Comfort

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During my lifetime I’ve been the recipient of so much comfort. When I was bereaved, ill or in trouble there were always human friends and acquaintances by my side. This was besides the heavenly help I received. God was always by my side encouraging, leading and guiding.

Now I am in a different position, I am not in the state of bereavement, illness or loneliness; but others are. It is now my time to be there for the bereaved, sick or lonely. A close neighbour has been widowed only this week. Although she is a non-believer so I could give her Christian encouragement, I can still sit or listen if she wants to talk. Another neighbour is ill, not seriously, but still needing encouragement and company. Yet another neighbour needs her shopping done, as I am quite mobile and they are not. I prayer that I can be the hands and feet of Christ.

Psalm 88

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This psalm is really interesting being one of the most dismal with hardly a ray of light. v 4 ‘I am counted among those who go down to the pit.’ v 5 ‘like the slain who lie in the grave,’ v 14 ‘Why, O Lord, do you reject me.’ Pretty grim stuff and when we have troubles in our lives we can feel like that. We have days when everything seems to go wrong and then a really big problem comes along on top of everything else. We read the book of Job ‘Yet man is born to trouble as surely as the sparks fly upwards.

But that is definitely not the whole story. We have a God who cares, His past faithfulness proves that to us. There are rays of light in the direst of situations. God will either give us answers to our problems or equip us with strength to cope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Prayer will sustain us meanwhile. God is always on our case.

Exercise

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I’ve joined a class for sitting exercise. We remain seated on chairs but exercise all parts of our body. I’m hoping it will strengthen the muscles in my back and make me a little round-shouldered. (though having fractured a few vertebra that is probably unlikely) If I exercise well I might also lose a little weight off my hips. At the end of 55 minutes I’m quite exhausted but they say no gain without pain.

I wonder do I exercise my spiritual muscles by praying and reading my Bible? Like physical exercise it takes determination and regular habits. I’m not telling you that I pray for 55 minutes but I do spend time with God listening to Him and reading His word. I feel enriched by time spent like this. God loves me and enjoys having communion with me. What a thought that is!

Put God First

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This sounds so easy and it is my intention to always give God my priority. As some of my regular readers will know I’ve just moved house and the list of extremely urgent jobs was growing. I was advised that I couldn’t do everything at once but the jobs that had to be done immediately were definitely more than the hours in the day. My time with God was being squeezed out. The doctor said i was suffering from stress as every part of my body was in pain.

Then I stopped emotionally, physically and mentally. I made opportunity to spend time with God first thing every morning.; it was a non-negotiable priority. In a miraculous way I got through my jobs quicker and more efficiently. My to-do list became shorter and I was less stressed. I pray that as things get easier, I will continue to keep God at the top of my list of tasks. May I enjoy my time listening and speaking to my Friend and Creator.

12 Baskets

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We are so familiar with the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand that we can sometimes overlook the wonder of it all. Imagine 5,000 people in our local football stadium, all tired, weary and hungry. I am surprised that only one young lad had his lunch with him. Imagine the pride of his mother when she realised that her humble lunch was so wonderfully used by our Lord.

I was also interested in the twelve baskets of remnants of food. These represented one basket for each disciple . I wonder what they did with theirs. Did they eat some of the food, or leave it out for the lepers, or distribute it to the needy in the nearby villages?

We have all been given a basket. It is wrong to say we have no talents, God has given something to each one of us. What are we doing with ours. Do we hoard them and selfishly keep them to ourselves? Or do we share them with others? We need to give account of our talents.

Children

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I love the way that so often children don’t notice differences. They don’t seem to be influenced by the colour of their friend’s skin. They fully accept a child in a wheelchair or one who runs with a limp. When I watch them playing in the street or at church each child appears to be included in the activities.

But I’m not starry eyed; this happy situation is not always the case. In a playground I sometimes see a child who is excluded. Children form into groups where some of the youngsters are not welcome. These groups can sometimes become gangs in later life where to be part of the group the child has to conform. I wonder how much of their behaviour learn from the adults.

Sadly my mind goes back to my childhood to when I was about 9 or 10. My group was being unkind to one little girl. I wasn’t the leader but I took a verbal part. Now many years later I say sorry to God, I can’t say the kind words to that little girl who I now imagine is a mature woman. I can only pray that she has gone on to have a happy fulfilled life. God has forgiven me but I still remember.

Manna

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On the journey to the Promised Land, the Israelites were for ever moaning that there was no meat and bread that they had been used to in Egypt. So God answered their need; He sent manna from heaven. This is supposed to resemble coriander seed. It was not what they had been expecting, but it was probably better for them than the Egyptian food. As they were travelling the rich meats and strongly seasoned foods would not have been kind to their stomachs.

God answered the Israelites prayer His own way. Daily He supplied their needs, even arranging that they did not have to gather on the Sabbath, but that there would be double on the preceding day. This answer was not what they were expecting but it was God’s answer to their prayers.

How often we find the same. The answers that God gives us to our prayers are completely different to what we think will happen. Sometimes we gasp, ‘Why didn’t I think of that? But then were’re not God. God has complete oversight and control of everything. He knows the problems from every point of view. Out all-seeing God knows what is best for us.

Writing to God.

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Having been rather busy lately and overwhelmed with jobs reminded me of a time a while ago when I was suffering from stres, which gave me several painful symptoms. My O.T. came to visit and she came up with various coping regimes. One was that i could write down my thoughts on paper. Music to my ears; I’m a writer and a Christian so I told her that every day I write my prayers to God.

I didn’t even think about what I’d said or realise that I was witnessing. It all seemed so natural. She seemed interested and asked if I kept my notebooks and looked back on what I’d written. I said no I didn’t back, I was always looking forward. Later I wondered why I didn’t tick off answered prayers. I know that God always answers prayer but that often the answer is wait. I don’t want to go along ticking off my prayers. I know they are in safe hands. My loving God will answer as He sees fit and meanwhile I will continue writing to Him.

Blessed are the Peacemakers.

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I wonder what a peacemaker looks like. I don’t think Jesus was referring to the politicians. I believe it is a job for individuals. Nor is it likely to be a passive role. Peacemakers need to be seen to be active. Is it easier to be a peacemaker these days than it was in the time of Jesus? Could it considered to be a role for weak people?

Peacemakers need to be seen. They will not always be popular; some people thrive on diversity and conflict. Peacemakers are considered to ‘pour oil on troubled waters.’ They need to speak out against injustice and to make their opinions heard. There will seldom be indications that our peaceful roles will be brought into play. Often there will be little warning. A situation will suddenly arise and we will need to be ready.

So Jesus said that the peacemakers would be called the children of God. Again, what will that look?

Hunger

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What a judgement on us all that there is so much hunger and poverty in this world. I can’t quote figures as they vary (but each figure is a beloved person) but so many people die of starvation with large numbers of these being children as they have less resistance to infection. Besides facing persecution churches are also suffering from malnutrition and lack of food. I can hardly bear to type these words as it seems to dreadful.

Now hunger and poverty is hitting our own country, even working families are having to use food banks. Schools are providing meals for needy families and supermarkets have boxes where we can place donations. I don’t understand politically how we have got in this situation.

Physical hunger and thirst aren’t out only need. Remember the woman at the well to whom Jesus said ‘I give you everlasting water so that you will never thirst again. Jesus also said as noted in John 6:35 ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.’