A Birthday Prayer

Dear God,
Thanks for all the blessings through all the years.
Thanks for the chance to see the world in this new episode of life.
Thanks for all the experiences awaiting me in the future.
Thanks for the Holy Spirit which guided me through my past and to the future.
Thanks for the strength and patience through all the obstacles of life.

I’d like to pray for all my friends.
Those who are still here with me…
And those who passed this world to be closer to You.
Let our spirits be free to adore You.

My thoughts are also towards my country,
We need Your blessings to reach the enlightenment,
To help our leaders to think about all their peoples,
To try their best to unite and build the nation.

I know it is Your time and not mine that will count,
I know that sometimes Your way seemed difficult to cope with,
But I believe in Your goodness that leads us to a brighter life.
Amen.

Do not be Desperate!

Life sometimes seemed so difficult to live in, the only way to see it was desperation. I heard the crying for help from Porong. I heard the same cries from Papua…What can I do? Nothing!

Ony Suryaman wrote in his blog that Religion is a higher authority. I do think religion is only the way to lead us to God, the Alpha and Omega. But may be he is right, we are seeking for a higher authority so we could ask our reward, we could ask Him to do our revenge. We do say that He will punish the wrongdoers.

I took God as my conscience. He resided in me. But He is also far out beyond me. He gives me hopes during all my miseries. He gives hopes for my desperation. When I was worried about the future of my country I offered all my worries to Him.

Desperation is something that kills your creativity. It could also kill your spirit to live the life on.

Dear God,
Today I am going to stand up and fight the problems of life together with You and all my fellow human beings. Please help us to be strong and patient. Help us to be able to take the right decision in making our steps. Help us to build our families, to build our country, and to build the world to glorify Thy name.
Amen.

The Wheel of Life

The wheel of life made our lives up and down. There were happiness, there were also sadness. We could not find eternal happiness but in God.

God helps us in the most unexpected way, if we do come to seek for His love and protection.

While seeking for His love, we have to remember to love others as John has put it his letter (1 John 4:20): Anyone who says “I love God” but hates his brother, is a liar, since whoever does not love the brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen.

What is religion? For me it is a source of hope and strength. It is a rope which is leading us to His presence. A rope that would not tie you up as it is your free choice to hold on to that rope.

Dear God,
You’ve love me so much that You were even search me when I was lost.
A good shepherd You are always be…
A naughty goat I was…
Please help me find happiness in my heart no matter how hard the life is!
Please help those people who were lost in desperation…
They might have asked silently in their heart for Your help…
Don’t let them choose suicide as their way out…
Bless my country dear God,
So we could come out this economic problem…
And bring peace back to the paradise on earth…our world!
Amen.

The Coming of the Paraclete

I was really confused on publishing my article about the May riot. I’ve put all my worries into prayer.

And today’s reading is John 16 The coming of the Paraclete.
I was really attracted to the phrase: “ And when he comes, he will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgement:…”

The mission today is to realize my human capacity and let the Holy Spirit works in me. I should write all my weakness and give it as my offering to God.
I translate that as an obligation to write all my thoughts even if I am scared of the consequences. I should present it to Him as my offering. Let Him guide me with the Holy Spirit. Let Him protect me with His love.

Dear God,
You’ve shown me that You wants me to work with my pen,
Yet I feared things that might not be real,
I was worried with things that You alone could provide me,
Help me God, please hold my hands…
Give me strength and wisdom to know Your will,
And to work to glorify Thy Name.
Amen.

Mengasihi Tuhan, mengasihi manusia

Hari ini saya mengakhiri doa pagi saya dengan memohon: “Tuhan, semoga saya melakukan semua perbuatan baik bukan karena ingin upah di bumi maupun di surga, tapi terlebih karena kasih yang tulus kepadaMU”

Sungguh aneh rasanya karena mutiara iman meditasi hari ini adalah: ”Jika seorang mengasihi Aku, ia akan menuruti firmanKu…” (Yoh 14:21a)

Ia memberi jawabanNya…

Saya yang seringkali menuduh Tuhan itu diam (sama seperti kisah dari penulis Jepang Shusaku Endo), tapi sekarang pada saat berpegang teguh pada tanganNya sering sekali saya menemukan jawaban-jawabanNya.

Sebenarnya doa saya berasal dari meditasi minggu lalu, ada sedikit kebingungan yang saya temui dari bacaan mengenai Gembala yang baik (Yohanes 10: 1-19). Pada ayat 11-12 ada firmanNya: “ Akulah gembala yang baik. Gembala yang baik memberikan nyawanya bagi domba-dombanya; sedangkan seorang upahan yang bukan gembala, dan yang bukan pemilik domba itu sendiri, ketika melihat serigala datang, meninggalkan domba-domba itu lalu lari, sehingga serigala itu menerkam dan mencerai-beraikan domba-domba itu.

Dari bacaan itu saya tidak ingin menjadi seorang upahan yang hanya mengerjakan sesuatu hal karena dibayar. Dalam meditasi saya menemukan Kolose 3: 22-25, yang menarik disini adalah pernyataan: “Apapun yang kamu perbuat , perbuatlah dengan segenap hatimu seperti untuk Tuhan dan bukan untuk manusia. Kamu tahu, bahwa dari Tuhanlah kamu akan menerima bagian yang ditentukan bagimu sebagai upah.” Ternyata selama ini dalam setiap perbuatan baik saya masih mencari upah, walaupun itu adalah upah dari Bapa di surga.

Dari situ muncul doa pagi saya, dan dari meditasi pribadi singkat pagi ini saya menemukan Yoh 15:9-17. “Inilah perintahKu, yaitu supaya kamu saling mengasihi, seperti Aku telah mengasihi kamu.”, dan juga “Kamu adalah sahabatKu, jikalau kamu berbuat apa yang Kuperintahkan kepadamu. Aku tidak menyebut kamu lagi hamba, sebab hamba tidak tahu apa yang diperbuat oleh tuannya, tetapi Aku menyebut kamu sahabat, karena Aku telah memberitahukan kepada kamu segala sesuatu yang telah Kudengar dari BapaKu”.

Ya Tuhan yang maha baik,
Berkatilah hari ini,
Berilah daku kemampuan untuk mencintai sesama,
Seperti Dikau mencintaiku,
Bantulah daku dengan Roh Kudus,
Agar sungguh terang pilihan jalan yang harus kuambil,
Agar tak tersesat daku dalam persimpangan yang gelap.
Amin.