Everything has its season. Spring is here. We can hear the birds chirping, see flowers blooming, and watch with delight the bees and the butterflies swarming back. The joy of life is sweeping across the world of nature.
Yet, by and large, there is not much uplifting news from the world of man. Wars are raging, nations are bickering, the masses are more agitated, and the human race, despite its many achievements in wealth and information, generally carries a gloomy and oppressive perspective of life. Though our media technologies have advanced in the form of newspapers, magazines, televisions and handsets, we don’t see many solid and positive viewpoints and reflections on the major issues of life and its future.
However, God is still on the throne and His purpose can never be thwarted. Over the clouds, beyond the mists, and through the fogs, the sun shines as bright as it has been and will continue to shine till the end of this fleeting world. And the heavenlies are fiercely raging. The angelic forces are gathering, and many evil schemes are being placed against God’s people.
The cultures of man are clashing. But ultimately they are all clashing against the culture of God from above: His ways, His desires, and His plan. The good news is that all these kingdoms or cultures will inevitably be subjected to the Kingdom of Christ, from which we draw hope and grace, and for which we pledge our allegiance and sacrifice.
Recently, I have dedicated some time for prayer and reflection, praying for our breakthroughs and reflecting on the practicalities of our obedience to God’s calling and election for our spiritual community as a chosen people in a peculiar generation. Not surprisingly, I don’t have much new understanding, but have gained a renewed clarity and focus on the vision of His Culture that our Lord revealed to us through the years. I also received the reverberation of a word I heard from the beginning of last year: it will be a time of doors shut and doors open.
At the time, I had some vague understanding that this word would be fulfilled very quickly in the ensuing days not far in the future. Looking back on the recent developments of my personal life, even things relating to our spiritual community life, it is startling to witness the expected, pronounced, detected, or unnoticed things the Lord did at the time, in whatever manner He may have done it.
At the onset of a new Spring, it seems to me that He has closed many doors where the gatekeepers are dull of hearing and obstinate in their familiar pursuit, and He has opened doors for the faithful,tried and willing. Let us pray and labor, hear and obey that we might be the latter and not the former.
Indeed, we are standing now at a watershed moment: the doors of mercy calling for repentance are shut for many of the obstinate and disobedient, and the doors of grace for empowerment and expansion of the Kingdom Culture are flung open for many that are called and chosen, who volunteered and prepared for “such a time as this”.
In this, let us give God praise and thanks. He whose name is Faithful is faithful indeed. And He is never slow with the performance of His word, even concerning us.
