November 21, 2021

The Shepherd's Corner

You might still remember Lyna, the restaurant server who suffered a brain hemorrhage that left her paralyzed. God called her home last year and yesterday her mother, whom I call Aunty Yen, went back to Indonesia for good. When I think of her, I am reminded that we really do not know about tomorrow. We can understand yesterday, and we can face today but we are clueless about tomorrow.

A dozen of years ago she said goodbye to Lyna, wishing her a new and better life in America. Three years ago, she came here to find her daughter in a coma after the massive hemorrhage. For two years everyday she took care of Lyna but last year she had to bid her farewell. And yesterday she went home to Surabaya alone.

Oswald Chambers sums it well, “The path to God is never the same as the path of God. When I am going on with God in His path, I do not understand, but God does; therefore, I understand God, not His path.”  We do not understand the path of God—the path that He has us walk on—but this unknown path will always lead us to God. Along the way we shall know Him better and trust Him and love Him more. This unknown yet blessed path will always lead us to Him.

Aunty Yen told me that whenever she prays, she somehow finds it more at home praying to God in the same way Lyna used to pray—through Jesus Our Lord—than in her previous way. She now knows Jesus Our Lord much better than before, and she is beginning to trust Him more and more. As far as I am concerned, I, too, have been blessed. Whenever we talked, knowing my health challenges, she always assured me that I am in her prayers. But it’s not only her, several Lyna’s friends have become my friends and they, too, pray for me. You see, one of the greatest blessings is to be prayed for.

Pastor Paul

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - October 9, 2022
How do we measure godliness?  What is the chief characteristic of godly people? It is not by how much we know the Bible or how many Bible verses we memorize.  It is not by how long we can fast and pray; and it is not by how eloquent we preach.  We measure godliness by how […]...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - June 25, 2023
After a three-year hiatus, God’s willing, this year we will have our Thanksgiving retreat again.  God’s willing, I am planning to give a series of messages based on the Book of Job.  I don’t know about you, but I used to find this book to be difficult to comprehend.  By the grac...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - October 16, 2022
The other day when Santy and I were babysitting our grandchildren, I happened to hear the conversation that took place between our eldest and youngest grandchildren.  Apparently the youngest got a hold of a toy that the eldest wanted.  Instead of taking it by force, the eldest, then, said ...
Read More