Every now and then, I get blessed with a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Of course, we come across different tour guides with different perspectives, specializations, and points of view. One of the things they would always talk about is the Six-Day War in Israel which happened during June 5 – 10, 1967. Although Israel was very much lacking in resources and was surrounded by enemies, they still won the war and were able to annex the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and Golan Heights.

Many of the tour guides would explain the events how good the generals were in handling the war and the tactics they used. There is one tour guide, however, who said yes, the war was handled by a very good general and yes, the tactics were very good but in the end, it was basically the Work of God. 

In talking about the Work of God, people constantly asked Jesus if he was the Messiah. He said, while John the Baptist testified that we were indeed the Messiah, here was better proof – “the Works of My Father.” The blind see, the mute speak, the dead are raised to life, the sick are cured and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 

That is why in a world where evil and sins seem to be prevailing, be assured that good will prevail, in God’s perfect time, ways, wisdom, and works. 

Three things to remember:

1. There is still so much goodness in people. The pandemic has highlighted this fact. While it is sad that there are people who took advantage, there are far more who reached out and helped.
2. There is still so much to hope. Be assured that God may seem quiet and typically he works behind the scenes, but He has a plan in all of these. His plan is always what is best. 
3. There is day after night. As human beings, we will never be exempted from the storms of life. How many times have we repeated the words of Christ on the cross: My God, My God why have you abandoned me. Yet this is taken from Psalm 22, which later on praises the goodness and faithfulness of God. 

My dear friends, we thank God for the past year. It was another challenging post-pandemic year, yet so much still to be thankful for. As for 2024, never expect it to be easier but we all pray for strength. A strength that only comes from the fact that God is continuously working in us.