A Matter Of Perspective

The Bible says God knows our heart's desires and will grant them as we delight ourselves in Him. Indeed He knew how I wanted to get away from the madding crowd and just be alone to seek His face as 2015 wound down to a close. So He sent me a gift - a $900 per nite fully furnished apartment up in the cool of Genting, complete with the luxury of a private room jacuzzi, plus all the other trappings of a 5 star hotel with heated pool, sauna, steam bath etc etc. I got to stay absolutely free, thanks to a very dearly beloved sister in Christ. How blessed can one be...
For 2 days I retreated into a world where the only sounds were the chirping of birds outside the verandah and the rattling of the wooden sliding doors as the wind whooshed its way in and around the apartment.


2 days is a lot of time to spend alone, waiting. I have never been very good at keeping still, since I am the go-getter type. I grow impatient very fast.  The last time I retreated to Frasers Hill , God spoke a lot to me.  So I was full of expectation this time round, hoping for all kinds of deep spiritual revelation. But I have found God never lives up to my expectations; He simply goes beyond them. I think He delights in surprises. After 2 days I only got 1 word out of Him - I am His beloved. That wasn't even something new; in fact ever since I 'heard' those words in my heart  months  ago, I have hung onto them as a very very precious treasure.  Still I was sort of disappointed... I come all the way, and that's it? Immediately the rebuke came, "Isn't it enough, child?"                                                                                                        
Of course it is, coming from God, it (whatever it may be) is always enough. And with that I had to be content. Who was I to insist God must tell me everything I want to know? If He deigns to reveal something to me, it's all because He is gracious; not because I deserve or am entitled to know. My husband used to say I only need to know the things I need to know. Guess it works same way with God. As it turned out, the 2 days were in no way wasted; my rest in the presence of God was sweet and complete as only He can make it.


To cap it all, I got to spend another 2 days relaxing in the company of some of my staff who had responded to my open invit to join me after my solitary sojourn.  It was simply R&R fun, playing monopoly, swimming, eating, and having a surprisingly great time together exploring the local strawberry farm.

Yep, God always dishes up surprises. As we drove back down from the mountain and hit the big city of KL once again, I thought that was it. But He wasn't finished with me yet. The next day I resumed my early morning jog round the park. The sky was a deep dark blue with but a few bright stars twinkling in the still dark predawn hour. However as I looked harder and longer, I realized actually there were multitudes of tiny stars littering the whole canopy of heaven. Their light was dim, but they were shining. And then I saw the bright yellow half-moon directly overhead. I hadn't seen it earlier because I was looking from a different angle, not straight up. Science of course explains it easily with theories of planet rotation through the seasons and all that jazz.  But what caught me was the moon hovering over me all the time, no matter in which direction I stood, ran or walked. It seemed to be 'following' me all the way. And to think  I wasn't even aware of it.


Isn't that so like how we regard God? Many people miss God altogether because they are looking from the wrong angle. He could be standing right in front of our noses and we could still miss Him. What's more pitiful is we wouldn't even know it. No wonder so many don't 'get' what Jesus Christ stands for. For all the miracles He performed, people in His time thought of Him as merely a human carpenter, the son of Joseph and Mary. To this day, people still think Jesus is simply a great (human) teacher. Then and now, people want proof - a sign - of His claim to be God. His answer then and now stands - No sign will be given to a wicked generation. He declared simply He Himself is the sign - He is Jesus the Christ, crucified, risen and coming again, with life and liberty to all who believe. It all boils down to simply a matter of perspective - not what we see/don't see, but how we see.

On the way Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 
Mark 8:27-29

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