I was praying for
someone the other day and the Lord showed me a vision. First, I saw only the front part of a ship. The ship’s bow is turning
for a change of direction. Then I saw the word: ‘Mengemudi’.
The Lord allows me to
share this because many people need to know about ‘the change of season’ in
their lives in the second half of this year. ‘Mengemudi’ means ‘to steer a
boat, ship, car or plane’ in Malay and Indonesian language.
The Lord wants His people to know that He is
intervening in the lives of many people in this changing of season. Many of you
who have got stuck in your career, business and ministry will experience a
change of direction. Do not worry! What seems to be bad now, He will turn it
into something good. And He will do it without you lifting a finger. Only allow
the Lord to be at the helm of your life to steer every situation. Seize this
turning opportunity and flow with Him!
Below are some of the situations that many of you would see the ‘steering hand’ of the Lord. I pray that these would help you to know how to respond to the Lord’s direction and flow with Him.
Situation 1: Jonah
Are you happy with
your life and vocation now? Are you torn between your job/lifestyle and your
true calling? Are you bothered by the comments and gossips of people so much so
that you dare not venture into what you really believe in? Is your career or
lifestyle taking a toll on your health, personal time, marriage and family
life?
Read the book of Jonah chapters 1-3 in the Bible. Jonah was assigned by
the Lord to preach repentance to the wicked people of Nineveh. But he refused
to allow God’s mercy to come upon Ninevites and sailed for Tarshish instead. He
met with a storm at sea and knew that it was due to his disobedience to the
Lord. He sacrificed his life by being thrown into the sea so that others on the
ship could survive. The Lord sent a big fish to swallow him up. During the 3
days and 3 nights in the fish’s belly, Jonah repented before the Lord. The Lord
spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. And the Lord instructed
Jonah the second time to fulfil his assignment at Nineveh. Jonah obeyed and
Nineveh was saved.
Jonah disliked his
assignment because of his own ideal. He preferred to see the Ninevites being destroyed
in wickedness. He nearly lost his life because of his disobedience.
Nevertheless, he chose to humble before the Lord and to obey His instruction.
The Lord saved him and restored his calling.
Situation 2: Balaam
Have you been
pressurized to do things which are wrong in the eyes of God? Have you been
struggling between material gains and clear conscience? Are you feeling
stressed out because you are expected to please men in all your decision
making? Do you fear for your safety for doing the right thing?
Read the book of Numbers
chapters 22-24 in the Bible. Balaam was invited by Balak, the king of the
Moabites to curse the children of Israel who camped at the side of Moab. Balaam
was lured with luscious fee, gifts and promises. The Lord specifically told
Balaam not to curse the children of Israel because they are blessed. But Balaam
got tempted by Balak’s second offer and he ignored the instruction of the Lord.
While on his mission to curse the children of Israel, Balaam was confronted by
the Angel of the Lord. If it wasn’t for his donkey that saw the Angel of the
Lord and turned aside three times, he would have been killed under His sword. So, Balaam repented, blessed the children of
Israel and cursed their enemies in spite of the great pressure he faced from
Balak.
Persuaded by VIPs and material gains, Balaam did not take God’s
instruction seriously. Balaam thought that he could persuade God to change His
mind. He nearly lost his life if it wasn’t for his donkey and the Lord’s mercy.
Finally, he determined to ‘speak only what God speak’. The amazing thing was,
he was not harmed at all but he returned to his home safely.
Situation 3: Paul
Have you been unsuccessful with job interviews? Have you been
struggling to close business deals? Has it been hard to hire the right staff
for your company? Have you been networking but find no genuine doors in
spiritual ministry? Have you been failing in relationship one after another?
Acts
16:6-10
Now
when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were
forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had
come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit
them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to
Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come
over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately
we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach
the gospel to them.
Paul
with his companions, Timothy and Silas were passionate about preaching the gospel
to the whole world. They went ahead to places according to their plans but were
eventually forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach. It was only when Paul
received a dream of the Macedonian call that he knew Macedonia was the place to
go. The fact of the matter here is only the Lord would know which place or
people were ready for the preaching of gospel at that time. Passion alone could
not secure them any open door. They needed the revelation and leading of the
Lord. It is He who opens the door.
Situation 4: Peter
Have you been working
very hard but seeing no result? Are you willing to let go of your own ego and
seek the Lord’s help? Are you willing to think ‘out of the box’ and be ready
for changes? Are you afraid that your success will not last?
John 21:3-6
Simon Peter said to
them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.”
They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught
nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the
disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children,
have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net
on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now
they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Simon Peter, Thomas,
Nathanael and two other disciples went fishing together. They worked hard and
toiled all night but caught no fish. Jesus gave them a simple advice to cast
the net to the right side of the boat instead. They could have doubted Jesus.
They could have argued that it was the same sea they have been fishing all
night, and shifting the net to the right side would not make any difference.
But they listened, did a little adjustment, and caught 153 big fish. Amazingly,
the net was not broken at all.
Situation 5: God’s people
Are you afraid to be
harmed by people who envy or hate you? Are you feeling trapped in the bondage
of generation curse? Have you been tortured by the fear of curses and charms by
soothsayers?
Deuteronomy 23:5
Nevertheless the LORD
your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse
into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
When Balak sent Balaam
to curse the children of Israel somewhere near their camp, God’s people had no
knowledge of it. Though the enemy sought to curse them ‘at their back’, God
protected His people ‘at their back’ too. God turned the curse into a blessing
for His people because He loved them. Similarly, God will turn all curses into
blessings for you because He loves you!
2 Thessalonians 3:5 (KJV)
And the Lord direct your hearts into the
love of God, and into the patience waiting for Christ.
The word ‘direct’ is
katĕuthunō in Greek which means to straighten fully.
Know that God loves you and He wants to bless you. Do not allow your
heart to doubt Him. Let the Lord direct your heart to His love for you, and
then let Him direct you out from your problems.