on God's amazing timing

Last Saturday, went for my first Men-In-Covenant (MIC) session in 2008. I try to make it a point to go for the 6.30am prayer session, cos it feels so good to be together with fellow men to worship and pray to our Heavenly Father with the first-fruits of our time in the day.

The facilitator, Kirk, was sharing his burden to pray for the men this year from the 2 ending verses in Psalm 62:

One thing God has spoken,
       two things have I heard:
       that you, O God, are strong,

 and that you, O Lord, are loving.
       Surely you will reward each person
       according to what he has done.

- Psalm 62:11-12 (NIV)


The burden was to pray that men might know that their God is strong, and has the strength to deliver; that our Lord is loving, and loves us for all that we were, are and going to be; and that He rewards/corrects all our deeds and thoughts.

Pastor K.K. also shared before we broke into smaller group for praying, that the men in MIC are coming to a cross-roads. Even on that morning as the Lord led him to the passage in Exodus (where Moses led the nation of Israel to cross the Red Sea), Pastor K.K. reminded us again the ministry is "crossing the Red Sea". And he jokingly reminded us, when the Israelites crossed, it was not straight into the promised land. Instead they wandered around the desert for 40 years. :p So "better pray hard for the men" ah!

The amazing thing was that I was reading psalm 62* just the day before. Am just marvelling at the timing. I took this as a sign that God is moving in this ministry, and prayed together with the brothers.

But the story didn't end there. For that Saturday, the psalms I was supposed to read through were Psalm 65 and 66. What joy springs forth in my heart, even as I read about my God "who hear prayer", and who "forgave us our transgressions", when "we were overwhelmed by sins"!^ In ending, consider this:

"Come and listen, all you who fear God;
       let me tell you what he has done for me.

I cried out to him with my mouth;
       his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,
       the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened
       and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise be to God,
       who has not rejected my prayer
       or withheld his love from me!"

- Psalm 66:16-20 (NIV)

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*As part of my "2 Psalm a day" reading planing, since the start of the year
^Granted, if it was Psalm 69 and 70m i'll probably be a bit** troubled. but hey hey, it's God's timing again...
** Nah, I think it will be more than "a little bit"