1Thessalonians
5:24
The
one who calls you is faithful and he will do it!
Dear friends,
Quite often you have heard the
saying, "attitude is everything", and to some extent it is true. Our perception of a certain reality can
determine the kind of response we will have toward that reality. For example, Joshua Bell playing Beethoven
with his 3.5 million dollar violin in a Washington D.C. subway station and
getting no attention from the public is a widely circulated story in the
internet. It is reported that in 45
minutes of his playing, he made 32$ with no one stopping by to listen/see this
world famous musician playing the world famous music with one of the most
expensive violins in the world. Three
days before he played in that subway station, his concert hall was full, each seat
costing nearly a 100$; but there he stood by a trashcan in that station ,
playing for 45 minutes and no one bothering to listen…all because the public
has a certain perception toward a street musician.
This can also be true when it
comes to our relationship with God. How
we approach him depends on our perception of him and that will also spill over
into how we perceive suffering in this world.
There is no denying that life comes with fair share of pain and sorrow;
disappointments and failures for everyone who has lived enough in this world. Faith and trust in a loving God seem absurd
when life becomes an uphill battle of unexplainable suffering and sorrow. But if we pause and think the alternative to
faith and trust in a loving God is rather more frightening and terrifying…without
the loving embrace of a God who promises to carry us on when we no longer can
bear, there is no better hope either.
Therefore, as Paul tells the Thessalonians believers that the one who
calls us is also faithful in keeping us, let us also look to him who is able to
keep us in times of difficulties and hardships.
Like the Psalmist (Ps. 23), let's believe that God is with us even if we
have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Let's believe that God is able to protect us,
provide for us and restore our dignity in the face of our foes and friends who
might have ridden us off. God is able to
keep us!
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