THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

Tomorrow our sisters Cynthia and Peggy will go to Taiwan to minister to the Indonesian migrant workers there. We thank God for their willingness to go and be instruments of God’s grace among our countrywomen who live as migrant workers in a foreign land. We pray for God’s anointing upon them and a safe travel.

In his book, Elijah, Pastor Chuck Swindoll writes, “God looks for special people at difficult times.” What he means by that is that God looks for people who have “the backbone to stand alone.” So, what made Elijah special was that he had the courage to stand alone—to follow the will and do the work of God alone. I applaud Cynthia and Peggy for having the backbone to stand alone.

It's so much easier to follow the will and do the work of God when others are with us, or at least watching us. It is so much harder to follow the will and do the work of God when there is no one around or watching us. It is when we stand alone, we reveal who we are. When Kirk Douglas, the famous actor who recently passed away at the age of 103, suffered a stroke in 1996, he contemplated suicide. He, who was used to hearing applause and praise, was suddenly alone. So, he thought his world was coming to an end.

Strength, purity, faithfulness, all are tested and proven when we stand alone, when no one is around or watching. In the same book, Chuck Swindoll reminds us that we stand before God. He is around, He is watching, and He is with us. We are never not standing before God; we’re always standing before Him. So, go on, follow the will and do the work of God. Even though we stand alone, we are never alone; even though no one is applauding, God is. Serving God is never meant to be a spectacle; it’s meant to be an act of obedience.

Pastor Paul