Bizarre Providence of God

(1Kings 22:34-35, NIV) "But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armour...The blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died."

God's curse on King Ahab has been fulfilled.  

In 1 Kings 22, the prophet Micaiah, unlike the false 400 prophets, declared that war against Syria would result in the death of Ahab.

But Ahab didn't give up on his war plan. Instead, he played tricks so that he may not die when he went to war. He disguised himself as an ordinary soldier and made Jehoshaphat, his ally king of Judah, stand out as himself. 

However, an arrow that wasn't even aimed at Ahab flew out of the air and hit a seam in the armour.

It was a bizarre thing called Providence of God. Human tricks are nothing in front of Providence. 

When we acknowledge that all blessings and curses depend on God, we get to offer the prayer of Psalm 123:2.   

"As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master...so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy." (NIV) 

Live in love!

(Joshua 20:5, NIV) "If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought."

The Cities of Refuge is a legal system that pays more attention to whether or not there is hatred than to the consequences of murder. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus treated our anger and swearing as severely as murder(Matthew 5:21-24). The purpose of the Cities of Refuge seems to be in a similar vein. 

How can we not hate our neighbors? I believe it will be possible if God, who is love, becomes the master our hearts.

Now, I realize the commandment to worship God alone is actually His blessing to leave us from hatred and live only in love. 

(Psalm 71:9, NIV) You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me.

Sun, stand still over Gibeon! (Joshua 10:12)

(Joshua 10:12) On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

(Joshua 10:13) So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies...

At some point, this transcendental event, which was incredible, was mysteriously accepted by me.  It was when Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” came into my mind. It happened in 1986.

Once the belief that God is the Creator was planted in my heart, all the 66 books of the Bible that seemed fictional and mythical stories were fully accepted as what happened.

The Creator of the cosmos surely can stop its move. The supernatural parts of the Gospel, such as the virgin birth of Jesus and resurrection of Jesus, were also accepted as truth. 

My own belief didn't play any role about it. When the faith that God is the Creator flew into my heart, all the events of the Bible were accepted.  It was a more fantasy-like mystery than any other fantasy movie.

My Christian Life did not begin in my own belief.  I could believe in Jesus because of the 'given faith' that God the Creator put into my heart.  Praise be to God who has done a marvelous thing in my life.

(Psalm 77:14) You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

No signs, but be strong!

(Psalm74:9, NIV) "We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be."

The days of not knowing when the coronavirus ends are going on for a very long time.

However, I go forward confidently because I believe that living through the tough times is my mission. I will not be afraid nor discouraged, in the name of Jesus. The LORD God be with me and with us all Christians.

(Joshua 1:9, NIV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

My blessed Goshen(Gen 46:34)

(Gen 46:34 NIV) "Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."

Just as the Israelites lived as shepherds in Goshen, we live in our own places, doing our own work.

Psalm 16:6 sings, "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."

I confess with faith that the places where I live and work are the boundary lines God has put . For me, it is New Zealand and the bus driver.

The Publication of "Worship Through Novels"

Hello, my dear friends! 

I recently published my book titled "Worship Through Novels."  

You can search it at online bookstores, including Amazon.

"Worship Through Novels" is an adventurous journey to find the hidden Biblical treasures in 12 literary works.

The 12 stories that this book covers are among the best known as must-reads.

When it comes to fiction, just reading is not enough, and when you try to catch Biblical lessons from it, the stories will become the bread of your soul.

As you know, fiction is like a laboratory of real life. Experiencing a variety of lives through tales will give you valuable chances to practice Christian lives.

I believe that "Worship Through Novels" will guide you to "Worship Through Lives."

Christians More Beautiful Than Nature (Fiction)

The Stars, written by Alphonse Daudet, is a pure love story set in nature.

A shepherd took care of sheep alone in the mountain. His only friends were stars in the sky.

He got all the necessities provided from his owner's farm every two weeks.

One day, there was no one else to deliver, so the master's daughter, Stephanette, brought all the stuff loaded on the mule's back.

The shepherd was so excited because she was the girl that he had a crush on.

Once the delivery was done, she left the mountain but returned after a while for some reason.

It turned out that the rainstorm caused the river to swell and she couldn't cross over to the other side. 

At night, Stephanette was scared of sleeping in the dark mountain. She came out of the cabin to join the shepherd guarding outside.

He told the girl sitting by his side about the stars.

Stephanette, listening to the story, placed her head on his shoulder without realizing it and fell asleep.

The young man kept an innocent mind despite his burning desire for her. He recalled this moment later:

"I imagined that one of these stars, the finest one, the most brilliant, having lost its way, had come to settle, gently, on my shoulder, to sleep."(retrieved from EBOOK: THE STARS a tale from a Provencal shepherd di Alphonse Daudet)  

How do you like the story? Can you feel the shepherd's love? He had his affection for Stephanette with a pure heart.

1Peter 1:22 ESV says, "Love one another earnestly from a pure heart." The shepherd's love was in line with the Scripture. He never had the unclean lust toward her.

Nature is beautiful, but in fact, there is nothing more beautiful in God's eyes than a pure human being.

God created humans in His own image (Genesis 1:27), and the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed (Romans 8:19).

I used to go on street evangelism every weekend years ago. I tried to share the Gospel with passers-by, but in most cases, I was turned down.

In the middle of being rejected, I was so delighted when I received some warm responses from Christians. Each of God's children I encountered was my Stephanette.

In this spiritually dark city, I imagined that the believers would shine like jewels in God's eyes, just like stars in the night sky.

As the prophet Zephaniah sings, I believe the Lord rejoices in His beloved children.

"He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing."
(Zephaniah 3:17 NIV)