Young People's Group

Reflections on Bethany’s 40+8 Anniversary

August 12, 2021

THANK GOD THAT HE IS OUR LORD OF HOSTS

As our 40+8 Church anniversary draws near, I am thankful that God is our Lord of hosts. I have been dwelling much on this wonderful name of God. There is now a greater consciousness that we have such a great God who is the commander of the heavenly hosts.

“O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.”
Psalm 84:3

Truly our Lord God is glorious. He is not only the commander of God’s army of angels. He is also King over all the earth and reigns over all things. Furthermore, the Lord of hosts is gentle and loving to us and we can personally relate to Him. He has watched over us, protected us from all evil, and has blessed Bethany these 48 years. There is no greater joy than to honour the Lord and relate to Him as the Lord of hosts.

JOY IN BEING IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD OF HOSTS

The sons of Korah had a deep desire to be in the house of the Lord of hosts (the temple) and to relate to Him. It was indeed a special place to be.

“Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young
…
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You.”
Psalm 84:3-4

1. EVEN INSIGNIFICANT BIRDS HAVE FOUND THEIR HOME IN HIS HOUSE (PSALM 84:3)

The Lord of hosts is so great and yet He is so tender and gentle towards these sparrows and swallows. They can build their nests and lay their young in His house.

2. BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO DWELL IN HIS HOUSE

The small birds can find shelter and a home in the Lord’s house. The Sons of Korah have also found joy in being in the Lord’s house. It was in His house that they were able to enjoy being in His presence. There was a time when Korah and a group of Levites were unhappy about their position in serving the Lord (Numbers 16:1-3). Even though they were brought near to Him by being in His tabernacle, they wanted more … they wanted to be priests. They presumptuously rose up against Moses. In the end, the Lord God destroyed them because of their sins. The Levites were meant to learn from this incident. The Lord had commanded that they stand before Him and to serve in the name of the Lord with all their heart (Deuteronomy 18:7). The Sons of Korah sought to practise this well. They had now understood how specially blessed they were to be in His house and to be in His presence. With much joy, they determined to continuously give praise to the Lord of hosts.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

We thank God for Bethany and the beautiful church building that He has blessed us with. She has become home to many of us. It is at this place where we have listened to the word of God from pastor and have come to find the Lord real and precious. It is here that we have come to sense the presence of the Lord of hosts. It is indeed a privilege and a blessing that we can know Him, delight in Him, and serve Him. Let’s be thankful for Bethany and the refuge and joy that we find in Him. Let’s praise Him whole-heartedly as we look forward to worship this Sunday and at our anniversary.

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