The power of words(and music!)

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Let earth and heaven combine, angels and men agree, to praise in songs divine, the incarnate deity, our God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man.

He laid his glory by, took form in mortal clay; unseen by human eye, the hidden Godhead lay; infant of days He here became, and bore the mild Immanuel’s name.

He deigns in flesh to appear, widest extremes to join; to bring our vileness near, and make us all divine; and we the life of God shall know, for God is manifest below.

Made perfect by his love, and sanctified by grace, we shall from earth remove, and see His glorious face; then shall His love be fully showed, and we shall be complete in God.

(C Wesley 1707-88)

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High… The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God..”

(Lk 1.30,31&35)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church, he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fulness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.

(Col 1.15-20)

Like many others, the music associated with this season of Advent and the celebration of Jesus’ birth is very precious to me. There are hymns which I have sung all my life, and cherish dearly; there are choral pieces which move me deeply, and there are the seasonal pop songs which have accompanied the festive season for most of my adult life.. Music speaks to us on such a deep level, and yet it is worth pondering the words that go along with the tunes (perhaps not so much for the pop songs though!).

The  hymn with which I began today is not commonly sung at carol services, and you probably won’t hear it on the radio during this month. It has no catchy chorus, or soaring descant and there are no animals, shepherds or wise men – Mary and Joseph make no appearance. BUT it is absolutely all about the incarnation, and the revolutionary mission of our Lord. The writer, Charles Wesley has gifted the church many great hymns, and like them, this  text of this one is incredibly rich. One website lists 32 scripture references across the six verses of this hymn. I am reminded that we can help ourselves so much to learn, understand and grow in faith by singing and meditating on the words of songs and hymns: words which are themselves the product of long pondering by saints – long ago and today. Together, these old and new songs speak nourishing truth, writing the realities of faith across our memories and minds in melodic ink, so that it stays there!

This particular hymn points to the many aspects of the work and glory of Christ; to the marvellous mystery of his mission and his victorious achievement; and to the  fulfilment of God’s plans for redemption. It reminds us of the many passages throughout scripture which reflect truths about God’s Messiah, and which leave us slightly reeling, and aware that we haven’t begun to comprehend the breadth, depth and height of the love of our God!

I am looking forward to singing the Christmas songs again, to listening to the choirs and letting the beauty and power of their art lift my spirit in praise and thanks to the Author of all good things, and above all the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the architect of the great plan of salvation. I hope that as I sing, I will let the words fall fresh on my heart and mind, so that they bless me as they have done before and I am brought to worship before the incarnate infititude, the tiny enormity of God, contracted to a span.. incomprehensibly made man.

Remember, remember.. and give thanks

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Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided; urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way; sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided; Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.

Lord, for our world, when we disown and doubt him, loveless in strength and comfortless in pain; hungry and helpless, lost indeed without him; Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.

Lord, for ourselves, in living power remake us – self on the cross and Christ upon the throne, past put behind us, for the future take us, Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.

(T. Dudley-Smith, 1926-)

O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief… I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 

(Ps 143.1,5&6,8-10)

At the end of November 2023, my husband and I set off to travel to Lausanne, Switzerland, where he would be taking care of the (then vacant) Church of Scotland congregation during December. It was three months since we had left Gairloch, we had both been ill with COVID, and the autumn had been long and wet. We had no idea whether there was a long-term future for us in ministry, but meantime, we had five weeks in a comfortable flat in a beautiful city and the freedom to explore a new country. God was holding us, giving us grace not to look to the future (not too often anyway), and to appreciate the gifts which came each day.

As I look back to that time from this vantage point, 12 months later, I am quite simply brought to my knees in worship and thanksgiving. Our faithful, loving and wise Father kept us, enriched and blessed us until we were ready to hear from another congregation; until my husband’s weariness had been at least partly refreshed, and his sense of call to ministry reaffirmed by those weeks of serving in Switzerland.

We had watched the sun rise over Europe from the deck of the ferry, wondering what lay beyond that horizon; what lay beyond this brief season of caretaker ministry? I don’t think I doubted that God would provide for us, but how I struggled with waiting, with ignorance, with not being in control! And now as I remember, I give thanks for the daily provision of patience, beauty, and ultimately God’s good timing and the events which have brought us to ministry in Inverness.

God has provided good works for us to do for him here; He has given us a church family to belong to and a community to serve; He has given us fresh opportunities to use who we are and what He has given us all to His glory. How can we not be filled with gladness and gratitude?!

And so, as this year draws to a close and we face 2025 with all the pain, uncertainty and darkness which is abroad in the world, and which impacts our lives in so many ways, I have a choice. Will I remember how faithfully God has kept his promises, has provided, guided and inspired? Will I trust more fully this time, as He asks me to step into an unknown future? Can I sing with the hymn writer, and pray with the psalmist – leaving the past behind, and committing myself in childlike trust to a future path which God chooses and into which his Spirit will guide me?

Father, when she remembers your faithfulness, your child is ashamed of her lack of trust, and her fretfulness. You are trustworthy, you are good, you are patient and careful, and do all things well. Your world needs to hear about Jesus, and you have appointed your children to share the work of proclaiming his saving work; we who know him and can testify to his love and the transforming power of your spirit at work. May I, together with all your people, remember your faithfulness to your promises and be renewed in hope, in love and in faith. May we live with quiet confidence in you, and commit ourselves fully to Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.

Mind expanding..!

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning….In him was life, and that life was the light of men…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.. From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

(Jn 1.1&2,4,14&16)

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

(Heb 1.1-4)

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God… For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

(2 Cor 4.4&6)

Don’t you love it when the words on the page seem to jump out at you? When God sets off a firework display in your mind as you read and reflect on what the inspired authors have recorded for us, and can almost feel your brain creaking as it is faced all over again with the sheer enormity of The Almighty Triune God!

I have begun to read the book known as the letter to the Hebrews recently, and in the very first verses of the first chapter, was brought up short: take another look at that passage and just read it slowly to yourself. In a few phrases, the teacher has condensed the gospel, the creation narrative – everything that really matters – and reeled it off as though it were the simplest set of ideas in the world. I love it when the bible does this, crediting me with abilities which I do not possess, to comprehend the incomprehensible and grasp the impenetrable. Why do I love it? Because I am brought to my knees afresh in worship, in humble adoration of my Lord and the Almighty Father by whose will all things are.

Passages like the three which are quoted above are so rich in material for meditation and as prompts to further study as we tease out the connections which they are making, the multitude of echoes raised across the narrative of God’s dealings with his people and the great, revolutionary work of Jesus.  These passages also help us to consider Jesus, focussing on his person, his work and his perfection as God’s appointed one. And it is as we reflect, as we ponder and let these wonderful concepts and pictures enrich our understanding, that our faith is strengthened, and our love for Jesus is deepened.

That’s the wonderful thing about God’s word to us, in the bible and ultimately in the person of Jesus himself, it isn’t just words… It changes us, shapes our minds, transforms our values, and is always fresh with encouragement, challenge and rebuke. We can read it all our lives, and never cease to wonder, to be moved in prayer, confession and repentance, adoration and praise. How right it is to think of God’s word as food, as the crucial nourishment which we need for living; without this food, we starve in ignorance and perish in despair. This food strengthens us and directs us, always providing new things to wrestle with and to train us in living for and with our Saviour.

I don’t need to understand in order to be blessed; I rejoice in the ways that God’s word to me continually shows me my limitations and His endless power, majesty, holiness and love. He is utterly beyond my comprehension, and what a relief that is! In Jesus, we see all that we need to know in order to surrender ourselves in loving dependence and trust to this Heavenly Father – because Jesus IS ‘the exact imprint” and the “radiance of the glory” of God.

Almighty and everlasting God, I worship and praise you today, because I – as your creature – may know you as Father because of your son, my Saviour Jesus. My mind is so small, but I delight to consider him, and to let myself be lost in wonder at his majesty, and his saving work. Let me always be hungry for your word, and ready to have my mind expanded by your glory! For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

We are family…

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While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

(Matt 12.46-50)

The elder [John], to the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth – and not I only, but also all who know the truth – because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love…. the children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

(2 Jn 1-6&13)

As I reflect on the week which is passing, I am aware of three very different situations where I have been deeply blessed by and aware of my faith family. I have written before about the riches which we have as believers, belonging to the family of God, where all find love, acceptance and significance – and I rejoice today in these recent reminders of what I have been given – and can give – within that family.

I was in a sore state of mind, bewildered and troubled, and shared my need with trusted sisters. One spoke with me, others sent messages, songs and assurance of prayer.. and the storm passed, I was eased and comforted, and give thanks for these women, with whom I share so deeply and to such effect. Their wisdom, love and kindness is God’s care for me in troubled days – what a blessing!

I attended a local mission prayer meeting for the first time, and met a dear and venerable saint of 94 years, a frail widower, but inspiring in his faith and perseverance; in his desire to love the Lord and to witness to his community and pray for the growth of the kingdom worldwide. This man knew my parents and my home church, I attended university with his daughter, and our meeting brought a rich feast of memories, connections, reasons for rejoicing. I was full of thanksgiving for the privilege of being known by him, of mattering to him for the sake of my parents whom he loved. These fathers and mothers in our faith family, these darling elders who are already more than halfway to glory are such a blessing to us, like the heroes and heroines of faith named in the book of Hebrews. And his gentleness and love brought me almost to tears… what an example of how to grow old in Christ!

And last night, we were able for the first time to offer hospitality in our home to members of our new congregation.. people who six months ago were strangers are now friends, people who have a right to share our joys and sorrows, even as we know theirs… because we are family, we belong together. This is what it means to love, to belong to the house of God, being the children whom his Son saved and gladly owns as his brothers and sisters.

Today then, I give thanks for the heritage of faith – for family connections down the years through my parent’s faithfulness and hospitality in their church; for the riches of growing up in a praying, mission minded family of faith, surrounded by  parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, children and grandchildren of faith. I give thanks for the kids and young adults who once camped with us, and are now believing parents in turn sending their children to camp. I love and cherish these elders, contemporaries of my parents now modelling faithful ageing and trust in the Lord in face of death. What a shared wealth of memories of fellowship and teaching, what an incredible family we belong to! These bonds which transcend time create a family tie which nothing can break, and establish each and every believer in a world wide, generation-crossing love, a foretaste of glory and the life to come, when age and death will no longer divide us.

It’s not too late…

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Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did..”

(Ps 95.6-9)

“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit…. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

(Jn 3.3-6&16)

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.

(Heb 4.1&2)

We live in a culture which is obsessed with youth, and with preserving it at whatever cost in terms of investment of time, energy and money. To become old is to fail, to disappear from public consciousness, to let others down by acknowledging human mortality and the inevitability of death. I am very aware that now I am white haired, I have become largely invisible, having joined the undistinguished mass of ‘old’ people, who are not relevant to a culture devoted to denying ageing.

This is not God’s plan for us, not his way of looking at us, and he certainly does not write people off after they reach a certain age – Moses and Abraham, Simeon and Anna, Samuel, John on Patmos – all of these served God and powerfully witnessed to him in their later years. The bible speaks of the dignity which comes with age – to have many years is to have received God’s blessing, and to be an asset to one’s community. Is this something which our churches today need to remember too? It is right that we seek to reach young people – children, teenagers, young adults – but not at the expense of respecting and valuing our middle-aged, and older communities!

Age is neither a barrier to faith, nor to active, joyful and fruitful service in God’s kingdom. While it may be true that age brings a settled pattern of thinking, an apparent resistance to the gospel, we need not give up hope since we have a God who is powerful to save, and whose Spirit is at work in lives all around us to stir up a hunger for the only true Bread, the living water. The need for forgiveness, for peace and deliverance from guilt; the desire to have hope as we face infirmity and death – these things do not diminish as we get older, but grow stronger! This means that as we love and reach out to the older members of our communities we have good reason to be confident. We have good news for them, for their circumstances.

Heavenly Father, we pray today for your children in our communities who are older, perhaps feeling invisible and unwanted; perhaps feeling that they have got life sorted! We pray for the work of your Spirit in their lives to stir up hunger for more, for hope, for assurance in the face of death. We pray against the indifference which comes with years; against the defences which were put up after some historic event which hurt them or put them off church; we pray against lethargy and against the fear that it is too late to find salvation.

Help us, as your light and witness in our communities, to demonstrate the love of Christ – to respect and cherish each and every one; to offer hope in his name and to speak of the power of your Spirit to transform. May those of us who are already aware of being older not give up serving you with gladness, but rather grow in confidence since we can look back on the years and see your goodness to us. Make us fruitful in the kingdom, and may we reach out to our peers, bringing them to meet our beloved and beautiful Lord that they might find life, hope and peace. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

It’s not much to offer….

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When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke – like sheep without a shepherd they were. He went right to work, teaching them.

When his disciples thought this had gone on long enough … they interrupted: “We are a long way out in the country, and it’s very late. Pronounce a benediction and send these folks off so they can get some supper.” Jesus said, “You do it. Fix supper for them.” They replied, “Are you serious? You want us to go spend a fortune on food for their supper?”

But he was quite serious. “How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory.” That didn’t take long. “Five”, they said, “Plus two fish.” Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred – they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass! He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish. They all ate their fill… More than five thousand were at the supper.

(Mk 6.34-44, Message paraphrase)

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. 

(1Cor 3.5-7)

It takes different abilities and gifts to make a good team, and each character brings their own strengths and weaknesses – for example, I am the kind of person who sees potential drawbacks and challenges, opting every time for the safer course; while others are focused on the vision or goal, and their energy helps to drive things forward.

As believers in church families, we each operate in our own ways and fulfil particular functions. It is ok to not be like others, to be the hesitant, cautious one; or to be the visionary, the big-picture thinker. The difference is that we are already in the victorious team, and it is the Almighty God who brings fruit from our labours – even if they seem woefully inadequate. Without him we achieve nothing that has kingdom value, and with him, all things are possible!

As a church family called to be the light of God and love of Christ in a particular community, we may feel that – even as a team – we do not have the right resources for that situation. But, if we accept the truth that it is for God to do the work, we are set free from brooding over what we don’t have, and called to joyfully embrace and generously offer what we do have for his use!

The disciples looked at the crowd, and saw the scale of the challenge, and their own lack of resources. Jesus asked what they DID have, took it, blessed and multiplied it by his power, to the glory of God and the blessing of the community. The lesson is very plain, and the only question is whether we will trust God to do again what he has done in the past – bringing fruit from the labours and offering of his servants? It might not be the fruit we expect; are we willing to let the results of our labours be what God ordains?

All the resources we posses – our very life itself – are God’s gifts to us, and as believers, we return them to him in worship and love, asking that they be used in his service. He gives some gifts and withholds others – it is for us to accept that and not to fret or covet what others have. Each in their own place has a task and a calling, not that we might boast in ourselves, but rather that as we offer them to Jesus, we might boast in what he does with them. Who am I, to say that what I have is too small to be of any use?! Such an attitude denies the glory of miraculous multiplication, it demonstrates a total lack of faith and a perverse pride in being wiser than our maker..

Heavenly Father, I worship you as the source of all good things, and most of all, the author of our salvation through Jesus. I thank you for the gifts and opportunities of my life, and offer them up to you – small though they may seem to me – to use as you desire. Deliver me from the negative thinking which sees only what I don’t have; and inspire me by your Spirit to see what has been provided by you for this time and place. 

Take and use me and mine, as you will. Let me boast only in your miraculous multiplying power as I see the kingdom growing, and deliver me from envy of those whose gifts and abilities seem more exciting and fruitful than my own! For your glory, and our blessing, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

When it’s rough…

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Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures for ever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore… Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart..

(Ps 125.1,2&4)

Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy; those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

(Ps 126.4-6)

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for while they sleep he provides for those he loves.

(Ps 127.1-2)

May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you live to see your children’s children – peace be on Israel.

(Ps 128.5&6)

“A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping. Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more…”

(Jer 31.15& Matt 2.18)

As God’s creation, a woman, I know that I am made in his image – I reflect his nature and character in spite of the many ways in which sin has blighted and contorted that image. My experiences as a woman, as a mother, sister, and daughter are places where I gain insight into the nature of God. Many of my emotions are prompts, by which I am moved to pray according to God’s will for the situations around me. My mother-heart is a pale reflection of the passionate, powerful love which God has for his children – and as such, I believe that my pain is also an insight into what it costs for the Almighty to watch his children suffer, to be rejected by them, to know that their choices will cost them dearly. A father will know the pain perhaps in a different way, and that too is a reflection of our great God in his unfathomable richness and depth. I speak only for myself..

And sometimes, I am Rachel… weeping and lamenting for losses which seem unbearable. I have believing friends whose children are astray from the faith in which they were raised, seemingly immune to the love of Christ and resolute in resisting the Spirit. I have believing friends who have lost adult children and young grandchildren to illness and death, who daily have to choose to keep going in the face of unimaginable grief. I have believing friends whose believing children are facing huge challenges and who are struggling to find courage to persevere.

What do God’s believing people do when their lives are assaulted by such storms – when their lives become the storm and there is no hope of relief or abatement? In these circumstances, the blessings which the psalms call down on the heads of God’s faithful people ring hollow, and we resent their apparently easy assumption that faith brings prosperity in health, family and inheritance. In these circumstances, we return to Job on his ash heap; we sit with him and silently acknowledge that God is sovereign, his ways beyond finding out and that we are but dust before him. We follow the psalmist in lamentation for the very real grief and pain, threat and danger which we are seeing and experiencing. And then we follow the psalmist in preaching to himself, in deliberately choosing to consider the God who has revealed himself to us.

We see a covenant-keeping, self-sacrificing, patient, gracious, merciful, generous, powerful and all-knowing Lord. We see Love written large in the words of the prophets, in the ministry of Jesus and ultimately across the Cross itself. We see reason to hope, when the darkest and bleakest day in history becomes the moment when light triumphs completely and for ever over death, sin and evil. If we cannot find a refuge here, then we are truly astray without any guide in a cold and hostile wilderness, and life has no more purpose or reason to be prolonged.

So let us cling on my friends, because the Cross happened, the Resurrection is true. We have a saviour who knows what it is to be human, and what grief and despair can do to us. We have a God who knows that we are frail, and who invites – no, who begs – that we continue to come to him in all our troubles, for ourselves and for others. He promises, not that it will all suddenly become easy, but that He will NEVER leave us to bear it alone.

O Lord, the mystery of your divine purposes mean that we often fall bewildered and grieving in your presence, unable to understand or bear the pain of life, and struggling to hold on to your promises. When those we love are oppressed – by pain, bereavement, unemployment, illness, and despair – we pray for your deliverance and are disappointed if those prayers appear unanswered. It is not simple.. in so many grievous situations where your believing children suffer, we are overwhelmed by the pain and your ways seem utterly obscured. O Lord, you know our frame and what we can bear – spare us, strengthen us, protect our faith and keep us clinging to you when the waves mount high. Truly, we have no hope apart from you! In Jesus’ precious name, we cry to you.. 

  • Image courtesy of Neil Urquhart – with sincere thanks!

A season of fruitfulness…?

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Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on it they meditate day and night. They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers.

(Ps 1.1-3)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

(Gal 5.22-26)

Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

(Rom 5.1-5)

As a perfectionist by nature, and one who is preoccupied in any situation of choice by the need to find the ‘right thing’ to do, I do not find it easy to accept my own faults and failings, nor to ‘bear with’ myself, in the prospect of a life which must inevitably be dogged by mistakes until the Lord chooses to take me home! It was therefore very good to be reminded by a friend that the fruit of God’s indwelling of us by his spirit is as natural as that apple trees should bear apples, and chestnut trees, chestnuts.. it just happens!! And what marvellous fruit it is too, how delicious, satisfying, nourishing and generous in the blessing it brings.

The idea, which is expressed beautifully in the opening of the Psalter, is also picked up by Isaiah, in his closing words to the Lord’s people, as he promises that the Lord’s anointed one, the Servant, the Priest King, will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and bring comfort, justice and rejoicing to all who trust in him. The Lord’s people will be “called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour”(Isa 61.3)

It isn’t necessary to push the picture much further to see just how deeply reassuring it is to trust these words of our God, to accept that they are true and can be relied upon as a right way of understanding how he works in us. The point is that it is HIS work, not ours. A tree does not choose where it is planted, it simply puts out roots and takes in the nourishment available, responding to the climate and exposure around it and growing accordingly. We are assured by scripture that those who love the Lord and are loved by him are never carelessly planted, there is always purpose and care and intention for a glorious outcome which will display God’s splendour.

I am made in God’s image, and re-created by faith in the image of Jesus as the Spirit dwells within me and I am made new. I am formed for fruitfulness, and although I may experience traumas, droughts and storms, yet the Lord will take care that His work in me through these things is for his glory and my blessing. I can rest and focus on remaining close to him, on remaining trustful, and accepting what He decrees should come to me. As I do so, as I walk by the Spirit through the path laid before me, so the Lord is working to bring forth fruit – whether I am aware of it or not!

Each unique believer will bear the same Spirit’s fruit; and that fruit will be their own particular expression of the Spirit’s work, testifying to God’s faithfulness and power, and also blessing both the individual believer, but also the community within which they exist. Patience for me may not look the same as it does for others, but it will be God’s fruit in my life, the result of his work in the particular character and circumstances which He has appointed to me.

I don’t mind whether I bear apples, pears, hard nuts or soft peaches… only make me fruitful Lord, and help me to trust that work of your Spirit in me and not to fret or strive as if the work depended upon me! 

The precious gift of contentment

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The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” So they will put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them.”

(Num6.22-27)

Make your face shine on your servant and teach me your decrees.. I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord, and I will obey your decrees. I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.. Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws. Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law. Yet you are near, Lord, and all your commands are true.

(Ps 119.135,145-147,149-151)

The past weeks and months have seen great upheavals in my life, and it has been a season of change, challenge and distress; of grieving for the loss of many good things, even as I strove to give thanks that I had enjoyed them for a time. The Lord has been patient, faithful and so kind to me. Through bible reading, by the simple passage of time, through the ministry of many friends – in prayer and in person – I am come to a more spacious place and there is a deep sense of freedom and acceptance, for which I give profound thanks! There has been assurance from many different places, that I am not being called to a new labour, but rather to continue simply being present for new people in a new place – being available to listen, to share, to welcome and to walk with others. I am the home-maker, the garden-tender, and those are not ministries to be despised. I have time, God’s gift to me each day, to be available for others and to make good things to share with them. What a wonderful calling!

So this week as I write, I simply want to celebrate the ways that God cares for us, his children, and to acknowledge the trustworthiness of his word for us.

You, O Lord, are the source of all good things. You made us to receive your blessings, and we are those who bear your name – what an honour and privilege, what a responsibility to bear it well! Your word shapes us – that is one of your blessings to us – and it shows us who you are, and what you are like, it shows us Jesus. What riches are ours in this word! This Jesus brings us into a relationship with you, and because of him, you are transforming us, preparing us for eternal life in your presence. Truly, we live in the warmth of your smile and are blessed.

You are near to us, O Lord, and you hear and answer us. We never speak to deafness or indifference, but as your children are heard and cherished. How marvellous to know your comforting presence and attentive ear. Thank you for your power at work in us, to renew, re-create, comfort, correct and guide. Because you dwell within us, we are being made into the likeness of Jesus, made both willing and able to be and to do what you desire. Your word tells me that you have set your covenant love upon me – therefore I will trust your word, and live as one beloved of the Most High, secure and fearless in the world.

Thank you my Father, for the peace and contentment which is your gift to me in these days, as you help me to make this new place my home and the location of my ministry in your kingdom. Thank you for reminding me in so many ways, that I have nothing to prove, no one to compete against, and that my place and calling do not need to earn anyone’s approval – except yours. Let me be content then, to enjoy all the good things you give me in such a way that I bless your people and glorify my Father in heaven; sharing the love of Jesus and praising you for the encouragement of those around me. O Father, may I bear your name well, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

The way of faithfulness…

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But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

(Rom 8.25-28)

I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law.

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.

(Ps 119. 25-32)

As I was reading Psalm 119 this morning, that phrase, “I have chosen the way of faithfulness” jumped out at me. For all our human weakness and frailty, our vacillating desires and wavering commitment, those who follow Jesus will affirm again and again that this is their choice – to be faithful to the Lord whose faithfulness to us is without limit and has powerfully delivered us from death to life. We long to live according to his word, that he might be glorified in and through us, and that others may join his kingdom of freedom, love and peace. No matter what storms may sweep through our lives, this remains our desire – to walk in the way of faithfulness and not to give up!

I have spoken recently with friends who are facing very challenging seasons, having been laid aside through illness and prolonged medical treatments, they seem to be in some kind of limbo. Their lives have changed out of all recognition and they must live from day to day, not planning far ahead and fighting to remain joyful and peaceful in the strange paths which now they tread. It is perfectly natural that their spirits should be low, and their energy drained so that every day can be an effort to overcome weariness.  The psalmist speaks from such a place of suffering, and his response is to cling fast to truth and to God’s word as it reveals the divine character; calling on the Lord to do for him what is needed, because the whole situation is plain before God. God can bring life from death; can give strength to the weak and understanding and revelation to the confused and despairing.

In such situations, we can find it hard to pray, but again, we have here a guide – to put into our own words an account of our situation and to speak to our Father about our need and desire to remain faithful to Him in the midst of it. Paul assures us that in those situations, we have the power of the Holy Spirit ministering within us and interceding for us before God. It doesn’t matter if we are baffled, so long as we come to the throne room of our Father with our confusion and ask his aid. The Spirit knows God’s heart and plans, and can speak for us.

It is indeed ‘wonderful’ , in the sense of being quite baffling to our minds, that God should be working out his good purposes through our trials, and yet we believe that this is so. The whole of scripture testifies to the providential power of the Almighty to turn darkness into light and suffering into triumph, and always according to his great plan for salvation and the establishment of his kingdom.

Dear loving Father, I pray today for all those who feel that they are wasting time by being ill; who miss their former way of life and wonder what this season of illness is for. May they tell you their story, coming in the trusting attitude of children to the one whom they know can help, and whose motives are for their good.

In this season, Lord bless your servants who have chosen the way of faithfulness, and show them Your faithfulness! Reveal to them opportunities to serve and glorify you in the path which they now walk; enrich them with new delight in your word and understanding of your ways; give them joys in the smallest and simplest pleasures and daily love-gifts from your treasury, each chosen to touch them particularly since you know them so well. Honour their daily choice to walk in faith, and bring them peace. For your glory and their blessing I pray, Amen.