Looking up to God

 

As I meditated and reflected upon Psalm 121 in my Advent’s reading, I give thanks to God that the Psalmist writer encourages us to “look up” to the LORD being our Helper and Maker (Psalm 121:1–2, NIV). Truly, I praise the LORD to know that He is the One who watches over us ((Psalm 121:3, NIV), and that He guides and protects us through our coming in and going out (Psalm 121:5–8, NIV).

 

This Advent season, I thank the LORD for reminding me that I can always “look up” to Him as the  source of my hope in times of my helplessness transforming my despair to expectation found in Christ and that He is my Helper and Maker (Psalm 121:1, NIV) who sees me through all the days of my life. Truly, things can distract us easily by all kinds of celebrations during this season and the expectations of others, yet I believe that we got to focus on the expectations and hope found in God being our Helper and Maker as we look up to Him this season too.

 

Are you looking up to God’s promises this season for the expectation and hope that He is giving you today?

Prayer Response to this featured article:

Father, lift our eyes up to you as our “Lord the Maker of heaven and earth” as we grip onto your promises in our lives today. 

 

Profile Background:  

Jeremy Koh is a disabled graduate from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – formerly known as Spastic Children Association (1987–1997). He graduated with Certificates in Microsoft Office Skills & a HR Administrator Graduate (CHRA) under Human Capital Singapore–SGEnable Collaboration of Partnership – HCS HR PowerBank (7th Dec 2021 to 3rd June 2022). Jeremy has also worked in ServeHope Pte Ltd – Project Assistant/Email Marketing Consultant for 5 years (March 2008 – August 2013); as KeyGuard Specialist @(these)abilites Pte Ltd handling all KeyGuard Operations for 10 months in World United College South East Asia (Tampines Branch); an Executive Assistant with Vision Strategy Storytelling (3 months, Aug to Oct 2017); as GB Connector in GrowthBeans Team in Savior-Asia Consulting Pte Ltd (October 2018 to December 2019). Today, Jeremy is a Founder in the ground up initiative project called – Project Stories for LIFE (Affiliated with Youth Corps Singapore, a former member of the Special Needs Cluster) that serves the Special Needs Community at-large in the society, as well as being a PwD Advocate – a representing voice of the Disabled Community to the public today.

 

(Written by Jeremy Koh, 27th November 2022 – Advent Sunday)

 

Walking Down the Road of Bethlehem

 

As I meditated upon what the Scriptures said, “He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.” (Luke 2:5, NIV), I see how both Joseph and Mary were descendants of David’s throne, they were a young couple who’ were making their way to Bethlehem from Nazareth, through days of walking dusty, rocky roads - three days of sleeping outside on the hard, cold ground especially for Mary in late pregnancy. There is no doubt that surely it was not a journey that Mary wanted to make. It was a journey from comfort to suffering, from clarity to ambiguity, from the known to the unexpected, and how Mary had carried new life within her & that life did not magically transport her above her circumstances. True, we find ourselves at a place we never intended we would be. We would ask God, “Why?” 

Life takes us all down the road to a spiritual “Bethlehem.” There are circumstances that would spin out of our control, and life does not go the way as we expected it to be. We too, carry the life of God within us.  If we are faithful to the call of that life, there will be times when we travel roads that we will not choose, to places where we may not want to go. But yet the destination is a place of new life, of beginnings, of promises fulfilled.

Hence, the life of God within us reveals God to others.

Prayer Response to this featured article:
Pray, we thank God for the gift of His son Jesus Christ. Pray, we share Christ’s light and love with all we meet. Pray, God would take us on the journey. Pray, God helps us to reveal Christ to those we encounter on the way.

Profile Background:
(Written by Susan Petropulos – (Florida, U.S.A.), from the Upper Room Ministries, except the unrecalled date/year of published time)