Annunciation to Zechariah

Prepared for Trinity prayer meeting 15 Nov,2019.

3rd week of November in our liturgy deals with the angelic visitation to Zechariah. Reference gospel reading is Luke 1:5-23. The key verse for today's meditation is verse 16, And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.'

Who ? John the Baptist.

Today we will go through the main characters in this portion Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist and Angel Gabriel.

Book of Luke must be viewed on 3 aspects: History, divinity, mystery.

In history, these were the days of evil , under the reign of the evil King Herod and in Roman captivity. There has not been any prophetic activity for over 400 years. But our God never leaves us nor forsakes us. God is at work in the darknesses of our lives. Light of world would soon be revealed because the earth pangs for its redeemer.

Firstly, God calls His people by name:

He is the God who called out Abram to  make him a great nation.

He called Jacob, Israel to be the promised nation.

Jeremiah, Isaiah were called.

Zechariah means the Lord remembers or watches over you. Psalm 121:4 He watches over your going and coming.

Elizabeth means My God is enough, faithful or keeps His promises.

John means  Jehovah shows grace.

Coming to our reference scripture, in our reading of Luke 1:5-23, the story relates to a detailed description of Zechariah and Elizabeth. 

Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were from priestly families. Zechariah was from the division of Abijah and Elizabeth also had an Aaronic lineage.

Qualities of this family: They were righteous in the sight of God, walking blameless in all commandments and requirements for the Lord.

But they lacked something. What did they lack? Elizabeth was barren and was advanced in years. Possibility of them having children were grim. In their society it was a sign of non-acceptability, just as in our society. Many atimes such families are looked down by others. They  were not the only examples in the Bible Sarah, Rachel, Hannah all have gone through this phase. But when God blessed them , He blessed them with the best.

He is a God who lives in me. Many doctors told us, it was impossible to bear children naturally. We went through lots of sad moments. One after the other we visited specialists and famous hospitals. But God has his own plans for us and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. When we come to our breaking point, God turns it into His starting point. Where we fail God succeeds. All glory to Him. We stopped visiting Doctors after my surgery in Oct 2010. In Jan 2011, we took a decision we will not see another doctor for our infertility issue. We kept praying and so did many others for us.  

Our prayers were answered, in Aug 2011, we were surprised with a positive pregenancy test result. In May 2012, we had our promised gift Joel. 

He is a God who calls us by name. In my ICU experience , after surgery I had many visitations, where Jesus would keep promising me about many things. It was a mind battle most of the time. When we are weak Satan is at work, we must keep strengthening ours minds with thhe Bible verses and the Lord's promises in our lives.

In one of these praying nights, God revealed to me we would have children and we should name them Joel & Jewel.

Secondly, The selection of Zechariah-The God who chooses his anointed.

Zechariah was chosen by lot to present inscense before the altar of incense.

Josephus the historian states, there was approximately 20000 priests that served in the temple in those days. The assignment for burning of incense was morning and evening. Chances of getting your name upon that list was less. It was once in a lifetime privilege, an unique experience for any priest on that list.

There were preparations to infront of the altar.

When the priests are in the presence of God, multitudes  outside were praying. 

God listens to prayers- at all times. Some prayers are delayed because Gods timing is always perfect. 

In C.S.Lewis book: Letters to Malcolm:Chiefly on prayer, he says, "What seem our worst prayers, may reallyreally be, in God's eyes our best. Those,  I mean, which are least supported by devotional feeling. For those may come from a deeper level than feeling. God sometimes seems to speaks to us most intimately,  when he catches us, as it were, off our guard."

Zechariah and Elizabeth, were praying daily for a  blessing. Surely the same prayer echoed when he was at the altar of insence. He was caught offguard when suddenly an Angel appeared. Suddenly the mystery of God appears. It was a fearful  and unexpected scene. Anyone out of the blue pops in front of us we get surprised and frightened. Its a normal human reaction.  Imagine someone as bright as Angel Gabriel who shines with the glory of Light out of Gods presence.  The same Angel carries the message of Annunciation of Mary.  

He is the same Angel who brings answers to Daniel's prayers, in the book of Daniel 9:22-23. Daniel I  have come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray an answer was given, which I have come to tell you for you are highly esteemed. 

Daniel 10:12-21- reference to Prince of Persia- The devils angel for Persia resisted him for 21 days. Remember Angel Gabriel i a messenger of God is not a warrior. Verse 13, says, Michael one of the Chief Princes came to help me .Micheal is the commander of the Lord's armies. Verse 20-21, Soon I will return to fight prince of Persia, prince of Greece will come. No one supports me but Micheal. Angels are at war for us every  moment with the devil. keep  praying God is at work at all times. 

Gods grace and salvation are only for those who believe and accept Jesus as their personal saviour.

God chose Zechariah for times such as these. For nearly, 400 years there wwwas no prohectic revelations and visitations were rare. His reaction to this event was normal for any human ------------------------ fearful, troubled."So where the sheperds , when Angels revealed to them Christ's birth in Bethlehem.

He is a God who works when we forget. All our prayers will be answered in His time- A prayer of old which we kept praying in our lives, just as God blessed us with Joel and Jewel in our lives, we were entrusted to bring many couples to the presence of the Lord and the joy when you hear their testimonies later is astonishing and brings great joy.

Pray without ceasing. Pray when there's a delay , persist and do not give up.

Zechariah;s reaction to the Angel in verse 18, How? This dint go well with the Angel. Angel   Gabriel, stamps his authority in verse 19, I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God. I have been send to speak to you and bring you good news. He curses Zechariah, you will be silentunable to speak until this comes to pass,   because of your unbelief.

Zechariah thought in human terms- They were past their age! Are we living in disbelief to God's word and promises? Can we blindly believe in faith as Abraham, Moses and say the Lord is enough.

Philipians 4:6 says, Be anxious of nothing, but in everything by prayer  and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.


Thirdly, knowledge of Salvation- Through forgiveness of sins
John the Baptist, he is a restorer, forerunner, to Jesus, spirit and power of Elijah, he has a mission.

His mission-to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children  and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous and make ready a people for the Lord.

Who said this?, Angel Gabriel in verses 16-17.

John the Baptist was prophesied in Malachi 4:5-6. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And He will turn the hearts of the children back to their fathers. Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

Luke1:17 spirit and power of Elijah 

Isaiah 40:3-9 A voice of one calling innthe wilderness a highway for our God.

Jesus said about John, "Truly, I say to you among tjose born of woman there has arised no one greater than John the Baptist. 

What was his lifestyle: clothes of camel haor, living on locusts and wild honey. But he had a mission. He was filled with the Holy Spirit  frpm the wom. Psalm 139 :14 reads, I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I know that fully and well.

John preached-repentance for forgiveness of sin,baptism with water, which completed as a sacrament through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 

The people said at his birth in Luke 1:66 What this child will turn outnto be?

Jeremiah 1:5 says, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Mathew 24:36 Jesus said, No one knows the day or the hour not even Angels nor the Son but only the Father.

John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whomsover believes in Him shall habe eternal life.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things on earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

Remember 

He is a God who calls us by name.

He chooses his anointed 

He gives knowledge of Salvation-Through forgiveness of sins.

May the Lord bless us all.

What Christmas means to me

 Christmas means humility of being the creator,and being born as the creation in a manger for cattle. 

Christmas means fulfillment of promises and prophecies.His words are unchanging. Christmas means Emmanuel,God with us. Christmas means eternal sacrifice, for my sins ,my saviour died on the cross and defeated the devil in His Resurrection to give me eternal life.

Christmas is complete submission His will. It is not about pomp and celebrations to show. It is to continue the work the lord started to bring salvation and goodwill to all. 

Let us pray this Christmas we have renewed visions and goals to enhance ourselves in the Lords service.Grow in the lords word each day to face the unseen challenges the New year holds. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New year to our brothers in Christ Jesus.

Prayer life of a Christian

Many times we come across prayers; praying people and circumstances in our daily life which makes anyone say just a prayer! A prayer of sigh, in some instance.

Prayer is a sign of existence of a personal belonging that God lives with us, within us and is a part of our very being. If God would not listen to prayers, there wouldn’t be any prayer at all.

Why do people come back to pray, spend time in personal prayer? Just for the simple reason that there is a God who listens, hears and answers our prayers and petitions.

Psalm 119:164 says, “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous law.”

Our Bible is a written document of prayers and communicative narratives, which stands out as a witness of communication between God and men. In the beginning, we know God and man co-existed, creator and creation interacted directly. Sin was the cause of the break of this direct relationship then and still happens to be the reason why many people live lives distances from their creator.

As a community of Marthomites in Kuwait, we are in our 50^th year of existence in this part of the world. Let us introspect today! Do we have a personal relationship with our creator? Do we need an example to follow in this regard? Search no more, follow the example of Jesus, who always found time alone to fast and pray, commune with the Holy Spirit. Can we try to be Jesus like from today?

1. Why should I pray?

Many people find many reasons to pray, mostly for personal gains. Earnest prayers are directed as a thanksgiving note for all blessings received and assured blessings to follow.

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, asks his disciples Peter, James and John, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

Even if we take for granted our personal relationship with God, we must be careful that we do not sit back and relax on our past laurels, but keep persisting in prayer at all times. An idle mind is the devils workshop. The devil sneaks into our idle minds once our prayer defenses are down. He works hard and creates more problems for Gods choicest. “Keep watch and pray.”

Pray for a communion with God whether it be in times of health and wellness or sickness and depression. In all aspects and areas of your life, left your Master in heaven be your guide. The Bible says in Psalm 6:5, In death there is no praise. Therefore, pray for blessings to last on your family for generations to come. Remember, we have come through thus far, by prayers and tears of our steadfast forefathers.

2. How to Pray?

In Daniel 6:10, after King Darius was coerced into signing an injunction to ban worship of any other God, for thirty days, Daniel one of his chief commissioners went upstairs to his room opened the windows towards Jerusalem, prayed and gave thanks to God three times a day. He didn’t fear death  rather He feared God.

In Luke 11, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray. Jesus says His prayer by giving glory to His father in Heaven, saying “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come.” In this prayer there is humility, glory to God and hope of an eternal kingdom to come.

He continues, “Give us this day our daily bread” ;A prayer for our needs. Not that the Lord doesn’t know our needs, but the Bible also teaches us to ‘ask in faith and you shall receive’.

We must be repentive in our prayer. “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”

“Lead us not into temptation”-A prayer for protection from falling into the traps set by the evil one.

This account of prayer was given to the disciples when they asked Jesus. How they should pray?

Do we really know how to pray? Do we say the same repetitive prayers as children? Do we give glory befitting the Lord in our daily personal , family and community prayers? Let us also be submissive to the Lord and ask Him to teach us to pray.

Prayers formed the basis of growth and was the foundation on which our Church is built. When our prayers weaken, our relation with God drags, family relations break, community bonds falls. Don’t let the devil breach your defenses, persist in prayer. Be a strength, a prayer force within yourself and your community.

3. Pray to be blessed

We see many acronyms these days over the internet for prayer. When I decided to write this, I was given an acronym by the Holy Spirit and I jotted that down.

Possessing Righteous Actions Yielding Eternal Rewards.

There is a righteous person in the Bible, God testified about? Yes, its Job, from the land of Uz. God praises and acknowledges the righteousness and faithfulness of job in front of Satan.

We see before and after Job went through his trials, he was a blessed man under direct protection of the Heavenly father. The righteousness of Job was amplified as Job 42:10 says “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.”

Give the honor to God, Humble yourself and admit you are a nobody. Your education, status, hierarchy are all gifts from the Lord’s endless treasures.

Alexander the great, conqueror of his times, died at the age of thirty two. He called in his generals to his death bed and said his last three wishes. First, that his doctor would carry his coffin alone. Second, gold, silver and gems be scattered along the path his coffin would be carried. Third, his hands be outside the coffin when buried,

One of his closest generals asked why, He said, “These are the three lessons I learnt in my life,

Firstly, no physician can save you from death when the time comes.

Secondly, wealth you procure all your life has no value when you die.

Thirdly, you came to the world empty handed, and you return back the same when you die.”

Do you want to be blessed by the Lord? Ask for blessings, share and give to the Lords glory from what you possess. Remember always, we don’t give from our wealth, we are just caretakers and handlers of entrusted blessings and gifts, God has given us to conduct wisely. These can include possessions, relations, children, our careers. In everything that you possess, Praise the Lord.

4. Pray to live:

In Kings 20 and Isaiah 38, we  read of an ultimatum God  issued to Hezekiah ,through the prophet Isaiah ”Set your house in order ,for you shall die and not live”. Hezekiah did not give up. He prayed  and wept ,”Remember now ,O Lord I  pray ,how  I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart and  have done what was good in your sight.”

  God heard his prayer and added to his life fifteen years.

Do you have an intimate relationship with God, that can  give you a  grace period and blessings. Get on your knees ask God your needs, confess your sins. Set things right with God and stay away from judgment and shame. Just as St.Pauls letter to the Corinthians states in 2 Corinthians 4:2,”We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.”

5. Pray for others:

“Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked”Gen 18:23, said Abraham, when he asks the Lord to save Lot, from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Are you a good negotiator or interceder, when it comes to praying for others needs and requests? When a sick person asks for your prayer, will God listen your prayer? Doesn’t this require an up-close and personal touch with the Lord yourself?

We must indeed keep pressing and stand in the gap for others, as Christians, when they are weak and in need of our prayers. James 5:16 says,”Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” It might a family member or a neighbor from another faith and doesn’t know about Gods love.

Do you have the faith enough to believe the Lord can change an ill-situation of another person by your prayer? We know, faith can move mountains. In October 2010, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to undergo surgery. Having known the risks involved we submitted to God everything in prayer. Many people interceded for me to the Lord, from my relatives to friends, fellow parishners and colleagues. Lord healed me through prayers of many and by faith I live to testify this today.

Prepare and pray for others to the Lord. Your commitment and readiness to accept the burdens of others as your own all the Lord asks for. He used fishermen, tax collectors, sinners to continue His mission of salvation. He is not a Lord that looks at your disqualifications, he looks at the readiness, faith and true spirit within you to submit to this cause.

Lord will use you as a vessel of praise. Lift him up whenever, wherever you are. Your friend or affiliate needs your prayer support, do pray for them, Lord will bless you.

6.Power of prayer

Never give up. Elijah in 1Kings 18, prayed for rain. God had judged Israel for idolatry, the people practiced. The power Elijah received from prayers on Mount Carmel led in judging who was the One and True God. He stood alone and mocked 450 prophets of Baal. Fire came down from heaven and burnt and accepted Elijah’s sacrifice, resulting in shame and death of Baal’s prophets.

Jesus uses a metaphor in Matthew 17:20, “that we must have faith as small as a mustard seed, but powerful enough to move mountains.” This is a powerful verse.

What change can prayer make in your life today? Have you given your life to Jesus yet? Get it right with God. Do not delay.

Confess, repent and accept Jesus as your personal Saviour. Make a positive change to your life. Devote time for Bible study and personal prayer. Be a Christcentric Christian. Keep Jesus the cornerstone of your life. Pray without ceasing.

Lord will surely bless you. "For if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." —Romans 10:9

Pray with me

Lord I’m a sinner, but I know you love me that You gave Your life for my sins on the Cross. I repent and confess my sins. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Jesus make me a blessing to my family, community and nation. Lord bless me. Amen.

Abstract version of the above was published in e-sabdham Vol II, April 2013.
http://issuu.com/q8marthoma/docs/e-sabdhamii?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

Meekness and Majesty

Meekness and Majesty

 “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke2: 4-7)

Christ was born in a manger not in a palace-

Jesus chose where He would be born, He chose a manger instead of a palace to receive all who would come to Him. He received

The shepherds

The wise men

John the Baptist

The fishermen, tax collectors and other sinners

The sick and afflicted

And us.

Christ came for sinners and not saints-

St.Paul says in I Timothy 1:1,“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

He laid His life to save the sinners, He came as the sacrificial lamb to pay for the redemption of our sins.

Christ birth was announced through prophecy-

Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Prophecy written: Between 701-681 BC

Prophecy fulfilled: About 5 BC

In Micah 5:2, there is a prophecy that reveals that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah.

Prophecy written: Sometime between 750-686 BC

Prophecy fulfilled: About 5 BC

Christ lives because only He attained victory over death-

But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

He brought back a dead lazarus to life. John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

He rose from the dead after being buried in a tomb 3 days.

MATTHEW 28:2-7 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 

His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."The huge stone was moved, and the Roman seal was broken, in spite of the guards at Jesus' tomb

Christ will come again Soon, Are you ready to receive your Saviour?

"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. Rev:22-12 

Joel –Our witness for the Lord is God

My diary on 19-12-2010 reads,

Mark 11:23-24 Truly, I tell you, if you say to this mountain , “Be taken up and thrown into the sea” , and if you do so not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it; it will be yours.

‘Believe that you have received it and it will be yours’.

A very true positive statement which gives us a challenge to trust, the very statement and more on the person who has promised it. It is very difficult to accept impossible challenges as human. But the faith we place in the hands of God or in simple words, ‘obedience’ is all that is enough for this promise to work  in us.

On the most difficult task that lies ahead for us, i.e., our challenge in life, the way to go about it is, first submit it to the Lord in prayer. Next, we must do our part in fulfilling our efforts as per the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The result of this will be our actual  test of faith. Faith in God is directly propotional to the outcome of a believers healing/blessing. The healing could be in the part of affliction, in the body or in his spirit. But always a healing from God is complete. Amen.

May 3, 2012

Isaiah 49:1 He called me before I was born, while I was in my mothers womb He named me.

“Congratulations, Praise the Lord, you have a baby boy,” said mummy on the other side of the phone. “Praise the Lord”, I replied. Reactions were mixed for a moment , my mind went from Thank you Jesus and then hows Jijo(my wife) and then what must I do next.

Messages, calls all came through the whole day. But what mattered most to me was the Lords promise, fulfilled. Yes, the Lord has been faithful. I put my trust in Jesus, when the hands of this world denied us hope.

The Lord spoke to me clearly in 2010, the year of our crisis, that we would have children and gave me their names. We had been in and out of hospitals, met the best of doctors in India and Kuwait. They all told us its impossible to conceive naturally. We were very depressed, just as any couple would be. Our agony turned to prayer requests for many. Many prayed for us everyday.I was operated upon  for a brain tumor on 25th October, 2010. I had a month of radiotherapy in Feb-Mar, 2011.

But we had taken a very important decision in January, 2011, that we would not take any treatment  for conceiving. We prayed on, but my wife kept getting her problems back from time to time. She had been through ovarian cysts and couple of surgeries in the past. This time when she missed her periods for long we thought, we had to get the doctor and get a scan done and take medicines to regularize her hormones. As usual we had to do a precautionary pregnancy test.

I tested her blood that August 2011 morning and was shocked. Her result came out positive. We were in tears of joy. We waited more than 5 years for this blessed day, we rose up to witness the Lord, he continued His abundant grace over us all through the past  9 months.

On 2nd of May, 2012 , Joel was born, Lord is God.

Today we have the Lords promise to us fulfilled, and His witness lives among us. Nothing is impossible to God if you truly submit to His name.

Are you seeking a blessing in your marriage? Get on your knees, open your bible, turn your tears to prayers. Look unto the Lord who gives life. He will show you the way.

Do write back to us, we will pray for you and your  family.

There is no boundaries in the Kingdom of Heaven and no boundaries between people of God.

Benoy John Varghese

Kuwait

4th May, 2012.

Article 3 FACING THE REALITIES OF LIFE By BENOY JOHN VARGHESE,http://www.lightoflife.com/LOL_Arch_Vol2_IssueP9.htm

The foundations of our faith and the roots within our relationships with God and men, keeps us alive in all the storms in our life. An earnest search of God in every walk of life and a mind to thank Him for all His providences, makes God, to surely speak to our inner minds, where ever we are. He will remove the veil of darkness from our conscience and lead us to Light of His wisdom.

Life has always been a bag of uncertainties for all…. None of us has had a smooth sailing as yet in this turbulent episode of our voyage to eternity. But what keeps us alive as we are today is based on the foundations of our faith and the roots within our relationships, which help us through each storm in our life. I’m trying to reflect on certain views running through my mind and I’d like to share these with my dear friends. Let us take it in the Bible perspective and analyze what God has done. God selected a community of people to be His own and He never repudiated others. God demonstrated the history of Israel for us as a living example. He's what Hagar experienced in the wilderness. Hagar was asked to leave Abram’s fold.. Hagar is a nobody but God makes her as important as his chosen Abraham and Sarah. God promised her and she had faith enough in Him. Many of us go through the Hagar experiences in our lives. It is at these times we hear the call of the Lord who not only sees but listens too. Hagar says that God is not a seeing God but a Listening God too. She calls the Jehovah by a new name Beer-lahai-roi. (Genesis 16) God never wants us to run away from our situations and aversions in life. He wants us to face the real truth and we grow in Him with difficulties that come our way. We may take things for granted, I have a good income, secure accounts, good family, my children love me, but what happens incase of Job, that’s where trials and tribulations are put to test. God helps us if we stay by Him. I think there’s not another person than Job who would have stood by God when all these evil befell his household. All of us I bet would have murmured and denied such a cruel God. But this is where such a deep faith comes to work. God steps in when the world steps out. Trust in God and He will act. See the social point of view in Hagar’s case, she was pregnant and didn’t have a husband. Imagine her situation in today’s society. Wouldn’t it have been worse then!! Won’t she be abused and stoned? Let us put ourselves in a situation like this. Hagar is being ill treated that’s clear cut here. But just look back and see this ill treatment upon her is from a family having very close ties with God. What would our response be in such a case? These kind of situations do exist today in many of our lives. This is the situation very often when people conclude and doubt the very existence and necessity of God. Well God intervenes in these situations for people of faith and this is purely divine mercy. This is what Hagar says “God not only sees but Listens too”. Yes, he`s Beer-lahai-roi. There was a British man who visited India and his guide told him, “This is Kerala God`s Own Country, but Devil’s Own People”. Well these are but the right words to sum up the people of our land. We are responsible for this. Do we nurture the future generations in for our selfish intentions or according to the will of God? There are 65 lakh Christians in kerala! Whats our role in today`s society? When do we start a God oriented goal search and see God in what we do whatever our profession and situation be giving thanks to Him in all that we do and all what we are. God will surely speak to us to our inner minds. He will remove the veil of darkness from our conscience and lead us to Light of knowledge. Pray to God, Lord show me the realities of life and give me courage to face them, never make me run away from my responsibilities. Have mercy and grant us the wonderful grace to hear your call in our lives. May God work wonders in your life? God bless you Benoy

Till my Lord comes

Inspired by Job chapter 23

For this  journey that I take

Till my Lord comes that I say

It has its trials, it leaves its trails

But only His  grace and glory prevails

I take up the yoke of life each day

But that I know till my Lord comes.

Till  my Lord comes? 

If one may ask

Yes, till my Lord comes I will say

I know not when!

But one thing i know 

Its a new life when my Lord comes.