A Prayer for A Friend

"Lord, I lift my friend to You, I've done all that I know to do
I lift my friend to You
Complicated circumstances have clouded his view
Lord, I lift my friend up to You

I fear that I won't have the words that he needs to hear
I pray for Your wisdom, oh God, and a heart that's sincere
Lord, I lift my friend up to You"
(A Prayer for a Friend by Casting Crowns)

There are times when your friend is crying out for help, but there is nothing you can do about it, and it hurts so bad inside.
Pray... Pray for him / her... May God be with your friend.. May God also provide him / her strength through you... Pray...

May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You

"May the good Lord bless and keep you whether near or far away
May you find that long awaited golden day today
May your troubles all be small ones and your fortunes ten times ten
May the good Lord bless and keep you till we meet again
May you walk with sunlight shining and a bluebird in every tree
May there be a silver lining back on every cloud you see
Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrows never mind what might have been
May the good Lord bless and keep you till we meet again"
(May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You by Jim Reeves)


No further words needed...

Rainbow of Love

"Apa yang kau alami kini
mungkin tak dapat engkau mengerti
cobaan yang engkau alami
tak melebihi kekuatanmu

Tuhanku tak akan memberi
ular beracun pada yang minta roti
satu hal tanamkan di hati
indah semua yang Tuhan b'ri

Tangan Tuhan sedang merenda
suatu karya yang agung mulia
Saatnya 'kan tiba nanti
kau lihat pelangi kasih-Nya"
(Pelangi Kasih by Herry Priyonggo)

Translation:

What you are experiencing right now may be beyond your comprehension.

However, one thing holds true: The trials that you face will never be beyond your strength.

My Lord will never give a snake to His beloved children who ask for bread.

This one thing, plant in your heart: Beautiful are all that God gives.

God's hands are carefully weaving a tapestry of life. A masterpiece so magnificent and glorious.

The time will come; Yes, it will, when you finally see His rainbow of love
(taken from http://heart-tea.blogspot.com/2008/10/pelangi-kasih.html)

This is one song that has kept my faith in God, when I fell hard, when I thought I was in the darkness. This song always reminds me how we are never alone, despite of any hard circumstances we face. Instead, God uses hard circumstances to mold us, to be glorious and marvelous, to become more like Him.
There are certain times in your life when all things seem tough and depressing, and in these times, God is not present. We ask God, "Where are You?" or "Why does it happen to me?", but we feel there is no answer from Him, He remains silent and we feel betrayed. We ask and we question, but still silence we get. Everything becomes misery, with no hope, no faith. We do not understand.
He is leaving us, we conclude.

But, is He?

This song reminds us that what we face each day is a way for God in preparing us to be better. Take a coach and a slow runner as an example. The coach ordered the runner to run using weight around his legs all the time. Although the runner was tired, but he kept running with that weight around his legs. People might think, what is the coach doing? Is he stupid? How could he run fast with that weight around his legs? Even the runner begged the coach to stop, but the coach did not care.

Time flied, and it was the competition day. The coach asked the runner to loose the weight, and ran as fast as he could. When the runner let go of the weight that he had been carrying for a long time, he felt as light as a feather. The result? The runner did not win, but he was not in last place as he had always been. Apparently, the coach wanted the runner to use the weight to increase the runner's limit, so that the same obstacle he had to face felt easier with his increasing capability. This is what God wants from us. He puts obstacles and barriers before us not to become stumbles in our lives. These hardships are weights on our legs to train us to succeed obstacles we are going to encounter. Silence does not mean He does not care. In fact, by staying silent, He wants the best from each of us. In the end of your training, you will see that you are prepared for the competition which you are entering, before you even know it. And you will see His rainbow of love, a sign that He remembers and cares for you.

O Come let Us Adore Him

"Oh come let us adore Him
Oh come let us adore Him
Oh come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord"
(O Come All Ye Faithful)

Christmas is coming!
Prepare your presents!
Decorate your house!
Sing all the cheerful songs!

Is that what Christmas is all about?

While we are being merry and all, have you ever thought why we celebrate Christmas - to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Then, have you ever imagined the night when Jesus was born? Laid in a manger, being side by side with animals, nowhere near appropriate for a King to stay in. Shepherds, believed as one of the lowest level of professions at that time, were the first ones to come before Him. Wisemen, who knew nothing about God and salvation, were the second to bow before Him. There were no other Israelites who received the good news. So humble and silent His birth was. He lowered Himself from the Almighty God to a helpless infant. He came to this world to fulfill His promise of salvation for sinful humans like us. Can't you see how great his Love is? He came to the Earth only for you and me. His purpose is to take all our sins away, so we can be holy again. That is the heart of His birth: to prepare His way in fulfilling His promise of salvation for us.

While we are celebrating Christmas, what are we thinking about? Presents? Decorations? Parties? If so, then we have lost the real treasure of Christmas.

Come, let us adore Him, our Savior...

....

Blank is what my mind is right now.

I usually have music playing in my mind, but for today: BLANK, na-da.

I intend to reflect from songs I listen to, but I guess not for today.

What I know: sharing with people gives joy and peace in mind for me.
No foolish intentions, no complicated reasons, no deceiving wants, but just a pure desire to give. And what a reward I got! Never I realized that sharing would bless me to this point. Become a blessing for others is a blessing for me.

And I thank God for providing me such loving brothers and sisters =)
And I thank my brothers and sisters for memories they share with me =)

I Will Be Here

"I will be here...
When you feel like bein' quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winnin' and losin' and tryin'
We'll be together
'Cause I will be here"
(I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman)

A really beautiful love song... It opened the melancholic door inside me, and I just smiled, feeling a great emotion flowing inside.
Then I questioned myself, this song really promises every moment of unity. But how can "I" as spouses be here all the time? There is still a limit for their togetherness, which is death. Humans can not be there all the time. In fact, often people break their promises, which hurts each other in the end.
But, when I heard this song, I remembered God as the "I". He will always be "HERE" with "ME". Unconditionally, He loves me so much, so does He to you. He defeats death, and nothing can limit Him.
This is a really powerful love song, and with no doubt, shows God's love for us... Trust in Him, He will always be here, my friends...

Wonderful Days

"Oh happy day, happy day
You washed my sin away
Oh happy day, happy day
I'll never be the same
Forever I am changed"
(Oh Happy Day, by Tim Hughes)


Is it not one happy jolly day to realize that God has ransomed us?
Many times we think that injustice and darkness often cover us. "What is wrong with everyone?" or "The world is so unfair" are just some thoughts being spoken a lot, or they are never spoken, but stay in your little mind over and over again.
But, have you ever considered that beyond this unfairness, there is a promise held by our awesome God? That He has been watching you over all the time, and He lets all these difficulties happen to mold you? Have you ever taken God as the subject of your life and pushed "yourself" as the unimportance?

Can you imagine how deep His love is for us? Whose father would want to sacrifice his only son so that other people could be saved? Every time, this passage has crushed me so deeply. We often think that the world is unfair, but have you ever thought that the most unfair situation is burdened to Him? Do you think that it is fair for God to sacrifice His only beloved Son who has no sin? If I remember all things He had done, suddenly, I feel embarrassed. We are given privilege to be forsaken, to step out from the eternal darkness, and to be shielded by God's love and grace forever. Realize God's love and His sacrifice, and you will see this world from another whole new perspective!
There is no darkness, there is no shadow, there is no injustice in God! So let us be thankful and joyful for His eternal love to sinful human-beings such as ourselves, and you will find your WONDERFUL DAYS everyday!


"Oh Happy day! Happy day!"