Do not strive…..

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Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

(Ps 62.5-8)

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, yet you would have none of it….. Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

(Isa 30.15&18)

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father for this is what you were pleased to do….. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.

(Matt 11.25&26,28-30)

Rest… what does that word say to you today? Is it something positive? Or an admission of failure? From what we read in scripture, ‘rest’ should be a good thing, a sign of active trust in and dependence on God – both his provision for our needs, and his faithfulness to his own character, trusting God to BE God and therefore able to take and bear control of all things.

As I grow older, I find myself – like the people whom God rebukes through Isaiah – having ‘none of it’! My anxious thoughts, and fretful attitudes all speak clearly of a lack of trust in God and a failure to rest in him. I want to achieve, to know that I am ticking all the right boxes which are required to be a ‘good ‘christian. I fall easy prey to the comparison trap – looking at the lives of other believers and rebuking myself for not being like them in terms of bible knowledge, wisdom and serenity – and jump for solutions, more things that I ought to be not doing/reading/practising in order to be what God wants me to be. There is an ugly restlessness in my life which robs me of joy and of the rest which comes when I fully accept God’s grace as the only possible grounds of my identity and hope. That restlessness tells me that I am letting the reality of the sin which will cling about me until I die have too much power over me. I am right to be sensitive to it, but wrong to let it colour and distort my understanding of God’s love and acceptance – his actual delight – in me. My Father is not sitting with a clipboard, waiting for me to measure up! He is holding out his arms to me, calling to me to join him in the daily adventure of sharing life with him, joining in his work and enjoying all his good gifts.

Jesus speaks in the prayer which I quoted above, of how his Father has revealed as to little children the mystery of life in the kingdom – the reality which our children know full well… they are loved, they belong, they matter not because they continually strive to be worthy of their place in the family, but because they ARE family! If such security is possible even in the families of flawed human beings, then how much deeper and more secure is the sense of rest which should be mine as a child of the perfectly loving and ever-compassionate God.

Merciful and loving Father, how I long to be at rest in this life to which you call me day by day; to be delivered from fretfulness and to trust and depend on you to be who you say you are – my loving and good God.

Deliver me from the tyranny of performance-measurement and comparison with others; let me learn to accept that each of your children is learning in their own way and time, and that you delight in each one of us equally!

 

What are we doing with the gospel?

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After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

(Mk 1.14&15)

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you… Do to others as you would have them do to you.. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful…. give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

(Lk 6.27,28,31,35&36)

 All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work… and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

(Col 1.6-13)

We have heard good news, the kingdom of God is here, and we may enter and dwell in it now because in Jesus the power of death, sin and evil (which held us in bondage) is broken. What difference does this life in God’s kingdom make then? As those set free from the tyranny of sin, what should characterise our lives? If this good news only leads us into closed communities, where we hug our treasure and enjoy it together but it makes no difference to our wider community, then we are not obeying and honouring our merciful God.

Our salvation is not merely a personal thing, but should lead us in turn to be kingdom-callers, living signposts to freedom; to be blazing lights, clearly seen and identified by our likeness to Jesus in ministering to the poor, the needy, the weak in our world – in whatever way is possible for us. We are not called to hide from the darkness, to cower in fear and conceal our freedom, because we are no longer under its authority. Our Lord has defeated it, and we have nothing to fear, and all the best news to share! We share it by modelling, reflecting and living out the goodness, grace and power of God in our world. We are saved in order to serve – and not just our fellow believers, but our aching and broken neighbours.
Lives transformed by the gospel are lives that look like Jesus – abounding in generous forgiving love; seeing the poor, the needy and helpless and acting in compassion. We give and serve as Jesus did – expecting nothing in return. We don’t serve and care as some clever move to get conversions, we care because God cares for the godly and the ungodly – and we are to be like him.

We are called to fight against the dark-kingdom in our own place and time, with what resources and calling we have. The great prison reform, labour reform and slave abolition movements in the UK were driven by christian faith, by righteous anger against the effects of sin which produced appalling need, degradation and suffering. The reformers weren’t wanting to make converts, but to be God’s agents against the darkness, to call out evil and set people free from its effects.

It is God who brings faith to life, not us. We are called to bring the good news of our freedom into the open and live as those who are without fear – and it may be that by our work and witness, God moves, but that is not our primary goal. We may have the liveliest fellowship, the most engaging worship, the most stimulating study groups… but if there is nothing outward looking, then something is badly wrong. All these good things should be the source of our motivation to reach out, to live out the good news, to show people what God’s love looks like.

Almighty God, fill your people with a hunger to make a difference for you in our societies and communities – to minister love to the loveless, hope to the hopeless, comfort to the abandoned, and to confront injustice, discrimination and the many causes of human suffering.
As we consider Christ, our Lord and Saviour, may we be transformed into his likeness – showing mercy, compassion and abounding love to all. Let the gospel drive us out from our holy huddles, full of faith and trusting that You can use us for your glory, and in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Lost in translation…

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Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing …. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our master has embraced us.

(Rom 8 38-39; the Message)

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing!…..

God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges for ever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.

As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud. Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, but a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him …God has set his throne in heaven; he rules over us all. He’s the king!

(Ps 103, extracts; the Message)

A few weeks ago, I woke in the early hours of the morning and found myself unable to get back to sleep. My mind was full of questions, fretting over issues – none of them actually urgent, and all quite reasonable – and getting into a real state of anxiety and self-condemnation as a result. I decided to get up rather than lie and fight with my rebel-thoughts, and as a result, I heard a  blackbird singing in the darkness, singing because he knew the dawn-light was coming.

O Lord, my compassionate Father, I want to be like this bird, confident in your love in spite of the darkness of grief, sin and evil in this world; at peace and able to surrender the illusion that I have control over my life. Let my mind and heart be gripped by your love so that I grow in wisdom and hope, resilience and usefulness. Let me not fail to know your love even when circumstances seem to conspire against it, and when my spirit quails. Lord , you know that it is hard to believe in your personal love when my life hurts and I am filled with fear, or when I see loved ones suffer and walk away from you.

I read and believe in the truth of the gospel, it is my foundation for life and all my hope is in Jesus. Yet I can’t seem to translate the great truth of that love down into my daily struggles, the need for decisions and action, the continual distracting effect of the pressure of other lives upon mine. I have to be present with people, with my own body in its roles and responsibilities – and when I am present, I seem to have forgotten about You; I just can’t hold the big stuff and the small stuff together in my mind, and it is a bit discouraging. 

How does the reality of my Father’s eternal and secure loving grasp on me get translated into life as a sinner among sinners? How does it make a difference? Perhaps simply asking this question on a regular basis is a good thing, because it forces me to recognise my need for God, and my own inability to do what I desire apart from him!

O Lord, have mercy on me and teach me, make it real for me. I need you to make a difference in all my life – in how I live and deal with an ageing body; in how I live within my marriage and family; in how I resolve tension and make decisions (small and large) about all the practical details and patterns of life. The big picture is so beautiful, but Lord, I can’t just sit and look at it all day every day!! By your spirit, please enable me to be ever more conscious of your presence even as I am immersed in the busy-ness of my life.

So be content with who you are.. God’s strong hand is on you.. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. 

(1 Pet 5.6&7; the Message)

Thank you Father that you provide for the gritty realities of our lives, and that your grace never fails. Each new day brings us new opportunities to prove your love, receive your grace and grow in trust. Thank you that it isn’t a one-off thing, but a continual process; help me to go on casting my cares on you, make it my constant practice, a liberating discipline which gradually becomes instinctive, so that your loving care for me is the foundation from which I face each day’s messy reality. Let the great gospel truth so completely permeate my thinking that there is no longer a disconnect between my knowledge of your love in Christ, and my attitude to the smallest challenge. Unify all that I am in godly obedience and joyful trust, for Jesus’ sake, Amen

Reacting to fear…

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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

(Ps 23)

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you”, declares the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

(Isa 41.13&14)

This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us… There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…

(1 Jn 4.10,15&18)

The valley of the shadow is the natural home of fear, the habitat of malice and evil. In shadowy places, we feel vulnerable and cannot see what might be pressing close around to threaten us. Fear comes when I feel unsafe, when I or those I love am threatened in any way. Fear is defeated when the threat is revealed to be weaker than I thought, or when something stronger than the threat is discovered which will act to overcome it on my behalf.

In this world of broken beauty, where sin continues to exist, we are all vulnerable and will suffer in many ways. But the gospel teaches me that for all who are safely hidden with Christ, nothing can actually deprive them of that which matters most for eternity – the love of God and our inheritance in glory. The testimony of God’s saints down the generations is that no matter what else it touches, evil cannot touch my salvation. In this overarching view of our lives, it is clear that God’s perfect love for us has the power to drive out all that causes us to fear. But on a day-to-day basis, I know that I continue to be afraid – what am I to do with that fear?

I was recently deeply encouraged to realise that I don’t need to feel guilty about feeling fear.. that may sound foolish, but am I the only one who gets cross with themselves because my knowledge of God’s perfect love somehow doesn’t stop me getting fearful? Surely our faith is in the ongoing work of God in our lives, and like everything else, our fearfulness – a legitimate response to real threats – is actually part of how we are made, a useful tool if we know how to use it, in navigating life with our Lord’s power and presence. It doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in God’s perfect love for me! It is in the very perfection of that love that my hope lies – for my fears as well as for every other aspect of my life until I go home to glory and am fully perfected myself. My God is patient, and knows how I am formed. My Lord knows what it is to be human, to grieve, to fear, to hurt, to hunger, to agonise over the trials of loved ones – all the deepest travails of humankind are held continually up for the compassionate and unfailing love of the Father to be met.

Since then I AM loved perfectly, my ‘fear-reaction’ becomes a spur by which I am driven to meditate on the love and trustworthiness of God, to remember that Christ meets me in my troubles and has known human suffering. IN all the muddly mess of my reactions to threats and grievous wrongs, I am met by God’s loving kindness, patience and understanding. Is this not good news for fearful souls like me?! Fear becomes a means of blessing to me, so its power is stripped away and I am released to walk on in faith. Throughout scripture we find exhortations to God’s people not to be afraid – our frail humanity is met with such gentleness, and never condemnation, only the encouragement to step out in faith and prove God!

Great Shepherd, I do believe your powerful presence is with your people in all their daily walk, and in the darkest valleys which they may walk. I want to walk fearlessly, but I know all too well that my fear erupts spontaneously and can be so hard to combat.. Let me not give up hope of learning to cling to you in my troubles, in such faith and dependence on your love that the fear is drained of its poison and blinding power, and I can indeed walk on, in your strength and your victory over evil. You will deliver me through all my dark valleys – whether I walk, or crawl, or am carried in your strong arms!

Wonder of wonders…

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I cannot tell how he will win the nations, how he will claim his earthly heritage,
How satisfy the needs and aspirations of east and west, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see his glory, and he shall reap the harvest he has sown, and some glad day his sun will shine in splendour,
When he the Saviour, Saviour of the world is known.

I cannot tell how all the land shall worship, when at his bidding every storm is stilled,
Or who can say how great the jubilation when all our hearts with love for him are filled.
But this I know, the skies will sound his praises, ten thousand thousand human voices sing, and earth to heaven, and heaven to earth will answer,
'At last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!'
(W.Y. Fullerton, 1857-1932)

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus…. who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead….

(Rom 1.1&3)

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.. each in his own turn; Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

(1 Cor 15.19-23)

[Christ Jesus].. being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Phil 2.5-11)

Let all God’s children cry, Amen! Let it be! For today we celebrate the defeat of our great enemy and the glorious assurance which has been won for us by Christ Jesus as he destroys the tyranny of sin and death, releasing us from bondage and bringing us to life in God’s kingdom now and in the age to come. We live in him today, and his power will carry us through the valley of death into his nearer presence and eternal fullness of life, a form of existence beyond our imagining in its pure and vivid perfection. Death is no longer to be feared, but faced with childlike trust in Jesus Christ and in the powerful promises of our Father God. Our elder brother has gone before us, and we can see him as we face that dark doorway, his arms extended in welcome and anticipating joy.

This victory, won once for all time and also gloriously effective day-by-day in our lives, is cause for boundless rejoicing, and will infuse our corporate praise today with great gladness. And as we contemplate the author of this victory, our Lord Jesus, we join our voices and our hearts with all the citizens of the heavenly realms in praising him, extolling his name and worshipping him. Surely he is worthy, worthy to receive so much more than our small songs and frail hearts can offer – but how marvellous to find that even our flawed offerings are cherished and welcomed, and that as we praise our Saviour, he abundantly blesses us and continues to pour out his love upon us. 

Oh Father, how we rejoice today in the wonderful revelation which is Easter Sunday! How we exult to see the tomb empty, and to hear the compassionate love of our Lord as he addressed Mary in her grief, turning mourning into dancing, and giving us an unshakeable hope!

We hear the spiritual realms reverberating with the deafening affirmation of our Lord’s defeat of sin and death; we catch the echo of the angelic shout of triumph as the risen Christ stepped from the grave and the morning sun fell upon his glorious face. We bow in worship before our Lord and Saviour, and wonder, with all the saints, at his glory, majesty, love and passion for sinners. How marvellous, how wonderful is your love for us in Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen

 

‘Tis mystery all….

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I cannot tell, why he whom angels worship should set his love upon the sons of men, 
Or why as shepherd he should seek the wanderers, to bring them back, they know not how nor when.
But this I know, that he was born of Mary when Bethlehems' manger was his only home, and that he lived at Nazareth and laboured; 
And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world has come.

I cannot tell, how silently he suffered as with his peace he graced this place of tears,
Nor how his heart upon the cross was broken, the crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, he heals the broken-hearted and stays our sin and calms our lurking fear, and lifts the burden from the heavy laden;
For still the Saviour, Saviour of the world is here.
(W.Y. Fullerton, 1857-1932)

How we struggle to live with mystery, with the impenetrable and apparently irreconcilable truths which lie at the heart of God’s revelation of His character, purposes and presence with his people in their brokenness and pain. I continue to find this difficult, and expect that no matter how long I am granted to live before I go home to glory, I will always wrestle with it. And is that not fitting, and right?! What kind of God would we have if we could fathom his nature and make sense of all his doings? No God at all, and certainly not the one we so desperately need!

I have come to terms with the fact that I will always be baffled, and left to wonder at all that is so utterly beyond me – and sometimes, I can join with the psalmist and be at peace with that unknowing. At other times, it grates, and I have to learn all over again that I am limited, created and as yet unfinished – and only God who is good and just and perfectly loving can make sense of all that happens.

And so, as I remember the events of Palm Sunday, and the coming of Messiah to Jerusalem, lowly and riding on a donkey while crowds cheered to welcome him, acclaiming a coming king, I take comfort from the fact that Jesus’ own followers were completely confused about what was happening, and why Jesus was behaving as he did! Human imagination is limited and we readily ascribe to the actions of others a meaning which suits our world view and desires – the crowds (and some disciples) were looking for deliverance from Roman rule, for a military leader, and although Jesus had consistently stepped away from any such role, yet they couldn’t see past it.

As the week unfolded, Jesus would continue to confound expectations, and many would be disappointed in his failure to fit their mould of what Messiah would be like. As a result, by the Friday morning, they were ready – in their resentment at his behaviour and the pain of dashed hopes – to call for his death at the instigation of the priests. This was none of Jesus’ doing, it all arose from their blindness to the much bigger picture of what Messiah would be and do, of God’s purpose to bring salvation to all humankind through this one perfect sacrifice, defeating the power of evil and inaugurating the heavenly kingdom among us. I must not judge those crowds for their narrow vision – I would very probably have fallen into the same trap, and indeed, the scripture clearly states that in our rebellion against God, we have all rejected the Messiah and brought about his death for our sakes. It was for me, for you that Jesus embarked upon this path of suffering and death.

Almighty God, and everlasting Father, I confess before you today that the mystery of Jesus’ suffering and death – your plan for salvation – is great, and I cannot comprehend it. I confess that sometimes I am ashamed at my limited understanding, and even afraid to share the gospel in case others mock me for making a connection between Jesus’ death over 2000 years ago, and our lives today. Forgive me Lord, and let me be bold to say what I DO know, and what you have mercifully made real in my life because of faith in Jesus. 

For this I know, You have healed my broken heart and given me joy; You have made me whole and delivered me from the power of shame; Your voice of love and your arms of tender care have never failed me; Your presence is my life and my hope is in you alone.

Let me then rejoice in the mystery of salvation, and throw myself unhesitatingly into the security of your loving purpose. There is no need to understand, only the glorious reality of living in what was achieved by my Saviour, good news to be shared with all who will hear it! 

All glory, praise and honour to Jesus Christ, my Lord, Amen!

When all the world is calling God’s name..

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God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.. I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your hand made sky-jewellery, moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden’s dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.

God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world!

(Ps 8 – the Message)

God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame day holds classes every morning, Professor night lectures each evening.

Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, but their silence fills the earth; unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. God makes a huge dome for the sun – a superdome! The morning sun’s a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, the daybreaking sun an athlete racing to the tape.

That’s how God’s word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith. The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.

(Ps 19.1-8, the Message)

Long time readers of this page will not be surprised when yet another picture of flowers appears alongside the latest blog… you are aware that the beauty and intricacy of creation is a powerful voice to me, speaking of the awesome artist and creator whose handiwork they – and we as human beings – represent.

Today as I walked by the swollen and fast flowing river near our home, I had been pondering what to write this weekend, but the whole of creation seemed to be shouting at me, calling for full awareness and presence, for the simple joy and privilege of letting my Father’s goodness make my heart glad. Spring is one of the great blessings of living in the temperate north of Europe, that heart-stopping season when wildly varying weather continually catches us wearing too many or too few clothes, and when the washing gets extra rainwater rinses! Spring is the season when our senses are heightened to every slight breath of warmth and colour as the sun strengthens and the days lengthen. Spring is an explosion of joy and glory as the growing and breathing things around us prepare for a new growing season, and the coming of new life.

And all this comes from the inscrutable mind and boundless riches of our God. The fragile snowdrops, the imperial purple crocus with their delicate silken petals, the great peal of glory which are daffodils – all these are the gifts of God, whose loving hand has enriched us beyond belief through the beauty which is all around. His creative, artistic nature is echoed in us, his handiwork and so we respond to the beauty which he has so lavishly embedded in this little planet.

So this weekend, let me simply encourage you to let the power of God in his creation speak to you of the love, power, and attention to detail which our Lord commands! You are the beloved child of the one who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, and who sees where the wild goats hide to give birth. You are the handiwork of the one who clothed the flowers of the field – which no human eyes see in their short lives – with incredible beauty. You are held in the powerful arms of the One whose word sustains all that has been created, who calls forth each new day and ordains the movements of planets, galaxies and universes.

These things are given in order to point us to their maker, to help us to grasp that we cannot grasp his greatness! These things are a visible representation of the boundless beauty of our God, and the power which he exercises for the fulfilment of his good purposes. These things are a continual encouragement in the face of all that grieves, all that is broken and that defies our God. All the power-hungry, vice-cherishing, self-approving, Christ-rejecting voices of humanity cannot drown out the hymn of praise which is being sung all around us today. Let us then choose to hear the praise, choose to raise our own voices and to offer our own thanks to the Lord who has revealed himself to us in Jesus. The maker of all is the Lord of love, and he calls us his children, opening his arms to welcome us home. Alleluia! Father, we are here!

A prisoner of hope

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Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey….. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. 

(Zech 9.9-12)

The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill.

(Joel 3.16&17)

The idea of being a prisoner is not a very attractive one, which is why the phrase used by Zechariah in his prophecy to the discouraged people who were trying to rebuild Jerusalem after 70 years of exile, really jumps out at me. Why is this meant to be an encouraging word? How can it help people who feel that their labour is futile, and that God is no longer involved in their lives?

Well, when you think about it, a large part of the problem with being a prisoner, is that you are the mercy of another person… but what if that person happened to be the almighty God, the creator of the universe, the only one who fully knows and fully accepts you? What if your captor is Love? Doesn’t that put a rather different spin on the idea of being a prisoner? There are some bonds which are actually not worth breaking….

I am a prisoner of hope – because I have seen the Lord of Love upon the cross and have recognised that the Son of God died for me, to deliver me from death to life; from despair to hope. That hope is grounded in the character of God himself, not in my own understanding of how my life unfolds or what God chooses to permit and to work through my circumstances. I have seen Christ, the crucified, and cannot look away. His love compels me to trust and also to hope for what is promised to all who trust in him by God the Father. I find myself shackled by those promises, tightly bound to an inheritance beyond my imagining which will bring me into the fullest possible relationship with my Saviour, and also with all my fellow believers. I am unable to loosen those bonds, and I don’t want to.

When I hear of the trials which so many believers face, I understand why faith is strained almost to breaking point.. and yet, I cannot break the hope-bonds which tie me to God’s love. I long for the day when all is made right, and when those who have suffered so much, so unjustly, often at the hands of people who claim to be believers themselves, can finally be freed from their scars and burdens of anger, grief and disbelief. And so I pray for them, that in spite of their trials, in spite of the grievous wounds inflicted upon them, that they too will be so compelled by the divine love in Christ that they find themselves bound to hope for that glorious day.

I believe in the God who raises the dead, and who makes new life – divine life – possible for all who will accept Jesus as lord and saviour. I believe in the God whose kingdom is firmly established in the face of all the strutting, grabbing, manipulating, self-glorifying rulers of this current age. I believe in the God whose response to the rebellion of his people was to come as love-in-person to die in order to set them free from their own evil desires, by which the powers of this world imprison them. I believe in redemptive love, and that love is what keeps me – not my own merit, or piety or moral strength. I am glad to be the prisoner of Love incarnate, because without his safe-keeping, I am utterly lost and hopeless.

My refuge and stronghold is God’s character, his power and his faithfulness to his own promises. I am guarded there and protected from all that would seek to part me from Love himself, I am a prisoner of hope. I stand on the battlements of God’s fortress-love and cry, “Glory to God, Glory to Jesus, Glory to the Spirit who keeps me safely within these walls!”

 

 

Getting straight

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

(Prov 3.5-6)

The Lord is my light and my rescue. Whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s stronghold. Of whom should I be afraid?

Though a camp is marshalled against me, my heart shall not fear. Though battle is roused against me, nonetheless do I trust. One thing do I ask of the Lord, it is this that I seek – that I dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the Lord’s sweetness and to gaze on his palace.

For he hides me in his shelter on the day of evil. He conceals me in the recess of his tent, on a rock he raises me up. And now my head rises over my enemies around me: let me offer in his tent sacrifices with joyous shouts. Let me sing and hymn to the Lord.

Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in wrath. You are my help. Abandon me not, nor forsake me, O God of my rescue. Though my father and mother forsook me, the Lord would gather me in.

Teach me, o Lord, your way; and lead me on a level path because of my adversaries.. If I but trust to see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living – hope for the Lord! Let your heart be firm and bold, and hope for the Lord.

(Ps 27.1, 3-7,9-11,13&14; R. Alter translation)

I am grateful that the word of God to his people is a living word, a never failing source of nourishment, refreshment, compassionate and firm correction, direction and confidence. I love that I can read the words from Proverbs quoted above, and then in the writing of a wise and faithful servant of the Lord, find a quite fresh perspective on living in this troubled yet wonderful world.

I used to read those words and then try to work out in my own mind just how God would answer, how the problems might be resolved, so that I could see straight. But that is both foolish and unrealistic! I am very small, and this world’s troubles are very big, incredibly confusing and interconnected. Even the immediate issues which impinge on my life and cause me immediate distress are still completely interwoven with the lives of others, so that it is simply impossible that I should be able to sort them out with complete justice and love! What a relief, then, to recognise that God is not calling me to solve the problems, but to act in faith and love, doing the next thing as He reveals it to me.

To fully trust in the Lord is to recognise that only He can and does fully comprehend the global picture; and then to depend on Him to be at work to care for his precious sheep in the midst of that massive, messy, muddly mayhem. My own understanding looks at it, and is overwhelmed, and defaults very quickly to fear and distrust. But I must learn to take myself straight to the Lord, and to confess my complete lack of true understanding, and the deceptiveness of the small amount that I do understand. My calling is to ask for and obey the instruction of God in my small corner of His great big world – believing that even the smallest constructive action on my part has its place. And as I read, “[my]call to love will never be as big as what is wrong”*. Isn’t that a huge relief?!!

The problems are very big, and making my path straight isn’t about solving them, it’s about asking God to deal with them and meantime asking him what small things I can be doing to obey, to love and to glorify God as I follow him through His ways. This takes a huge weight off my shoulders, and also corrects my false expectations about how God deals with the realities of life – its not all about sorting things the way I want or predict, it’s about trusting that His ways, while beyond me, are nonetheless just, good and constructive.

Heavenly Father, I praise and thank you today, because my troubles are on Your shoulders, together with all the weight of this world, because You alone can bear them. Thank you that I am not tasked with solving the problems, but with obeying you, and constructively loving others as You direct me.

Thank you that as I bring all the mess and muddle before you – all my various ‘ways’ – so you will direct me clearly, making my path straight and leading me through the trouble according to your purposes. Straight doesn’t mean easy, but it does mean achievable even for me, since You know my weakness and frailty. Keep me from inventing my own paths, and deceiving myself into thinking that my ways are better than Yours! In the precious name of Jesus, I pray these things, Amen.

*quote from ‘Take heart – Daily devotions to deepen your faith’, by David Powlison, published 2022, by New Growth Press.

Do the next thing..

A sinner.. living with sinners

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As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul; how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.

My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon – from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life. 

I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.

(Ps 42)

Do you ever get overwhelmed by the sheer painfulness of living as a sinner among sinners? Of receiving within your own heart and life the impact of the sin of others, and living with the consequences of your own sin? I do, and right now, I am acutely aware of it.

Sometimes, it seems that I am being carried along and can bear with what others do to me, graciously trusting God for good to come from suffering, as the bible teaches it will. But not now, not today. Today I am frantic, desperate, battering myself as a wave against the cliffs, against what feel like unfulfilled promises, and with little appetite for persevering in hope. Although I have no obvious mortal enemies, yet I can fully identify with the psalmist who is crying to God for a clear sense of His presence and protection against all that is assaulting him.

How can I know God’s presence when I am only acutely aware of the ways that I am being hurt by others, not deliberately, only as a result of their own brokenness which should call forth my best forgiving love and compassion – even as my failures call forth the love and forgiveness of my Saviour? My despair and pain feel like a betrayal of God’s goodness, the voice of my accuser whispers, “If you were really mature as a believer, you wouldn’t collapse like this when others hurt you.”

What does the believer do in these circumstances? How may I ask for prayer for myself, and pray for my brothers and sisters as they also may experience this pain?

I take note of the psalmist’s wisdom in pouring the whole sorry mess out before God, who knows all the details and has an more intimate and profound understanding of His child’s reactions, both the healthy and the unhealthy ones. I take note of the wisdom which speaks directly to the frantic and despairing soul, exhorting a holding on, stubborn hope – that same stubbornness with which Jacob wrestled with the angelic visitor, determined not to let go until he had received a blessing. What blessing do I need in the midst of my own midnight wrestling? I need to know the presence of my God, the one whose song over me is of His love and eternal faithfulness

Perhaps it is ok to wrestle with wounds, with weakness and weariness; perhaps this fight itself is a means of blessing, since it drives me straight to the throne of grace for mercy and help in my time of acute need. My beloved Father knows me, and His love will not fail to minister to my wounds – and because He understands exactly how I am made, He alone can touch the places that most need comfort and healing.

Dear Father, your daughter is in a sorry state today, and she cries to you in her distress. Thank you for the relief of tears, for the kindness of friends and their prayers, and thank you above all for your goodness to her in ministering to her deepest need – which is to know your presence and lovingkindness that never fail. Surely, goodness and mercy will follow her and all your children down the days and years until the time of sorrows is forgotten.