shelter of his wings: Diagnosis & Remedy - Malaysia in review (2014)

This article has been written for the next issue of the church magazine.

The lesson learnt from my knee pain

The other day I saw a really good doctor who correctly diagnosed my knee problem.

All the previous doctors I have seen said I had broken cartilages and spurs thus causing me to suffer from osteoarthritis but not this third doctor.

He said “Before I can prescribe you the treatment, I need to diagnose the actual source of your problem.” As it turned out, he said that the pain was not due to my cartilage or spurs but due to the tendons surrounding my knees.

With that, he proceeded to treat me with his own patented treatment and immediately after the injection on the tendons (not the knees), I could squat, run, walk up and down the stairs without any pain!

It was a miracle to say the least as I had not been able to straighten my left knee for about a year without feeling pain.

The Lord also asked me the same thing when I pondered on the question why our nation had to go through so many tragedies in 2014 “do you really know the source of the nation’s problems? Have you made the correct diagnosis? Like the doctor who gave you the correct diagnosis and described your pain symptoms correctly, you need to make the correct diagnosis before you can prescribe the treatment to cure the pain”

The Issachar anointing – diagnosis and prescription

During one of the morning watch, the Lord spoke to me and another sister on the Sons of Issachar. The blessing of the Issachar is that this tribe had the grace and the wisdom to make the correct diagnosis of the problems of Israel and what Israel ought to do to remedy the problem (prescription).

1 Chronicles 12:32

“Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred and all their brethren were at their command”

What is the diagnosis of the problem plaguing our nation?

In 2014 the list of calamities has been just tragic – MH370 mysteriously disappeared, MH17 shot down in Ukraine and an Airasia flight crashed into the ocean, floods in the East Coast, our currency crashed in a very short time, falling oil prices thus causing adjustments in the budget, inflationary pressures, dengue scourge, Allah issue, religious extremism.

I believe God is judging the world system which is very much entrenched in our nation just like the nations of the world. The world system is represented by Pharaoh of Egypt. Pharaoh represents the god of this world.

God had to judge the religious, political, financial, social and military systems of Pharaoh so that He can draw His people’s attention back to Him.

Pharaoh’s gods

Have I been bowing down to Pharaoh in my working life?

Indeed I have to check myself to ensure that I do not become enraptured with this world and all the materialism, pride, pleasures, accolades, position, power and privilege that this world offers.

For too long I have become captivated with money, position, assets, possessions and fame – pursuing them like that these goals were the be all and end all of my life in this earth.

In my bowing down to the gods of Egypt, I have lost sight of the eternal purpose for which God has created me for, to worship Him and Him alone and to love Him with all my heart, mind and soul!

Remember the judgments of God upon Egypt:

1. Religious – magicians and diviners were powerless to turn back the plagues/tragedies

2. Political – Pharaoh could not hold back the children of Israel from leaving Egypt

3. Social – drought, floods, diseases, sicknesses, natural disasters

4. Financial – monetary system of the nation suffered a turn for the worse when the Egyptians gave their gold and silver to the children of Israel

The diagnosis

God is allowing all our trust in this world and the systems and values of the world to be broken to give us a reason to run to Him in Goshen.

No more idolatry of looking to the world for our provision and security. No more looking to the government to fix the economy or the weather, the rising extremism or racial rhetoric or to solve our problems for us.

Our allegiance has to be in God and God alone.

God is jealous for us and He will shake everything that can be shaken in this nation so that we would have no choice but to look to the One who cannot be shaken.

This kind of judgment is mercy towards the Bride of Christ. How precious is His church to Him that He wants His church to come back to their first love.

For out of the failure of the world’s system will come the greatest salvations the world has ever known.

People will become desperate in looking for the meaning and purpose of life. Darkness will increase but so will the light of Jesus in us.

One sister was sharing how the tragedy of the East Coast brought the light of God to many families affected by the flood. They came with cars and convoys to clean up homes, bring gifts and offer help. They came to clean up homes irrespective of race or religion.

The prescription

This is the church greatest hour, filled with the Holy Spirit, with supernatural provision and supernatural power to fulfill the Great Commission through good works. This is the time for us to stretch ourselves in prayer and fasting, worship and meditating on the Word of God.

It is time to draw near to God in our spiritual Goshen.

The picture of the prayer booklet speaks to me of Goshen, a place of everlasting light and the wonderful presence of God.

As we dedicate ourselves an hour a day or an hour a week to fast and pray for our church and nation via the 24/7 NECF call to prayer, we will bring not only ourselves to Goshen but also our church members and all our loved ones.

God is raising up His Church to save the world.

God is raising up His church to be powerful and to move in great authority and wisdom even when others are running helter-skelter seeking for answers.

Let us prepare ourselves in prayer and fasting, worship and meditating on the Word of God by participating in the morning watches, corporate prayers, small group prayers and family altars.

The divine providence of Goshen

Do not fear. The Lord has set a pattern in scriptures. Whenever He judges the world, He will provide for His own.

When He judged Egypt with famine, Joseph was sent ahead to provide.

When the wells were dry, Isaac dug wells overflowing with water to the point that he prospered a hundredfold.

When the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, God gave them manna from heaven.

We need to see this pattern so that we can have confidence in the God of our eternal covenant, who through Jesus Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

While you will see people losing hope, losing vision, losing purpose, confused and lost, the church will have such abundant supply that when the world is suffering lack, we can provide for those who come our doors with a little oil or a bin of flour that will not run out!

God will make a distinction so that those who are oppressed by the gods of this world will see the difference in us who live in the spiritual Goshen. They will be in a position to make the choice for salvation in Jesus!