UNEXPECTED MESSAGE

UNEXPECTED MESSAGE

 

Psalm 126:5-6

5) They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6) He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall countless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

 

Last June 11, 2020, at 3:15 pm, I received a message from one of my former elementary students. I was really surprised by it, because among so many, I didn’t really expect that a quiet but smart, and shy type of student will confide to me one day.

 

“Ms. If you ever read this I also don’t know why your name first came to mind when I had this problem... you see my parents are Catholics and it hurts to actually see them like that(in a way blinded) I pray that they would see the truth but nothing is really happening...yesterday I talked to my father about this and 1/4 of the way I cried in front of him because I knew when he said that he didn’t really believe in what the bible says it would be hard to bring him to God. I tried to tell my mom too, a long time ago but it also didn’t work. What my father said yesterday also made me doubt if Jesus is real. Ms. I know you have a strong connection with God and maybe I just want you to pray and tell me what to do. Please don’t tell anyone about this yet.”

 

At first, I didn’t really know how to answer her, so I prayed to God to give me the right words to say. When I received her chat, I just finished doing my devotion and memorizing Ephesians 6:10-18. So I sent her this  message:

 

“Hi_____________, please be aware that your faith in Christ is under attacked. Please get your Bible and read Ephesians 6:10-18. Yes, I will be praying for you. You are not alone in this journey. If you and I care about the salvation of your family; HOW MUCH MORE GOD? Be strong in the LORD, and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10. I am confident that you will not lose your faith if it is genuine since from the beginning. The LORD will fight for you. Read Revelation chapter 21 also. Continue to love, respect, and honor them. There is a time for everything in the LORD, but because we are just human being, we don't know the specific time of God's answer to our prayers. And the only thing we can do is to keep on TRUSTING GOD that He knows the desire of our hearts, and He will surely give it to us if WE FAINT NOT. Thank you for sharing this ____________. Let the peace of GOD that surpasses all understanding reign in your heart. It can only be experienced if YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE that GOD is good all the time, and if YOU WILL NEVER STOP PRAYING. I’m backing you up in prayers. Feel free to communicate. I'm just here.

 

Then, her reply was very short, “Thank you so much Miss, I’ll continue to pray and trust too.” But on the 13^th day of June, I received an update from her.

 

“Dear Ms. Gwen, yesterday I got to pray face to face with my parents and share the word of God with them but before that my father told me again not to believe too much on what the bible says but I didn’t answer him and just started sharing and praying for them...I hope that the LORD is working on them and I hope the LORD will soften my father’s heart..it felt good to share to them even if I was nervous for a while. Thank you for praying for me and I hope GOD will continue to work on them little by little.”

 

My reply to her was this:

 

“I praise the LORD for the strength He gave you to keep going. I'm glad to know how HE works in your heart. Before the LORD could work in other people's heart, HE works in our very own heart first. HE wants us to learn to depend on HIM, be more patient, enduring, and most of all be more persistent to share HIS love. We need to remember that even JESUS, HE was denied and questioned a lot of times by His own people and so called spiritual leaders in His time before HE ascended back to heaven. His faith wasn't affected with people's unbelief for HE simply knew WHO HE WAS, IS, AND WILL BE. I know GOD is working in the heart of your parents too. We may not see it now, but I know He does, for when we pray, we believe that GOD answers our prayers, that's why I know, God is working. Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.” Just keep on praying, and keep on trusting. Make sure, before you speak to them, you speak to God first to give you the right words or the exact words that they need to hear, and to make the heart of your parents to be ready and willing to listen. Our duty is to tell them what God had told us, BUT it is the SPIRIT OF GOD, who works in the heart of every man. I prayed, pray, and will continue to pray for you. God bless!”

 

Today, I also sent to her Charles Spurgeon’s exposition of Psalm 126:5-6:

 

“PLEASE READ PSALM 126:5-6 again. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Hence, present distress must not be viewed as if it would last forever; it is not the end, by any means, but only a means to the end. Sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping. If there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy. If we were never captives we could never lead our captivity captive. Our mouth had never been filled with holy laughter if it had not been first filled with the bitterness of grief. We must sow: we may have to sow in the wet weather of sorrow; but we shall reap, and reap in the bright summer season of joy. Let us keep to the work of this present sowing time, and find strength in the promise which is here so positively given us. Here is one of the Lord's shalls and wills; it is freely given both to workers, waiters, and weepers, and they may rest assured that it will not fail: "in due season they shall reap." This sentence may well pass current in the church as an inspired proverb. It is not every sowing which is thus insured against all danger, and guaranteed a harvest; but the promise specially belongs to sowing in tears. When a man's heart is so stirred that he weeps over the sins of others, he is elect to usefulness. Winners of souls are first weepers for souls. As there is no birth without travail, so is there no spiritual harvest without painful tillage. When our own hearts are broken with grief at man's transgression we shall break other men's hearts: tears of earnestness beget tears of repentance: "deep calleth unto deep." I’m continuing in prayers for you and your family. God bless!

 

                Honestly, I don’t know what will happen next; until when will my student wait, and how many pale of tears she has to shed first before she could be able to see her family united in faith, serving the LORD JESUS CHRIST; but I am sure that God is faithful to His promise to each and every one of us. If she did it to our own family, I know God could do it to others too.

               

                If you’ve read my previous stories entitled “Unfulfilled Promises” and “No Church, No Eat”, how my mother stood on her faith in God despite of being alone, and afterwards made me and my two other siblings followed her; and how my younger brother got converted and surrendered his life to God in a full time ministry, after I surrendered my own influence and power as an older sister, and learned to humble and rely on the power of the Spirit of God through prayers, yet, you are still doubting if God can or will save the person or people that you are praying for years, then please let me add more about how the rest of the family surrendered their lives to God.

               

                My backslider brother who became a drug addict married his unbelieving schoolmate in Cebu Normal University who happened to be one of the lodgers of my grandfather’s house, because she got pregnant by him. Their early marriage was so chaotic, because though he had a child already he was still using drugs. My parents did not fail to advice and encourage him to be responsible because he’s already a father, but it didn’t work, maybe because he didn’t find them convincing because of their own weakness as a couple. Though he tried to change for his wife and for his firstborn child, but all the attempts failed, because of his refusal to go back to God. He didn’t go to church, but will always tell me to pray for him to find a job for his family, I said “Yes” but my prayer was the exact opposite. Every time I pray for him I will always ask the Lord not to give him a job not until he surrenders his life back to Him.   So nothing happened to his life, though he’s already fourth year college, and what he lacked is only his practicum to graduate; until his wife got pregnant again to his second child. His wife was the only one working for them: because the grace of God did not leave them despite of everything, she graduated in Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics with a big tummy. After graduation, she was asked to teach in First Baptist School though she’s not a Christian, she was asked to teach Bible classes, something that’s so unbelievable because how could she teach something that she didn’t know about. So she was forced to study the Bible; it became her starting point of knowing God.  Little by little she began to learn about Christian living, but she wasn’t converted yet because of her backslider husband. But when she saw the transformation of my younger brother, her desire to know God more increased, until she accepted Christ as her Lord and personal Savior. But her husband was still hard, but we didn’t stop to pray.  Until one day, the angel of death in the air struck his second born, whose name was almost the same with him. When they went to SM, my baby nephew got Meningococcemia, when they went home, they noticed a lot of rashes and big red spots all over his body. They brought him to the hospital, but it didn’t take hours, he died. That was it, so fast! They went out from the house with a healthy son, but he went home very ill, and died right away. Worst, there was no funeral service held for him, because his sickness required him to be buried right away, it’s worse than Covid 19.

 

                The death of my nephew was the turning point of my brother. We were at the living room forming a circle shedding tears together. Then I asked my brother, until when will he harden his heart, did he not get it? God was catching his attention, would he wait for another tragic thing to happen. Her wife shared her pains and fears too, asking my brother to surrender; we prayed together, and that was the end of my brother’s hardening of heart. He surrendered his life back to God. He enrolled in Bible School for a year but because the arrangement was so complicated in his situation, my younger brother, who is already a Pastor in General Luna told him to pray if he could join him in the ministry he's in. After they prayed, they decided to assist my brother in the ministry, until he was sent to Soccoro, where he is presently pastoring, and his wife, acting as the High School Principal in the public school on the said place. 

 

                Now will you still doubt about the power of God? Please don’t! I know it’s not going to be easy while you are still waiting, but don’t lose hope my friend, God is not deaf with your tears. He is listening. Keep believing and trusting, for greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in the lives of your loved ones. And just like my student, you don’t have to carry the burden alone. Share it with someone you can trust, share it to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Mr. D]

I could say quite a lot about this, but since I do not want to make others doubt God, I will simply say nothing beyond this. :l