Washington Business and Technology Institute - Business & Administration (PPAA Forum 21)

My times are in your hands (Psalm 31:14-16)
On a Thursday afternoon in early November of 2020, I received a call from the nursing home where my Dad is staying. The nurse said that my Dad has been tested positive for Covid-19. However, the nurse tells me that he has no symptoms and they will move him downstairs to an isolation area for observation. From what they have been telling us, the cases they have seen are mild and everyone has recovered. I feel reassured that my Dad has no symptoms. Maybe he is one of those lucky ones who are asymptomatic. We did not get to talk to my Dad very much after he was moved to isolation. They said he was sleeping a lot and the one time we talked with him, he seems very tired and only said a couple of words. On Monday morning, they said he is still fine. On Monday afternoon, I received a call from a nurse from the nursing home saying, �We are sending your Dad out.� I thought she said they are sending my Dad up, meaning that he has already recovered and can return to be with everyone else. I said, �Thank God, Thank God!� She asked, �Why?� Then she told me my Dad is being sent to the hospital because his blood pressure and heart rate were abnormally high and they fear he might get a stroke. I was shocked because I thought everything is fine. They gave me the name of the hospital. After an hour I called the hospital and they said he was just getting admitted. I called again a little while later and they said he is moved to the ICU because he has fever and his oxygen and blood pressure is low and he has pneumonia so they need to give him medication to raise his blood pressure. I asked for a video call with my Dad. My Mom was at home because she has Monday off. When they called us on the video call, it was the first time I saw my Dad since February 2020 when we visited him in person before the shelter-in-place. After March, we can no longer visit him and just kept in touch by phone. My Dad was not really able to open his eyes to look at us even though the male nurse told him to open his eyes to look at us. The nurse even told him to give us a thumbs up. I bluntly told my Dad the serious condition he is in. I said, �Dad, your life is in danger! Pray to God! We will pray for you! You need to fight! Don�t give up! Take care!� He was able to respond with �hao� which means �Ok� in Chinese to us as we are speaking to him.
As I looked at my Dad with the oxygen tube, it reminded me of seeing my older brother years ago in the hospital when he passed away from sepsis caused by pneumonia. He was in his thirties. Now, my Dad in his eighties is in the same situation, and with Covid-19.
The doctors weren�t sure how it will turn out because of his age. They said it may only be a couple of days, that if they can�t make it, they will go downhill very fast. I asked the doctor what usually caused death in Covid cases? They say it�s from the lung being so damaged that it can�t function. I asked for the doctor�s name and I told him we will pray for them to be successful.
I asked a Dallas Pastor � Pastor Wang and Flora, the church minister from my old church to pray for my Dad, since they know my Dad when my parents came to live with me in Dallas. I also asked a seminary classmate friend, who was a minister to pray for my Dad since I have been praying for his healing from a stroke.
The next day when we had the video call with my Dad, his voice is a little stronger, although he could only say a few words. We are so glad with his improvement. I also saw the courageous male and female nurses taking care of him and we were so thankful. They are truly heroes. I talked to them a little and wondered how they could continue working in such a dangerous environment. I asked an ICU nurse, �the room must be full of Covid?� She just said, �that�s why we have all this PPE on.� I thought their working in such a dangerous environment was truly one of the most touching moments. When I see them come in and out of the room, I just have so much appreciation for them and their heart to serve these Covid patients. My mom played some old Chinese songs for my Dad and we saw him trying to remember who sang the song and was able to say the name of the singer. Because of Covid, families can�t visit in person and can only do video calls. This is also God�s grace because my Dad is in another state and so video call is the best thing we can do. Because of the technology in the hospital, the video call is very clear and my Dad can see us and we can see him, almost like we are at his bedside. I had more than 3 hours of video conferencing with my Dad on Tuesday and Thursday. It�s like I am able to stay by my Dad�s bed-side while in my own room, and doing my work at the same time. It�s truly amazing that the limitation of not being able to visit him in person, turns out to be a blessing because they can do video call from the patients� room. I hope hospitals in the future will have video conferencing capability so family members can visit and be beside them, from anywhere in the world.
I fasted all day Tuesday and on Wednesday morning, when I had the video call with my Dad, he was transferred to the 3rd floor which is the level for Covid patients before they are discharged. His oxygen level is good even without the additional oxygen. He often takes away the oxygen tube when the nurse is not around. I talked to a physical therapist who caring for my Dad and told him my Dad was moved from ICU just the day before. He was surprised at my Dad�s recovery and said, �He is a fighter!� I told him, �Yes, my Dad loves life. He loves to live.� On Wednesday morning, my Dad was surprising clear-minded. We actually had a good conversation. I was so overjoyed at the clarity of his speaking that I tried to call my Mom who was out grocery shopping. Unfortunately, trying to call my mom dropped the facetime call and I was not able to talk to my Dad until the evening.
Through this experience God showed me once again that our life is in his hands. God showed me very vividly that the same situation happened to my brother in his 30�s and my Dad in his 80�s. Yet God showed me He determines the outcome according to His will. He has a purpose to let my brother go to be with Him in heaven or let my Dad stay here on earth. It is all in His hands. Therefore, we can trust in God�s goodness and love to us no matter the outcome. Amen? God can let the medicine and treatment be more advanced so my Dad gets Covid-19 in November rather than in April when the treatments are still not as mature. My Dad can get the treatment and treatment methods not available to my brother years ago when he had pneumonia. Thank God for the precious months of improvements in medical treatments since the pandemic started in March. I think about all the patients and medical professionals who have died fighting this disease and their contributions to the treatments which saved the lives of many others afterwards. My Dad got the plasma blood transfusion from someone, someone who had donated their blood so others may recover from Covid-19. May God remember the generosity and sacrifices of so many people during this pandemic. May people come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior so they can have eternal life.
I was so grateful for the staff (doctors and nurses) in the ICU and the third floor, that I found a local bagel shop and ordered 3 boxes of bagels each to be sent to both the ICU and the third floor on Friday at 7AM. Because I found out 7AM is when the night shift and day shift exchange, so I was hoping the bagels can be enjoyed by both the night shift and the day shift workers. I really can�t thank them enough for their courageous service in such dangerous conditions. My appreciation is not just for my Dad but to appreciate them for their dangerous work for the Covid patients.
On Friday afternoon, I received a call from the hospital that my Dad will be discharged to go back to the nursing home. I was overjoyed and can�t wait to tell my mom the good news when she gets home from work. I had video call that Friday evening with my Dad and keep congratulating him on being discharged from the hospital. He keep thanking me as well.
After my Dad was transferred back to the nursing home, he still needs many weeks of IV antibiotics treatment. He was still very very weak. The next day, he had a good conversation with my mom and told her how he prayed a lot in the ICU. My mom said, he keep saying, �My Heavenly Father saved me.�
On the following Wednesday, when I called the nursing home, they said, �Your Dad is in his wheelchair, do you want to talk with him?� I was able to talk a little bit with him. After the call, I kept praising God, shouting �Hallelujah!� to God, that my Dad can be strong enough to sit in a wheelchair.
The nurse tells us it will take time for my Dad to recover and they also need to do physical therapy to help him recover. I wrote down this testimony on Thanksgiving 2020 to thank God for saving my Dad�s life. On Thanksgiving Day, we were able to talk with Dad on the phone. His voice seems stronger and can keep talking on the phone for an hour. We are so thankful on Thanksgiving Day that God gave us a joyful day and my Mom and I celebrated with a hotpot and phone call with my Dad. We learned to be thankful for God�s mercy to my Dad and our family. May God receive all the glory and honor and praise from this Thanksgiving testimony! This is a picture of my Dad when my mom and I have a video call with him in March.
Brothers and sisters, do you know your lives are in God�s hands? Will you once again entrust your life fully to God, to live according to His purpose and for His glory? Are there stress in your life right now that you need to surrender to the Lord? Are there burdens you need to give to the Lord right now and find rest and peace in Him?
Dear Friends, do you know your lives are in God�s hands? If your lives are in God�s hands, will you let God lead your life?
Almost 2,000 years ago, Paul explained to the intellectual elites of Athens in Acts 7.
24 �The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
God has lovingly set our �appointed times in history.� God did this so that you would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though he is not far from any one of us. God is not far from you. He is lovingly working out things in your life so that you will seek Him and find Him.

Romans 10:8-11 says: 8 But what does it say? �The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,� that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, �Jesus is Lord,� and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, �Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.�
Dear friends, do you worry about your life and what will happen in the future? The good news is that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior by His death on the cross for our sins. Now God is offering you a new life full of love, joy, peace, and hope. Would you like to receive the free gift of eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you like to, please pray with me this prayer.

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave on the third day to give me eternal life. Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of my life; forgive my sins and save me. I repent of my sins and now place my trust in You alone for my salvation and receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. In Jesus� name I pray. Amen.

Thanksgiving is coming up this week. We will be celebrating it in the midst of a global pandemic. Just think back last year, my message for Thanksgiving was to encourage us to invite others to join our Thanksgiving celebration. That may be a little difficult to do this year. After all that we have went through this year, are we still in the mood to celebrate Thanksgiving? We have all experienced shelter-in-place, shortages of items, and the restrictions from the pandemic. Some have experienced the loss of loved ones, sickness, financial hardships, and other difficulties this year, not to mention sadness, fears, and anxieties. However, let us remember the circumstances of the first Thanksgiving in America. About half of the 102 Pilgrims who arrived had died. They had endured a year of sickness and scarcity. Therefore, it�s even more important that we give thanks to God during hard times for all the mercies He has extended to us in this year of wrath, where we saw so many crisis and disasters.

I. Thank God for answered prayers 感謝神回應禱告
Habakkuk prophesied during the last kings of Judah, before the nation was destroyed by the Babylonians. The book would be written after King Josiah約西亞, the last good king of Judah. During those dark days, Habakkuk cries out to the LORD for justice. Habakkuk complains to God about the gross violations of God�s covenant law � the Torah by the people of Judah. He sees wickedness, destruction, violence, conflicts, contentions, and perverted justice in the society. Maybe today a lot of people feel like Habakkuk. First, Habakkuk asks God, �How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? 他說：耶和華啊！我呼求你，你不應允，要到幾時呢？� (Hab 1:2a) Have you been crying out to God this year, �How long, O LORD?� How long must we endure this pandemic? How long must we wait for a cure? How long must we wait for things to get back to normal? Second, Habakkuk asks God, �Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness你為何使我看見罪孽？你為何看著奸惡而不理呢？?� (Hab 1:3a) Have you been asking God a lot of �Whys� this year? Why did this happen? Why did this happen to us? Why did this happen to me? The LORD answered Habakkuk�s prayer: �Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days�You would not believe if you were told. 耶和華說：你們要向列國中觀看，大大驚奇；因為在你們的時候，我行一件事，雖有人告訴你們，你們總是不信。� Habakkuk is asking God clean-up his society, yet God�s surprising answer is He is raising up the Chaldeans我必興起迦勒底人to do that work. God even described the Chaldeans for Habakkuk � �That fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs. �They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves. 就是那殘忍暴躁之民，通行遍地，佔據那不屬自己的住處。7他威武可畏，判斷和勢力都任意發出。� (Hab 1:6-7) Have God answered your prayers not according to what you expected or liked? Yet, we need to thank God for answering our prayers, whether it is the way we liked or not, because His answer shows He truly cares about us. Amen? God is our Heavenly Father and He loves us and wants to answer our prayers, as He has shown to Habakkuk. God is pleased with our prayers when we seek after His righteousness, when our hearts are tormented by the evils we see and we demand justice from God. Yet, God did not answer Habakkuk�s �why� question, which is the age old question � �If God is good, then why is there evil in the world?� Habakkuk could not believe a pure and holy God would allow evil to exist. He said to God, �Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. 你眼目清潔，不看邪僻，不看奸惡；� (Hab 1:13a). Of course God would never approve of evil or look on wickedness with favor. Yet, God did not answer the why question, but tells Habakkuk what He is going to do about it. We may never get the answers to some of our �Why?� questions in life, yet God never stops telling us what He is going to do about it. God has told us: Justice is coming! God has told us: He will one day defeat evil and make everything right. God has told us: He is working to bring salvation to the whole world through us, the church, the Body of Christ. God has told us: He will be with us until the end of the ages, and do not fear because He is the good Shepherd. God has told us: He is working out all things for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處，就是按他旨意被召的人 (Romans 8:28)

II. Thank God for His righteousness 感謝神的公義
A.W. Tozer writes in The Attributes of God: If you know God, you know He is absolutely and perfectly just� In looking this up very carefully in the Scriptures, I find that justice is indistinguishable from righteousness in the Old Testament. It�s the same root word with variations according to the part of speech used. It means uprightness or rectitude�Justice is not something that God has. Justice is something that God is. �God is love and just as God is love, God is justice. � God will always act justly � not by compulsion from the outside but because that�s the way He is Himself. Justice must always prevail because God is the sovereign God who will always prevail.

We see Habakkuk questioning God�s justice. How can a wicked people be used by God to judge a people more righteous than them? Habakkuk feels so strongly that this just doesn�t make sense that He boldly challenges God and fearfully waited to see what God will say or do. �I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved. 我要站在守望所，立在望樓上觀看，看耶和華對我說甚麼話，我可用甚麼話向他訴冤（向他訴冤：或譯回答所疑問的）。� (Hab 2:1). Habakkuk fully expected God to rebuke him for his challenging question, he is just not sure how severe it would be. Again, God answered Habakkuk because of his boldness to come before Him, to risk the wrath of a holy God. Today, we can boldly come before God through the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed for us on the cross. The book of Hebrews tells us Jesus the Son of God is our High priest and therefore we can �draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 坦然無懼的來到施恩的寶座前，為要得憐恤，蒙恩惠，作隨時的幫助。�(Heb 4:16) Have you approached God�s throne of grace boldly to find grace to help you in your time of need? Have you even challenged God about what He is doing like Habakkuk? God wants us to have a close personal relationship with Him. We should not stand far away and be afraid to draw near to God. To draw near to God means you bring all of yourself to God - all your worries, all your fears, all your sorrows, all your complaints, as well as all your worship and thanksgiving. The name Habakkuk means �embrace.� You can say Habakkuk embraced God by holding on to God in the midst of a society which has fallen away from God. You can also say Habakkuk wrestled with God in his embrace, not letting go of God until he gets an answer, just as Jacob wrestled with God and held on to Him until he got a blessing. God answered Habakkuk that justice will come to the wicked, �Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay. 雖然遲延，還要等候；因為必然臨到，不再遲延。� (Hab 2:3b) Ultimately, God will make everything right, when Jesus Christ, God the Son聖子, the second Person of the Trinity, comes down to earth the second time to judge the world and establish His kingdom on earth. God tells Habakkuk, �Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith. 迦勒底人自高自大，心不正直；惟義人因信得生。� (Hab 2:4) This principle has never changed. The righteous will live by his faith. We are justified by grace through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Israelites in the Old Testament are justified by their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Hebrew word for �faith� here in Habakkuk can mean both �faith� and �faithfulness.� We are to live by our faith in God, which means we live faithfully to God. We have prayed this year, as in Habakkuk 3:2, ��In wrath remember mercy. 在發怒的時候以憐憫為念� We have seen God�s wrath this year. We have seen the pandemic engulfing the whole world; we have seen wildfires caused by 12,000 lightning strikes over 4 days, which caused 560 new fires; It�s interesting that Habakkuk 3:5 says in the KJV: �Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.� 5在他前面有瘟疫流行；在他腳下有熱症發出。The Hebrew word for �resheph� can mean flame, firebolt, and spark. Many translations translate this as �fever� because they connect it with pestilence. However, for us in the Bay Area this year, we have seen them all - pestilence, fever, flames, firebolt lightning, and spark - the displays of God�s wrath. Why should we thank God for His righteousness? Because we long for God�s justice right? We want to see evil punished and removed, right? Habakkuk tells us that God is righteous and He will judge wickedness in His time. God sees everything. Nothing escapes His sight. Even though it seems like sometimes that God doesn�t see or God doesn�t care, but this year proves that God sees and God cares. Amen? We may not like what God is doing, but we can thank Him that He has never changed. He is always righteous and just in all that He does. Therefore we can thank God for His righteousness in this Thanksgiving. Amen?

III. Thank God for His works 感謝神的工作
The LORD gave 5 woes to Babylon for their horrible sins � oppressing, robbing, and destroying other nations, using other nations for their own pleasures, and worshipping their man-made idols. These woes are not just exclusive to Babylon, but any nation who follows in the footsteps of Babylon should expect God�s judgment as well. God concludes: �But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him. 惟耶和華在他的聖殿中；全地的人都當在他面前肅敬靜默。� (Hab 2:20) God is in control and sovereign over the whole earth, to ultimately bring true peace to the whole world. God will prevail and triumph over the darkness and rebellion of the wicked against His holiness. �For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. 認識耶和華榮耀的知識要充滿遍地，好像水充滿洋海一般。� (Hab 2:14) After Habakkuk heard God answered him this second time, he responded in prayer, �LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. 耶和華啊，我聽見你的名聲（或譯：言語）就懼怕。耶和華啊，求你在這些年間復興你的作為，在這些年間顯明出來；在發怒的時候以憐憫為念。� (Hab 3:2) Habakkuk recalls God�s great work in the Exodus: �God comes from Teman, And the Holy One from Mount Paran. His splendor covers the heavens, And the earth is full of His praise. 神從提幔而來；聖者從巴蘭山臨到。（細拉）他的榮光遮蔽諸天；頌讚充滿大地。� (Hab 3:3) Teman was a city in southern Edom. Mount Paran, is a mountain opposite of Teman. These places are in modern day Jordan. God led the Israelites out of Egypt from the south through the desert road of modern day Jordan. Habakkuk is asking God to revive his great work of the Exodus, which means to make it come back alive, to lead the Israelites on a �second exodus� not from Egypt, but from Babylon. He is looking forward to God�s restoration after the judgement of Babylon. Today, we can thank God for the Exodus in the Old Testament, which delivered God�s people from slavery in Egypt, but more importantly we can give thanks for the Greater Exodus, the Greater work of God on the cross almost 2,000 years ago, when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and was resurrected on the third day. We can give thanks for the work of God in us, that we can die with Christ to our old sinful self every day, and live the new abundant life every day by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Amen? Think about the works of God in your life this year? The works of God in our church this year? The works of God in our nation and in the world this year? How God has turned our eyes away from all the allures of the Silicon Valley: working in the best companies, living in the best neighborhoods, making more money, and enjoying the best foods and entertainments of the Bay Area? All these things can be blessings from God, but they should not become our idols. God is turning us from the busyness, success, riches, and pleasures of the Silicon Valley to more important things, like our family, our health, and seeking the forgiveness and favor of God. Amen?

Brothers and sisters, let us have the faith of the Apostle Paul who said: �Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？難道是患難麼？是困苦麼？是逼迫麼？是飢餓麼？是赤身露體麼？是危險麼？是刀劍麼？� (Romans 8:35) And let us have the faith of Habakkuk the prophet who said: �17 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 雖然無花果樹不發旺，葡萄樹不結果，橄欖樹也不效力，田地不出糧食，圈中絕了羊，棚內也沒有牛；18然而，我要因耶和華歡欣，因救我的神喜樂。� (Hab 3:17-18) If you continue living by faith and remain faithful to the LORD, you will experience the last verse of the book of Habakkuk: �The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds� feet, And makes me walk on my high places. 主耶和華是我的力量；他使我的腳快如母鹿的蹄，又使我穩行在高處。這歌交與伶長，用絲弦的樂器。� (Hab 3:19) You will walk with God in the high places, filled with His joy and His power. Brothers and sisters, we can celebrate this Thanksgiving because our God lives and our hope is in Him. Amen? Friends, do you want to experience a life full of hope, no matter the circumstances? I invite you to come receive the salvation of Jesus Christ during this season of Thanksgiving, by believing in Jesus Christ who died for your sins and my sins on the cross, He was buried, and He rose from the dead on the 3rd day, ascended to heaven, and is preparing a place for you and me.