GOD SPEAKING THROUGH US

During my Sabbath, I was reading and meditating upon God's Word but had not spent much time playing the guitar and worshiping the Lord as I used too.

When I had to return to Singapore to complete my dental work and help my son relocate back to Auckland after his national service, I picked up the guitar again.
I was worshiping with my son and then I realized that I had lost my vocal range. I sensed a bit of this when I was in Auckland.
But when I worshiped in Singapore with my son, it was confirmed.
I could not reach certain high parts of some songs that I could easily have reached a year ago.
It was like I had to sing two keys down.
Is it an age thing? Am I losing my vocal range as I grow older?
I was concerned.
I prayed for the vocal range to be restored.
PTL. I am happy to report that I am back to worshiping the Lord with the same vocal range.

My son had returned to Auckland one week before me.
As his luggage was already in excess of the permitted allowance, I carried his acoustic guitar for him.
It was close to the time when I was due to leave Singapore and I took a breather from all the packing of our belongings in our flat.
I was alone and I thought why not worship the Lord as I rested since the guitar was in the room.

As I was worshiping the Lord, the Holy Spirit touched me and I just cried.
Then words came to me.

I had met a fervent Christian who had asked me what is the difference between "Disciplining" and "Pruning."
He had suffered many trials.
He sustained substantial losses in a business start-up.
Then the Lord blessed him with a good job partly based overseas where corruption is not infrequent.
But then a corrupted boss tried to nudge him out of his job because he did not close his eyes to condone the under-table money the boss was getting.
And he suffered other mishaps in his personal life.
So he asked the Lord - Is it the Lord's "pruning" or "disciplining?"

As I was worshiping the Lord, not thinking about him or anyone because I met a number of friends whilst in Singapore - the words came to me and I just knew that the words were for this particular friend whom I just met on this trip.

The words were that there are more than the two categories of "pruning" and "disciplining." There is another category - "Suffering for Nothing" like Job. Job suffered even though he did no wrong.

I texted the word to my friend and sure enough, he was encouraged and he said that it was a revelation to him.

It was like the blind man in John 9.
It was not because of the man's sin or the parent's sin that he was suffering the blindness (Jn 9:3).
It was not the blind man's doing that he was being "disciplined" or "pruned" or "punished."

For some, "this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (Jn 9:3)

Indeed, what is happening to some of us in our trials is so that God's work may be displayed in us!!!

What a wonderful and timely word of encouragement to my friend, to me and to some of us who may be undergoing trials. A word received as I started to worship the Lord with the guitar again back in Singapore.