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 Friday 14th February:
Acts 7:57-8:3; 9:1-22

Ananias – a small cog in the greater gear-train of the establishment of God’s Church on earth but, as with most systems, the small cogs are equally essential to the functioning of the whole enterprise. Cogs in a system have no power of their own; their job is to transfer a driving force to somewhere where it can have an effect. A small cog spins faster than larger ones and is often hidden behind them but without it the more prominent cogs could not make their own contribution to the final outcome.

How do we feel about being ‘little cogs’? Do we feel that we are working harder than our colleagues yet our effort is achieving very little? Unnoticed? Maybe. Essential? Certainly!

Some have criticised Ananias for questioning God’s instruction but I prefer to think of his response as confirming the vision. Unlike Moses in Monday’s reading when he gave a string of excuses, Ananias’s single question can be seen as an assessment of the situation prior to carrying out the instruction without further procrastination. This act of faith has preserved Ananias’s name throughout church history.

There is a parallel here with our thoughts about Gideon earlier this week. Both Gideon and Ananias took a little time to confirm what they understood as God’s will. Taking time to pause and think is applicable to many aspects of our lives; the Bible has a word for it – “Selah”^[1]. In both cases the short period of confirmation quickly gave way to obedience.

In the wider context of our passage it is easy to overlook the role that Ananias played. In recounting these events later, Paul describes Ananias as “a devout observer of the law and highly respected”^[2]. In other words, he was ready for service. Are we ready to be engaged in God’s grand scheme even though it means being just a small part of the eventual outcome?
 
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[1] “Use Selah to take a pause to think about what the Scripture says” from Christianity.com
[2] Acts 22:12
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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 Thursday 13th February:
John 11:1-44

This passage had a particular poignancy as I anticipated the loss of a sibling in the near future. For us, the sisters’ lament “Lord, if you had been here …” did not apply as we had the assurance that the Lord was present and that He had control of the situation. Now, some weeks later, the circumstances have changed and facing the prospect of death has become a reality for many households worldwide. The Lord has not lost control; he can bring healing but maybe he has a better plan. Jesus allowed Lazarus to die in order that a great good might follow – “many of the Jews … who had seen what Jesus did, believed in him”. Was that just because of the raising of the dead or had the Bethany family already introduced Jesus to their neighbours?

Earlier in the passage we learnt that Jesus placed himself in great danger by going to visit the family in Bethany (v 7 & 8). Does that have a modern parallel? History records many occasions when Christians have reacted positively to adversity, often at great personal cost, demonstrating the love of God even when He seems to be absent. In 1665 the Derbyshire village of Eyam isolated itself completely and successfully prevented the spread of the bubonic plague to other communities.^[1]

In 1527 Martin Luther wrote: “I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. … If my neighbour needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.”^[2]
Those words are still relevant, some 500 years later.
 
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[1] Eyam reference, accessed 24/Apr/2020
[2] Luther reference, accessed 24/Apr/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. Here, we look at the passage suggested for Wednesday 12th February:
Matthew 1:18-2:12

Dreams – that time when you think you are asleep but your mind most definitely is not. Churning through disconnected and often obscure thoughts it constructs scenarios that can be either nightmares that we are pleased to escape from or pleasant stories that finish too soon. In this passage there are two dreams – one personal, one apparently collective; one saying “Do it” and the other saying “Don’t do it”. In yesterday’s passage from Judges, God spoke to Gideon through a dream and later in the week we will see how God spoke to Ananias in a similar way.

Does God still speak through dreams or is it a case of “any dream will do”? Some will argue that God no longer speaks through dreams. Certainly, of themselves, dreams constitute very unreliable guidance. Taking a wider definition of dreams, how do we know which of our plans, ambitions or desires are God-given? Is it a lack of faith if we, like Gideon and Ananias, ask for confirmation? God will not abandon us if we follow the wrong dream, but how do we know His will?

We have an advantage that was not available to those mentioned in our readings; namely the written word of God which reveals His character and records His dealings with His people. Do our ideas conform with what we see in the Bible? Of course we can find verses which, when taken out of context, seem to support our arguments but Proverbs shows us a better way: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” (Prov 16 v3)

The book of 1st Chronicles tells us how God inspired King David to make plans that he was not allowed to implement himself. In handing over to his successor, David advised him to seek the Lord. Therein lies the secret to achieving a favourable outcome.

Remember, the Wise Men came seeking the Lord; wise men still do.
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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 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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