Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light
For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise
They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord
They will walk behind the ploughshare
They will put away the sword
The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward
Will you join in our crusade
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing
Say do you hear the distant drums
It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes
Just booked out this morning after seven days of hell on Pulau Tekong and for some reason, felt like listening to Les Miserables once again. I love the musical so much because even though it is so powerful and stirring, it is as much a depiction of our lives now as it is of the French world then. Les Miserables, as the name itself implies, is a story of never-ending struggle and strife. Valjean, even after his redemption and rebirth in God, still finds himself running and running. "One day more... another day another destiny.... this never-ending road to Calvary..." Fantine is cast into the pits of misery right from the start and dies early without even seeing her beloved daughter. The revolutionaries, so hopeful and passionate about their cause, as anyone who has heard "One Day More" would know, fall hopelessly within a day. Javert, a staunch and unwavering pillar of justice, commits suicide. Eponine sings, "I'll sleep in your embrace at last..." to Marius moments before her death. And even at the end, when Marius and Cosette are to be happily married, Valjean is dying. What is the meaning in all this suffering?
Do we find ourselves often wondering why life never seems to be perfectly happy? Why, whether it be the extremes of physical suffering or just some little struggle or problem that we are facing, is there always something, a barricade, in our way? Time and time again I have believed that after some great difficulty or struggle has passed I would be finally free and happy, and time and time again I have been sorely disappointed. Something new always pops up, another turn in the road, another dark cloud in the sky. Life can never be perfect. Why? Because this is life on earth, an earth that is separated from God. An earth that long ago chose to rebel against its Creator, sinned, and henceforth created its own problems.
But the ending of Les Miserables completes the picture, and till this day, after having seen the musical three times and heard the soundtrack so many times that I can sing it front to back, never tire of listening to those words. For the wretched of the earth, there is a flame that never dies, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. I can without hesitation say that the past seven days in Tekong have been the toughest of my life. I saw people collapse in tears out of sheer exhaustion, people go to the point of blacking out and beyond, and myself reach physical limits that I never thought I could reach. Yet even those days came to an end, an oh so sweet end. Listen to the words of Fantine to Valjean, "Come with me, where chains will never bind you. All your griefs, at last, at last behind you." There will come a day when all our griefs, all our struggles, will be over, will be past. There will be a day where life will truly be perfect. But that day will not be here on this earth. It will be up in Heaven, with God, because that is where perfection and eternal joy lie. And our lives here, a temporary exile from where we were meant to be, are slowly bringing us closer and closer to that day, that eternity. During the field camp I say people who were close to collapsing still continuing on; it is a testimony to the power of the human spirit that God has placed in us, that we can endure everything that lies between us and that day. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Hebrews 12: 1-2. If you are feeling the burdens and difficulties of life, and you feel that life is a constant struggle, do not despair, because one day it will all end.
So let us cast away all our fears and join the crusade- the Lord's crusade. For "the night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." Romans 13:12. But this crusade will not be fought with swords or guns; it will be fought with the entirety of our lives and with love. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And not be conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12: 1-2. Onward Christian soldiers, marching on to war... no no, marching on to God.
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light
For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise
They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord
They will walk behind the ploughshare
They will put away the sword
The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward
Will you join in our crusade
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing
Say do you hear the distant drums
It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes
Just booked out this morning after seven days of hell on Pulau Tekong and for some reason, felt like listening to Les Miserables once again. I love the musical so much because even though it is so powerful and stirring, it is as much a depiction of our lives now as it is of the French world then. Les Miserables, as the name itself implies, is a story of never-ending struggle and strife. Valjean, even after his redemption and rebirth in God, still finds himself running and running. "One day more... another day another destiny.... this never-ending road to Calvary..." Fantine is cast into the pits of misery right from the start and dies early without even seeing her beloved daughter. The revolutionaries, so hopeful and passionate about their cause, as anyone who has heard "One Day More" would know, fall hopelessly within a day. Javert, a staunch and unwavering pillar of justice, commits suicide. Eponine sings, "I'll sleep in your embrace at last..." to Marius moments before her death. And even at the end, when Marius and Cosette are to be happily married, Valjean is dying. What is the meaning in all this suffering?
Do we find ourselves often wondering why life never seems to be perfectly happy? Why, whether it be the extremes of physical suffering or just some little struggle or problem that we are facing, is there always something, a barricade, in our way? Time and time again I have believed that after some great difficulty or struggle has passed I would be finally free and happy, and time and time again I have been sorely disappointed. Something new always pops up, another turn in the road, another dark cloud in the sky. Life can never be perfect. Why? Because this is life on earth, an earth that is separated from God. An earth that long ago chose to rebel against its Creator, sinned, and henceforth created its own problems.
But the ending of Les Miserables completes the picture, and till this day, after having seen the musical three times and heard the soundtrack so many times that I can sing it front to back, never tire of listening to those words. For the wretched of the earth, there is a flame that never dies, even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. I can without hesitation say that the past seven days in Tekong have been the toughest of my life. I saw people collapse in tears out of sheer exhaustion, people go to the point of blacking out and beyond, and myself reach physical limits that I never thought I could reach. Yet even those days came to an end, an oh so sweet end. Listen to the words of Fantine to Valjean, "Come with me, where chains will never bind you. All your griefs, at last, at last behind you." There will come a day when all our griefs, all our struggles, will be over, will be past. There will be a day where life will truly be perfect. But that day will not be here on this earth. It will be up in Heaven, with God, because that is where perfection and eternal joy lie. And our lives here, a temporary exile from where we were meant to be, are slowly bringing us closer and closer to that day, that eternity. During the field camp I say people who were close to collapsing still continuing on; it is a testimony to the power of the human spirit that God has placed in us, that we can endure everything that lies between us and that day. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Hebrews 12: 1-2. If you are feeling the burdens and difficulties of life, and you feel that life is a constant struggle, do not despair, because one day it will all end.
So let us cast away all our fears and join the crusade- the Lord's crusade. For "the night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." Romans 13:12. But this crusade will not be fought with swords or guns; it will be fought with the entirety of our lives and with love. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And not be conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12: 1-2. Onward Christian soldiers, marching on to war... no no, marching on to God.
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