Dr. James Elder Cumming, a 19th century British speaker and author, says, “in almost every case, the beginning of new blessing is a new revelation of a character of God—more beautiful, more wonderful, more precious.” O how true! It is certainly true in the life of Lingkan Mangundap, a friend in ministry, who recently passed away. She and I served in the same ministry but different departments about thirty years ago in Jakarta. Later she switched gear, got into special education, and thrived in what she did. Along the way she’s always involved in ministry, inspiring and blessing people through her gift of singing. She died from cancer of the tongue which affected not only her speech, but also what she loved the most: singing for Jesus!
Before she passed, in a podcast interview, she boldly said that she accepted God’s appointment. She had never questioned, out of all illnesses, why she must suffer from tongue cancer, the vital organ she needed for singing. She also shared that through this journey, God assured her of His abiding presence, that He was with her. To her, that’s enough; that’s all she could ever ask for. Even though she had always known that God was with her, through this journey of faith, she got a clearer and more refreshed look at God’s presence.
Listening to her, I could not help but see someone who stood at the center of God’s divine providence, steady and at peace with life and God. In his book, Enjoying Intimacy with God, J. Oswald Sanders, writes, “If we are not in vital relationship with Him, everything else will be out of focus.” Because Lingkan was in vital relationship with Christ, everything was in focus. This new chapter of her life opened her eyes to see a new revelation of God’s character: more beautiful, more wonderful, and more precious. A new blessing was in store for her to savor. No longer she sang and pray to God with her tongue; through the Holy Spirit, she sang and prayed with her spirit.
Pastor Paul