This is the seventh (7th) of the ELECTION SERIES – articles published by White Butterfly in anticipation of the forthcoming elections in May 2022.
NOTE: In the coming months, culminating in May 2022, we will decide not simply to select one presidential candidate over another. We will be called upon to choose the good – of integrity, honesty, of fidelity and authentic love and service for God and country, over the evil of deceit and avarice for power and wealth and disrespect for the dignity and life of God’s children.
This Sunday reflection reminds us that Jesus can bring the water of life to any barren, bitter desert.
Perhaps we Filipinos can unite in prayer from all segments of our society, all corners of our beloved country, and with ultimate hope and faith, ask Jesus to imbue with humility those wishing to sincerely serve the country, and gather them in support of the rightful leader representing the good. (Teresita Tanseco-Cruz)
HENRY T. BLACKABY & RICHARD BLACKABY
taken from the book, EXPERIENCING GOD.
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.
Isaiah 53:2
The coming of Jesus was like a tender plant in the midst of a parched ground. Parched ground offers little hope for survival; it is dry and too hardened to allow most plants to penetrate its crust. Yet Jesus was prophesied as a tender plant that would break through the hostile soil and overcome the dry and lifeless environment in order to bring life.
When Jesus was born, His people were hardened to God’s Word. There is no written record of God’s having spoken to His people for four hundred years. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had studied and memorized the Scriptures, but the words were lifeless to them. So hostile had they become to the truth that when God’s Son came to them, they killed him. Nevertheless, despite the enmity of the people, Jesus brought life to all who believed in Him.
Jesus is capable of bringing life to any person, society, or culture, no matter how hardened or hostile they have become to the gospel. Even the most calloused sinner will discover that Jesus knows how to penetrate the heart and bring life where there was only bitterness. The work of Jesus in a person’s life may seem fragile at first; but like the mustard seed, it will eventually grow into something strong.
As you pray for someone you care about, don’t be discouraged if this person has not responded to Jesus. Just as a tender plant finds a way to grow in a hard and unreceptive environment, so the love of Jesus has the ability to emerge in a life that seems completely unresponsive.
PRAYER FOR THE 2022 PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
We implore you, Lord Jesus, to give our Filipino nation a chance to rise up from our misery and suffering and to cope with the pandemic crisis. Give us, through the coming election, a leader who will take care not of one’s self but of the poor and the needy, one who is God-fearing, who cannot be undermined by greedy, corrupt, and hypocritical politicians.
Save our nation, which is thirsty for your love and justice. Through the help of Mother Mary, our mother, and yours. Amen.
