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Is your face there in God’s Facebook
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Linked in…Tweeter…Facebook…Orkut… now these are the names of social networking portals which figure high
in the lingo of the modern day iPod generation youth. Is not social networking the order of the day? Very much!
So much so, as per the recent media reports the US-based Facebook with a view to tap a greater share of the market
is contemplating commencing its operations right from India with the city of Hyderabad being its base, 'initially.
While business contacts amongst flabby corporate czars may still be established in golf courses, for the younger generation
their way of establishing contacts (for whatever reason including furthering business interests) seems to begin and end with the cyber world.
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While on the subject of social networking-advising discretion in making friends and at the same time advocating usage of
opportunities in sharing the Gospel-I would like to focus (in this essay) upon the WAY to establishing the widest network
in this World. Has it ever occurred to you that if you are “linked-in” with the Creator, you are creating endless possibilities
for yourself? The Bible has enough examples to authenticate the fact that the good Lord has networks in places deemed impossible
for man to establish a network therein. Acknowledging that this physical world can be divided into three realms…the sea, the sky
and the sod (land) let us look at some Biblical examples of stunning networks at work in each of these realms.
The Sea
A disobedient prophet has been cast into a raging sea. His swimming skills cannot help him at a time, he is being tossed
about like a leaf in the wind, and even if the waves calm down, being miles away from the seashore, he cannot hope to make
it all the way to the land by swimming alone. What does he do? He cries out in desperation to the good Lord and lo and behold at
the Lord’s command, a whale emerges from the deep and swallows the drowning prophet saving him from death. Welcome to the
Jonah story…welcome once again to that incredible story of an incredible God at work…even using a whale in His scheme of things.
It doesn’t stop there. The great fish resisting all the temptation to “digest” the prophet, gives him a free “submarine”
ride all the way to the shore
(Jonah 1,2,3:1-3) Were Jonah and the great whale by any chance friends before, courtesy any
social networking portal? You see, if you are networked with the good Lord, you would have a network working for you even
in the depths of a deep blue sea!
The Sky
A Prophet had announced a curse of famine upon an idolatrous land and had gone hiding. Hunger stalked the land but this
Prophet lodging beside a cool brook was not going to be deprived. Ravens (hey, ravens are very greedy birds by nature so much so,
they do not even share food with their own kind) now supernaturally transformed, brought the daily rations to the Prophet on dot.
Boy, were they not carrying meat and bread in their beak, not far from their salivating taste buds? These birds under Heavenly
orders were not going to be tempted while being in the midst of their Divine mission. Though starvation gripped the land, Prophet
Elijah thanks to his network with the feathery friends of the sky never experienced any hunger pangs till the good Lord established
yet another “network” for him
(I Kings 17:1-9). An unknown “foreign” widow would now provide for him!
The Sod
We have heard of a saying that every cat is a tiger in its own alley, meaning it derives extra strength cum courage
from its familiar domain. But ever heard of “big cats” becoming as harmless as domestic cats “in their own alley” (read den)?
Welcome to the Daniel in Lion’s den account once again. There they were…ferocious hungry lions but sitting as tame cats beside
Daniel in their den
(Daniel 6:1-21) one evening, when this innocent Prophet was thrown in amongst them. Now who forged “friendship”
between these two unlikely co-habitants of the den? No prizes for guessing! Oh yes, then what about those who conspired against
Daniel and intended that he become the “dinner” (he was thrown amongst the lions in the evening time), well… they unwittingly
became “the breakfast” for these starving carnivores the next morning
(Daniel 6:24)! Reason? They had dared to mess-up with a
guy who was a part of the Divine network!
So far the examples were revolving around the animal world right? Now let me introduce to you an unlikely ophthalmologist
treating a blind (blinded by an oh –so-bright vision) persecutor turned apostle. Now “Doctor” Ananias (a devout Christian
residing in Damascus) and blind Saul -before his baptism-did not know each other but the good Lord established the requisite
network which resulted in miraculous restoration of eyesight of the latter
(Acts 9:1-21).
Going back in time, we also come to the touching narrative of a devout Shunamite lady. This prominent, hospitable lady,
a resident of the town of Shunem (it was originally allotted to the tribe of Issachar after the Canaan conquest -
Joshua 19:18 -
lies in the plain of Esdraelon, 4 miles north of Jezreel –refer also Map no XIV in the OT Maps section) is not named in the
Bible nor is there an account of she personally 'accepting the Lord' in the manner of Ruth. However, from her God-honoring
actions in line with the spirit of Jesus' teachings in
Matt: 10:40 of welcoming men of God (in her case, it was prophet Elisha),
one can gauge her devout nature.
II Kings 4:8-37
& II Kings 8:1-6
(read these Scripture portions before reading any further)
dwell on her life & the blessings God poured into her life on account of her hospitable
disposition with His servant Prophet Elisha. Besides other blessings, what is so conspicuous in her life is the restoration of
her property… miraculously by God. Do not we see a clear case of “Divine networking there”? Especially when we ponder on the fact
of a person known to her (Gehazi, the assistant of Prophet Elisha) being present with the King, when she went to petition her case
with that Oriental potentate? What more! Gehazi was speaking about a great miracle wrought by Prophet Elisha in this very lady’s
life, when she stepped into the King’s presence. Talk of tailor-made recommendation…
Well, does God take care of our property? Something materialistic, not concerning soul or spiritual life? Yes, he does,
because what worries us, his precious ones, worries Him also? Can He be our economic security also? Yes! As this short,
moving story so clearly illustrates in ample measure.
Dear friends, Jesus is same yesterday, today & forever
(Hebrews 13:8). Oh how many personal experiences
I have had and oh how many true accounts I have heard from God’s servants of the Almighty using unlikely sources to
help them in their time of need. Now I have a very close relative (my Father-in-law’s own younger brother namely Reverend K.
Issachar) who had quit a lucrative secular job (of Excise inspector) to take-up full time Pastoral work oh yes… after a great
struggle of saying NO to his legitimate career aspirations. Doubtless, there were some financial constraints consequently,
what with his young children still being in school. While undergoing training in a seminary in a different state, one day
he received a letter from his wife about an urgent financial need vis-à-vis school fees to be paid for his children.
Even as he “surrendered” his dire problems to the Lord…lo and behold…the very next day an absolute stranger walked
straight to him in his class and thrust the needed money into his pocket and walked away saying “the Lord wanted me
to give you this money”. Needless to say, this devout relative of mine never saw his benefactor again! Straight from
Ripley’s book of “Believe it or not”? Friends that is LORD’S NETWORK AT WORK FOR YOU! By the way, is your face there in God’s
“Facebook”? If so, say “HALLELUJAH”, otherwise get “linked-in”
(Romans 10:8-10)
without any further delay!
(Suresh Manoharan)
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