April 9, 2017

The Shepherd's Corner

[:en]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

In his book, The Life God Blesses, Pastor Jim Cymbala writes, “The challenge before us is to have faith in God, and the hardest part of faith is the waiting. And the hardest part of waiting is the last half hour . . . . we need to go further by waiting until that promised moment when God will visit us with grace and power.”

Perhaps we have been waiting for God. We have kept our faith and have continued praying for a number of years. Perhaps we are getting tired because we have not seen the result yet. And, perhaps we begin to doubt whether God has heard our prayers and will grant our wishes. Perhaps, we are thinking about quitting.

If we are in that situation, the words of Pastor Jim Cymbala are for us. You see, he has a personal experience about keeping the faith and not giving up praying. For a number of years his daughter lived astray from the faith. He, his wife, and the church they pastor, prayed for her but nothing happened until that night. His daughter came home not only physically but also spiritually.

Whatever it is we are praying for, it is already before the throne of God. He has heard our prayer and has begun His work. We must continue praying not because God needs reminding but rather because God wants to see faith and faith grows through waiting.

As Pastor Cymbala says, the hardest part of waiting is the last half an hour. So, if we have been praying for years, don’t stop now. We might be in that “last half an hour.” Pastor Cymbala encourages us, that “to receive the blessing we need, we must believe and keep on believing, to wait and keep on waiting” because God “will never forget our case.” Amen.

Pastor Paul[:id]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

In his book, The Life God Blesses, Pastor Jim Cymbala writes, “The challenge before us is to have faith in God, and the hardest part of faith is the waiting. And the hardest part of waiting is the last half hour . . . . we need to go further by waiting until that promised moment when God will visit us with grace and power.”

Perhaps we have been waiting for God. We have kept our faith and have continued praying for a number of years. Perhaps we are getting tired because we have not seen the result yet. And, perhaps we begin to doubt whether God has heard our prayers and will grant our wishes. Perhaps, we are thinking about quitting.

If we are in that situation, the words of Pastor Jim Cymbala are for us. You see, he has a personal experience about keeping the faith and not giving up praying. For a number of years his daughter lived astray from the faith. He, his wife, and the church they pastor, prayed for her but nothing happened until that night. His daughter came home not only physically but also spiritually.

Whatever it is we are praying for, it is already before the throne of God. He has heard our prayer and has begun His work. We must continue praying not because God needs reminding but rather because God wants to see faith and faith grows through waiting.

As Pastor Cymbala says, the hardest part of waiting is the last half an hour. So, if we have been praying for years, don’t stop now. We might be in that “last half an hour.” Pastor Cymbala encourages us, that “to receive the blessing we need, we must believe and keep on believing, to wait and keep on waiting” because God “will never forget our case.” Amen.

Pastor Paul[:]

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - October 4, 2020
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER On Saturday Santy and I attended the funeral service of Dr. Hadi Kusumo, a beloved of many and a blessing to many.  For three years he struggled; the last year had been especially difficult as he was confined to ICU bed with little contact to the outside world.  But...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - July 19, 2015
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER Some time ago I shared with you about Linda, Santy’s childhood friend and about her illness. As you might recall she is undergoing treatment in Singapore. Last night Santy received good news that she is responding well to the alternative treatment she is receiving. The numb...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - September 1, 2019
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER Author and pastor, Chuck Swindoll likes to remind people that “life is ten percent what happens to us and ninety percent how respond to it.” To give a concrete example he points to Joni Eareckson Tada, that ten percent of her life is paralysis and ninety percent of her li...
Read More