Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

These thoughts have been inspired by the Prayer and Fasting meditations that members of Horley Baptist Church considered during February 2020. Here, we look at the passage suggested for Tuesday 11th Feb:
Judges 7:1-25

Yesterday’s reading mentioned Moses’s father-in-law Jethro as a priest of Midian. Today’s reading tells of a battle between the Israelites and the Midianites. Who or what was Midian? Who or what is our contemporary equivalent of Midian? Midian was one of the sons of Abraham, by his third wife Keturah; most likely one of those who were given gifts and sent away so that the focus of the family would remain with Isaac. As a tribe they became neighbours of the Israelites, co-operating on some things but often hostile as in the time of Gideon. How do our neighbours relate to us?

But to return to the main story. The Israelites had turned their back on God and He had allowed the Midianites to oppress them. Now it was time to restore Israel, and Gideon was God’s man of the moment.
Unlike Moses, whose arguments were aimed at avoiding God’s will, Gideon’s questions are intended to confirm that calling. In fact, he spent longer in checking beforehand than he did in actually completing the task. Is there a lesson there, or are do we prefer to ask God to lend His support to the plans that we have already made?

By following God’s instructions Gideon and his team achieved a miraculous victory over their enemies and the Israelites subsequently enjoyed a period of peace for 40 years. However, the following chapter records that Gideon did not maintain his close relationship with God and we see the nation once again turning away from the worship of the Lord. Walking with God is not a walk in the park; are you ready for a walk on the wild side?

Gideon was not perfect but he did receive a mention in the list of the faithful in Hebrews chapter 11 and it is difficult to think of a better epitaph than that.
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These thoughts have been inspired by the Prayer and Fasting meditations that members of Horley Baptist Church considered during February 2020. Here, we look at the passage suggested for Monday 10th Feb:
Exodus 3:1-4:17

In this passage, Moses engages in a lengthy argument with God, attempting to persuade God to give the challenge of liberating the Israelites to someone else. At one point in the discussion Moses is struck with leprosy. The Biblical word for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. Those suffering with it were forced into isolation, separated from social activities and risked premature death. Do you remember the scene from the film ‘Ben Hur’ which showed the horrific impact on family life and the despair felt by those who were afflicted? Social standing was no defence, as this passage from 2 Chronicles 26 shows:
King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the Lord.
Does all this sound familiar? COVID19 is clinically very different but the impact on our lives certainly is very similar.

Moses had that experience of leprosy as a sign from God – did he remember that event when his sister Miriam also was struck with leprosy? One source[1] has suggested that Moses used his experience to encourage Miriam, describing it as a demonstration of God’s power not only to discipline but also to heal and restore.

The Bible contains many stories of involving those who were sick but Luke 4 v27 reminds us that not all were healed. We cannot assume that being a member of God’s family on earth gives us immunity from the troubles that surround us but we can echo David’s words with confidence:
Yea, 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.
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[1] Wendy Zierler, https://www.thetorah.com/article/re-encountering-miriam, Accessed 12/Feb/2020.

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These thoughts have been inspired by the Prayer and Fasting meditations that members of Horley Baptist Church considered during February 2020. Beginning with Moses – which is itself a reminder of the Lord’s discussions with his followers on the road to Emmaus – we read through passages in the books of Exodus, Judges, Matthew, John and Acts.
This week’s Bible passages:
– Day 2: … Exodus 3:1-4:17
– Day 3: … Judges 7:1-25
– Day 4: … Matthew 1:18-2:12
– Day 5: … John 11:1-44
– Day 6: … Acts 7:57-8:3; 9:1-22

The original purpose of the Prayer and Fasting sessions was to help us to seek God’s will regarding the problem of inadequate capacity for the congregation during our worship services. That problem has been overtaken by circumstances in a way that nobody expected. Does that mean that the exercise was futile?

By no means! For those of us who were able to follow through the study programme, the process of reading and meditating on God’s word has brought us closer to Him. Reading God’s work has been likened to looking at a collection of diamonds lying on a dark cloth – every time you look you can see a different facet, the more you look the more marvellous the jewels become. Some jewels may be ready to adorn a king’s crown; others may require more work to reveal their full value.

God’s jewels are not limited to the actual words of Scripture. Malachi chapter 3 is often quoted as a rebuke to those who have neglected the worship of God but consider these words from the end of that chapter:
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord listened and heard them so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”
– (Malachi 3, 16-17 NKJV)
Do you recognise yourself as one of God’s jewels?

So much for the preamble – what about the jewels in the study passages? Space constraints mean that they must follow later but in the meantime you can explore the facets in the passage quoted above.
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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 19/Apr/2020]

When I think back to the last item I wrote for Yours, it was all about being thankful, during the ensuing time there have been so many changes in or lives, the world even.

Who would have thought that we would not be meeting for our Easter service and around the world churches would be closed? Yet there are indeed things still to be thankful for. We have amazing technology and a skilled congregation that we can still connect and see and worship together despite our physical separation.

As the pandemic still rages and live are lost it can be a fearful time, worrying about health, loved ones, work or finances. However, as a believer of Jesus we can overcome that fear and worry with faith and prayer. God still loves us and wants to hear our prayers and worship during this time. It was not his desire that we would suffer, but because of that first sin His plan had to change and through Jesus’ sacrifice we have been given hope. Hope of better things to come, but before then we will be tested like the gold that needs refining. Are we seeing the growing pains of faith? Of minds turning, I pray it is so.

I heard a story this week, that resonated during this time and will try to do it justice. A man relayed a dream he had been having. Two dogs were fighting, there was no let up they were locked in battle with one another. One dog was good and named faith, the other was bad and named fear. This dream kept reoccurring, so he shared this dream with his friend, who asked, “which one wins?”, to which he replied “the one I feed”. Therefore, at this unprecedented time of lockdown, where fear and uncertainty can cloud our minds, we need to flood out those fears with faith, with daily worship and prayers, to be thankful for all we have – the NHS, homes, provisions, faith , to name but a few.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you will give us faith and growing confidence in you and your love and healing. I pray that you will watch over those I love and those working to save lives and stock shelves. Those who run the country and the services we depend on. I pray for those fighting the virus and those who have lost family and friends. Lord I pray that you will keep us strong in love for you and our neighbour. Help me and all of us to extend kindness and grace. I pray Lord, that you will restore this world and forgive us where we have put material things before you. Heal this land father, heal our hearts and heal our minds, help us in faith and love.
Amen.

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[Modified transcript of a midweek message published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube^[1], April 2020]

When the cracks start to show in my life, can I find peace?

I don’t know how you are coping with social isolation. We have now reached the three week mark and maybe you thought “yeah, we can do this; yeah, three weeks not too bad” and maybe you launched into it with some degree of enthusiasm.

^01:03 I don’t know about you but the cracks are starting to show. Perhaps you’re homeschooling and started off with such gusto but you’ve got a run dry of inspiration. Maybe there’s only so many times you can deep clean the kitchen. Perhaps your garden is pretty much sorted for the time being. You start to feel dry. You start to feel as if the cracks are showing, not just in your day-to-day living but in your relationships as well, maybe even with your relationship with God. It’s not that the cracks weren’t there before, it’s just that busyness and variety of life managed to plaster over those cracks. They managed to sustain us even though maybe our relationships weren’t as good as they could be.

^02:21 “Be still and know that I am God” – that’s what the psalmist says in Psalm 46. He reminds the followers of God that God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore do not fear even if everything around you is falling apart, even if chaos is at your door. Do not fear because God is in control and as verse 10 towards the end of the psalm says “Be still and know that I am God”.

^03:36 For the psalmist the answer was to be still, but you can say “that’s a stupid idea, I mean being still is what’s got me in this trouble in the first place. Being still it what’s giving me time to think and to dwell on the wrong things.” Maybe that’s the answer – it’s the wrong things. The psalmist has asked us to “Be still and to know that I am God”; to be still and know that God is in control, to be still and know that God is our help, to be still and know that God will be exalted in all this, to be still and know that God has a plan, to be still and know that God is with you.

[1] YouTube link: Can I Find Peace?
Bible references: Psalm 46 v10
Music: ‘Be Still and Know’ played by Phil Gwilt on the cello.

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[This Reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 12/Apr/2020]

An online dictionary defines pestilence as “any epidemic outbreak of a deadly and highly infectious disease” and this would be an apt description of the COVID19 virus that is currently disrupting our lives. The scale of the present outbreak may be unprecedented but the concept was familiar to the writer of Psalm 91:

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. (v3)

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. (v 5, 6)

Does this mean that the Lord’s people are immune to the troubles that surround us? No, we may be citizens of another place but we are still sojourning here and we are subject to the perils and restrictions that apply to those around us. We are called to be salt and light or, as Neil recently put it, bright dots amongst the dull ones.

How we act in times of difficulty can have a positive influence on those around us. Are we ready with words of encouragement for those who feel that they cannot cope? Is there some practical way in which we can show God’s love to our neighbours? How we behave now will not only be a witness in times of trouble but will also be remembered when whatever passes for normality returns.

How do we keep our own spirits up when we are obliged to act as hermits? Many of us now have much more time on our hands – time to read God’s word more diligently and to share the gems that we find. Others will be working more intensely and will miss the support of their family of believers. The psalmist offers hope:

Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. (v 14, 15)
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