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Showing posts with the label Hope

Wait, Do not Wilt

 “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psa 27:13—14). The person who penned this Hebrew poem expresses his trust in the Lord. Line by line, he describes how he will overcome every adversity that rises against him through the power of God. He narrates his story so that every believer then and even now may have their confidence in the Lord. His confidence comes from the fact that the Lord is good and always favours those who approach him for help. He is confident that his prayers will be answered during his lifetime. (“The land of the living” denotes a person's lifetime). The Lord may not act according to our timetable, but he certainly acts according to this will in his own time. This requires patience. Exhorting the worshippers to “wait for the Lord”, the psalmist encourages them not to give up but to hold on for the Lord’s time. Waiting could b...

Staying hopeful in hopeless situations

That was the most irrational suggestion; to buy a land in a country which at war when the enemy has advanced to the citadels of its capital. But that suggestion was from God. Prophet Jeremiah had been prophesying that his beloved country, Judah, is to fall at the hands of the Babylonians. His prophecy has come true. The Babylonian army has besieged Jerusalem. It has been a year now; the Babylonians had been waiting for the surrender of the people in Jerusalem. Other prominent cities are already fallen. Judah is already under the control of the Babylon for ten years now. But God told Jeremiah to buy a land in his village of Anathoth from his relative (Jeremiah 32). The whole country, including the village of Anathoth (just 5-6 km from Jerusalem) is about to be occupied by the Babylonians in a matter of days. Though Jeremiah protested, he had to surrender to the divine command, and he bought it. That was a risky deal—buying a land in a war-torn country, which is sure to fall to the enemy...

A Day in the Graveyard

The Indian Christian Cemetery in Pune is "alive” these days, especially the left side of the cemetery that is Catholic. Pune has two big cemeteries on the Solapur Road. The one of the left side is the European Cemetery. That is where the European Christians who lived in Pune during the colonial times are buried. After Independence, Indians who go to some of the mainline churches of European heritage are buried there. As the number of these churches are dwindling, the cemetery is also less frequented. A visit to these churches on Sundays and may make you think that there are more members in the cemetery than in the pews now. The growing younger churches manage the cemetery on the right side of the Solapur highway. That was designated for the Indian Christian population in colonial times and thus got its name as "Indian Christian Cemetery." That is divided as the Catholic and the non-Catholic cemeteries by the unpaved pathway in the middle. If you are Catholic turn left a...