Rain no more

I am learning more about Grace. God is teaching me so much more. Let me start with Sunday. Teaching sec 1s are never easy, especially if its church-related. They need something fun, something exciting. To be fair, I didn't plan it as well as I would've hoped. Nevertheless God is good. Half-way teaching them, I got stuck. STUCK! I mean I'm not very good at speaking, but haha I recall all my public-speaking experiences and not many of them went well. Yet even as my mentor helped resolve the situation, I learnt alot from this verse; Acts 3:1-7

 1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

 6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 

This few verses may just speak about a beggar wanting money and ending up being healed in the name of Jesus... but I learnt that sometimes we (I myself too) are like the beggar, expecting what we need in the short-term, expecting instant results, in his case, money to feed his needs. Yet what did Peter give him? The belief in Jesus Christ. Sometimes I see things in my own perspective, I see my needs and I demand them to be met. But what does God want me to know? What does God want me to have? He wants to give me Jesus Christ, because that is worth so much more than my own needs, and even as I look back at today, Monday, I see God graciously giving me so much more. So much more than what i need. 

Organizing soccer isn't easy. You need to account for attendance, account for people's enjoyment... sometimes I just want things to turn out perfect. And today I was frustrated, frustrated with how things went. Initially the weather was starting to turn bad. Heavy drizzle and thunder was around. But i prayed and told God, that I know He is good and loving. And that what I do not need, He will not give, and what is good and beneficial He will give. Many people always like to say "God will hold the weather, He will give us good weather, and even if He doesn't, it is His will and we accept it". It is true, but i always ask, if you truly believed, you'll go all the way don't you? isn't it contradicting?  

Nevertheless, 1 John 5:14-15 says “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 

What and whom is my confidence in? we all know that it is important to pray according to His will, but so many times we forget about the "confidence" part. It is our confidence that God is a loving and good God. God is sovereign and thus that which we do not need, that which is harmful for us we can have the assurance that He will not give! and that which is good God will freely give! Isn't it amazing? Like an awesome revelation about who God is man! Fast forward to now, I messed up man. Rain was there. People were late. People backed out. But what happened in the end? I was frustrated but did that hinder God from giving me what I need? The rain stopped, the floodlights were even ON! leaving us with so much more time to play. 

I wouldn't know if all these were beneficial (sounds very material-like) but I do know that I am growing more in grace, seeing more things that God wants me to see and experience. Praise God man! Amazing day.