Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 04/Sep/2022]

A 90 year old lady was brought into the Emergency Department. She had sustained a laceration of her forearm and a young friend had brought her in. As the local anaesthetic was administered, the elderly lady screamed and groaned. Her friend winced. It was all she could do to hold back the tears. She clearly cared deeply about her confused, elderly friend.

In a little while, the anaesthetic was working and then after inserting a couple of sutures, with the patient now oblivious to the discomfort, the doctor shook his head and pondered about the fact that the pain she had experienced earlier which seemed unbearable, was actually for her own good, so that the more important business of suturing the laceration could be carried out efficiently and painlessly.

So many are the times when transient suffering precedes success and happiness, and often we have acted precipitately, blaming God for the pain, rather than allowing ourselves to think through it and wait to see what the Lord will yet bring to pass in our lives.

Andrae Crouch, the renowned Gospel singer in his song ‘Through it all’, says “If I’d never had a problem, I’d never have known that God could solve them”. The chorus of the song is:

Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learnt to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His word.

May the good Lord grant us the patience to trust Him when He says as he did to the prophet Ezekiel, that ‘dry bones may yet live’.

Martin reminded us during the service on Sunday about God’s words to Joshua as he was about to lead the Israelites into the promised land,

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1 v9 [NIVUK]

Take these thoughts with you into the week ahead. Remember that whatever the situation you find yourself in, you won’t be alone. God will be with you.

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
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[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during September 2022]

If we learn anything at all from history it is that we don’t learn anything from history. These words, ascribed to Georg Hegel, the 18th century German philosopher, came to me with renewed emphasis recently.

I have been rereading Mihai Sebastian’s “Journal”, a book I first read some twenty years ago. Mihai Sebastian was the pen-name of a Romanian lawyer, teacher and writer who moved in the high society of the time and was friends with royalty. His journal consists of irregular daily observations made during the years leading up to and during the second world war; he describes the breakdown of the established order and the rise of anti-Semitism, which affected him personally.
Consider this extract:

In keeping with their familiar practice, the Russians are attacking in the south now that their offensive has slowed somewhat in the centre and north. They will push here as strongly and as fast as they can.^[1]

Those words were actually written in August 1944 but they could have come from one of today’s news broadcasts. Similarly, the front-line cities that the writer mentions – Kiev, Smolensk, Kharkov, Krivoi Rog, Sevastopol, Mariupol^[2] – are ones which have again become embroiled in the current war in Ukraine.

Initially the Russian forces were greeted as liberators, repelling the Nazi forces that had attacked much of eastern Europe. It is ironic that, today, Russian forces trying to do the same thing are regarded as aggressors.

Much of the Old Testament recounts how the history of the people of Israel also repeated itself. Time after time, the nation digressed from God’s plans, they were conquered and disciplined, then restored and blessed. Then the cycle repeated. We might ask, “Why did they not learn?”

When we look back over our own lives, are there not occasions when we might ask the same questions of ourselves. Have we learnt anything from sub-optimal decisions and unfortunate relationships? Perhaps one of the more disconcerting aspects of such an exercise is the sheer number of occasions when we ought to have done better. How can we be confident about the future when our past reveals such short-comings?

The New Testament offers hope; not just the assurance that evil will one day be conquered but also that we as individuals can be forgiven, restored and blessed. Can you echo the words that Edward Mote penned in 1834?

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name

[1] Mihail Sebastian, ‘Journal 1935-44’ (pp. 459-460).
[2] RoAF-AN is currently providing accommodation for evacuees from some of these cities.

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 28/Aug/2022]

A scripture passage struck me this morning:
In John 8:36 Jesus promises ‘If the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free‘. Free FROM what? Reading the whole chapter, it’s clear that Jesus is talking about freedom from SIN. And in Galatians 5:1 Paul talks about being free from JEWISH LAWS AND CEREMONIES.

Now we may ask, ‘How is that relevant to me? I’ve never been concerned about those old things!‘ I think the rest of that chapter shows me that relying on my own efforts to improve the way I live in order to earn the Father’s acceptance is futile and sinful. All it does it put me back in chains!

But haven’t we heard all that thousands of times? What are you getting at, Dennis? What I’m saying is that, in my personal experience, I’ve still to really grasp all that. I live under a persistent, vague sense of failure – of not being good enough.

I wish I could report, give testimony to, a recent revelation – a breakthrough! But I can’t. All I can say is that I’m convinced that what Jesus promises is available. And that bringing my condition before Him and being open with my closest friends is the only way I can see of finding the kind of freedom He has purchased for me.

Feel free to share your experience with me whenever you think it might be helpful.
Dennis Ginter

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2022]

Recently, Jeremy Clarkson of TV fame was boasting about what he had achieved despite not having done at all well in his school exams. In his own unique style he was trying to encourage those whose end of school exam results had not gone to plan, arguing that it is possible to recover from such disappointment. I can concur with that point of view since my own results were, arguably, only marginally better than his.

I do not know whether Mr Clarkson was ever threatened with ‘six of the best’ – a punishing experience for those miscreants whose behaviour warranted a persuasive form of correction. It seems that the opening verse of Psalm 6 might have been an appropriate cry for clemency:

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Psalm 6 v 1-3 [NIVUK]

This psalm is ascribed to David. We are used to David’s psalms being songs of praise and confidence even when he has gone astray and is expressing his repentance but this one speaks of unrelieved agony. Can we identify with David’s situation?

In 1 Kings chapter 19 we read that the great prophet Elijah had similar feelings. After the triumph of the conquest of Baal at Mount Carmel, he was now fleeing for his life. He was on his own, he could see no future, there was no point in going on.

There are times when, even in the most disciplined of lives, we find ourselves in times of trouble. For us, it may not be physical suffering; a sense of failure can be just as stressful. We can attempt to run away from our problems, but that offers only short-term relief. We are tempted to echo Jeremiah’s words: “Is any suffering like my suffering?”^[1]

Eventually David recognised that relief would come:

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. Ibid, v 9

David, Elijah and Jeremiah found relief when they focussed on God more than on their problems. That’s all very well for them but what does that offer for us? We each have access to God as individuals but we do not have to suffer as individuals. We are members of a Christian community where it is likely that someone else has had the same experiences, someone who can show us that a setback in one area can be God’s way of refining our plans.

Jeremiah may be known as the weeping prophet but he carried a message of encouragement too:

For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29 v11 [AMP]

[1] Lamentations 1 v12

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2022]

In the 1960s TV series, ‘The Prisoner’, Patrick McGoohan played the title role; a former British secret agent who knew too much to be allowed his liberty. He was forcibly removed to a secure location where he became known simply as a number. The successive episodes of the series showed his efforts to regain his liberty and his name, and to be rid of the number. His mantra of “I am not a number, I am a free man” remained untrue on both counts.

In contemporary western society we have all become numbers; our names are just a convenient way of cataloguing our numeric identities. Even in everyday conversation, ‘who’ you are has been superseded by ‘what’ you are. Your name is less important than your status, function or achievements. By contrast, in the Jewish society of Biblical times the records of your family – their names and family links – were part of your heritage. A ‘black sheep’ could blot the family name for generations; a glorious ancestor brought recognition and honour.

Sooner or later, those of us who read the Bible diligently or preach systematically are going to encounter a list of names. Do we regard those passages as fertile ground that deserves further study or do we prefer to skip ahead to the ‘important’ bits?

Nehemiah chapter 3 is a list of names – it records in some detail how each portion of the new wall of Jerusalem was built, which household took responsibility for each section and it gives them eternal credit for their efforts. It also reveals that there were some who declined to get their hands dirty.

Amongst the most familiar lists of names in the Bible are those in the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke. These writers set out the lineage of Jesus in order to verify his claim to be the Messiah. There are gems in these genealogies but there are also those who will be known throughout history simply as someone else’s father. Nevertheless, each one is essential to God’s plan for salvation.

Recently I heard a sermon based on the closing verses of Romans chapter 16. For those who cannot immediately recall the passage it is primarily a list of names; names of people with whom the apostle Paul had worked or names of those that he wanted to greet. Some of them are people that we know a little bit about, for others we can only speculate but all of them have their names recorded for posterity.

In the penultimate chapter of the book of Revelation, the writer John described the new Jerusalem, the city where God will dwell with his people. After describing the glories of the city he adds a warning:

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21 v27 [NIVUK]

We will not get our names in the Bible but we can get them written in the book of life.

[1]

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 21/Aug/2022]

How amazing it is that we have such a loving heavenly Father who can take us as we are but loves us too much to leave us like that.

It was so interesting to listen to Martin talking about how he messed up in his twenties^[1] but found the strength to go forward, leaving the past behind him. Jesus took all our messed up mess on the cross, we all know that, it’s been preached many times from the front.

I was asking Jesus, is there any area in my life I have not yet surrendered to Him, is Jesus Lord of every part of my life, even the bits that nobody sees.

It’s sometimes like having a very tidy house but when you open the cupboards everyone can see the mess. Jesus loves to take our mess, sort it out and put it back so we are not ashamed to show any one the inner recesses of our lives. I need to write down every aspect of my life giving it all to Him and watch to see what He will.

He makes all things beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3 v11

Every blessing,

[1] HBC sermon, 14/Aug/2022

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.