Ela Koinonia is turning one on 9 July, 2022. Yes, it has been 365 days since we launched the website. And although our initial idea was to touch one life, we are grateful for the overwhelming response from thousands who have been blessed by our blogs.
We sowed the idea of Ela Koinonia (means “Come Fellowship” in Hebrew) at a time when we were stuck in Thailand, coping with grief of having lost my father and several other uncertainties in our list. I was exhausted and burned out; every day was overwhelming for me as the pain lingered on. In between this season of haywire, the Lord reminded me that “I, Sandy, had unfinished business!”—I was alive for a specific reason and a plan scripted by God, uniquely for me.
Remember, painful season will always give birth to purpose. Purpose-driven life truly made sense to me just last year when I started my journey with Ela Koinonia. Yes, it was God’s will for my life but it did not mean anything even remotely close to easy. As I sat down to pen down my thoughts about this year-long journey, I gravitated towards Psalm 23—a well-known Psalm, maybe over-quoted and over-familiarised, hence often overlooked. As for me, it is one of the first set of verses that I learnt by heart at the age of six or seven but they say familiarity breeds contempt. Interestingly, God has been constantly talking to me through that chapter in the past couple of weeks.
I might have not absorbed the complete essence of this passage for a very long time but, in the past one year my family and I have been able to tangibly experience Psalm 23 in our life.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
We have had to walk through some dark valleys in this past year. But even through what we have tagged the darkest valley, God was with us, shielding and guiding us in our walk. I know that because I have walked those days and strongly felt the presence of God carry me through. This walk in the valley was preparing us for the climb up the mountain. Yes, we were anxious but we knew that He had something extraordinary for us. His rod and His staff, they always comforted us. Whenever we hit a low, He was right there to uplift our spirits and help us to move forward. His Word reminded us of His promises and we always got clarity when in a blur. His Word also helped us make amends in our life, as He gently calls out our unpleasant and, often, undiscovered traits.
And then…
He set a table before our enemies—it happened to us. People who predicted our fall and mocked our decisions, saw how the goodness of God had saturated our lives. Doesn’t stop there, though. He anointed our heads with oil, so much that it overflowed and everyone could see it. I call it ‘A Season of Overflowing Oil’.
So, if you feel like you are in your dark valley season, remember that God is aware of your situation. And He is there right beside you, leading and guiding you through. Your Season of Overflow is coming.
The same God who guided us through the dark valley is more than capable of helping you. Let His Word correct and comfort you, and as that happens, I promise you that there is going to be a transition from the valley low to the mountain high. We serve a faithful God whose gives us a fresh dose of mercies and faithfulness every morning.
I would like to thank our Ela Koinonia team and everyone who has been on this journey with us. Our readers who have always cheered us on to do more; our contributors who have shared real and raw bits and pieces of their lives; our prayer support team who have relentlessly prayed with us and for us; my family who made it a point to be intentional about living a His purpose-driven life, especially my husband Joel for always challenging me to do greater exploits for the Lord.
Our team loves to hear from you and we never take our readers lightly. As we transition from season to another, our prayer is that Ela Koinonia will truly encourage many across the globe to “come fellowship” and live a purpose-driven life. It all started with a desire to encourage one person. Now, with thousands of readers every month, we have truly seen what it means to be faithful in little. God will do what He has promised to do in our life. I want to encourage you to press on and know that the Lord is with you—He is for you, not against you, in every season, in the darkest valleys and the steepest hills.
Consider this:
When you truly identify God as your Shepherd and you, His sheep, you will know that:
-He is your PROVIDER: You will not want. He will make sure that you are well-nourished and provided for. So, do not be anxious when lack hits you—believe in Jehovah Jireh, your Biggest Provider.
-He is your GUIDE and LIGHT: There may be treacherous routes along gushing rivers and dark tunnels in your journey of life. Don’t fret, God has your back. He will be the sail in your storm and flashlight in your blackouts.
-He is your COMFORTER: Seasons of low are inevitable but know that God grieves in your grief. He catches all those tears and He sees all those untold stories. He knows. He is EL ROI—the God who sees.
-He is your VINDICATOR: He will clear every blame associated with your name and He will lift you up even if you are stuck in the marshiest of soil.
-He is your HOME: His arms is where you belong and will truly feel belonged. No other place. No other love. And no other home.
Here is a challenge for you. Read, re-read Psalm 23 and write to us your rendition of the passage.