Seven Years After

Seven years ago, the Lord granted us the grace to accommodate our siblings from home, two brothers, one my own blood brother and the other, a cousin. At that time, they were very new to the Lord and also to the church-life. In a sense, they were "raw" in many spiritual matters. Even my wife and I were newly married and "raw" in handling many family matters. However, we all lived together and learned together and grew together. Gradually, the divine life was wrought into each one of us, amidst many failures, ups and downs. But the Lord was faithful in shepherding us through and through, even though we were almost all the time unfaithful to Him. The mercy of the Lord was great.

A couple of years later, they both began to serve in many levitical services in the Lord's work and pursued their studies. However, things did not turn out as expected. Oftentimes, they have become my "trainers" to train me in bearing responsibilities and shepherding them both physically and spiritually. Often, I would go before the Lord with deep burden and groaning for them. Sometimes, I almost lost hope of any recovery yet trust the Lord of the recovery. The climax of my trial was when they utterly disobeyed me and did things that broke my heart and drove me to hang my head in shame. This was when my brother eloped; and was far away from the church-life in a state of virtual "rebellion." But our prayer never ceased. Everyday, we prayed for them, even my children would pray for God to bless them.

Seven years after, things have been set upright! The prayers, the anxious concern for them in the Lord began to take a new shape. And this month, they both willingly, with burden of their own will, decided to cooperate with the Lord and His move to participate in the gospel preaching in the most important city in the North East India, Guwahati. To us, me and my wife, it is a great glad tiding, to witness them participate in the Lord's move actively and willingly. Besides, the two were burdened with additional burden of caring for the church and the saints in their localities and their own official burden in their occupation. These to us, is the Lord's mercy and grace and blessing as well. 

We continue to pray for them to be faithful and fruitful for the Lord even unto the end. What a grace from the Lord! Seven years indeed is a year of completion- a complete cycle of transformation; not that they are fully transformed and matured, but at least from "raw" to "ripining" grain for the Lord satisfaction. 

My heart rejoice in the work of the Lord, and my faith in the Lord has increased much more. God is faithful. Even when things are uncertain, God is trustworthy. Praise the Lord!

Lord, preserve us in You, to be ever faithful and fruitful, all by Your mercy and grace, all the days of our lives!