A Prayer

Lord, so much has been said about Kong Hee and the use/misuse of church funds. So much outrage, condemnations and comments on the internet of the most vitriolic kind have been seen and heard in all quarters. Non-Christians have gleefully attacked your church. Your own people are once again divided amongst themselves, many choosing to cast stones whilst others cast them back. Whether its in Singapore or out of Singapore, the sense of indignation is extreme.

Lord, what exactly breaks your heart in this whole incident?

Are you pleased when you see your people choosing not to condone wrong-doing by speaking out so publicly against him? Are you glad that we are mindful of right and wrong, and carry a righteous indignation when we see your church being smeared because of the sins of a few individuals?

Are you truly pleased when you see this?

Or does it break your heart when you see us trampling under our feet the kind of grace and forgiveness that you modeled for us when the adulteress was brought before you? Does it pain you when you see your church killing its wounded instead of healing and restoring? Does it hurt more than the pain of seeing someone you raised up let you down so spectacularly?

Lord, what breaks your heart when you look down on us?

Forgive us Lord, for still not understanding your love. Forgive us because we still don’t understand that we are fellow sinners in need of the grace that you so freely gave. Forgive us for our pride, in thinking that we are in a position to nail someone else to the cross just like how we nailed you there. Forgive us for presuming that the offence was against us instead of you, and forgetting that the money he might have misused was never ours in the first place.

O Lord, we are indeed so undeserving of your loving kindness. How quickly we forget, how quickly do we turn our eyes away from you, and quickly embrace once more the ways of the world. You want us to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with you, yet we so often do the opposite. We excuse our own sins as “faults”, then accuse others of “sins”, carrying around us the pride that thinks we are in a position to judge.  

Lord, help us to see through your eyes. Break us of our pride that we might be transformed into a different person, into that certain kind which you so desire for us to become. Perhaps, when we can achieve that breakthrough, the world will recognize you when they look at us.