Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 15/Mar/2020]

“A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Job 14:5 NIV – God determines how long I will live.

Working in the NHS at this time it is very easy to become paranoid that every patient I come into contact with has coronavirus and to wash my hands raw. It is easy to become fearful each time I hear a cough. This is exacerbated when I read a newspaper or watch the news. There is a conflict with in me – do I go the way of the world and live in fear or do I have faith in God that He determines my days?

Many are praying Psalm 91 at this time:

“I will say of the Lord , ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he
will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”

Psalm 91:2-3, 7 NIV.

Of course I am praying that this disease will stop and praying protection from it for those I love. However, can I really expect that I will not be touched by this virus, that no-one I know will be ill or worse still, die? Is that how it works? That I can I hold onto these verses as a talisman and claim protection? It didn’t work against having miscarriages or against cancer or against heart disease or against dementia, all of which have touched my life or the lives of those around me.

However, what I can say is that God has been with me through all these times and He has sustained me. That He will be with me and you through this time and He will sustain us if we hold fast to Him. The verses I do hold on to are:

“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 1:9 – God is with us.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.”

Psalms 46:1 – 3 NKJV – God is present with us IN our troubles.

“I heard and my whole inner self trembled; My lips quivered at the sound. Decay and rottenness enter my bones, and I tremble in my place. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people (or virus) to arise who will invade and attack us. Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls. Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!”

Habakkuk 3:16 – 18 AMP.
And like Habakkuk, I will choose to rejoice in the Lord, whatever happens.

And, of course, I will still wash my hands!

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 08/Mar/2020]

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

This story is relevant to most churches, where there are numerous jobs to be done and not enough volunteers. Usually there are a few very committed people who will fill the gaps by taking on far more than they should, but they can become burnt out or resentful of those who do nothing. Their children (and spouses) can also resent the time they devote to church activities, as I remember all too well. My father was deacon and organist and my mother taught Sunday school every single week for 35 years, as well as both of them taking on numerous other church jobs. When my sister was small she made a house of bricks and said “That’s church, where Daddy lives.”

Of course, some people have very little free time due to work and caring responsibilities, while others have health problems. Yet I believe the story of the widow’s mite applies to our time as much as our money. A very busy person may only be able to take on one small job, like helping in a children’s group once a month or joining the rota for teas and coffees or putting out chairs or giving lifts to church, but God will bless the little we can offer, just as he blessed the boy’s offering of his lunch and used it to feed 5,000.

If someone is feeling overburdened, perhaps the time has come to lay down a task, even if there is no-one else to do it. Sometimes it is right for things to come to an end. Jesus said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11 v 30.

Jesus also said “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9 v 37, 38. As we pray that prayer may we be willing to be part of the answer.
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[This Reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, October 2019]

Being a disciple of Christ can seem like a technical term. A disciple is a follower, or a pupil. Christ says that people will know we are His disciples if we have love for each other. Faced with the same troubles and uncertainties as everyone else, we should react with grace. That’s not easy. We’ve learnt to respond to those who hurt us by hitting back as hard, or perhaps, harder; to life’s events with cynicism, to think the worst of people.

Romans 12 tells us not to conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is easy to conform. We have been doing this for so long, it now comes naturally. To expect that we would be able to change this habit of a lifetime ourselves is to set ourselves up for failure. We need God’s help. He is willing to give it. Christ said “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15 v 7-8)

We are currently going through a preaching series on the theme of ‘living sacrifices’ and Ken Cowell from Lee Street Church spoke last week and said that “worship is to put God first”. That has stayed with me and made me realise that I usually try to fit God into my daily schedule – often with difficulty – rather than giving my day to Him and asking Him to direct my steps. On occasions when I have asked for His help, I have found that things worked out much better and even if they didn’t turn out as I had planned, I was still blessed with His peace at the outcomes.

I attended a meeting this last weekend with a few members from Horley Baptist and people from other churches, where the focus was looking at how to live out our lives as disciples of Christ not just in the time we spend at Church, but also with the rest of our time spent away from Church. The point was made that of the 168 hours in the week, we spend on average, 48 hours sleeping, 10 hours in Church and 110 hours awake and away from Church, interacting with family, friends, people at work, etc. These have been described as our ‘frontlines’.

I personally find it difficult often to recognise God in the ‘day to day’ events away from Church. Not that He isn’t there, it’s just that my focus is on other things and it is unusual that I pause long enough to see His hand in encounters I have. In the busyness of life, Jesus took time to rest. I need to learn how to do this, to appreciate God’s presence, to pause and tell Him ‘thank you’.

So, as we go into the week ahead, my prayer is that we try to put God first in all we do; try to involve God in all aspects of our lives and try to recognise Him outside Church – that’s where we spend most of our lives, it would be odd to leave Him out of that. It might seem impossible to do this, but only if we look to do it in our own strength. By His grace however, we can.

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 30/Jun/2019]

Do you remember Mephibosheth? He had one of those polysyllabic Old Testament names that would confine him to a walk-on bit-part in history, except that Mephibosheth could not walk; a childhood accident had left him lame in both legs. How many of us have been the victims of apparently minor accidents or made seemingly-simple mistakes only to find that the consequences have affected the rest of our lives?

King David remembered Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, David’s best friend when they were young men together. After Jonathan died David sought to honour his friend’s memory by providing for any of his children who might be in need. This was very counter-cultural for that time; the usual expectation would be the banishment of any of the previous king’s family, to discourage any challenge to the throne. As a result of David’s love for Jonathan, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem and ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. (2Samuel ch 9 v13)

Do you think that Mephibosheth ever woke up one morning and said to himself – “I don’t want to go to the palace today. I feel so embarrassed and insignificant amongst all those valiant men talking about what they have achieved in the king’s service. I have nothing of value to contribute. Maybe I’ll ask the palace to send up a take-away.”
Do you ever wake up on a Sunday morning and say to yourself – “I don’t want to go to church today. I feel so embarrassed and insignificant amongst all those spiritual people talking about what they have achieved in the King’s service. I have nothing of value to contribute. Maybe I’ll go online and listen to the sermon later.”

Mephibosheph’s absence would have been noted; he had a place reserved for him. You too have a place reserved for you. Maybe not a specific chair in a certain row with your name on it but rather a place in the heart of God and amongst the people of God. His love for you has removed the threat of banishment and, as for those accidents and mistakes, it may well be that your experiences will allow you to make a valuable contribution to the lives of those around you.
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