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 Hide to Reveal
(The Forge Newsletter_03_2020)

 

2020 03_silver.cupThen he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's silver (money) in the mouth of his sack, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him. (Genesis 44:1-2)

Joseph’s brothers showed to hide, but Joesph hid to reveal
We hide something from people’s eyes to keep it safely. But sometimes we need to hide something in order to reveal the hidden and restore the broken. Twenty-two years earlier, Joseph’s brothers showed Joseph’s stained, torn cloak to their father in order to hide their sins. But Joseph hid his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack in order to show his true forgiveness and to restore their broken relationship.

Someone is hidden on the other side of the pictures that we see
Although Joseph's brothers were worried as they were led to the Prime Minister’s house, they were relieved after having lunch and being able to buy enough food. However, while they were returning home with joy, the Prime Minister’s silver cup was found in Benjamin’s sack and they were all terrified. They didn’t know Joseph was behind the scenes, planning it all.

2020 03_jobIn one day, Job lost everything and was left scraping his skin with a broken piece of pottery in the ashes. Nobody knew about Satan’s strategy to destroy the relationship between God and Job.

Seventy thousand people had already died from the plague and the rest of the people were afraid of death from Dan to Beersheba. Most of those people had no idea that King David was the cause.

God’s hidden plans were released through the terrible incidents
Joseph’s brothers, Job and David thought it was the end, but God had hidden plans that were released through the terrible incidents. God established the nation of Israel in Egypt, God restored Job’s new life and new understanding, and God released his mercy and revealed the temple site.

 

 

God’s Hidden Works behind COVID-19 Pandemic?

We are living in a very unusual era as the Coronavirus has been spreading out across the whole world. While Americans are blaming the Chinese and Chinese are blaming Americans, also Iranians are blaming Israel, and every day people keep losing their lives. We must stop blaming each other. Instead we should look up to God and seek his mercy and rescue people. We know that there is a God who is above this virus, beyond the picture that we are seeing. He allows our plans and boundaries to be demolished in order to re-establish his plan and to build his Kingdom.

1. Did God move David to number people or Satan?
One day God moved David to number the people. David called the army commander Joab to number the people but Joab tried to persuade David not to do it. However, David angrily ordered again so Joab numbered and it took nine and a half months. As Joab reported to David the number of people, David realised that he had been trusting more in the number of his people than in God alone. That’s why the wrath of God came and David chose three days plague because he knew God is merciful. Within a couple of days seventy thousand people were killed from the plague because of David’s pride and lack of trust. In the end the plague wasn’t stopped by prayer or fasting or spiritual warfare, but by the mercy of God; he told the angel to stop spreading the plague.

The Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David to number Israel and Judah. (2 Samuel 24:1) But Satan stood against Israel and moved David to number Israel. (1 Chronicles 21:1) These are the same incident but the book of Samuel says God moved David and the book of Chronicles says Satan moved David.

The destruction of Job’s life seems to be from Satan but God initiated it. He told Satan he was proud of Job. Then when Satan challenged God, he told him not to harm Job’s life but anything else. (Job 1:8-12) Therefore people may say God triggered it or Satan did it.

2. Without knowing God’s heart and act, His Word may turn into plague
If you read 2 Samuel 24:15 in Hebrew, you can find a very interesting thing. There are always consequences of sins, although God always forgives us. So the Lord sent a pestilence(דֶּ֖בֶר = plague) on Israel and 70,000 men died from Dan to Beersheba even though David repented. (2 Sam 24:15)

2020 03_threshing.floorInterestingly in this scripture the Hebrew word for the plague “deber(דֶּ֖בֶר)” and the word “dabar(דָּבָר)” - word or matter, are from the same verb “dabar(דבר)”- to speak, to arrange. If we don’t understand his heart and just follow the word of God, the word might turn into a plague, as God’s word was given to David and the word caused the plague. Because of one person, David’s pride and distrust, seventy thousand innocent people got killed.

3. God exposes and reveals through the huge loss
At that time 70,000 deaths was a huge loss (18.57% of population at that time), but God showed his mercy, exposed David’s pride and distrust, and revealed Solomon’s temple site. Although we don’t know how many lives might be lost by the COVID-19, I pray that God would pour out his mercy to stop this plague quickly. God would expose wrong foundations; such as money, work, position, possession and right foundations may be re-established such as life, love, family, relationship. Also his Kingdom may be established worldwide forcefully through this incident.

 

 

Keep Running is easier than Stopping

2020 03_car.brake1. We should exercise stopping before entering eternal rest
People think that the most important part in a car is the engine, but the brakes are more important than the engine. Although the engine is great, if the brakes are not good, the car turns into a running weapon. The Coronavirus has been stopping us and will stop us in many areas of our lives that had been running madly. Life that never stops is mad and killing me and my family and others. Even though we are making a lot of money and successful, life is meaningless and brings death if we don’t stop when we need to stop.

2. If we don’t trust God, we cannot stop and rest
God created everything for us for six days and he has given it to us to enjoy. So he told us to stop on the 7th day to enjoy what God created and what we worked for. However, we don’t trust in God, instead we trust in our ability and work hard ceaselessly. Especially after the Industrial Revolution, we are working harder to earn more money and to be successful, so we have been working hard like slaves. But now for many of us the coronavirus has stopped our daily, busy life and given us the opportunity to look after ourselves, our family and our neighbours. We realise that we are helpless before the virus and for the first time we are kneeling before the Creator.

2020 03_stockpile3. Dying with piles of food, instead dying with sharing
Some supermarket shelves are empty in the United Kingdom, USA, Italy, Spain, Iran, Israel, because people are stockpiling out of fear. There is one story in the Bible: a rich farmer harvested a lot of grain and he couldn’t store it all in his barn. So he demolished it and built a bigger barn and stored it all. He told himself that he would enjoy his long life. But if God calls him on that night, the things that he stored will be worthless. (Luke 12:16-21)

Likewise, even though we pile a lot of things in our house, if God calls us, it will be nothing. I am sure that there are some people who had a lot of things stored up but, without using them, have gone among the coronavirus victims. We have to prepare our death while we are alive. Otherwise we may face our death suddenly, like the five foolish virgins who hadn’t prepared enough oil and then the groom turned up. These are exciting times to prepare ourselves as the Bride to meet the Bridegroom, although it is difficult, hard, sad and confusing.

 

 

Certain is uncertain but uncertain is certain?

2020 03.covid.mapI had plans to visit Korea, New Zealand, Israel, and Japan this year, but they have all been foiled because of COVID-19. Also I had plans to participate in a couple of prayer and worship gatherings, but they have been postponed indefinitely. Only a weekly prayer and fellowship is still on Wednesday 7:30am on-line. Now I have no plan except staying at home.

Britain has already left the European Union through BREXIT. Now the rest of the countries are restoring their borders in order to protect themselves from COVID-19. It might be a sign of the collapsing of the EU. We don’t know what is going to happen. However, everything in Jesus Christ is certain and firm always. I wonder whether God has been shaking everything through the COVID-19 situation in order to reveal the things that cannot be shaken.

God never destroys for the sake of destruction and death but he does allow things to be broken or uprooted in order to build and plant eternal things.

“See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10)

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:26-29)

 

 



2020 03.noahall

The Forge House News: Bound Freedom

On 17th February, Noah became a 13 year old young man. Our family had a small ceremony for Noah instead of having a birthday party. Noah shared about the salvation of Gentiles from the Book of Acts chapter 10. He went to a morning prayer meeting for three years with his dad in a local cafe. Four of the men from the prayer meeting came for Noah’s birthday and they shared encouraging words and prayed for him. It was a lovely and meaningful time.

On 27th March, Owen & Seungae came back home to Wales by the urgent call of the British Foreign Office and they have been in Quarantine for two weeks. Naeun has made a decision to stay until the end of May to know God and herself more, although she was meant to go back to South Korea on 5th March. Also Noah has joined home-school again because all the schools in the UK have been shut down because of the Covid-19. We are seriously told not to leave home by the British government unless we need to shop for food or on other urgent errands. Therefore our bodies have been bound, but our hearts and minds can think about the meaning of life and can travel deeper into our true relationship. Is this the mystery of bound freedom?

 

 


 

 

2019 09_tmrwnvrcmQday Music Album: “Tomorrow Never Comes!”

It took four years to complete this music album with help from many musicians and artists including prayers and finances. It wasn’t easy for me, but I wasn’t alone, so I was able to complete it. This isn’t perfect but I have obeyed what God had told me to do so as Moses made a bronze serpent.

- You Tube links:

1. Tomorrow Never Comes!
2. The Only Way
3. Beginning & End
4. Enough
5. The Most Beautiful Thing
6. Set Free
7. Let Your Kingdom Come


-
Amazon link: (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Qday+LEE&;)

- Apple Music link:(https://music.apple.com/us/album/tomorrow-never-comes-single)

 

 

Shalom shalom!

Qday LEE

on behalf of the Forge family

 

(+44) 7870 653157

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www.theforgewales.org.uk