Pastor's Corner

June, 2003

With the SARS attack still lurking around our world, there is almost not a single day passes that we don’t read or hear some kind of news on this deadly virus. This virus is believed to be more dangerous than the Spanish influenza epidemic that took over 20 million lives worldwide in 1918, because the death rate then was 2.5 percent in comparison to almost 15 percent for SARS today. Then again, there are nearly three thousand African children who die every day of malaria, which has known vaccine. This is not to say we shouldn’t put great efforts to stop SARS from spreading or to develop vaccine to combat the virus, but what about those innocent children in Africa? Are their lives less valuable? Are their parents not hurt “as much” when they see their helpless children die? I know this is one difficult issue. It made me wonder where God is in all these.

I wasn’t in a very good mood yesterday, so I wanted to be alone. I like to withdraw to solitude and silence whenever I need to wrestle with difficulties. I parked my car in a parking lot, maybe just to pity myself. I looked up in the sky and saw some rather thick clouds being moved by the breeze I felt. I tried to estimate the height of the clouds, which wasn’t too high, at least from my angle. In comparison, they were a little higher than the top of the mountain. I estimated that they were maybe three to four thousand feet high. Of course, I could be totally wrong. It could be as high as ten thousand feet, because from ground level, it is difficult to estimate distance, especially when there is no depth at the background.

As I looked at the clouds, I also noticed the clear blue sky beyond the grayish-white clouds. A question suddenly popped up in my mind: “How deep is the sky?” I’m sure I thought of that question before. It is a ten-million-dollar question that no one has an answer to. But at that moment, it was as if God was speaking to me directly. “Do you know how high and deep is the sky?” “Do you know the mystery behind the clouds?” All of a sudden, I was awestruck! I was speechless. The issue that frustrates me hasn’t gone away. The SARS problem hasn’t completely been controlled, though there are signs that it will be, and the global social injustice may never disappear from the face of the world, yet as Job said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.” So I prayed, “Lord, I will continue to trust in you, but I don’t want Job’s experience!”

Before I sign off, I would like to invite you to look beyond your “clouds” to the mystery of the sky. Your clouds are close and seem thick, yet the grace of God is deeper yet, if you believe in Him and allow Him to visit your heart.