Are we going on with Jesus?

You are those who have continued with Me in My trials —Luke 22:28

It is true that Jesus Christ is with us through our temptations, but are we going on with Him through His temptations? Many of us turn back from going on with Jesus from the very moment we have an experience of what He can do. Watch when God changes your circumstances to see whether you are going on with Jesus, or siding with the world, the flesh, and the devil. We wear His name, but are we going on with Him? “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” ( John 6:66 ).

The temptations of Jesus continued throughout His earthly life, and they will continue throughout the life of the Son of God in us. Are we going on with Jesus in the life we are living right now?

We have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things God brings around us. May it never be! It is God who engineers our circumstances, and whatever they may be we must see that we face them while continually abiding with Him in His temptations. They are His temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us. Jesus Christ’s honor is at stake in our bodily lives. Are we remaining faithful to the Son of God in everything that attacks His life in us?

Are you going on with Jesus? The way goes through Gethsemane, through the city gate, and on “outside the camp” ( Hebrews 13:13 ). The way is lonely and goes on until there is no longer even a trace of a footprint to follow— but only the voice saying, “FollowMe” ( Matthew 4:19 )

by my utmost for his highest

Do not go beyond the boundaries

The African impala can jump more than ten feet high and cover a distance of thirty feet. So why can impalas be held captive in a zoo behind a wall that is only three feet high?

It’s because this magnificent animal will not jump if it can’t see where its feet are going to fall–and beyond the zoo wall it cannot see.

Unlike the impalas, we human find it extremely difficult to avoid pushing or stepping beyond the boundaries put in around us.
God reminded us not to stray from His Words. The very reason for this reminder is we cannot see where our feet will end up landing. Just like the impalas.......

Within His boundaries, we know we can find love, peace and abundantly blessed life....
Beyond His boundaries, there is only darkness.......
We need to stay in His light......

drifting away....

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

On a recent vacation, Tom was casually bobbing around on a raft just offshore. He closed his eyes, basking in the warm sun. Before he realized it, he had drifted too far from shore. He hopped off the raft to get back to the security of the sand, but the water was now over his head. He didn’t know how to swim.

The drift of our lives away from God is just as subtle. And just as dangerous. We drift one thought at a time, one small choice at a time, and often one damaging doubt at a time. In fact, our adversary is delighted to help our rafts drift from the protection and presence of God by casting doubt on God’s goodness to us. If you sense that your life has been set adrift—that God is not as close and precious as He used to be—then you may have just been in the riptide of an old trick of the enemy of your soul. The same trick he used to sever Eve’s heart from the joy of her relationship with her Creator.

Satan’s opening volley was not a blistering attack on God; it was a simply a question that he wanted Eve to think about. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1). Actually, God had said that she could eat of every tree but one. But Satan twisted the facts to suit his purposes and to lead Eve’s mind to the conclusion that God was not the generous God she had known Him to be, but rather a stingy, restrictive, joy killer. Once she had let her heart drift to the wrong conclusion, it was easy for her to believe Satan’s lie that God just wanted to keep her from being as knowledgeable as He is and that the threat of them dying was just God’s way of scaring them into compliance with His stingy ways.

Satan still sets us adrift by planting doubt about God’s Word and spinning the facts to his own evil advantage.

Once we begin to suspect God instead of trusting Him, we inevitably drift away from Him. So, beware! Your life is full of scenarios where Satan can put his deceitful twist on your experiences. He is the spin-doctor of hell, and as Jesus said, “When [Satan] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

With that in mind, keep a lookout for some of Satan’s favorite spins:

Lie #1: God is to blame for the evil that Satan has inflicted on our lives.
Lie #2: God has not rewarded me for being good. I’ve been used, not blessed!
Lie #3: God’s rules are restrictive and oppressive. He just wants to take the fun out of my life.
Lie #4: God is good to others but not to me. He must not love me!
And there are many other lies, all custom-made for your head and heart. If you believe them, you have begun to drift away from the safe shores of God’s love and protecting provision. You’ll soon discover that you are adrift in the middle of nowhere, bobbing dangerously over your head. And count on it, as Eve was soon to learn, Satan won’t stay around to make you happy and fulfilled. He’ll be slithering off to more interesting company, leaving you in the deep waters of shame and regret.

from Strength for the Journey RBC.org

being with Him

Psalm 73:23 -24(a): Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel. . .. (TLB).

So, God, what are You saying to me? What am I supposed to hear?

"I am always with You"

Do I really believe this? Do I walk in this? Am I consciously aware that everywhere I go I am in His presence-in the car on the way to town; walking the dog; sitting at my desk; at the supper table? I am always with You. If I accept this as truth, then I won't ever, ever consider Him to be not listening, not interested, somewhere far away where I have to concentrate to get in touch with Him or isolate myself to be with Him. Never will I have to do this. The teaching that tells me I have to implore God to listen, to beg God to intercede, to inform Him of my problems pales in the light of His constant presence with me-always.

"You hold me by my right hand"

This makes it even more incredible. But how can He be holding my right hand and Bill's right hand at the same time? Or holding my hand and a missionary's hand in the deepest jungles of Africa? I don't have to understand-I must just believe. Right? So not only is He with me, but He is so involved in all that I do He is actually holding me by my right hand.

Why my right hand and not my left? Most people are right-handed. That means we lead with this hand, it's our "doing" hand; it's my emphasis hand; I'd be terribly frustrated without the use of my right hand! Now, if He is holding that hand with which I do everything-be it my right or my left-then all I can do is discuss with Him my plans, then let Him do it. I can't. I'm incapacitated!

"You guide me with Your counsel"

Isaiah 1:18: God says, "Come over here and sit down. Let's talk this over together." That's one of the most amazing verses in the Bible! "Let's reason together." Imagine! Someone whose I.Q. is infinity wants to "reason" with me!

Someone constantly holding my "doing" hand knows everything that I do. If I were with a peer, we would no doubt spend a lot of time expressing our opinions, trying to sway each other to our way of thinking, and probably arguing. But it is God: Omniscient! And He is there to counsel me. I guess you could draw the image of me dragging Him along (He's still holding my hand) on ventures of my own choosing. Complete the image, however. I'd hit the inevitable "brick wall." Of course, He would be there to "pick up the pieces," to brush me off and tend my wounds. How long would it take me to learn what a mess I would make using my wisdom-dragging Him on my route instead of following Him on His.

Reflection:

Oh, He is so wise! Why in the world do I insist on doing things my way when He has given me this beautiful promise? Do I really listen to what He says to me?

Picture this: He has asked you to sit down. Then, he takes hold of your chin and says, "Now look directly into My eyes. I'm talking to YOU. Listen to Me. I am always with you. I will never leave you on your own. And I am holding your right hand which means that you are going to have to let Me do this. I will give you My counsel as we go. We will talk about options, opportunities, and unexpected results. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

I'm sorry, Lord. I hear what You're saying to me now. I guess I just wasn't listening very well a while ago.

Because you say so....

“Master, we … haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Luke 5:5

Simon was probably not in a good mood when Jesus asked him to put his boat out a ways so he could teach the people. Simon and his crew had just come in from fishing all night without catching anything, and now they were cleaning their nets. They must have been exhausted! But instead of being able to clean up, go home for breakfast, and sleep, they had to wait while this rabbi preached to all the people who were following him. How frustrating that must have been!

But then Jesus told Simon to row out to deep water and cast his nets. Why would Jesus do that? Jesus wanted to make a strong disciple of Simon. Simon had already heard the words of Jesus and may have experienced a change in his heart. But he may also have had doubts about Jesus. In response to Jesus’ command, Simon said, “Because you say so, I will let down the nets.” And what happened? They caught so many fish that their nets nearly broke and they filled two boats to overflowing!

Those little words “because you say so” are powerful, for they capture the response of obedient faith. Like Simon, we need to listen to Jesus, and we need to trust him when he calls us to cast our nets in faith, even if it’s a strain to do so. Though fatigue, hunger, or other discomfort may make it difficult, we need to follow when he calls. He is the Lord!

Waiting patiently...

Have you ever been in a situation with no good resolution, feeling like God had abandoned you?

Sometimes we find ourselves in over our heads. Our natural inclination is to try to dig ourselves out, but sometimes we find that there’s no right way to do so. We can keep trying to dig ourselves out… or we can wait patiently for God to help us.

At Strength for the Journey, Joe Stowell describes the process of waiting patiently for God. It’s not an easy thing to do. But it could be, as in the story of king David, that God has already planned our deliverance:

King David understood this. He knew that he was to be the next king of Israel. Rather than staging a dramatic takeover, he faithfully served in the army and played his harp in the palace to soothe King Saul’s stress. Things were going great until Saul developed an insane jealousy that drove him to try to kill David. When David was being hunted by Saul, he found himself in a cold cave crying out to God, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2 NASB).

Like David, when we feel that God has forgotten us we are prone to plan our own escape. We say, “I know what I’ll do. I’ll—no, that won’t work. Here’s what I’ll do—no, I don’t think that will work either.” It’s the total despair of seeming to be locked in with no apparent way out.

Take courage. God already knows how He is going to deliver you. In fact, He is in the business of making ways of escape! Peter assures us, “the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials” (2 Peter 2:9). So you can count on it: When you are faithful and patient through trouble, God will, in His time, exercise options of deliverance that are far beyond what you ever dreamed!

Have you ever been in a situation in which you needed to rely on God in faith that he would deliver you?

Indah yang jahat

Sudah menjadi lumrah manusia untuk cenderung menyukai perkara-perkara yang sedap atau indah dipandang. Melihat di sekeliling kita saja pun, kita mahu mencari sesuatu yang indah pada pandagan mata. Dalam segala aspek kehidupan, kita mahu mencari yang cantik-cantik belaka. Rumah yang cantik, kereta yang cantik, pasangan yang cantik, pakaian yang cantik dan macam-macam lagi yang cantik. Mungkin kalau dibuat kajian, entah berapa peratus orang saja yang mahu mencari yang buruk....

Ketika Abram dan Lot memutuskan untuk berpisah, Lot memandang ke sekelilingnya. Pandangannya jatuh kepada kawasan Lembah Yordan yang indah seperti "taman Tuhan". Lantas Lot memilih untuk menuju ke sana. Beliau akhirnya mendirikan khemahnya di sebuah kota yang dipanggil Sodom.

Namun ternyata apa yang kelihatannya indah umpama "taman Tuhan" itu sebenarnya adalah tempat yang dipenuhi dengan dosa dan kejahatan! Kota Sodom terlalu jahat sehingga Tuhan memutuskan untuk memusnahkan kota itu dengan api dari sorga.

Hari ini mungkin kita memandang sekeliling kita, memandang masa depan kita dan melihat sesuatu yang indah dan penuh pengharapan terbentang di depan mata kita...kelihatan seperti 'taman Tuhan'. Hati-hati! Kerana kita tidak pernah tahu kalau-kalau 'taman Tuhan' itu adalah Sodom yang penuh dengan kejahatan.

Kerana itu kita diminta untuk mengenakan segala perlengkapan rohani...dan berwaspada dengan si jahat yang mengaum-ngaum di sekeliling kita sambil mencari kesempatan untuk mengaburi mata kita....

Defeating The Roaring Giant

The story of a little David fighting against a gigantic Goliath has been one of the well known chapter in the Bible. Almost everyone knows that David was merely a sheperd when he came to face the biggest and strongest fighter in the form of Goliath.

How did David fought Goliath? Well, as everyone knows...with catapult loaded with stone he selected from the bed of a nearby river! Actually, the story was not all about how he won the battle but also what he had experienced prior to the big battle. While his brothers were well trained fighters and fought with King Saul forces, David was tasked to take care of his father’s sheeps. David was young and physically little in size but he was brave. He spent most of his time guarding his sheeps from wild animals and playing with his harp. David was very good in protecting his sheep. He had no fear of the threat from wild animals such as lions and bears. With time he developed his skills in fighting with the beast! Little that he knows that God sent him to fight with the beast and to guard sheeps because he was destined to fight with a giant and to guard a nation (as a king)!

Most of the time we are just another David. We were trained in some field, developing skills we tought to be of little use...David might has been thinking to himself why he was not allowed to join the army even though he was a brave young man. His father sent him to the desert and guard their sheeps instead! At this moment we might be doing less established jobs, less important tasks or responsibility of the least priority..but hey!...we are being trained for something BIG!..

There are also many ‘Goliaths’ in our life...these Goliaths are roaring around us...trying to scare us...The Goliaths of that we face could be crisis in our job, marriage, relationship, financial and many more..They are yelling at us to frighten us...they laugh when they see the fear in our face, the worries in our heart...yes, they trouble us day after day..just like what Goliath did to the Isrealites!

But then, what is our reaction?..Are we being frightened like the Isrealites?..Are we being scared and worried and unable to think?...Or are we being like David who came forward and faced the crisis in the name of God?...Yeah, the crisis might be BIG and FRIGHTENING...but our God is even BIGGER! He will help us come through tests and temptations when we ask.

Mencuba itu memang baik.....

Yusuf merupakan salah satu daripada watak Alkitab yang sangat menarik. Beliau dikatakan seorang pemuda yang baik rupa paras dan mulia budi pekerti. Belaiu juga merupakan anak kesayangan kedua ibu dan bapanya. Namun demikian, Yusuf dibenci oleh adik beradiknya kerana rasa dengki dan iri hati.

Kesudahannya Yusuf dijual ke Mesir sebagai hamba oleh saudara-saudaranya sendiri. Di Mesir, Yusuf mulanya menjadi hamba kepada seorang pegawai kerajaan namun akhirnya dihumban ke dalam penjara kerana sikap jujurnya. Perbuatan-perbuatan baik Yusuf dibalas dengan nasib malang yang bertukar ganti. Dimarahi saudara-saudaranya, dibuang ke dalam perigi, dijual sebagai hamba dan akhirnya meringkuk di dalam penjara....

Akan tetapi dalam mengharungi pergolakan yang silih berganti itu Yusuf tidak pernah merungut. Dia tetap percaya dan berharap kepada Tuhan. Persoalannya: Apakah tindakan Yusuf? Sering kali orang berkata "Tunggu dan lihat saja la...Tuhan pasti akan menolong kita"...Benar dan memang benar. Tuhan akan menolong. Itu suatu yang pasti. Namun tidaklah bermaksud yang kita hanya perlu 'tunggu dan lihat' tanpa mengambil sebarang tindakan yang wajar....

Ketika dipenjara, Yusuf menterjemahkan erti mimpi dua orang pegawai istana Firaun. Kepada salah seorang daripada mereka Yusuf berkata "Tetapi, ingatlah kepadaku, apabila keadaanmu telah baik nanti, tunjukkanlah terima kasihmu kepadaku dengan menceritakan hal ihwalku kepada Firaun dan tolonglah keluarkan aku dari rumah ini.
Sebab aku dicuri diculik begitu saja dari negeri orang Ibrani dan di sinipun aku tidak pernah melakukan apa-apa yang menyebabkan aku layak dimasukkan ke dalam liang tutupan ini. (Kejadian 40:14-15)"....Yusuf mencari jalan untuk keluar dari penjara itu.! Dia tahu yang Tuhan pasti akan menolong dia tapi dia mencari jalan..kalau-kalau jalan itu yang ditunjukkan Tuhan....

Tapi itu tidak berlaku. Pegawai istana itu melupakan Yusuf. Hanya setelah lewat dua tahun dari itu, barulah Yusuf dikeluarkan dari penjara...Tidak salah berenang ke tepian dan menjerit minta tolong andainya kita sedang lemas. Memang Tuhan akan tolong kalau kita sedang lemas, itu pasti. Tapi berteriak minta tolong sambil cuba berenang itu juga bukan bertentangan dengan kehendak Tuhan.

Tuhan akan melindungi kita dan segala milik kita sentiasa. Itu pasti. Tapi tidak salah memasang pagar dan alat penggera keselamatan di rumah untuk melindungi kita. Tuhan pasti tahu kalau-kalau pagar dan alat penggera itu mahu digunakanNya sebagai jalan untuk melindungi kita. Kalau kita sedang sakit, pasti Tuhan akan menyembuhkan. Namun tidak salah untuk membuat usaha untuk mencari rawatan. Kalau-kalau rawatan yang kita cari itu merupakan jalan Tuhan untuk menyembuhkan kita. Lihat saja Yusuf. Ternyata akhirnya pegawai istana itu jugalah yang dipakai Tuhan sebagai jalan untuk mengeluarkan Yusuf dari penjara.

Andai hari ini kita dalam kesulitan, percayalah,berdoalah dan berusahalah kerana Tuhan pasti akan membuka jalan penyelesaian. Akan tetapi masa dan saatnya pertolongan itu tiba hanya Dia yang tahu. Amen.

5 roti dan 2 ikan

Pada suatu ketika, Yesus dan murid-muridNya berada di pergunungan. Ramai orang yang mengikuti Dia kerana mahu mendengar ajaranNya. Apabila hari sudah lanjut, orang ramai itu mula keletihan dan kelaparan. Namun kerana tempat di mana mereka berada itu agak terpencil, murid-murid Yesus mula risau bagaimana untuk mencari makanan agar dapat diberikan kepada orang ramai yang besar jumlahnya itu.

Menurut Alkitab, jumlah orang yang ada di situ pada waktu itu ialah 5 ribu orang laki-laki. Belum termasuk perempuan dan kanak-kanak. Kalau dicongak-congak, 5 ribu orang itu boleh memenuhi satu padang bola sepak...malah mungkin tidak cukup untuk menampung jumlah itu. Kalau pada masa sekarang, satu majlis perkahwinan yang dihadiri oleh 5 ribu tetamu, majlis itu sudah amat besar....

Murid-murid Yesus mencari- cari jalan untuk mendapatkan makanan dan apa yang mereka temui hanyalah seorang budak yang membawa bekal 5 roti dan 2 ikan. Bekalan sebegitu hanya cukup untuk keperluan budak itu sahaja!. Bayangkan kalau anda adalah budak itu. Anda membawa bekal dari rumah untuk keperluan sendiri buat sepanjang hari itu. Tiba-tiba ada pula orang meminta bekal anda itu. Apa reaksi anda? Budak itu sendiri pun pastinya keletihan dan kelaparan. Tapi bila bekalan makanannya diambil, kira-kira bagaimana perasaannya?

Tidak pula diceritakan di dalam Alkitab sama ada budak itu menolak semasa murid-murid Tuhan meminta bekalan makanannya, tapi yang pasti bekalan 5 roti dan 2 ikan itu dibawa oleh murid-murid Yesus kepada Yesus. Apa yang terjadi seterusnya?
Yesus memberkati makanan itu dan membahagikannya kepada orang yang ramai itu. Mereka semua makan hingga kenyang termasuklah budak itu sendiri. Dan ada lagi pula baki makanan sebanyak 12 bakul...Kira-kira kalau budak itu makan sendiri bekalannya itu, adakah dia akan kenyang sebegitu?.Mungkin juga tapi bakinya tiada.

Kalau pada hari ini, kita hanya ada 5 roti dan 2 ikan, tiba-tiba Tuhan minta semuanya itu....apakah reaksi kita? Sedangkan kita sendiri pun amat memerlukan 5 roti dan 2 ikan itu.
Mungkin kita berkata, "Tuhan, saya bagi 4 roti dan 1 ikan saja dulu sebab saya perlukan yang selebihnya untuk saya".
Atau "Tuhan, macam mana saya mau bagi ni..ini saja yang saya ada..saya pun perlu juga?"

Budak itu mengajar kita untuk memberi apabila Tuhan minta kerana Tuhan ada rencana untuk hal itu. Semasa Tuhan minta bekal budak itu, dia sendiri pun tidak tahu kenapa. Yesus tidak memberitahu apa yang Dia mahu lakukan. Namun budak itu menurut dan memperolehi berkat yang berlimpah-limpah malah dapat memberkati lebih 5 ribu orang yang lain.

Kalau hari ini Tuhan minta kita memberi apa yang ada pada kita, walaupun pada zahirnya adalah sedikit, berilah sebagaimana budak itu memberi kerana Tuhan akan memberkati kita dan orang-orang lain di luar sana melalui pemberian itu. Mungkin tidak sampai 5 ribu orang jumlahnya tapi yang pasti akan ada orang yang diberkati. Melalui pemberian itu kita juga akan diberkati sehingga kenyang malah berlimpah-limpah.

"Kenapa Tuhan???"

Beberapa minggu yang lepas saya sememangnya amat bertuah kerana diberkati dengan pesanan Tuhan melalui khotbah di gereja semasa kebaktian mingguan. Pesanan Tuhan pada hari itu adalah berkenaan persoalan-persoalan yang dihadapi dalam kehidupan kita seharian...Pengkhotbah memetik dari Kitab Ayub dan membuat huraian yang begitu memberkati...Terpuji nama Tuhan Yesus Kristus kerana memberkati pengkhotbah itu dengan keupayaan yang sangat baik untuk mengupas dan menghalusi pesanan Tuhan dalam KitabNya.

Nabi Ayub sememangnya seorang nabi yang terpaksa memikul beban yang sangat berat. Menurut Alkitab, beliau seorang yang hidup melakukan kehendak Tuhan dan hidup kudus di depan Tuhan. Beliau memiliki segala kekayaan dan kebahagiaan yang hanya dapat dimimpikan oleh manusia lain pada ketika itu. Namun Tuhan mengizinkan kesesakan yang hebat menghentam dia....

Mula-mulanya Ayub masih dapat bertahan dan terus berpegang kepada imannya kepada Tuhan. Namun akhirnya beliau mula mempersoalkan Tuhan akan kesesakan yang dialaminya. Mungkin kerana sudah terlalu berat beban yang dia pikul...ditambah pula dengan desakan-desakan oleh rakan-rakannya sendiri....Akhirnya Ayub bertanya..."Kenapa Tuhan??...Kenapa bah Kamu membiarkan saya menghadapi hal-hal ini???"....

Mavcam biasa dengarkan?...kenapa bah ini???...kenapa saya sakit??? kenapa saya miskin??? kenapa keluarga saya begini??? kenapa ???? kenapa???....

Apa jawapan Tuhan kepada Ayub?...sangat mudah....

Ayub 38:4 Di manakah engkau, ketika Aku meletakkan dasar bumi? Ceritakanlah, kalau engkau mempunyai pengertian!

Dalam Ayub pasal 38, Tuhan menjawab Ayub dengan panjang lebar....

Lebih kurang jawaban Tuhan ialah..."Hei Ayub...di mana kau ketika aku menciptakan alam semesta??...kalau kau pandai sangat, dimana kau ketika aku menciptakan segala sesuatu???"....

Tuhan adalah pencipta segala sesuatu...Tuhan adalah pencipta kita...Dia memiliki segala hak untuk melakukan apa saja dalam hidup kita...siapa kita untuk mempersoalkan perbuatanNya?....lebih kurang begitu lah.....

Namun ternyata benar!..siapa kita untuk bertanya kepada pencipta
"kenapa kau cipta saya begini??"
"Saya mahu hidung mancung bah tapi kenapa kau cipta hidung saya kemek??"
"Saya mahu jadi penyanyi bah tapi kenapa kau kasih saya suara macam bunyi kambing gurun??"
"Saya mau begitu ba..tapi kenapa begini????"...

Intipatinya, Tuhan berhak untuk melakukan apa sahaja terhadap ciptaanNya...dan dalam semua yang Dia lakukan itu matlamatnya adalah agara nama Tuhan dimuliakan....melalui apa yang kita alami, yang kita lalui...biarlah nama Tuhan dipermuliakan...

Di dalam segala kesesakan kita, Tuhan memperhatikan kita...sebagaimana Ayub diperhatikan....
Tiba waktunya, Dia hulurkan tangan untuk mengangkat kita dari kesesakan itu kepada kelimpahan yang lebih besar......

A Helping Hum

Read Exodus 17:8-13

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear."
-Isaiah 35:34 (NIV)

ANA came forward to sing a solo. She is a new church member, participating for the first time as a soloist in our worship service. As she began singing a familiar hymn, a look of fear crossed her face. Her voice came out shaky and weak. She was singing without instrumental backup, so she struggled alone.

Suddenly, someone in the congregation began quietly humming the melody. Soon others joined in. Before long, a four-part harmony of humming accompanied Ana as she sang. Help came from all over the sanctuary. Ana took courage and finished the hymn with a beautiful, strong voice.

Our congregation's impromptu musical support for Ana reminds me of the story of Aaron and Hur, who figured out how to support Moses. When he became weary in his important task, their helping hands made all the difference.

All of us may get tired as we serve God. We may be overwhelmed with fear and feel ready to give up. Someone's helping hand can make all the difference.

by Marion Speicher Brown (South Carolina, USA)