The Queen who trusted in God!

The first time I visited the UK was for an academic conference. I spent about a week in the UK and two months later I was back for another visit. The next year, I moved to the UK and for four years my family stayed in the country where both myself and husband ended up earning academic degrees. One of the things that fascinated me about the UK was the way the nation has sustained their monarchy and the influence of the royal family in the nation. Particularly, I admired Queen Elizabeth for her role in uniting and building the United Kingdom after World War II. She ascended to the throne when she was still young, but after reigning for 70 years and 214 days as the Queen of England, we can only admire her for her tenacity. What was the secret of the Queen’s sustenance even in the midst of wars, political chaos, family chaos, pandemics, etc.? To mark the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016, a booklet titled “The Servant Queen And The King She Serves”  was published. I was thrilled after reading the book. The Queen trusted in God!

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

Who you trust is very important to determine how far you can go! Being the Queen of England is not an easy job in our fast changing world. However,  according to this book, “In all that change, the Queen’s faith has remained consistent. The Servant Queen explores and celebrates the place of Her Majesty’s Christian faith in the context of her formal role, public ceremony, her personal and family life, in times of celebration and in the face of adversity.” The life of Queen Elizabeth reminds me of Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” How can someone live a peaceful life in the midst of raging family, political,  social and economic pressures? The answer is simple: those who trust in the Lord are kept in perfect peace. Today, the whole world celebrates the extraordinary life of a queen whose 70year reign transcends the lifetime of the average person. 

Death is a painful departure and no matter how old one lives, the world will still miss that person. Many of us live for the here and now not mindful of our impact in the light of eternity. As the world celebrates the extraordinary life of Queen Elizabeth, may we not forget that she trusted in God and in the midst of all the chaos around her, she still had the peace to reign for 70years. When we understand that trusting in God is not an alternative but the way to go, it affects our mindset and lifestyle. Remember, the world will keep changing but God remains the same. Who you trust shows how far you can go. As for me, I choose to trust in the Lord. 

As we celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s life, let us consider this quote from her:

“For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.”
Source: The Servant Queen And The King She Serves. Excerpt of the Queen’s Christmas Message, 2014.

Do not let your heart be troubled

Earlier this year, we all woke up to the news of one country invading another. The whole story did not make sense to me so I went to YouTube to watch videos to help me understand the exact reason for the invasion. After watching a couple of videos, I was more confused than I was earlier. I was scared for the future of our world. What is the essence of all the international peace agreements if we don’t have peace? A few months on, the state of the conflict has not changed. Thousands have been injured, many more have been killed and millions of people have been displaced. The wars, political chaos, confusion, terrorism etc. affects people of all ages, gender, religious beliefs etc. Where does all humanity go after death? What happens to the wicked people after they die? Do those who suffer from evil men get recompensed after they die? Many world faiths believe in life after death. Christians believe in the judgement for the wicked and evil. Our hope in Christ transcends this life. Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 15:19 that “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

The events happening around us are potential triggers for worry. Imagine enduring a global pandemic for two years and when we thought all is well, we were told that we are not safe yet. On a daily basis, we are bombarded with heartbreaking news, new epidemics, new battles, new terrorism, xenophobic activities, etc. It seems like a never-ending cycle of new things to worry about. How can we survive and still have our peace? Jesus, being aware of all these, told His disciples in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The state of our hearts could be affected after hearing all that is happening around us. Many people have died from the shock of hearing bad news. Others have developed heart complications. The heart is a fragile organ and we need to handle it with care.

Being aware that the troubles of the world will not end, but in Jesus we have peace should keep our heart in check. Recently, I decided to watch less of the news about the world’s struggle and spend more time praying for all people to have peace. The more we focus our energy on the pain, the less we lose sight of our inner peace. I recently watched a video from a Pastor in Ukraine. This man and his family are living in the middle of a war zone. But, their faith is not shaken. He had an inner peace that those of us living far away from Ukraine do not possess. I don’t know where the world is heading to but I know that no matter what may come, we have an anchor that keeps our souls. Whether in this life, or in the life yet to come, we will see a better world without pain, worry and pain. Knowledge of this makes life easier and keeps our hearts from worry.

Remember, you can heap all worries until you get heart complications or you can look up to Jesus and free your heart from pain. 

He refreshes my soul

Have you ever been so tired, weary and stressed that you felt that only a rejuvenation could restore you? There are days I feel so stressed out that the only thing that satisfies is a divine quickening. Psalm 23 is a famous passage about the shepherding love of God. In this passage, God is the Shepherd and we are the sheep. The Shepherd tenders the flock in so much love and compassion. The passage begins with: “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Psalms 23:1). The great Shepherd leads the sheep into fruitfulness and abundance: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters” (Psalms 23:2). Sheep are just unpredictable, they so easily take their own course, leave the Shepherd, manage to get entangled in thickets and thorns and sometimes get lost by leaving the flock.

He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. (Psalms 23:3)

This is a perfect depiction of human nature. We are just unpredictable and this is mainly caused by both internal and external pressures. These pressures can cause us to leave the Shepherd and run our own course: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). As a result of going astray, humanity has to deal with weariness, stress, frustration and sometimes depression. But all hope is not lost because the Lord restores or refreshes our souls. Psalm 23:3 (KJV) states that, “He restoreth my soul.” Other versions use ” He refreshes my soul.” In this verse soul is used to refer to life or spirit. Thus, the Lord gives me life again, He makes me live. When we are exhausted by the pressures of life, the Lord restores us and gives us inner strength to go on. The Lord takes away our burdens and gives us peace. Our souls are refreshed. 

The Lord refreshes us by taking our weariness and giving us His rest. He then guides us along the right paths for his name’s sake (Psalms 23:3b). The paths of righteousness are full of God’s grace and providence. On the right paths, we can sing that: “Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come. Let this blest assurance control. That Christ has regarded my helpless estate. And has shed His own blood for my soul. It is well. With my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul.”

It can only be well with us even in the darkest valleys when the Lord restores our souls. He is our peace even in the storm and the troubles of life. No wonder Jesus could still sleep when the waves were raging and the disciples were stressed out trying to save their lives (Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41, Luke 8:22–25). Jesus as the Shepherd restored  calmness and gave the disciples peace. Why don’t we take our fears, exhaustion, weariness and brokenness to Him. He will refresh us and lead us into the right paths.

Praying for Governments is our responsibility!

Imagine waking up to a very loud bomb blast and seeing people running helter skelter. The atmosphere might be unpleasant and if you are not physically strong to flee, the confusion alone can make you disoriented. This is actually the lives many people face all over the world. Unstable Governments, evil dictators and militia have caused nations to live in perpetual fear and caused citizens of such nations to become refugees in other countries. Most of us live in peaceful nations and we tend to take for granted the essence of living in a country that is stable. Without stability and peace, we cannot worship God in peace and raise godly homes. It is therefore important for us to be agents of peace. 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.(1 Timothy 2:1‭-‬2)

As someone who has lived in 4 different countries and visited over a dozen, I do not take for granted the role of peace in nations. My family relocated to Canada over a year ago and we are thankful for God for the peace of the nation. Today, (July 1st) is Canada Day and my family is celebrating the faithfulness of God upon the nation. In fact, praying for the government in Canada and every other nation is our mandate. If we fail to pray for the government and people in authority, our peace is at stake. Paul admonishes us in 1 Timothy 2:1‭-‬2 as follows: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” We should pray all sorts of prayers for the sustenance of our governments. 

We should pray petition prayers: asking for God’s help. We should pray intercession prayers: praying on behalf of others. We should pray thanksgiving prayers: showing gratitude for God’s providence. We should pray and pray until we see improvement,  change, growth and success in our nations. Praying for Governments should be intentional: we don’t need to feel like praying before we pray. When we are intentional in praying for all people: for kings and all those in authority (Governments), we are seeking for our peace. Paul said that, “we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” when we pray for Governments. Every ungodly decision made by people in authority affects the family system. If we don’t pray, we willfully make room for legislation and statutes that jeopardize our families and homes. 

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Dear God, we pray for our nation. We pray for all those in authority. We pray for godly wisdom to govern and to make decisions that do not put our faith in jeopardy and destabilize the family system. We pray that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. In the name of Jesus Christ we have prayed.  Amen 

Shalom! The Lord is peace

I have been searching for Peace the last few days. I was told Peace lives in Asia, another told me Peace is European. Just yesterday, I overheard that Peace is from North America and Africa. Now I am wondering, could Peace be from Oceania too. What about South America?
The world needs you now Peace. Where are you?

Then I heard a still voice whisper to me… Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is peace, Judges 6:24). As I turned, I heard another still voice whisper… The Lord blesses His people with peace (Psalm 29:11). Still I heard the voice say,
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalms 34:14).
As I knelt down, I heard, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.(John 14:27)

We need your peace Lord. The world cries for Your salvation. Do come to our aid quickly.

Do spend some time today praying for world peace. Shalom!

The Lord bless you! Happy Birthday prayer

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’
Numbers 6:22‭-‬26 NIV

I celebrate my birthday today. I bless the Lord for His grace and mercy upon me, my family, friends and my readers. As we walk into our new level, may we receive the priestly blessings each day. The priestly blessings is for us because we have become the priests of God. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). Thanks for reading and sharing this blog post. Celebrate with me the faithfulness of the Lord.

May Goodness and Mercies follow and overtake us. God is faithful. Happy Birthday to me. I am grateful for life.

Christlikeness: Bearing the fruit of the Spirit

Growing up, my parents had a farm and we used to harvest all sorts of food items from the farm. As years went by, we started a backyard garden instead of traveling long distances to go to the farm. Yet, there was no single occasion of planting one thing and bearing another crop. In fact even in the age of technological innovation, grafting plants does not result in an entirely new plant but the growth is exactly like the plant it came from. When we come to Christ, we are grafted with Him and we grow together. Therefore we bear fruit that resembles our union with Christ.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.(Galatians 5:22‭-‬23)

This fruit is known as the fruit of the Spirit. Remember the use of the singular term “FRUIT”. We produce just one kind of fruit and this fruit is expressed as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If you are producing any attitude other than the fruit of the Spirit, know that you may be heading towards the acts of the flesh. As believers, we need to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit each day. First, it ensures our own growth and it also fosters good interpersonal relationships. We have been called to love, to be people of peace, to show patience, to be kind, to demonstrate goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The world will be a better place if Christians bear the fruit of the Spirit. Paul admonishes us that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24‭-‬25). The acts of the flesh are obvious and those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (read Galatians 5:19‭, ‬21). If you identify any of the acts of the flesh in your life, you have to know that you are gratifying the desires of the flesh but not that of the Spirit. Developing a personal relationship with God, regular Bible studies and meditation, fasting and prayer can help one to overcome the acts of the flesh.

Further, seek help from someone who is grounded in the word of God if you are struggling to bear the fruit of the Spirit. You can talk with your Pastor, Bishop, Elder, Overseer, Deacon (or whatever leadership titles you use in your church). Remember, that the life that pleases God is a Christlike life and bearing the fruit of the Spirit is a requirement.