Monthly Archives: November 2025

On being afraid…1

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In the time of Herod.. there was a priest named Zechariah.. he and his wife Elizabeth were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children.. and they were both well on in years.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot.. to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar.. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on .. to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

(Lk 1.5-17, extract)

Is there something that you have been praying about for many years? An abiding ache that just won’t go away, and which over and over again brings you before the Lord in hope and also submission to his will… Many of us will have burdens which, like Zechariah and Elizabeth’s natural desire for a son, have remained heavy upon us. Perhaps, also like them, you have known God’s grace enabling you to bear that burden, hour by hour and day by day, even year by year. Have you ever thought that in that process of regularly coming before the Lord with your wound, your need and desire, you are putting yourself right at the throne of grace and mercy? This position of humble submission and petition before the Almighty is just the right place, the place where we are leaning completely on his promises, his power and his goodness, and laying our own desires in surrender before him, to do as he sees fit.

It is in that growing relationship – the long process of time lived with unanswered prayer which we keep on bringing to God in faith – that we are being shaped by God’s spirit. That very burden which weighs so heavily upon us, is the means by which God is working to create in us the glory of Christ-likeness, as we return again and again in trust and dependence to him. I can speak personally to the truth of this lesson; for many years, it seemed I was praying the same thing over and over again – and that’s the whole point, I was praying!! For many years, it seemed the answer was not resolution of the problem, but abundant and fresh anointings of grace – which I was able to receive because I was sitting at the throne of grace and mercy begging for help.. I learnt so much about prayer, and I believe that those years have seen a real work of God in shaping my thinking and deepening faith.

We can picture Zechariah, faithfully fulfilling his duties, probably not expecting anything out of the ordinary, but prayerful and conscious of the privilege of serving in the temple at this time. And then, suddenly the extraordinary, the outrageous happens, and he is confronted by a divine being, a terrifying outbreak of glory into his normality, one bringing the utterly unexpected word of an answer to years of prayer and surrender.

Is it not beautiful, how the Lord’s messenger immediately and tenderly speaks to reassure this mature and yet terrified man? In all his dealings with us, these words are perhaps a constant undercurrent – ‘do not be afraid’, and why not? Because the one who speaks is the one who knows and loves us, and who has plans to bless and make us fit for glory; who will be with us and keep us through every circumstance until he takes us home. Whether that blessing and sustaining comes through years of living with unanswered prayers; or through miraculous provision and fulfillment of our petitions, yet still we can face the future without fear. We are loved; we are accepted; we are heard and seen with all our unique qualities – and our Almighty God IS working in and through us to build his kingdom and bring glory to his name.

These are words from the prayer of Zechariah, after the miraculous child, John, was born; we can make them ours today as we rejoice with him in our good, faithful, fear-quenching God.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us.. salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.. to rescue us… and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days!

Free indeed….

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For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, ….. sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands.. but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.

(Heb 9.13&14, 24&25)

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

(Rom 1.16&17)

It is hard to explain the liberation which comes to a believer as they grow into an ever fuller understanding of what the gospel has actually achieved for them. For some people, there may be dramatic deliverances from addictions or burdens; for others, the changes will be gradual and almost imperceptible.. but all of us can look back with profound thanksgiving and say with John Newton, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be and by the grace of God I am what I am.” (quoted in The Christian Spectator, vol 3, 1821).

The foundation and motive power of this change is Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Redeemer, and great High Priest. It is as the work of Christ in all its multifaceted beauty is worked into our lives by the indwelling of the Spirit that we see change happening. The gospel has the power to overturn all our prejudices; to break down all our barriers; to pour the cleansing flood of forgiveness and love through all our fractured relationships and transform every aspect of our lives. As we catch glimpses of this power at work – observing with wonder and joy how God is changing us deep within – we are further motivated to cling closer, to ask for deeper healing and enabling, to trust and act more boldly in Jesus’ name.

The once-for-all-ness of Jesus’ sacrifice is particularly powerful to me at this time, as I am learning to live free from the power of shame and guilt. This is what Jesus died to do for me – to deliver me from these twin slave-masters who will render believers powerless to love and live for Christ if they get a chance. But because Jesus’ death was a sufficient once-for-all sacrifice, breaking the power of sin (and guilt and death) over me, then I need not be ashamed anymore of sin when it happens. My Lord delights to remind me, whenever I present myself stained and bruised from another bout with the remnant of sin, that he has paid the price and that I do him honour when I come needing his cleansing, encouraging and the embrace of love to set me back on the path of joyful obedience.

His patience with me will never run out; I need never fear that I have been ‘too much’ for the divine temper – even just writing this makes it clear what a ridiculous notion that is. And yet, for how many years has that twisted notion been simmering away in the background of my mind? How many times have I ended up mired in doubt, wallowing in self-pity and needless gloom, when my Lord is beseeching me to come close without fear and be comforted?

What good cause I have as a believer, to boast in Jesus and in the glorious work which God has done through him for all who will accept it! I want to be so proud of the gospel, of my Jesus, that there is no room for shame anymore. My need of the gospel is in itself another cause to glorify God – and not a cause for shame, but for rejoicing in the abundance of divine provision.

Heavenly Father, how marvellous it is to know the power of your redeeming love in Christ Jesus our Lord; to know it day by day as the very breath and power of life in me. How glorious to recognise the power of that gospel at work in my life, setting me free from guilt and shame so that I run to you in my every need, with the childlike confidence which comes from being loved and accepted absolutely.

O let my life continue to be shaped by your patient and loving care; let me be more and more preoccupied with the beauty and power of Jesus, more proud of my Saviour and eager to share him with those around me, so that shame and guilt never again exert any hold over my mind and heart. For his name’s sake, Amen.

Doing God’s will..

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“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work…”

(Jn 4.34)

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.”

(Jn 12.23-26)

Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.

(Lk 18.31)

Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

(1Cor 15.58)

Then they asked [Jesus], “What must we do to do the works that God requires? Jesus answered, “The work of God is this; to believe in the one he has sent.”

(Jn 6.28-29)

All four gospel narratives clearly reveal a man on a mission: Jesus knew from his early years that he had a particular task to fulfill, and when he finally embarked upon his earthly ministry, he spoke again and again of his ‘work’. We see that this work was to announce the kingdom of God, and ultimately to suffer, die and rise again in order to inaugurate that kingdom and defeat the evil power which until then had held all humankind in bondage.

Within this context however, we also see a man whose days appear to drift by with little structure, and who was continually responding to ‘interruptions’ and unforseen circumstances. How do we reconcile this with the idea of doing God’s work? Perhaps the answer lies in a different understanding of what it is to live for God in this world? Jesus knew exactly who he was, and why he was here. Jesus identity was secure and his purpose inflexible, and he knew that God would fulfill that purpose in his (God’s) good time. Within that overarching direction however, there was a sense of freedom and an expectation that each day would bring exactly what God planned across Jesus’ path. What looked to his disciples like unfortunate distractions and delays were met in Jesus with a peaceful, focussed attention – he believed that God was working in all the circumstances, and was ready to be used in any way that his Father ordained.

Is this not a liberating principle that we can also apply to our lives? As followers of Jesus, the Way, we look to his example and direction for our lives. We see that God has an overarching purpose for us – to believe in the one whom God has sent, that is, Jesus – and we trust that his power within is sufficient to enable us to do that until we are taken home and made new. Within that purpose, each of us has different callings at different seasons of life – a job, a family, a hobby which uses God’s gifting to us and celebrates his goodness – and in each of these, we must believe in Jesus. That is, we must live in those situations and activities as redeemed sinners, with an overflowing abundance of love to share in God’s name for people who need to hear it. ‘Belief’ which does not affect how we live is not belief, it is only a theory or casual notion which we can ignore when it suits us. If we claim to believe in the one whom God sent, and yet will not bear witness by our words and deeds, by the way we use our resources, and the choices we make, then we do not believe in the way Christ calls us to.

I am excited to think that my life as a believer is not a matter of rigid scheduling of ‘religious’ activities, but is a pattern woven by my Father according to his purposes, where he asks for my yielding, my desire to be attuned to his promptings, my availability to be ‘interrupted’ and to recognise in the smallest event some sign that God is at work and asking me to share it.

Heavenly Father, thank you that while you ask me to be prudent and to steward the hours and days, the strength and resources you give me, yet you also call me to hold all my schemes and plans lightly, recognising your authority over my life, and your place as the great weaver by whose skill your kingdom is being built and all things are working together for your plans. Today I release my life afresh into your keeping and for your directing. Let me meet what you send with the strength you will supply, and with glad confidence that you are working through all that comes. In the name of Jesus, who showed me what this looks like, Amen.

Praying in a broken world

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“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets.. Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame.. the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favour on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see.. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

(Dan 9.4-7,14,17-19)

I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.. While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth.. “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”

Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

(Dan 10.8-12, 15-19)

I have greatly appreciated recent studies in the book of Daniel, the faithful-in-exile, who served pagan rulers with integrity and always maintained an intimate and obedient relationship with the Almighty God, the Lord of his people Israel. Daniel models so much for us in our own day and age, and even though in the later chapters the book is full of strange visions, yet we can still learn much from them. Above all, we learn that the books of history are open before our God, and nothing takes him by surprise. It is made clear that while this broken world endures, there will be human conflict, evil will continue to manifest itself in many ways and suffering will be widespread. And yet, over and over again, Daniel is shown the final unveiling and prevailing of the eternal kingdom of which he – and we as followers of Jesus – is a member. God wins, and as his precious children, we are already secure in that victory.

Daniel also models how we should be praying for ourselves and others according to God’s word and will; how in the midst of turmoil, we bring our concerns to the Almighty and ask him to do what he has promised – to reveal himself, to extend mercy to sinners through Jesus, to make a people for himself, and ultimately, to reveal his eternal glory. God’s people are called to pray God’s word; recognising God’s sovereignty and submitting with grace and trust to his will but also claiming his promises. We pray not out of our own righteousness, but because God IS always righteous, and can be depended upon in every situation to be good, holy, and true.

It is easy for us to enter into Daniel’s experience of overwhelming distress as we contemplate the mess of our world, and the judgement which humanity is bringing upon itself. Daniel’s visions often shattered him for prolonged periods of time, and it is wonderful to read of the compassion and strength which is extended by the divine messenger to this faithful but traumatised servant. Three times, words of encouragement, tenderness and compassion are spoken over him; three times, he is touched by the divine hand. This speaks deeply to me of my heavenly Father’s concern that the cosmic scale of this battle should not be something which I seek to enter or understand in my own strength. It is the Lord who is waging war against his enemy, a defeated but vengeful, vicious and utterly unscrupulous foe. I can be honest in sharing my fear, helplessness, confusion and distress – God’s compassionate response never fails, and I find peace as I recognise that the Almighty has all in his hand, including me!

Heavenly Father, thank you that you meet my distress with compassion and raise me up to stand in your presence as you speak words of encouragement, wisdom and direction. Thank you that the future of this world is in your hands, and that my task is to follow Daniel’s example: Let me go my way, with your help, until the end of my days – the way you have alloted to me. Let me rest in your faithfulness, not my own understanding or strength. Thank you that, at the end of the days, I will rise with all your saints to receive the inheritance you have prepared for us. Thank you for Jesus, through whom alone all this is done, and to his name be glory, Amen.

On being reminded of one’s weakness..

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“You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theatre, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to it..”

(Matt 5.48-6.2)

Something relatively trivial happened today, a long-awaited plan to meet a friend fell through due to an error on my part in naming the date. She had arranged her diary to accommodate me on one day, but I was hoping to see her the next day… Two disappointed people, and one with every good reason to be irritated at the other! And my reaction to the discovery that it was my error gave me pause to reflect… Why was I so upset? My friend has (I think) forgiven me and we will manage a short meeting, but I am left with a rather sick feeling and discomfort. I realised that it is because I am rather proud of myself as a friend – as the one who keeps appointments, makes a lot of effort to maintain relationships – and this episode has undermined that good opinion! I have been gently and clearly reminded that I am mortal, frail and as prone to error as my neighbour – there are no grounds for pride here, only gratitude for the kindness and friendship of others who are willing to forgive me.

This small event has also served as a reminder of the larger and more important relationship in my life – with Jesus my Lord, and my Heavenly Father, with whom I live by the Spirit at work in me. I need to guard against the temptation to think well of myself as a believer, to remember that of myself, I could do nothing towards my salvation and that I am utterly dependent on my Father’s love and the Son’s atoning death in order to receive the kindness and forgiveness which I need. I will never deserve God’s goodness, in the same way that I do not deserve the kindness of my friends. But I am so grateful for both!

Some of Jesus’ harshest words were for those who were proud of their spiritual habits, performance and status, whose self-worth derived in large part from being known for their public piety, generosity and diligent attendance at synagogue or temple. Believers are just as vulnerable to this trap, whereby the devil twists what are actually good habits into becoming a source of false pride. When we like to be thought of by others as somehow extra-specially holy, biblically knowledgeable, or prayerful, then we are trapped into performance and base our worth on actions instead of on Christ’s sacrificial death for us.

I am brought back over and over again to the truth that it is only in God’s naming of us as his beloved, redeemed children that we find our significance and self-worth. When I begin to value the opinion of others (and my own opinion of myself), then I am drifting away from my only security, which is in Christ. I want to be kept prayerfully aware of my own weakness in this regard; to keep asking to be cleansed by the Spirit from all false pride in myself and filled instead with gratitude for what I have been made by Christ, and am being enabled daily to do by the Spirit. If there is any pride, then it should be in my Saviour, by whose blood I am bought, and whose life in me is the source of all that is good.

This reliance upon Christ alone also releases me from excessive reaction to my own ongoing weakness. My friend knows my heart and has forgiven me – I am not less in her eyes because of my error. How much more does Jesus know my heart, and forgive my errors! I need not spiral down into self-condemnation after making mistakes, but instead rejoice that my value as a person in God’s sight is unchanged! His hold on me is as firm and tenderly secure as it will ever be, and my experiences of failure or error simply make his love and faithfulness to me even more precious and life-giving. I truly rest in him, I give over the burdens and accept in return the weighty gift of grace.