Desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4)

God will fulfill the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4)

Terry Ratzmann had lived in a church community most of his life and was an active member of Living Church of God in Brookfiled, Wisconsin.  But his inner quest for purpose and fulfillment was never realized.  He remained a man still waiting for the day to come so that he could live a happy and normal life like every other human being was doing in his community.  His fellow believers witnessed that he was a faithful church attendant; he would rather miss the wedding of friends but not the church service.  According to the tradition of his church, he would attend the annual festival of tabernacles (similar to youth camp in other churches) in every possible place.  He was a 44 years old single man; longed for marriage but could never find a suitable partner.  His insistence in attending church services and the festival of Tabernacles was not so much a desire to know God but rather a hope that someday he would meet a woman with whom he could build a family together.  But most of those years disappointed him as he could not find a person like that.  

In addition to this disappointment, he was also staring at the certainty of losing his job as his contract was about to be expired and may have seen no way of renewing it.  It is possible that the company he was working for might have also noticed the toll his disappointment in finding a wife was taking in his life and work.  Finally, his disappointment in life had reached to a place of no return and in one tragic Saturday (March 12, 2005) he walked in his church service and opened fire, killing the pastor and six others before taking his own life.  What a tragic end to a man who had placed so much value in attending churches and camp meetings!  Unfortunately, he did not attend churches and camp meetings to deepen his faith and commitment to God; rather, he was hoping to find a woman whom he could marry.  Getting married replaced his faith in God; marriage became his god and eventually lost everything and destroyed others’ dreams.

How often we come to church, not for God but for something else.  Over the years I have met so many backslidden Christians who say that they got nothing from attending or serving in the church.  The fact is; if we make anything other than God the pursuit of attending a church, we are surely going to be disappointed in life and we will probably end up blaming God for our misery.  Some come to church with the hope of material assistance from the community, some with the hope of social security, and some with the hope of finding a wife or husband, and others with various kinds of human expectations.  In the context of English or International Church in Korea, some of us come so that we could have fellowship with people who speak the same language, some of us come so that we could meet friends, and others come with the hope of learning English language.  There is nothing wrong in hoping to find these things in an International Church, but if these things are the only reason for us to attend the church, then we are surely going to be disappointed.  But on the other hand, if God is the focus and the only aim for us to come to church, we will be surprised to see how God meets all our needs and instead of living disappointed and disgruntled lives; we will be living lives that are full and fulfilled!

Therefore, as a pastor of this International Congregation, I urge every one of you to look into your heart and see that there is nothing taking the place of God.  Let us come to Church with the hope and prayer that we will encounter the Living Lord in our midst as we join our hearts in worshiping him.  Let us also not be caught up with the pre-planned and programmed production of worship from the pulpit, but rather allow God to inspire our hearts with spontaneous praise and worship of him from the pew.  Let us come to the church to please one and only person (the audience of One in the words of Kierkegaard); the Lord Jesus Christ!  When we delight in him, he will fulfill the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4).

Sincerely,

Pastor Bhatta