A Message of Hope
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” — Jeremiah 31:3
Why I Wanted to Share This
If you received a verse from me, I wanted to share why these words mean so much to me.
My Christian faith has been the deepest source of hope in my own life. The keychain you received was simply a small expression of that hope. There is no expectation attached to it, but if you are curious about what I believe and why it matters to me, I would be glad to share it with you here.
Opening Our Spiritual Eyes
Ontological inversion is a theological term referring to a reversal in the understanding of our essential nature.
God created man in His image — spiritual beings distinct from the animal kingdom. When man fell because of sin, this orientation and perspective was lost and the focus came to be on the physical and material.
We look for meaning and purpose outside of the divine because, as some suggest, we are captains of our own destiny. This seems wise but, in reality, lacks depth and is severely myopic in its understanding.
The world’s typical definitions of success — measures like fame, wealth and power — are alluring, but in the final analysis come out empty and fall short of deep, lasting meaning.
To correct this form of myopia, it is not LASIK, SMILE Pro, PRK or even ICL that is needed. Though I am an Ophthalmologist, i’ve found in my life, that i needed my eyes opened spiritually to see the truth about myself:
That I am created in the image of the almighty God.
That I have a soul that is supremely precious.
A soul that is greatly and eternally loved.
Precious to whom? And loved by whom?
“They Who Wait for the Lord”
If you’ve been to Eagle Eye Centre, you may — or may not — know that the founding verse for the centre is taken from Isaiah 40:31:
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
This has been a very empowering verse personally.
It reminds me that although my strength is limited and I may grow weary and fall exhausted — such is life with its numerous responsibilities and crises — if I hold fast to and wait for the Lord, He is more than able not only to renew my waning strength, but to empower my steps and help me overcome difficulties and soar above the storm with wings like eagles.
The Hebrew for “wait” here is קָוָה — qavah.
It does not refer to passively sitting around with wishful thinking that something will happen. Rather, it connotes an active, eager expectation that the Lord will move and act.
Soaring, Running and Walking
The progression of “mounting up,” “running” and “walking” is also an intentional reminder of the various life experiences that God sustains us through.
Sometimes We Soar
There are times when God’s intervention is unmistakable and we move from merely coping to soaring.
I remember a German lady who was involved in a road traffic accident many years ago and was told that her left optic nerve was damaged and she would not see out of that eye anymore.
When I saw her, she was only able to see hand movements out of the left eye and she had also developed a dense white cataract in the same eye.
With the doubtful prognosis stated up front, we proceeded with cataract surgery. I prayed earnestly that this was the right decision to make and committed the outcome to the Lord.
When she returned the next day for her post-surgery review, she walked into the consultation room with the widest smile I had seen in a long time.
Her vision was a miraculous 6/6 out of the left eye!
I had no explanation medically and told her that this was the grace of God and that she was very blessed.
Sometimes We Run
Then there are seasons where intense personal effort and sacrifice are needed — running onwards toward a goal.
In modern, busy Singapore, a common stressor is the many examinations we go through and the subsequent sequential doors that open up, each contingent on the previous result and outcome.
Getting into medical school was a privilege and grace.
This, for many, represented an in-depth study of human anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, together with the myriad attendant ways in which things could go wrong.
Five years of recurrent examinations culminated in the final MBBS examinations, followed by a quick breather, then an intense year of house officership where sleep was a privilege.
God opened the door for me to specialise in Ophthalmology, which was in itself a miracle given the few open positions each year.
This became a seven-year marathon of examinations and burning the midnight oil whilst juggling other responsibilities — including tying the knot, fathering my first and second born, and serving the nation in the Singapore Armed Forces.
The postgraduate examinations were a different ball game altogether from any of the previous years and can be summarised by the line “fail unless you showed yourself worthy of passing.”
God did not remove the effort needed for this leg of the journey, but He certainly strengthened me through it.
Most of Life Is Walking
Finally, in an unexpected and almost counterintuitive fashion, comes the deep promise of sustenance simply to carry on walking.
I used to wonder:
What is so hard about walking? Surely soaring and running are harder.
While that is true from one perspective, I have come to realise that most of life consists not in the highs of soaring, nor the intense periods of running, but in the day-to-day walking.
It is in the ordinary humdrum where nothing too exciting seems to be happening, yet there are responsibilities that need attending to.
Failure in this area does not come crashing like a tidal wave. Rather, it is the slow, subtle but sure unpacking of order and degeneration into chaos, sublimely disguised as responsible procrastination, which later gives birth to outright abdication of duties when weariness sets in.
Attending to the ever evolving needs of the kids, spouse, parents and work while being relevantly nested in society and managing the wounds, hurts and fragmented inner self we all bring to bear on the situations life throws our way, while contending with big questions of meaning, purpose and death. That is the day-to-day walking and it is certainly no small matter to be dismissed as trivial by the thinking individual.
The good news is this:
God empowers and sustains me in this potentially perilous walk of life.
When God Seems Distant
The context of Isaiah 40 gives further profound insights which are often missed if only verse 31 is read.
From verse 27 onwards, it says:
27 “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’?”
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted.
It reflects the deep cry of the heart in moments of despair and seeming hopelessness — a common and recurrent theme through the years of examinations, doctoring and attending to patients.
Making the best decisions possible in the given circumstances but having suboptimal outcomes often results in guilty introspection which makes me question my competence and, if I don’t watch myself, my very identity.
The anguished lament is often:
“God, don’t you see my plight?”
or
“God, don’t you care about me?”
This is reflected exactly in verse 27:
“My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God.”
My pity parties are often cut short by a still small voice gently reminding me to quit my whining, stop being so introspective and not just WAKE UP — but LOOK UP.
To know that God is sovereign even in my pain and suffering.
He is all-powerful:
“The everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.”
He never tires:
“He does not faint or grow weary.”
And He is all-wise:
“His understanding is unsearchable.”
Calling to mind these foundational theological truths often serves to re-orientate my flustered spirit and drive away the dark clouds of fear, anxiety and hopelessness.
There is a God, and I am not Him.
Three Truths I Return To
1. God Is Sovereign
God is sovereign and in control over all things.
Even in times of distress and crisis, He is in charge and on the throne.
When I am faced with painful circumstances, He is sovereign.
Facing work stress, He is sovereign.
Facing family struggles, He is sovereign.
Facing financial burdens, He is sovereign.
Facing disappointments, He is sovereign.
Facing relationship breakdowns, He is sovereign.
Facing health issues, He is sovereign.
Facing the death of loved ones, He is sovereign.
Nothing happens that is beyond Him, and I can be still and know that He is God.
Job 42:2 reminds me:
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
2. God Is Good and Loving
God is good and loving.
He can use even the darkest of circumstances for my good, and I can trust His heart even if I cannot see His guiding hand.
Things may not always make sense in the moment and can even be frustrating and infuriating while going through pain and suffering.
But I can anchor myself on the truth that the God of the Bible is not a small-minded, malicious god who takes pleasure in seeing me suffer.
He is the all-gracious, merciful, good and loving God who intimately knows me, cares for me, meets me where I am, desires my ultimate good and loves me with an everlasting love.
Romans 8:28 is a key verse that anchors this:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
3. God Is Wise
God is wise.
I am a mortal man whose understanding is limited.
When I struggle to make sense of all the pain and evil, my reasoning falls short of any satisfactory conclusion and my heart is often still unsettled, yearning for something more.
God is unlike that.
His understanding has no limits. His knowledge has no bounds.
I could try my best to gain a glimpse of understanding, but it remains only a fraction of His unsearchable wisdom.
His ways are higher than my ways, and He has purposes which my limited faculties cannot comprehend.
I love the image painted with these words from the song Through Heaven’s Eyes:
“A single thread in a tapestry,
Though its color brightly shines,
Can never see its purpose
In the pattern of the grand design.”
God is working even in my pain and suffering to bring about a glorious purpose beyond what I can imagine.
When the Burden Feels Too Heavy
That is a glimpse into who God is and His sustaining grace in my life.
Are you struggling with burdens too heavy for you?
Do you feel like giving up because it is too much to bear?
Do you feel like your situation is hopeless or meaningless?
May I encourage you then to cry out to God.
Pour out your soul to God in prayer until heaven opens its doors.
Keep seeking and pressing on, because God does not play games with us.
He is faithful and has promised in Jeremiah 29:13:
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
When your travailing prayer comes to that place of surrender, there is a deep sense that where you are is holy ground.
The sentiment may rightly mirror that of the prophet Isaiah, who cried:
“Woe is me! For I am lost;
for I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
When you experience the aura of God’s holiness and glory, there is a gentle melting away of the cares that trouble you — a calming assurance that, despite the inner turmoil, you can say with confidence:
“It is well with my soul.”
The Hope at the Heart of Christianity
That is the hope at the heart of Christianity — a hope bound up in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Christianity begins with a God who created us, knows us and loves us.
Our lives are not accidental, and our worth does not depend on our success, health or achievements.
Yet all of us have fallen short of what we were created to be. We have chosen our own way and become separated from God.
This brokenness affects our relationship with God, with others and even with ourselves.
But God did not leave us to fend for ourselves in our brokenness and mess.
He did something extraordinary.
God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ, lived the life we could not live, died for our sins and rose again, overcoming sin and death.
God then offers this free gift of grace, forgiveness and new life to us.
It is a gift accepted by turning to and believing in Jesus, trusting in His accomplished work and receiving the life only He can give.
A Faith That Holds in the Uncertainties of Life
My faith does not mean that I have all the answers or that life is always easy.
It means that beneath the uncertainties of life, I believe there is a God who knows me, loves me and will not let me go.
A God who is sovereign in all my circumstances.
A God who is good, loving and faithful.
A God who is wise beyond all understanding.
A God whom I can trust — and in whom my heart can find restedness even amid the chaotic encounters of life.
A Simple Prayer of Faith
I hope you have been blessed by this short reading.
If you feel God’s prompting and want to get into a right relationship with Him, you can do so through this simple prayer of faith:
“Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I believe in Him and invite Him now to be the Lord and Saviour of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
God bless you!