Daily Courage

[Judy Harder]

Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people. (Nehemiah 5:19)

I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it... (Nehemiah 6:1)

Nehemiah

Nehemiah was a man of prayer - and a man of action. There are seven mentions of prayers in the Book of Nehemiah. He prayed all the time, all the way through, about everything he did, and he prospered because he prayed. To Nehemiah prayer was fundamental, not "supplemental." He did not just pray for his work; his work grew out of his praying.

We can summarize his noble work by stating:

·      So I prayed. 

·      So we built.

·      There is power in prayer.

"I looked for a man amongst them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land, so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found none" (Ezekiel 22:30). 

In Nehemiah's case, God looked and found. What about you? Today?

[Judy Harder]

Nehemiah said: Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared.  (Nehemiah 8:10)

Nehemiah

When the wall was rebuilt it was celebrated with a feast. All the people gathered together to listen to the word of God. After years of suffering and shame the word of the Lord was being read again.

The people wept when they heard the word of God. Tears of happiness, but also tears of sorrow. Sorrow over sins they had committed. It is good to grieve over a sinful past, but there should also be happiness because of the forgiving love of God.

"Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve" (Nehemiah 8:11).

After that Nehemiah called the people to think about others also, those for whom there was nothing to celebrate.  "Send something to everyone for whom nothing is prepared, a portion."

Real happiness and thankfulness is characterized by sharing. The people understood the command. They counted their blessings and shared them with those who had received nothing.

There is still a blessing in giving. "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:25).

[Judy Harder]

The Lord has blessed David in many ways. Unfortunately, success makes David presumptuous.

He takes the Lord's blessing for granted. He is so concentrated on the gift that he forgets about the giver. Prosperity and blessing come from God. Whosoever forgets that trusts in his own strength and performance.  David realizes that, and acknowledges his dependence upon God.

David

I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.
Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
(Psalm 30:1-5,11,12)

[Judy Harder]

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:36)

Lung Singh

He came from the eastern part of Laos, near the border of North Vietnam. A witch doctor and addicted to opium. When he was still a baby he had already received his first opium...liquid opium, which his father would give him when he cried, to calm him down and put him to sleep.  A small dose, just a drop or two onto a handkerchief on which Lung Singh could suck until he fell asleep. The doses had to be increased over the years to come to satisfy his needs.

Now he came to our village - in western Laos - as a refugee from the Communist part of Laos.  A poor man, without any belongings, without a home, without a future.  A total wreck - at the age of forty-five.  Addicted to opium in a measure that I had never seen before. More than forty-four years of drug-taking had asked a price, a high price.

It was in this situation that he found Christ. He had never heard the Gospel before, but when he heard about Jesus, for the first time in his life he made a decision: to follow that Jesus. I never forget his first prayer. He did not know how to pray, or even to whom he should pray. It was just a simple prayer - but coming from the heart of a desperate man, "Devil I have followed you for forty-five years. I have been your slave."  Then Lung Singh turned around, looked to the heavens and said, "God, I want to follow you. Please accept me. I want to be your slave, forever more."

God did not make him His slave ... He made him His child, and delivered him from opium and evil spirits.

If the Son sets you free - you will be free indeed. Nothing is too hard for Him.

[Judy Harder]

Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. In tithes and offerings. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this ... and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.  (Malachi 3:8-10)

Lung Singh

Lung Singh was sitting in his little bamboo house, reading the Bible, while his wife Bunmah was preparing a meal. It was not much of a meal because they had hardly any food left. Being poor refugees she tried to divide the little rice that was left over into seven portions, so that they would have at least some food for the rest of the week.

All of a sudden Lung Singh called his wife, "Bunmah, we have stolen from God" and read to her from Malachi 3.  "What do you think God means that he wants ten per cent of what we have? Everything we have comes from Him anyway, so why does He want it back?"

"Of course not" his wife said, "We don't even have enough rice for ourselves to eat. If we give God some of it we will starve ourselves."

"Maybe we have so little because we give so little" Singh replied.

When he came to my house telling me this story, I looked at him. A poor man, should I tell him that we don't live under the law of the Old Testament anymore but under the grace of the New Covenant? I am glad I did not tell him that. Singh would have replied that the grace of God is worth more than ten per cent!

That evening Lung Singh sold ten per cent of his rice, two chickens and one duck (out of twenty chickens and nine ducks - his total belongings) and put the money in the offering the next Sunday. Not because he had to but because he wanted to.  No wonder he was such a happy, spiritual man.

[Judy Harder]

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Lung Singh

It was a beautiful day when Singh was baptized in the Mekong River. Many people listened to his testimony which he gave before his baptism. Among the spectators were Buddhist priests who knew Singh. They knew about his addiction to opium, about his conversion and deliverance from drugs and evil spirits. Singh finished his testimony by quoting from his love-song (he dare not sing, so he quoted from it).  "I have decided to follow Jesus.  No turning back, no turning back.  The world behind me, the cross before me.  I will follow Jesus - no turning back."

The congregation started to sing that song as Singh stepped into the river. After his baptism he looked at the fast flowing water in which he was baptized and said, "There goes my old life - the old has gone, the new has come."

Some days later, the Buddhist priests came to our house and wanted to know how Lung Singh had managed to break with the old way of life.  "It is impossible that a man can break with opium after forty-five years," they said. "How did he do it?"

Lung Singh looked at them and smiled. "I didn't do it - God did. All He asked of me was a willingness to break with my sin and when I said "yes" - He did it in me."  Christ can set us free - me and you.

From that day on, Lung Singh - at the request of the Buddhist priests, spoke in the Buddhist temple to other drug addicts about his deliverance - to the glory of God!

Writer of the Month: Lung Singh from Laos. He did not write his own contributions, but Jan Pit has edited his experiences and remarks and printed them under his name in this devotional. His life story is recorded in the book No Turning Back by Jan Pit, Marshall Pickering, 1985. According to rumors Singh was killed by his brother because of his faith in Jesus Christ.

[Judy Harder]

I am the light of the world. (John 8:12)

You are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)

Lung Singh

Every Sunday afternoon was set aside for evangelism. The whole congregation was encouraged to take part. In the morning we would have our Sunday worship meeting, in the afternoon the Sunday service meeting: evangelism in unreached villages of Laos. Some villages were free - others were controlled by the Communist soldiers in the area.

When we entered a village where the Gospel had never been preached before, some people recognized Lung Singh.  "Is that not the man who was more addicted to opium than anybody else?" they would ask.

I called Lung Singh and asked him to speak to the crowd. By now the whole village had gathered around us. Lung was not a great speaker - but he was a great example! He stood up and simply said this, "Look at me. Look at me. Don't I look great?"

I felt uneasy about his remarks. I almost told him to change his testimony, "Don't say, "Look at me," you should say, "Look at Jesus." "Before I could say anything, Singh had already sat down ... and the crowd was astonished, they wanted to know what had happened to Singh.  Many hours later we left ... leaving a new group of Christians behind. They had seen the power of God.  "You are the light of the world."  They saw that light - and gave glory to the heavenly Father.

Does the world see the change of conversion in us? "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

[Judy Harder]

If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  (Romans 14:

Lung Singh

Singh's brother was the leader of a Communist group in the area where Singh lived. He was furious about Singh's conversion - and especially about Singh's continued Christian "propaganda." The reason why he decided to visit Singh was to warn him not to be actively involved in evangelism.  "I can't stop you believing in your religion," he told Singh, "but I warn you, don't talk about it. If you do, the consequences will be yours."

That evening Singh and his wife discussed the situation. They realized what the consequences would be if they continued to witness for Christ. Should they decide to only believe in their hearts - and thus escape arrest? Their discussion did not take long.  They had made up their minds.  "If we live, we live for the Lord, whatever the consequences might be. And if we die, we die for the Lord." They finished their discussion with a time of prayer together, followed by singing their love-song;  "We have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back."

When Singh's brother learned about their decision he went over to their house again, taking some Communist soldiers along - and arrested Lung Singh and his wife Bunmah. They were taken into the forest, from where they never returned.

"Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."

"Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).

"Well done, good and faithful servant ... come and share your master's happiness" (Matthew 25:21).

[Judy Harder]

In this first part of the psalm, David cries out to God for help. He is surrounded by enemies. Even his own health is suffering because of it. In the midst of this sickness and strife, David calls on God for help. The Lord knows, the Lord sees. We can trust such a God under all circumstances.

David

In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.
I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
(Psalm 31:1-8)

[Judy Harder]

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him and he makes known to them his covenant.
(Psalm 25:14)

Lung Singh

The Suffering Church is a praying Church. Persecuted Christians pray a lot. When it comes to praying, they even seem to be leading figures, for their prayers seem to be much more powerful and intensive than the prayers of many in the "free" world.

Many times when I listened to their prayers, I was deeply moved. And strange as it may seem, I often watched them while they were praying. I felt that they were so close to God that they could almost touch Him.  These were prayers without verbiage, without shame, without searching for sentences. Prayers with a deep realization of being in the presence of the living, holy God.

Their prayers were characterized by genuineness, simplicity and ... tears. Not from emotion, for the Suffering Church has learned to restrain emotion long ago, but because of the consciousness of their own sinfulness and weakness when meeting God. Is this the reason why their prayers are so powerful? And yet they know and address this holy God as "Our Father."

True friendship with God is brought about by intimate contact with Him, the Holy One ... Our Father.

"Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).