DESIRE FULFILLED

'Hope deferred makes the heart sick; a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.' Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick. I read in a commentary that says the object hoped for; if it is not enjoyed as soon as expected, at least if it is delayed for any length of time, the mind becomes uneasy, the heart sinks and fails, and the man is dispirited and ready to despond, and give up all hope of enjoying the desired blessing; whether it be deliverance from any evil, or the possession of any good, or the fulfilment of any promise. 

But when the desire manifests, it is a tree of life; when that which is hoped and wished for, and has been long expected and desired, comes; when there is an accomplishment of men's wishes, it is as grateful as the tree of life was in Eden's garden. It gives him an unspeakable pleasure and delight. Even though the waiting may not be deferred longer than the appointed time, yet longer than we expected, and which sometimes made our hearts sick; we became weak and feeble, fearful and dispirited, lest it should never come to pass. 

Have you been there before? Have you had your desires deferred again and again? I have and I know the longer the hope is deferred, the greater the joy and delight when the promise manifests. In the meantime, God knows it is not easy to wait, hence He will periodically show me assurances of His promise, how He has not forgotten me. God is so good. Sometimes He will also give me other desires and then proceed to fulfill those longings of my heart. I believe He does this to bring hope to my failing heart, which is sometimes like a smothering wick. 

A longing fulfilled is a tree of life. God knows the positive effects of a longing fulfilled on us. That is why He goes about fulfilling my other desires while I wait for the 'ultimate' promise to be fulfilled in its appointed time. Seeing these desires come to pass imparts life to my spirit and joy to my soul. But recently I noticed that more of my desires have been coming to pass sooner than I expected. Perhaps the reason is that I have entered into due season, harvest time, a season of fulfilment, no more hopes deferred. One of the characteristics of harvest time is that all the good things come out to the surface and desires are fulfilled. 

Nowadays I don't really have that many desires because the Lord has been keeping me happy and contented. But thank God that I just had another longing fulfilled yesterday. In early Feb, I suddenly had the desire to change my handphone because it was getting chipped off at the sides. I don't usually like to change handphones because it could be quite troublesome to do all the phone transfers. At that time there were no good deals and my 21-month contract was just over so I could afford to wait. 

Well, this posed to be no issue for me because I wasn't in such a hurry to change my handphone. Just that the desire had come up so I know my Daddy God wanted to bless me with a new phone so I shouldn't decline. Usually I would rationalise the cost and benefit and end up not changing my handphone. I am not the sort who go for the latest gadgets, especially not handphones. But thank God there was a good deal and Heng surprised me with a new handphone yesterday! The fulfilment of this desire was much sooner than I expected! I feel so loved by my Daddy God. Thank You, Daddy! 

MEMORIAL STONES

'Remember the Lord your God: for it is He who gives you the power to create wealth...' Deuteronomy 8:18

Yesterday I was searching for some articles about God working behind the scenes when I was strongly impressed upon this article which mentioned a passage in Joshua 4:5-6. This passage in Joshua prompted the writer to think of three words. First, create. God wants us to go to the trouble of establishing historic markers. Notice it was said, “Go to the trouble.” Creating legacy reminders is not easy. These were big stones. They needed to be chosen, hauled, stacked, and then maintained as a lasting reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Second, remember. God cares about our remembering Him and what He has done. Our human nature is so prone to forget what God has said or done. We forget what God has done for us so quickly, especially after we are happily settled in the Promised Land. Number three, impart. God cares that our children remember Him and what He has done. It’s the home where life makes up its mind, where life underscores its etchings. God is deeply concerned that the next generation learns about Him. That happens best through us. 

The Lord has been emphasizing this message to me since end March and repeating it now. He talked about how one tends to forget it is Him who brought them into the promised land, the large place, the lush environment. Indeed there are certain dangers hidden in the plenty that one may not recognise. These temptations would be different from those in the wilderness. Very different. It would not be brokenness, heartaches, disappointments and depression. In fact it would be the opposite. It could be feelings of sufficiency, contentment, false peace and false security. 

That is why God had to repeatedly remind me to remember it was Him who brought me to this place of fulfilment and to always give thanks. Have a grateful heart. He said after this long-awaited promise manifest, I must not forget about the Lord for it was Him who brought this promise to pass. I should give Him all the glory and boast in the Lord, to testify to what He has done for me. One of the most dangerous foes in the land of plenty is forgetfulness in all He has done for us and where we came from which often leads to a place of self-sufficiency. 

It was no wonder the Lord had to write an entire book on Deuteronomy which means the second law, after the law was first given in Exodus. The purpose of this book was to remind the Israelites again before entering into their Promised Land. He knew we were short on memory on such things so He took the pains to tell us to beware when we come into the land of milk and honey. Oh Lord, help me always remember it is You who multiplies our numbers and gave us the power to create wealth! 

FAIRY TALES

'But Jesus said: Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of God.' Luke 18:16

I was reading this devotional called 'Journals of the Heart' and it talked about fairy tales. Remember the time when we were little girls...how we listened to fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel with amazement? I don't know about you but I have dreamt about my prince riding on a white horse coming for me. I have tried to dress myself up like a princess and imagined myself going to a ball hosted by the King.

Sometimes I thought of myself as a long lost princess who has been brought up by a peasant farmer. And one day my real father, the King came looking for me. Then the next thing I knew was I was in the palace, enjoying all kinds of luxury imaginable to men. Beautiful clothes, stunning Princess bedroom, great food, servants at my command...most importantly, not having to worry about money because my father was the richest man in the kingdom. He loved me so much and treated me like the most precious pearl.

Fairy tales belonged to the heart of a child but I do believe that deep down in every woman, there is a little girl inside her. No matter how grown up the woman is, there is a part of her who would still want to believe in fairy tales. I believe every woman deserves to be loved by her Prince Charming and to have all the nice, beautiful things in life. Actually it isn't a fantasy. Miracles really do happen when woman believes in Jesus Christ, who is our ultimate Prince Charming.

It's easy for a child to believe in the supernatural for there are no limits in her heart. The heart of a child is a beautiful thing to the Lord. This kind of heart is closer to heaven than you can imagine. A child's imagination is so fertile and nothing is impossible for them in their worlds. But sadly as they grow up, people start putting limitations on their minds. And as they experienced the harsh realities of life, these dreams die, one by one.

One thing the Lord did for me in my time of fellowship with Him was to bring back this little girl in me. He wanted me to have the heart of a child and to believe Him with childlike faith. Many adults are hard of believing because we rationalise too much. The things of God cannot be processed with our heads. A miracle makes no sense. That's why we have to receive God like a child in order to see fairy tales become realities. It really isn't too far fetched...do you dare to have childlike faith?