes. And even in the midst of trial and suffering, we are called to give thanks to God. It's like, what? All this suffering, all this pain, is still the will of God for my life? Doesn't He want me to be happy and fulfilled? Doesn't He want me to soar?

It's those times of trial and testing that we see God come through for us. Without those tests, we'd never grow or strengthen our faith. And it's reassuring to know, that no matter what the circumstances, no matter how bad things may seem, we'll never be able to run away from His sovereign will and plans.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"

2 Co 12:9

It has really hit home in this past year, that in my own strength I am weak. I’ve slowly come to realise, that beneath the indifference, outward calmness and self-confidence, I am totally, completely, utterly afraid of failure. Before I came to know God, I was confident in my own abilities. I wanted to top my primary school, and so I did. I wanted a 99.5 ENTER score and get into med, and so I did. I wanted to break the magic 5 minute barrier for 1500m, and so I worked my butt off and did. And so in my life, I’d never experienced nor understood what it was like to fail, ever. It wasn’t even a distant thought or possibility.

Then I became Christian, and Phil 4:13 became one of my favourite verses and life went on smoothly. Until this year. I left studying in June way too late until I had basically a week to prepare for two exams. The morning of my first exam, I was definitely gonna fail if God didn’t come through for me. Needless to say, God spoke, came through for me, and the examiner told me I got full marks for one station which was worth 25% of the exam.

This semester, I told myself that it wasn’t gonna happen again, and so I started mugging 5 weeks before my exams, 3 hours a day. I was so well prepared that if it was a written paper I was confident I would get a H1. Over the course of two days, the stations (which weren’t written of course) were so amazingly easy that a 4th year medical student would’ve passed. Yet, I was so nervous, so afraid, that I messed up, shook like a leaf, didn’t read the questions properly, dropped equipment on the floor multiple times, completely blanked out, and made a complete hash of it.

After lining all my ducks in a row, I guess I basically fell apart. Once again, I had to cry out to God and say, “God if You don’t come through for me, I’ll never make it in my own strength”. I’m slowly learning now that in my weakness, His power, grace, and favour will come through. And He’s reminded me gently, that it’s His grace, not my own brains, that has gotten me through medical school and my life thus far.

God I thank You for Your grace. I thank You, that Your grace covers me in everything I do, every sin I commit, every difficulty I face. Help me realise, that it’s only when I am weak, that Your strength is made perfect. Help me learn, that it’s only in my weakness, that I’ll be able to see the blessings and miracles You want to pour out in my life. Help me remember that no matter what circumstances I face, You are before all things, and in You all things hold together. (Col 1:17)

Amen.

A friend asked me on Sunday how my prayer life was. Not in church, but in the quietness of my room, where there was no music, and no one watching, how would I approach the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords? I felt compelled to re-read a passage I’ve memorised ever since I was 5 years old, simply because if Jesus taught His disciples to pray that way, it must definitely be a good prayer! ^^

Matt 6:9-13

⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

v9: “Our Father, which art in heaven”

The first step to an awesome prayer life is to acknowledge God as your Heavenly daddy. When I was a kid, dad was a superman who could do anything for me. He would carry me on his shoulders when I was too tired to walk, he would surprise and bless me with toys and things I wanted, he would give great hugs, and in my mind, daddy could do anything and fix anything that was broken. I loved running around and often got lost (especially on overseas trips :/), but each time, superman dad found me without fail. Likewise, God wants us to have childlike faith in Him, know that He loves us and hears our every cry, and that no matter where we turn or how far we run from Him, He’ll always be able to find us.

v9-10: “Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Praise Him for everything He’s done. Thank him even if you never get anything else from him, because He’s already blessed you so much. Realise that everything is under God’s control. You can’t have a great prayer life if you don’t believe that the one you’re praying to is able to intervene on the behalf on your circumstance.

v11: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Pray for provision. Asking God to “give us” implies our weakness, impotence and inability to do life on our own. It says that “God I don’t have what it takes, but I know that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.” A request is a form of praise; you wouldn’t ask if you didn’t believe God has what you need. Do you believe that God has what you need for where you are right now? Do you believe that the God who saved you back then is relevant for the struggles you’re facing right now?

When the Israelites were in the desert for forty years, God provided them with manna every day. (except the Sabbath) Elijah was fed by the raven that brought him food each day. God didn’t allow them to stockpile food, and fed them one day at a time, because it kept them reliant on Him for provision, and required them to have faith that God was gonna continue remaining faithful in His provision each day. When some of the Israelites disobeyed God and kept manna for the next day, it went mouldy. Likewise, we need God’s Word and provision in our lives daily. You can’t fight today’s battles on yesterday’s bread. God has given you a new testimony, stop trying to rely on past revelations to get through today’s struggles. Don’t always expect God to meet your current needs the same way that He did before.

God I thank You for who You are and all that You’ve done. I thank You that I’m Your child, and that I am loved. Help me to keep trusting You each day, and to constantly seek You in all that I do. Thank You, for always being faithful and always coming through for me, even in the times when I’ve been weak or run away. Love ya Daddy. (: Amen.