( Original Letter - November 5, 2002 )
To my dear friends in Christ;
Greetings!
May the peace of the Lord and the joy that His knowledge brings be with you all. I hope that all of you are in good health, not only in mind and body, but also in the soul as well.
Since the start of my sojourn in Saudi Arabia, I have been meaning to write a letter to my friends, particularly for the members of Singles For Christ, but alas, I failed to do so as other things caught up my time. But the Lord made promptings in my heart, and He urged me to write, not only a letter, but a series of letters. This I believe is my ministry to my friends, and other readers as well… during the time that I’m away.
I remembered the early days of my sojourn vividly. As my plane approached the airport in Riyadh, I saw how vast the desert is in this country. There were only a few patches of vegetation here and there. And it was hot! Kainitan daw, during the period when I arrived. As the plane was about to touch down, I can’t help but hear the song playing in my head: “I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name…” (by America ). Maybe some of you know this song. It was perfect background music for the desolation that I’m seeing.
Each one of us has his or her own “desert” that he faces and must go through, once, twice, or even more in his life. It could be unemployment, a break-up with your sweetheart, the loss of a loved one, and so on. It could be as serious as being accused of a heinous crime, or as mundane as the loss of your dog, just like what happened to Buloy in the song by Parokya ni Edgar.
We all must pass through these “deserts” in our lives (in my case, it was a literal desert). We must journey through this desert alone… so in our loneliness we begin to rely on God… and when we rely only in Him, we can then see Him. We must be broken down by this desert. All our walls that we built around ourselves in our pride must be torn down… just like Job… just like Paul… and in our brokenness we seek Him… we rely on Him… just like a helpless child longing for his Father.
During those first few months after I arrived in Saudi Arabia, I have felt the terrible loneliness of being away from my loved ones. This loneliness could really eat you up from the inside. Those of you, who have experienced working abroad, or just being away from home for a considerable amount of time, would understand why.
Homesick…homesick…homesick…. Do you know that I’ve heard a lot of crazy things happening to people here who suffered from homesickness (but I’ll tell you all that in a different letter.) Well, in my loneliness out there, I have relied only in God, and in His Word. He has revealed to me a lot of things while reading His Word. I’m so grateful that someone gave me a Bible to read here, despite the danger of having one. You might have heard that possession of it here, as well as other religious items not related to Islam, is strictly forbidden, and perpetrators are severely punished. Anyway, the Lord will make the way, and He did just that.
I have learned, once more, to communicate with Him diligently everyday, through prayers and reading Scriptures. I said “once more” because it truly was like that. For members of Couples For Christ and Singles for Christ, we have learned this very thing during our Christian Life Program. It’s even included in our Covenant as SFC members, but we seem to have forgotten it. And I tell you, you’ll really get to know Him more and more each time if you do this, just like what John have said…
“We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His Word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
1 John 2:3 – 6 NIV
To know Him is to obey His commands. How do we obey His commands? By obeying His Words! And how do we get to know His Words? By learning it through Scriptures! Most of the Muslim people here are very diligent in their prayers, which they call “salah”. These are done five times a day, in different time slots, one of which is near the 3:00 to 3:30 AM time zone. The duration is usually 15 minutes per prayer, totaling 1.25 hours daily. Does this remind you of something? The Lord, in the Gospel, specifically asked that we devote at least one hour for Him daily…
“Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter.”
Matthew 26: 40 NIV
If the Muslims can do it, then so can we. Right, my friends? In doing so, we would be like the man who built his house on a rock, whose faith could not be shaken by the problems and anxieties in life. And this would come only through prayer and studying Scriptures.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these Words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7: 24 – 27 NIV
I urge you also, brothers and sisters, specially the leaders and those whose job is to facilitate or to shepherd God’s flock, to do the same. Rely on Him! Overcome your deserts through diligent prayer and reading Scriptures. Get to know Him more. Like the man who built his house on the rock, we should put our hearts, our minds, and our bodies on The Rock, who is Jesus Christ. And this is what you should impart to your new brothers and sisters, particularly the new participants in the Christian Life Program and other spiritual renewal programs out there from different communities.
May the Lord bless you at all times and provide for everything that you need, and may He let the fruit of the Spirit grow more and more in each and everyone of you, and I ask this in His most Holy Name.
Yours in Christ,
Brod. Pete
“Letters from my Sojourn”
© 2008 by
Peter Allan C. Mariano
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“I write to you, dear children, because your sins have
been forgiven on account of His Name.
I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him
Who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you have
overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children, because you
have known the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him
Who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong,
and the Word of God lives in you, and you have
overcome the evil one."
1 John 2: 12-14
