One Step

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‘Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.’ Psalm 119:105

dI notice that in this verse God is providing a lamp for my feet, not a beam that lights up everything. With the lamp not everything is illuminated. With this light of God we will only be able to see a few steps ahead. This means because we can’t see far into the future, we have to trust Him. The future will be veiled but this also means we can’t see the troubles and worries ahead.

The old hymn by John Parker puts it so well

‘God holds the key to all unknown and I am glad.

If other hands should hold the key or if He trusted it to me,

I might be sad.

Then we are comforted with this thought ‘For, what I cannot, He can see and in His care I safe shall be.’ We are grateful that He kindly veils the future. Living under God’s grace day by day we will grow.

Weak Roots

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The trees had to come down to make way for a new road. This is always sad but it was necessary because of the ever increasing population and greater volume of traffic. The felled trees had been around for decades and their strength provided protection for the weaker trees behind them.

These trees had always been protected from the harsh weather and high winds and had not grown strong with deep roots. This meant that when they were exposed and the storms came, they were uprooted and fell. It reminded me of the house built on the sand which collapsed when the floods came. The weak trees which were then exposed to the elements had little strength of their own , because they had never needed it.

The same principle applies to people. If they have never been exposed to difficult lives, they are not prepared when times get difficult. That might be why sometimes God does not give us what we want when we ask. He has to do more preparation in our lives. We are inexperienced and need to be toughened up. The Bible tells us that ‘man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards.’ We trust God to prepare us for the trouble at the right time.

Prayer and Service

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In James 2:26 we read, ‘faith without works is dead.’

Have we ever been guilty of saying ‘I’ll pray for you’ and then forgetting to do so.? It’s easily done but then when we forget to pray for that person is like breaking a promise to God. We know the importance of prayer, we know it’s power. But a promise is a promise; it should never be broken.

Every Monday evening I pray for a work when my church feeds the homeless and those with addictions. If I fail to pray on Monday the guests and leaders would never know but I would know and God would know. This is a work that the church has been doing for over ten years and it has been built up and prospered by prayer. But prayer alone doesn’t help our visitors. It is equally important for the work to be done. It involves those who buy and prepare the food, those who prepare the rooms, those who wait on the guests, those who give a talk, witness or provide the music. It also involves those who wash up and tidy up.

If the work is done without the prayer it is merely being a do-gooder. Christ requires both from us.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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This book by C. S. Lewis is so well known and often quoted. But I wonder how many people, myself included, have ever read it. I realised this was an omission in my reading life and am now rectifying that. It has been said by Lewis’s critics that it wasn’t written as a Christian book but as I read I find it is very insightful into our Christian life through the lives of the four children.

Edmund portrays our waywardness and wilfulness by his addiction to Turkish Delight, we don’t want to let go of our sin. Referring to the girls as Daughters of Eve and the boys as Sons of Adam reminds us of our origins. There is a lovely play on words with reference to Spar Oom and War Drobe. The Snow Queen with her ability to produce snow so that it ‘is always winter but never Christmas.’ is another aspect. Aslan is our Saviour, dying for our sin, though I haven’t got to that part yet. And one by one the children come to love and trust Aslan.

I have seen the film but the book needs to be read as well. I have many exciting hours ahead of me. I have also read the Screwtape Letters but I’m sure there are many more books by Lewis that I could enjoy.

I Am

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Our church young people had a great week camping in the middle of their summer holidays. It was a period away from home making new friends, learning more about the Lord and surviving a severe storm on the first day. Their theme for the week had been the great ‘I AM’s of the Bible, each day taking a different attribute of Jesus. As always seems to happen on the next Sunday a few of them were asked to tell the church about their week and what they had learned. The youngsters were so nervous when standing in front of the church and not sure how to answer the questions put to them.

Between them they mentioned quite a few I Am’s so there wasn’t much to add when it came to the last young girl. Hesitantly she answered, ‘I Am ……..er Everything.’ It raised a smile, but what a great deal of truth in what she said. God is everything and anything to us. Just look at all the names for Him in the Bible, He is a Guide to those who are lost, a Comforter to those who need comfort, a Teacher to those who need teaching. There is no need we have can have that Jesus doesn’t answer. God doesn’t treat us all alike, we are individuals and our needs are individual. The young girl got right, I AM your everything.

Unknown Witnessing

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My friend Marge told me of a time when with her family she lived in Nottingham. Every Sunday evening she and her husband would invite round all the young people of the church. They would have a sing song and then listen to a message. If they were anything like the young people in my church, they made a lot of noise. Madge became worried that they were disturbing the neighbours, so she went round to them to apologise for the noise. The neighbours told her that there was no problem, so they carried on as usual.

Many years later it was time for Madge and her family to move. In saying goodbye, the neighbours gave them some astounding news. Every Sunday evening they had kept their windows open so they could hear the singing and even more importantly listen to the message. After all this time they said they were now Christians because of what they heard.

Just imagine! no heavy witnessing, no preaching to them, no specific prayers. Over the years Madge and her family had been showing the light of Christ, thinking they were acting for the young people but they were also witnessing to their neighbours. God indeed moves in mysterious ways.

On His Shoulders

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It must be wonderful to be a small child and be lifted up on your father’s shoulders. Instead of being only knee-high to everyone else , suddenly you can see over everyone’s heads. You can see even more than your dad. I always have my heart in my mouth when I see this but obviously the child is very safe as the dad holds on tight and so does the child. I’ve never done it so I wouldn’t know and I don’t remember my father doing it.

It reminds me of a young lad carrying his injured brother. When someone asked if his load was heavy, he replied, ‘He ‘ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.’

God is our Father and Brother, with Him we are completely safe. We are not a heavy load to Him. With Him there is no fear of falling. Not only are we safe with Him, He will also guide us and direct us. On His shoulders we will be able to see the world more clearly and know how to act. To us He is closer then a brother.

I Can’t Stay There

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As we know keeping sheep in Biblical times was very different from how we do shepherding in our own country. In Palestine the shepherd would live with his sheep. By day he would lead them out, go out before them and then find good pasture land for them. By night he would gather them into the sheepfold and actually lay in front of the gate to keep out the many predators.

Although the sheep were safe in the sheepfold they couldn’t stay there for ever. There would not have been enough food there for every sheep. Their legs would become weak through lack of exercise. Their four little legs needed to be used. It was necessary for the dangers of the outside world to be experienced for their own mental health.

We are like those sheep with those same needs to go out and face the dangers of the world We cannot stay in our churches, monasteries or places of safety. Although some of us are called to a cloistered existence, most of us need to be out in the hurly burly of the world. To be effective we need to rub shoulders with the world. We need to be aware of wickedness, wars and waywardness. By the strength given to us by the Lord we can resist evil . How can we be a light to the world unless we see the darkness? At the right time may we leave the sheepfold and be led and guided by our Shepherd.

The Right Hands

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‘I will uphold you with My righteous hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

‘For I am the Lord, your God who takes of your right hand.’ Isaiah 41:13

We often read in the Bible of God being beside us and urging us not to fear. There are pictures and paintings of God walking beside us, protecting us and keeping our enemies from us. Here in Isaiah we notice two images of God’s presence. In verse 10 we read that God is using His right hand to hold us and then in verse 13 we see that God will take told of Our right hand.

As I picture this scene I realise that with our right hands together God must be facing us and looking into our faces. What an extremely strong image, God is looking at me and you face to face. What does He see? Does He see my fear an indecision, does He see my cowardice and faltering ways?

His look into my face can transform me. Instead of fear, indecision and faltering there can be boldness and determination. I can even dare to ask that something of this radience can be transferred on to my face. that I may shine for Him.

‘May the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All His compassion and purity.’

Darkness versus Light

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‘Even the darkness will not be darkness to You.’ Psalm 139:13.

There is no hiding from God, even those who don’t believe in Him are fully exposed to His light. He throws a spotlight on our lives and nothing is hidden. Yet what a blessing it is from God that He allows a period of darkness. Our human state couldn’t cope with light all the time. Even those who have to work during the night are allowed a period of rest. But there is no darkness with God. To God darkness is light. He has night vision, with nothing hidden from Him. This also a warning to us that He sees right into our souls.

I have read that the people of North Korea are taught that Kim Jon-un can read their minds, so they mustn’t even think badly about him and his government. Kim Jong-un is actually powerless compared with our God, who does know our thoughts and everything about us. God sees the injustices of the world, He sees the broken-hearted, nothing is hidden from Him. ‘Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I hide from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there, if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.’ Psalm 139:7-8