MANIFEST TOKEN July 22, 2020

“I remember before the pandemic”… (in a nod to a college professor who used to preface his anecdotes during class with, “I remember before the War”…), when I attend seminars, at the end of the question and answer portion, the lecturer or speaker was usually given a framed certificate of appreciation or a token—probably a plaque or an acrylic trophy-like item—containing the same citations.  And the picture-taking afterwards cap the seminar.

Now, during pandemic, seminars are all online, and they are called webinars.  Pictures are taken by web-cameras, and notes captured by screenshots.  And certificates of appreciation are in digital format, for all attendees in the online seminar-meet to see up close.  This has truly become a token, for it is paperless unless printed, and unlike the plaque or trophy that tangibly (can be touched) shows the citation honoring the speaker, we now have a view of the same but in electronic format, and the only thing we can touch is the computer monitor or smartphone screen.

I suddenly thought of this upon reading the Word today, in the second epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians, chapter 1.  The apostle commended the brethren for their generosity and steadfast faith, amidst the ever-increasing persecutions, tribulations and trials they experience.  And he told them that this is the “manifest token of the righteous judgment of GOD, that they may be counted worthy of the kingdom of GOD, for which they suffer.”  Some of them may even begin questioning where is GOD (like many of us today), when their sufferings become too severe and they feel helpless, therefore seemingly out of reach.

This puts a whole different perspective on the challenges and burdens of daily life nowadays.  Where we see people becoming restless and increasingly frustrated at our collective governments’ (around the world) seeming incompetence in handling the effects of a pandemic, we come to understand that this is not about them, this is not about a country being rich or militarily and economically superior, and this is not about any country having superior medical advancements and technologies.  Indeed, we are in the last days, and the sufferings we encounter daily, the fear we feel when facing another day, and the apprehensions we have in going out of our homes and trying to make a living, are all part of GOD’s great design to test and prove us worthy of His kingdom.

Where before people have been embracing the mantra of living with positivity, now with the pandemic, the positives are shunned.  And sadly, no government or organization, according to business and economic think tanks, are fully prepared for such “systemic hazards”, and are at a loss when realigning their business, organizational and administrative structures to adapt.

The good news is, reading the Word lets us know that in all these things GOD is in control, even to the point of fighting our battles for us, and taking revenge on our enemies or those who oppress and persecute us unjustly.

May we not grow weary and lose heart or be discouraged to live life daily in full assurance that His power is at work in our lives, to preserve us, to keep us safe and sane, to renew us daily, to heal us, and to provide for everything we need.  And we can be confident of this, for He who called us to be His children and people, will make sure that everything that happens in our lives will work out for His glory and for our good.  Even if such “token” of our faith is intangible to the naked eye, unfathomable to the worldly person, we know and believe that it is a real manifestation of GOD’s goodness and power.  And with that, we can go through the rest of our days with hope, peace and joy.