AT the closing ceremony of the first Methodist School of Intercessors Bishop Ong Hwai Teck announced that from 2017-2020 the Methodist Prayer Convention and the Methodist School of Intercessors would be held in turn every two years. He also declared the setting up of “Issachar Watchmen Movement”. Those participants involved in M24-7 were touched right away and enrolled into “Issachar Watchmen Movement”. That was the consequential development following the first Methodist Prayer Convention.
The “Issachar Watchmen Movement” can gather to watch and pray specially for our nation for half an hour after the weekly prayer gathering of each church.
Bishop Ong also reminded the participants that as we deepen our prayers we must be prepared to suffer for Christ. He encouraged the participants by quoting Job’s experience. Can a righteous man still firmly believe in God if he faced great unusual tribulations, even like what Job faced, which came about after a dialogue and a declaration of war in the heaven?
From the story of Job, we see that suffering beyond description is real! (The story of Job is real because both Ezekiel and James mentioned about Job) Our reaction could be “Why me? Why does gracious God allow such suffering to fall upon me? ……” Bishop Ong pointed out we might not be able to find the answer on earth because we do not know “the meeting in heaven”. But we can choose to continue to trust in the omniscient, all-loving God! As Job responded, “ Though HE slay me, yet will I trust in HIM” (Job 13:15 NKJV). This is true faith!
When we pray wholeheartedly, despondent voices are often near and true, just as Job’s wife even cursed him to die! This is because these people who make negative comments also experience spiritual attack.Take Job’s wife, her life instantly fell from heaven to hell and she put her blame on the person closest to her. Apparently her faith was not as strong as Job’s. However, we still have to beware of the possibility of betrayal by the closest person. Satan likes to use the persons closest to us to defeat us.
Even so, what led to the sinking of the great ship Titanic was that the portion of iceberg submerged in the ocean was much larger than the exposed portion, far more dangerous yet invisible.
Bishop Ong said that in spite of visible or invisible danger, we should continue to pray, asking God to let us see Him and help us to continue to put our trust in Him!
Reported by Saffron Ling
Translated by KT Chew