This week two members of our church went to the operating table.  Budi finally got a hip replacement after months of suffering intense pain and Tante Els had heart surgery.  As I write this, both are still in the hospital recovering; and by the grace of God, both can look to better and healthier days ahead.  Thank you for your prayers!

Last week I wrote about C. S. Lewis’ disdain toward interference; in fact, he even called God as the transcendental interferer, at least till he became a Christian. But what we call “interference,” God calls it “guidance.”  He guides His people like a shepherd guides his flock.  He shows us where to go to find green pasture and running water, He protects us from harm, and He nurtures the young and the weak. 

God interfered in the life of Budi.  He was scheduled for a doctor’s appointment, not surgery, in November, which means he would not have the surgery till much later.  But suddenly he was notified that there was a cancelation, and he could get the surgery earlier. Tante Els went to ER not knowing that her heart was due for treatment.  Had she waited longer, it could have been fatal.  God interfered and disrupted their lives for the better.  With love He guided their lives.

Across the sea, in Manado, North Sulawesi, God interfered in ways that we did not expect.  Pak Gustaf, the name we mentioned every Sunday, the father of Grace Pratama and the older brother of Ibu Rooz Taroreh, was called home.  He, too, suffered the same kind of heart problem as Tante Els, because of years of dialysis.  But God had a different plan for him; He disrupted and guided Pak Gustaf’s life to His Heavenly Home.  God sent out Budi and Tante Els to the world, but He sent for Pak Gustaf home.  Through all this we can glean a lesson that what matters is not where and how God guides us; what matter is why He guides us.  It’s because He loves us.

Pastor Paul