Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during February 2021]

Last week I went on a goose chase. Not a wild goose chase but a rather more domestic one; the intention was to exchange our dominant male with one from another family in order to encourage a fresh blood line in each flock. We went beyond the end of the asphalt, beyond the end of the village, beyond the end of the unsurfaced road, even beyond the end of the visible road and, like good king Wenceslas, we left our tracks in the drifting snow.

Fortunately, I had with me someone who knew how to handle geese but also knew where we were going. I was reminded that “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow”. Are you following in His footsteps or is your faith on cruise control?

The Bible makes no mention of geese but it does have a lot to say about the wilderness:
» The wilderness is a place of trouble and testing; it is often associated with failure and punishment:

The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone. [Numbers 32:13 NIVUK]

» The wilderness is a place of restitution. In Leviticus 16 we see how the scapegoat was to be taken into the wilderness, bearing the sins of the people, but at least its chances of survival were slightly better than those of the other goat, which had already been sacrificed.
 
» The wilderness is a place for life-changing experiences. Jacob dreamt of a ladder in the wilderness and his name was changed. Moses came across a burning bush in the wilderness and his life’s work was changed. The Ethiopian court treasurer encountered the apostle Philip whilst travelling on the wilderness road between Jerusalem and Gaza and his country was changed. The establishment of Christianity in Ethiopia started with that meeting.
 
» The wilderness is a place for refuge and refreshment.

David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. [1 Samuel 23:14]

David subsequently moved to the oasis of En-gedi where there was a spring of fresh water and established agriculture. Once again, Saul’s attempts to find him were thwarted.
 
» The wilderness is also a place of training. It can be a great place for social distancing, for clearing our heads, for concentrating on those things which are important. John the Baptist, the apostle Paul and Jesus himself all spent time in the wilderness as part of their preparations for their respective ministries.
 
To a lesser or greater extent, we all have wilderness experiences. How do we look back on them? It is up to us to decide whether they have negative or positive outcomes. The song-writer Laura Story posed the question:

What if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

Paul put a similar question to the Christians in Rome: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
You can read his answer in Romans ch 8 v 38-39.

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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 February 2021]

Psychologists tell us that one of the biggest fears that most people have is that of being rejected or excluded involuntarily. We can feel various degrees of rejection: minor events such as a cat that rebuffs your attempts to be friends ranging to more serious situations such as solitary confinement in a nursing home. No less real is perceived rejection when we think that we are being rejected but the rejector is unaware of any problem.

Rejection is not just a passive sentiment, where we are on the receiving end. It can be due to an action or inaction on our part. There might be some valid reason for rejecting something but there is also the danger of falling into the subconscious habit of rejecting some people without due consideration.

Rejection can have a more sinister counterpart in the form of resentment. In the early years of the 20th century a young artist in Vienna was rejected by the largely Jewish art community of the time. The artist’s name was Adolf Hitler and the resentment that he felt had far reaching consequences for the whole world. It was with good reason that Paul wrote “do not let the sun go down while you are still angry“.

Have you ever tried to talk about your faith or explain the way of salvation, only to have it rejected out of hand? It can be uncomfortable but if you have delivered the message faithfully and to the best of your ability then you are not responsible for the reaction of the hearer. It might help if you remember that they are rejecting the message, not necessarily the messenger.

Rejection of their message was a frequent experience for many of the Old Testament prophets. Time after time we read that the kings of Israel rejected their advice and did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the nation suffered. This verse sums up what happened:

But they kept mocking the messengers of God and despising His words and scoffing at His prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy or healing. [2 Chronicles 36 v16 AMP]

The prophet Jonah was, perhaps, an exception in that he wanted to reject the people to whom he was sent; when they responded to his message he grew so resentful that he wanted to die. Then the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?” Maybe there are times when it would appropriate to ask ourselves the same question.

So, are you feeling rejected? You are in good company! Take the time to reflect on these familiar words from Isaiah:

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. … But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
[Isaiah 53 v3,5 NIVUK]

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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, 14/Feb/2021]

Things feel pretty strange at the moment, don’t they?

Unsettling … uncertain … or perhaps a bit boring and ‘flat’?

Maybe you’re doing fine & things feel okay, or maybe life feels quite a struggle. In these unprecedented times you might even feel all of the above throughout the course of a single day. I know I have! It’s like being on a boat at sea, riding the waves -one minute on the crest of a swell, clinging on with white knuckles, and then suddenly in the trough at the bottom, where it’s quiet and calm. Difficult to know your port from your starboard …

Such a picture reminds me of the song ‘Will your anchor hold’ by Priscilla Jayne Owens (1882), based on a verse in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews which tells us:

“we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” [Hebrews 6 v9]

Or, as Owens puts it “an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows (large waves) roll”.

The hope that Paul is talking about is the assurance that comes through Jesus who has secured our relationship with God through his life, death and resurrection. Paul likens this hope to an anchor for our souls. A ship’s anchor holds it firm, stopping it from drifting. We can therefore be totally secure in Jesus who holds us and loves us unconditionally, completely, endlessly. Whatever happens we can count on Him. Jesus is our Rock [1 Samuel 2 v2] and Cornerstone [Isaiah 28 v16].

This week as I’ve reflected on this song and the passage it refers to, I’ve had to consider again what or who is my anchor, especially “in the storms of life” when “the cables strain”. It’s easy to drift ‘off course’ & become disconnected. Do I look to Jesus and His promises or have I tended to look to my own (flawed) inner resources, others, busy-ness and distractions such as the Internet or TV in the belief they will give me stability and security?

Praise God that there is no need to condemn ourselves or any of our feelings. We can be encouraged by the certainty that Jesus loves us, oh how He loves us – unconditionally, completely, endlessly. He is the perfect example of love and He is oh so patient. We are grounded in Him because of who He is rather than who we are. We just need to trust in Him. He will never let us go.

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[This mid-week devotional reflection was prepared for Horley Baptist Church, February 2021]

How was Valentine’s Day for you? Are you dripping with diamonds, resplendent with roses or simply choked with chocolate? More likely, it was just an ordinary day, another easily-forgotten step in the interminable search for a new normality.

Who was this Valentine guy anyway? The most credible records suggest that he was a Christian priest during the third century. He was caught marrying Christian couples illegally and otherwise assisting Christians who were being persecuted at that time. In due course, like the apostle Paul, he was brought before the Roman Emperor, to whom he witnessed to his faith in Jesus. In this case the emperor was Claudius II who ultimately ordered his execution on this date in 269. The practice of sending cards was allegedly inspired by the martyr’s last note, sent to a young lady and signed ‘from your Valentine’.

Paul also wrote extensively about love, both whilst in prison and whilst free. All his recorded letters contain teaching on the subject, whether human affection, wider relationships or God’s love for us. In one well-known passage he describes how to recognise love:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” [1 Corinthians 13 v4-7 NIVUK]

But perhaps you are one of those many people who were single on St Valentine’s Day and feel left out, unloved or neglected? God has not forgotten you, He has plans for you that only someone with your particular circumstances can undertake. Does that make you feel better? Probably not, but consider what Paul wrote to a man who, in different circumstances, was missing someone from his household:

“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” [Philemon v7]

Perhaps therein lies the secret of making the most of Valentine’s Day and all the other days of the year as well – to concentrate not on our own feelings but the feelings of those around us, all within the context of that Love which will never forsake us.

The blind pastor George Matheson expressed the thought rather more eloquently when, in 1882, he wrote:

O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

For all of us, whatever our circumstances, life will be richer and fuller as we continue to appreciate, encourage and refresh each other as members of God’s family.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [1 John 4 v10-11 NIVUK]

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.

[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during February 2021]

Long before these words were made famous in the southern states of America an Englishman had penned them from his cell in Bedford jail. During the late 17th century England was uncompromisingly Anglican, with little tolerance for either Catholic or other dissenting views. The non-conformist preacher John Bunyan had been imprisoned for advocating the worship of God outside of the authorised Anglican church. After his release, his allegory of the Christian life was published as “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, with the opening words:

“While I slept, I dreamed about a man in ragged clothes who stood, with his face turned away from his own house and with a book in his hand, carrying a great burden on his back. I saw him read from the pages of the book, weeping and shaking in fear until eventually he cried out loudly, ‘What should I do?’” ^[1]

There are those who argue that “The Pilgrim’s Progress” should be required reading for all Christians and there is certainly merit in that. Why does this book have such high regard amongst Christians?

The central character is a man called Graceless who realises his sinfulness and the impending destruction of his city. He reads in a book that there is a way to obtain salvation and, having failed to persuade his family to go with him, he sets out to find the way to heaven. The story recounts his journey from the Narrow Gate to the Celestial City, the moments of joy and disappointment and the characters who help or hinder him. Along the way his name is changed to Christian, he loses the burden that he was carrying and in due course he arrives at his destination. Reading this book is an excellent help for clarifying our own thoughts and encouraging us through our experiences of growing in faith.

The patriarch Jacob also dreamt of a route to heaven. There is an account of it in Genesis chapter 28:

“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.’” [Genesis ch28 v12-13 NIVUK]

A friend of mine has recently published his study of the life of Jacob. In referring to this passage he says:

“God shows Himself to be the same God who blessed Abraham and Isaac. This may have been a confirmation to Jacob that, even though he had monumentally messed up, God still has mercy. Just as God was patient with the mistakes of Abraham and Isaac, God showed His patience with Jacob, despite the massive mistakes he had made.” ^[2]

Both Christian and Jacob made mistakes during their walk of faith, and we cannot expect to avoid doing the same. The psalmist David also had many difficulties but he was able to say:

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. [Psalm 9 v10 NKJV]

Can you echo his confidence?

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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.