passersby

We live in a world that is constantly shifting and changing. The world as we know of it today may not be the same tomorrow. I used to think that all things in life were concrete - that the roads and paths that I were to take in life were already set. But I am learning that as our world is constantly changing and shifting, I, too, am constantly changing, learning, and growing as well.

My heart longs to hold onto this world, but over the last few months, I have been reminded that this world is temporary. It's transient. It's fading away. We come into this world with nothing, and one day we will leave this world with nothing.

Even the greatest moments we experience and will experience in life are fleeting. But I believe these moments show us glimpses of the life that is to come. At times, I wish that I could stop time and just savor and hold onto a moment in time. But seasons come and seasons go. I can only hold seasons, people, opportunities, etc. with open hands, trusting in God's perfect plan for my life.

I came across this beautiful song titled "Seasons Change" by United Pursuit. The lyrics go "Though the seasons change // your love remains. // Your love remains." In life seasons change. Though my heart longs to hold onto these fleeting moments, I have been reminded to put my hope in Jesus. I've been reminded that God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. Though all things will one day fade away, God's love - his words will remain forever.

I've come to the realization that more than all my pursuits - more than all my accomplishments, that I was made to love and respond to God's love. My chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. What a privilege it is to daily come before God - King of Kings, to experience the deepest of all relationships! One day we will stand before God himself without any barriers and we will live with him forever. He will wipe away every tear. All the pain and suffering that we endure for his Kingdom will be worth it all when we see him face to face.

C.S. Lewis once wrote "The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can't supply is proof that Heaven must be our home."

Yes, I want to experience the fullness of what God has for me in this life and fully enjoy each season, but let us not forget that we were made for another world.

Press In & Pray

As the new year begins, God has been pressing on my heart to lean into Him and to pray - to ask Him to come and move and to do only what He can do.

It seems that wherever I turn and where I look, I've been reminded to pray. I wanted to share a few resources and how I've been reminded to pray these past couple of days!

Earlier this week, I came across this article about Hannah's honest, desperate prayer before God for a son. Although I recommend reading the whole thing since it's not that long, here are the words that resonated with me the most!

"Her unique prayer became the channel that God both prompted and then used to turn the tide in Israel and bring much-needed blessing upon them...We must not silently accept our lack of fruitfulness and somehow justify it was God's will for us." Wow. Often times, I accept situations as they are, but what if it's God's invitation to join Him in his work?

I also listened to Pastor Matt Chandler's message titled "A Call to Prayer" where he urges his congregation to pray and he talks about three reasons why, as Christians, we fail to pray consistently.

This past Sunday, our church had a message on Luke 6:12-36 and here's my testimony based on the passage.

Luke 6:12-13 says "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles."

When I read these verses, I'm amazed because Jesus, who was fully God (as well as fully man), saw the need to pray. And to pray not only for 5 minutes, 1 hour, or just several hours, but the whole night. As the new year began, God has been pressing on my heart to pray. One line from m. Tunde's message has really stuck with me - "what we can do in five years, God can do in five seconds." I'm realizing that moreso than ever before, I can't do what God has called me to do on my own. Studying for the MCAT and applying for medical school is challenging in every way. I can't do it all on my own strength but I believe that God will make a way when I pray and ask Him to move. I was thinking back to spiritual victories I've experienced in the past and I realized the underlying theme of all of them was prayer. When I humbled myself and cried out to God in desperation, He answered. Yet, how often do I choose to depend on myself - my knowledge, understanding, wisdom, etc. My goal this year has been to attend prayer meeting and to really pray (although I haven't been able to make it every day so far). I've seen God move and answer my prayer in the past and I am confident He can and will do it again because He is Good and faithful.

Overall, I've just been reminded of the power of prayer. Rather than resorting to it as our last resort, let it be the first thing we do. Only God can accomplish the God-sized dreams and plans he has for our lives. Let's choose to "begin the battle on our knees" (Priscilla Shirer).