He Answers
By Josephine Lim Weston
Yesterday I came down with hay fever. It got worse after we came back from our morning walk in the park. I asked my husband what medication and treatment for hay fever. He replied that there's a medication for it but I had it when I was in the early stage pregnancy with Janick and developed an allergic reaction towards it. So no instant cure for me except to seek God's healing and wisdom on this matter. Not long after I saw my husband came down with a mop and bucket. He said he's going to mop the floor (although we had just mopped the whole house last week) but first he's going to the garden and spray some weedkiller (our garden is quite well kept actually and just a few weeds). I kept quiet and decided I must google and find out what are the suggested natural treatment for hay fever. Alas, I can't find any natural treatment for it and they even said there's no cure for hay fever actually. This is not good news (I thought), but then I discovered there were some suggestions of what we can do to minimise the risk of hay fever. Then I understood what my husband was up to with mopping and spraying weedkiller.
You see this is what you'll do when you care for someone. The same when we know that what God wants for us is that we spend time in His presence getting to know Him. Yes God is our God and most importantly God wants to be our best friend too. In the beginning God created humans in His image so He can have fellowship with us and we can have a relationship with Him.
James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says,“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
John 15:13
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man (Jesus) lay down his life for his friends"
To God, if I could sum up God's three most important love language would be quality time, faith in Him and love for one another. At the moment with Covid-19 pandemic, due to lockdown many might have more time and hence spending more time with God shouldn't be a problem; but for some who have to work from home and do homeschooling at the same time might struggle with time. Yet whatever our situation might be I have learnt that the busier you are the more we should step back, pause and spend our precious time with the Lord because our God is a debtor of no man. If it's time that's most precious to you but you choose to spend it with the Lord (also) then He'll make sure He will add time for you so you get to accomplish all that you set out to do. Matthew 6:33 Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (including time) will be added unto you.
Having Jesus as your best friend is the best gift ever anyone could ever have. Having Jesus as your God and best friend, what more do you need? He is our all sufficient one. So as my hay fever got worse, I asked the Lord for wisdom and ideas. Yesterday I had multivitamin effervescent once in the morning and another late afternoon. I had peppermint tea and lemon & ginger tea in between. Before I went to bed I had 2 paracetamols. Yes, I did partake of the holy communion but a partial one with grapes, and most importantly I discovered that the less I think of hay fever the better I became. The more I think about hay fever, the more I sneezed and blowed my nose constantly (it was literally streaming down and I had to stick 2 rolled up tissues into both my nostrils while changing Janick's nappy and he kept smiling and giggling looking at me). So by towards the end of the day I just ignored the fact that I've got hay fever but do what God impressed in my heart to do and that's don't dwell too much with the thought "I have got hay fever" but go to bed early and trust you have been healed and all is well. So here I am at 3 am writing this blog article feeling better already.
So some of you might ask, how do I spend time or quality time with the Lord and what do you mean by quality time? I'll say apart from studying His word and praying when you get up in the morning and before you go to bed at night, quality time is a time that's special where you bond with the Lord. There's interaction where speaking and listening are involved. Where at the end of that time, you feel good and satisfied. You can also worship, pray in tongues or in the spirit, but most importantly you wait upon the Lord and listen with your heart. Some of you might think - I'm someone that can't remain in the same position for too long or I can't sit still and just wait (like my eldest son Jean-Luc who just prefers to walk, run, jump, dance than sitting down) - then may I suggest: whenever we have a quiet moment while doing our tasks e.g when I'm washing dishes or bottle feeding Janick or in the face of problem I'll just pray in my heart and allowing God to minister to me. Pray for anything and be expectant. God always answers regardless of what other people might say. God is more than willing to speak to us in our hearts if we just willing to listen and believe He has the answer for our every need and prayer.
“Call to Me (God), and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. '” Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV.
When Janick cries (which he seldom cries but if he cries) Jean-Luc would come near and said to either me or my husband, "Mummy/daddy, let me. I will make him better again." He will lower down and draw near to Janick in his cot and keep kissing him on his forehead or cheek until Janick stops crying and smiling again. Jean-Luc continued, "There he is better now (as Janick smiles again)". (We have never taught Jean-Luc about kissing Janick when he cries so really surprised us to see it's so natural in him to kiss us also when we're hurt or in pain.) Janick enjoys watching Jean-Luc too. The same do we know that whenever we're sad, having problems etc our "best friend" is more than willing and able to help us to put back the smile on our faces again. We just have to let God and give Him time to answer and minister to us. He has the answers to every prayer and every need.
Two weeks ago one plank of wood in my wardrobe collapsed. Not because I put too much weight on that level but because whoever that build/installed that wardrobe misjudged and cut the wood less by a few centimetres so it doesn't sit securely on the clip/screw holders underneath it. Hence my husband and I thought we might need to get something from the hardware store to fix this problem once and for all, but I wasn't keen on the idea of having to make the trip or to order online which might take days or even weeks before it arrives. In my heart I knew God has the answer and He has already provided for me all the resources I need to solve this problem. I made a quick short prayer and waited for the answer and before long just by a few seconds God gave me the idea to use the mounting (double sided) tape (with different degree of thickness) we have got in our storeroom to wrap it around all six screw holders underneath it and voila the mounting tape extended and thickened the holders and they hold up the plank of wood so steadily that it is immovable from its place; and now it's the steadiest level compared with other levels. This is what a "best friend" will do for his friend - ever present, ever helpful, ever so kind and always answers when you call.
No longer do I (Jesus) call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)
1 Corinthians 2:16
"For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
There's a lovely hymn I like to share with all of you and I hope now we all understand what this hymn means and it's so true:
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
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