I Cling to the Almighty

Hello All,

We come to a point in our lives when words fail us.

We are lost for words and nothing can describe the pain we are going through.

Those are times when no words are needed, but only tears poured out in prayer to the Almighty.

I Cling to the Almighty

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling

When words fail me

When sleep escapes me

When troubles torment me

I cling to the Almighty

Though words fail me

Though friends forsake me

Though memories maim me

I cling to the Almighty

When words fail me

When grief besets me

When trials torment me

I cling to the Almighty

Points for Reflection:

For You have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings, I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."

(Psalms 63:7-8 ESV)

·       When there is nothing or no one in this world we can cling to for help, solace, and comfort, God, the Almighty is always present with us.

·       Are you going through a painful period in your life? Does your situation seem hopeless and beyond your control? Do you feel like giving up on God? If so, please don’t give up. Don’t give up on the only One who can comfort and console you in a way that no mortal can.

·       No matter how weak or feeble your grip may be, cling to the Almighty and He will sustain you through your brokenness.

·       When words fail me, when grief besets me, and when trials torment me, I cling to the Almighty.

Beauty in Brokenness

Hello All,

We are wounded people with so much fear inside.

We hide our wounds and brokenness in different ways – a forced smile, laughter, anger, demands, busyness, entertainment, pleasures, apathy, and impassiveness.

The masks we wear are like cloths we drape over the pieces of broken pottery. What was once whole is now broken.

Beauty in Brokenness

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling

I’ve a favourite bear whose name is Tatty Teddy

He is a grey, tattered bear with imploring eyes

He may seem too insignificant for Poetry

But there’s something about him that’s caught my eye

I gazed at the patches on the grey, tattered bear

They made me think of the wounds they conceal

Were those raw wounds given adequate thought and care?

Were they given an opportunity to heal?

We are wounded people with so much fear inside

The pain of rejection cuts deep into our hearts

Our fragile hearts we try to protect and hide

Forging strong, steel armours became our form of art

If we had a choice, we would rather have no pain

No patches, no tatters, but a heart of steel

But there’s beauty in brokenness, there’s much to gain

There’s purpose in the pain and brokenness we feel

Our hope is found in the deep wounds of our Healer

Christ’s sacrificial love brings comfort and healing

His love gives us the courage to love others

Though we’ve been hurt, our hearts don’t stop loving

Though the purposes of our pain we cannot see

We have messed up and don’t know how to clear the mess

Yet out of this brokenness, God has brought beauty

Despite disappointments, pain, and loss, we’re still blessed

Points for Reflection:

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

(Psalms 34:18 ESV)

·       Shift your gaze from your wounds to the deep wounds of Jesus Christ. He knows the pain of disappointments, abandonment, and betrayal. When we have come to a point where we feel that no one understands our pain, He does and He feels them too.

·       When the object that has once brought you joy, meaning, and love has been taken away from you, Christ is there. Sometimes it is the removal of things we hold dear that makes us realise the all surpassing magnitude of His infinite love. When nothing seems to make sense, He does.

·       Christ has redeemed us from the brokenness of sin through the cross. When all is lost, our standing and security in God remain. This certainty is something that nothing can take away from those who trust in Christ.

·       There’s clarity in the fog, comfort in the pain, and wholeness in brokenness. There’s beauty in brokenness, even if we cannot see it now.

The Cleansing Rain

Hello All,

The fight against sin often feels like a losing battle.

Temptations surround us in abundance but it is the desires of our flesh and lack of love for God that cause us to give into them.

After giving into temptation, the wave of guilt washes over us and we punish ourselves with self-condemnation. We hide from God in shame instead of coming to Him in brokenness and repentance.

Some of us are living in denial and continue indulging in sinful desires. ‘Since Jesus has died for my sins, I can just tell Him, “I’m sorry” after giving into sin. He’s merciful and He’ll forgive me.’  

Many of us swing to either extreme of self-condemnation and denial. But the Gospel of grace shows us a different way.

The Cleansing Rain

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling

Bright lightning struck the dark grey sky

As great guilt struck my sinful soul

The sky groaned with a thunderous cry

This soul, no counsel could console

In shame, I hid my face from You

I'm full of filth, from head to toe

What I want to do, I don't do

My sin is a ferocious foe

But Your blood is the cleansing rain

That pelted hard against my skin

It has removed my filth and stain

My Saviour has taken my sin

The load of guilt rolled off my back

You've saved me at such a high cost

In Your arms, no mercy I lack

I'm found in You, no longer lost

Points for Reflection:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:8-9 ESV)

·       Have you ever paused to consider the high price that Christ paid to redeem you from the clutches of sin? He went through such excruciating pain to save you from the very poison that was killing you. Are you consuming the very poison that He has saved you from?

·       If we are honest with ourselves, we find that it is a great lack of love for God that causes us to indulge in sin.

·       Abiding in God involves the renewing of our minds through the daily reading of His Word and the softening of our hardened hearts that enable us to grow in our love for Him and obey Him.

·       We will sin now and again but that does not give us the freedom and license to sin. Sin promises us freedom but it is a cruel master that enslaves us. Christ, our loving Master, died to free us from the fetters of sin.

·       When we sin, let us not hide from God but run to Him in humility, brokenness, and repentance. Let us allow His Word to convict us of our sins and His Spirit to enable us to grow in our love for God and obey Him from the heart.

Seashells and Memories

Hello All,

Are there memories you are trying to ignore and push away? Do those memories evoke feelings of sadness, shame, anger, and disappointments?

If we had the power to determine the course of events in our lives, we would only wish for the happy and smooth-sailing times and discard the unhappy and rough times.

Seashells and Memories

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling

The sun’s golden ray penetrates the sand

The warm, soft sand is caressing my feet

With each step, I’m starting to understand

Why God gives memories both bitter and sweet

The waters are calm and the tide is low

The waves have brought back old seashells to me

I picked them up and laid them in a row

I thought I had drowned them in the deep sea

Each shell contains a meaningful memory

I thought I had cast them all away

But God has now brought them back to me

He’s helped me face them with courage each day

I am now beginning to understand

Why He’s made some shells smooth and others rough

He’s refining me with His sovereign hands

He’s using trials to make me strong and tough

I thank my wise God for the hidden good

That He’s brought out from pain and brokenness

Though sorrow and grief taste like bitter food

I trust in His love, mercy, and goodness

My great God is transforming me each day

To be more like Jesus Christ, His dear Son

Though He sovereignly gives and takes away

Into His strong and loving arms, I run

I smiled as I laid the pretty seashells

By the golden shore, neatly in a row

From my dewy eyes, tears readily fell

As I gazed fondly at their lovely glow

Points for Reflection:

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

(Romans 5:3-5 ESV)

·       God is infinitely wiser and more long-sighted than us. He knows what lies ahead, we don’t. He knows the purposes for the trials of the past and present. He uses the rough and hard times to transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. He makes us stronger, wiser, more patient, and more dependent on Him.

·       Looking back at the tough times, are you thankful to God for the lessons you have learnt? Are you struggling to see the purpose of your current disappointments and heartbreak?

·       Don’t give up but continue asking God for strength to persevere and endure. You will bear fruit for Him that is beyond your imagination. The fruit of love, kindness, perseverance, endurance, and patience that point others to Christ.