Fingers

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Praise the Lord, who is my rock. 
He trains my hands for war 
and gives my fingers skill for battle. 
He is my loving ally and my fortress, 
my tower of safety, my rescuer. 
He is my shield, and I take refuge in Him. 
He makes the nations submit to me.”
‭Psalms‬ ‭144:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David, the Psalmist, was a warrior. We read about his exploits and marvel about his combination of skill and faith that was pretty much invincible. There were no other warriors in his day who would take on Goliath, even kitted out with a full suit of armour, let alone with a staff and a sling. And in this Psalm, David declares that because of God’s rock-like permanence in his life, he was able to train his hands and his fingers for the tasks before him. For the physical battles he needed to win. And come what may, he had behind him, watching his back, a “loving ally“, God Himself. His “tower of safety“. His “rescuer“. His “shield“. And if that wasn’t enough, he declared, with some justification, that God “[made] the nations submit to [him]“.

We too, under God’s direction, have the opportunity to train our hands, to give our fingers skills. Through the universities and apprenticeships of life, we acquire the training we need. I think of the dear saints who have spent countless hours using their finger-skills to paint an artistic masterpiece on a cathedral ceiling, or who have stitched together wondrous and beautiful tapestries, depicting God-scenes from their age. But ordinary folk like us also feature in God’s plan. Those mothers, using their finger-powered needlecraft skills, blessing their families with clothes and woollies. The fathers using their hands to till the fields or fix the car. The office worker typing instructions into a computer. The list is endless. Today we use our hands for more peaceful pursuits, but they can really throb with passion when they are joined to God’s thinking, God’s plans.

In Colossians 3:17 we read, “And whatever [we] do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” That’s the secret for effective finger skills. In our battles through life, our fingers will be more effective when we use them for doing God’s work, no matter how mundane it might appear to be. And we give Him thanks for the opportunities afforded to us. 

Days Long Ago

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; 
he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. 
So my spirit grows faint within me; 
my heart within me is dismayed. 
I remember the days of long ago; 
I meditate on all Your works and consider what Your hands have done. 
I spread out my hands to You; 
I thirst for You like a parched land.”
‭Psalms‬ ‭143:3-6‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

Ah! The “Good Old Days”. Remember them? When the chocolate (candy) biscuits we call Wagon Wheels in the UK used to be so much bigger. When school holidays lasted forever, with a succession of warm days. In this Psalm, David writes about being under stress, oppressed by the enemy, and he confesses to being dismayed. And he too harks back to the “Good Old Days”, when God did amazing things. He longed to return to them.

In times of trouble there is a human tendency to think back to times when there were no problems – well, at least that is what our memories tell us. How selective our memories can be. With some people they can beautifully filter out anything negative and instead leave a legacy of positive thoughts. A warm glow of how good things used to be. But in the things of God, the “Good Old Days” really were good. We have a unique and amazing book of memories, the Bible. And it is full of good thoughts, tales and happenings from “days long ago”. It is full of the wonderful things God has done throughout history. It is full of the wisdom needed for living a good life. It is full of expressions of love from the Creator for His creation. And the amazing reality of God’s Word is that it isn’t just a history book; the “days long ago”, unlike in our selective memories, extrapolate into the present, bringing water to assuage our thirst in this parched land, this spiritual desert.

At times in our pilgrimage through life, we will encounter enemy activity. Times when our spirits grow faint within us. Times when we feel like giving up. At times such as this we must, as David did, “remember the days of long ago”. Because what God did in those days He can and will do again. As we meditate on all His works, we will feel something start to rise up within us. We see a glow on our spiritual horizons, hinting at a new dawn of hope coming. The spirit within us connects with God’s Spirit and life starts to flow into the parched lands of our souls. The dawn of hope bursts into the light of a new day in God. And we spread out our hands in gratitude. What else can we do? The miracle of connection with our amazing God once again brings life to our weary souls, lightening our load, turning hope into reality.

The Cave

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
I look for someone to come and help me, 
but no one gives me a passing thought! 
No one will help me; 
no one cares a bit what happens to me. 
Then I pray to You, O Lord. 
I say, “You are my place of refuge. 
You are all I really want in life. 
Bring me out of prison so I can thank You. 
The godly will crowd around me, 
for You are good to me.””
Psalms‬ ‭142:1, 4-5, 7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David was going through a time of personal examination and contemplation, as he was hiding in a cave somewhere. It might have been the Adullam cave mentioned in 1 Samuel 22, but regardless of its location, David was in a cave. He daren’t show his face anywhere because we read that his enemies had set traps for him. But as usual with David, when in a place of stress and loneliness, he turned to God. He knew that with God in his life, he was never alone. And in addition, he also knew that nothing else in his life had any importance, an attitude he retained all his life. It was quite something that with all his regal trappings, he could cast them aside as of no importance compared to the riches he had in God.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:12, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” And the verbal exchange between Jesus and the young man, as recorded in Mark 10, exposed the difficulty encountered by people who have lots of “stuff”. When Jesus suggested that he sold and gave away all he had, we read, “At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” Like David, we must ensure that we have the right attitude to what we have. We must hold what we have with an open hand.

David also expressed disappointment that nobody cared about him. That is a natural attitude in times of depression and loneliness. The long hours waiting for a knock at the door or the phone to ping. David equated the lonely place with being in prison. But he wasn’t really alone because he reassured himself that God was his place of refuge. And he knew that once he was out of the cave, he would find Godly people. When we too decide to leave the “cave” of our depression and loneliness we must look for, and find, God’s people. Sadly, many people, by choice, prefer a life of isolation, mentally and physically, rather than embrace the love and caring of God and His people. 

David asks God to bring him out of his prison, the cave where he was languishing. In what “prison” are we incarcerated today? We have already mentioned loneliness and depression, but there are many other “caves” where people find themselves, often through no fault of their own. Places where circumstances have left people in a place where they didn’t want to be. At such times we can invite God to be with us in our “prison” and be assured that He will lead us out into freedom. Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,”. Everything Jesus said was true and trustworthy. He promised a life of freedom. John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Amen?

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Soothing Medicine

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! 
If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. 
Don’t let me refuse it. 
But I pray constantly against the wicked and their deeds.”
Psalms‬ ‭141:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David, the Psalmist, seems to be in danger of being drawn into “acts of wickedness”. Being a king in those days was a privileged position and temptations must have been everywhere around him. But we don’t know what he was particularly in danger of. In the previous two verses, he prayed that God would guard his lips and avoid the “delicacies of those who do wrong”. He then continues in asking godly people to correct him; if they do so he would consider it a kindness, “soothing medicine” for his dilemma.

David was effectively asking to be held to account. By being accountable to someone who is trusted and Godly he knew he could avoid the dangers of “drifting towards evil”, as he said in verse 4. David had the wisdom to know the value of a trusted friend, someone who would correct wrongdoing and dispense, “soothing medicine”, God’s correction for his soul.

Today it’s worth asking the question, “Who are we accountable to?” Do we have trusted friends who love us and are willing to correct us when we need correction? Dear friends with whom we can share our weaknesses? David knew the value of such people and we too would do well to find such a person ourselves. It could be a wife or husband. It could be a pastor or minister. If asked, I’m sure God will lead us to the right person. 

In our pilgrimage through life, it is of course possible to get to our destination on our own, allowing God and His Word to guide and direct our steps. But sometimes He wants us to find someone to help us through particularly difficult terrains. Someone who knows the positions of all the individual mines in the minefields of life. Someone who knows the locations of the invisible reefs located in stormy seas. Someone who works in life’s A&E department, dispensing medication and patching us up when we fall. Without such a guide, we progress with difficulty, in danger of suffering frequent and debilitating setbacks. When we are accountable to such a guide, we will avoid getting drawn into the “delicacies of those who do wrong”. Godly correction is surely a soothing medicine to those who are sick and in danger, tempted to get involved in “acts of wickedness”.

David finishes the Psalm with a declaration: “I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord. You are my refuge; don’t let them kill me.” Godly people are part of God’s plan, to help us in times of trouble, and protect us from the wicked.

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Burning Coals

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Let my enemies be destroyed
by the very evil they have planned for me.
Let burning coals fall down on their heads.
Let them be thrown into the fire
or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.
Psalm 140:9-10 NLT

If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.
If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads,
and the LORD will reward you.
Proverbs 25:21-22 NLT

So here we have an apparent direct contradiction between what David wrote in Psalm 140 and what his son, Solomon, wrote in Proverbs 25. On the one hand David wanted his enemies to be destroyed, and on the other Solomon advised that we are to be kind to them. Which is it to be? But before we do a Google search for “contradictions in the Bible”, I would say it all depends what is meant by “enemy”. In the context of Psalm 140, David was going through a very difficult time with his enemies. And he wanted God to do something about it. I suppose if someone is coming at you waving a claymore or battle-axe, there wouldn’t be much point in offering them a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. It would be a case of a quick prayerful cry – “Help God!”  Or perhaps David was in a war situation with adjacent peoples – verse 7 mentions “the day of battle”. 

But Solomon’s definition of “enemy” might have been more benign, perhaps just meaning someone who is upset by us and has little more than malevolent feelings about us. In that case, of course we love our “enemies” and immediately respond to meet their needs in whatever way we can.

In David’s case, “burning coals” imply literal destruction. In Solomon’s case, perhaps “burning coals” mean that the “enemy” burns up with a guilty conscience, with shame. In the one case there is little we can do other than ask God to intervene. In the other we have a duty to be kind and loving, no matter how antagonistic the person is. 

In our pilgrimage through life we will find many “enemies” in our way. People who want to stop our progress. People who want us to take another path, perhaps leading in the wrong direction. But whether we take the path of the Psalm or the path of the Proverb, it is important that we involve God in the process. Only He knows the right way.

Search Me

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
test me and know my anxious thoughts. 
Point out anything in me that offends You, 
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
Psalms‬ ‭139:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We must have one last look at this amazing Psalm, Psalm 139. David, the Psalmist, has meditated his way through God’s omnipresence, His blessings and support, the wonder of a new born baby, how God continually thinks about him, and how he hates the wicked and blasphemers. And, finally, he makes an appeal to God to search his heart and expose anxious and offensive thoughts. David, overcome with God-thoughts, finally surfaces to the realities of life but doesn’t want anything to spoil his relational bubble with the Lord. 

In our pilgrimage through life, there will be many opportunities to sit in David’s seat, where we can dwell in God’s presence, soaking in His Spirit, meditating on His love for us with a responsive heart. I often look about me and see God’s hand in His creation, always with thoughts of wonder about the complexity and uniqueness. But then the phone rings, or a text pings the phone. A demanding voice intrudes into my God-space-bubble and before I know it I’m back to the realities of life. In many ways we live a double life, citizens of both the Kingdom of God and kingdom of the world. But regardless of our circumstances we can find time for both. The Apostle John said in Revelation 1:10, “It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.” Even in his incarceration on the Isle of Patmos, John was spending time in God’s presence; the deprivations of being exiled unable to stop his visit to God’s Kingdom. 

But back to David’s statement, “Search me, O God, and know my heart”. In many ways that’s a dangerous question to ask of God, because He might expose something we would rather not be reminded of. Perhaps a behavioural issue, or unconfessed sin. Perhaps a relationship that needs to be restored. But if we want to spend quality time with God there needs to be total honesty and openness. Nothing can be allowed to get in the way of a relationship with our Creator. David knew that, hence his question. David could see a connection between hiding what he referred to as anxious and offensive thoughts, and preventing God from leading him, unimpeded, along the “path of everlasting life”. That’s the same path we are taking, as pilgrims towards our full-time future in God’s presence. We don’t want anything to get in the way of our journey either. Thankfully, God loves us so much that He isn’t going to dump on us a whole load of difficult to deal with stuff all in one go. So we need to keep praying that prayer, so that God can peel back our layers of “anxious and offensive thoughts”, one by one, helping us deal with the issues, helping us step by step on our journey. Of course He loves us just as we are, but on the other hand, He loves us too much to allow us to forever wallow in an anxious and offensive state. Blocked from the relationship with God that He so earnestly wants us to enjoy. Search us, O God, we pray.

In the Womb

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body 
and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! 
Your workmanship is marvellous – how well I know it. 
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, 
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 
You saw me before I was born. 
Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. 
Every moment was laid out 
before a single day had passed.”
Psalms‬ ‭139:13-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David, the Psalmist, continues his theme of the omnipresent God in Psalm 139. This time his thoughts extend into the wonders of creation, of how a human being grows before it is born. Even in his day, without the scientific and medical knowledge that we have in the 21st Century, it seemed to be common knowledge that something significant happens in the womb. And he is overwhelmed by how “wonderfully complex” it all is. He uses the phrase “knitted together” to describe what happens. 

My wife is a great knitter. It doesn’t matter how complex the pattern, she manages to produce these amazing garments with nothing more than a pair of needles and ball of wool. And I have been greatly blessed by beautiful jumpers far better than anything mass produced and sold in our shops. But the miracle of how a human being is formed eclipses anything mankind can derive, even my wife. And in some way God watches the processes going on in the womb, working out what was going to happen to this new life. David was overwhelmed by it all.

When I read and meditate on these verses, I immediately marvel at the wonders of creation. I know many believe that all this happened by chance. But I don’t have the faith to believe a baby is the result of evolution. Instead, with the Psalmist, I can only thank our Creator God for His workmanship. And with a thankful heart I look in the mirror to see an amazing created being, fearfully and wonderfully made. Yes, there are facial lines. Yes, there are grey hairs. Yes, ageing takes its toll. But that doesn’t remove the wonder of being “fearfully and wonderfully made“. Which is what we all are. A God-creation, made in His image (Genesis 1:27). Wow!

God Knows Us

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“O Lord, You have examined my heart 
and know everything about me.”
‭Psalms‬ ‭139:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The thought that God knows everything about us, good and bad, is both comforting and scary at the same time. In the next few verses, the Psalmist, David, goes on to say that God is intimately acquainted with not just what we are doing but even what is about to come out of our mouths. Distance and time are no problem to God. And there is nothing that we can do to escape His presence; should we want to, of course. So if we know all that, why do we get so caught up in doing things that we know would cause God pain? The sins that blight our lives. Actions that are just plain wrong. The Apostle Paul felt that frustration. He wrote in Romans 7, “I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.” Thankfully God forgives us of our sins when we repent. And we allow His life-giving Spirit to lead and guide us, and live within us (Romans 8). 

But back to our Psalm. It gets better and better. The wonder in David’s heart comes out in verse 5, as he remarks that God goes before him and follows him. Can you imagine that? God is there right in front of us, leading the way. Pointing out the pot-holes in life to help us to avoid them. But in case we still stumble and fall, there He is behind us, picking us up and dusting us off. And there’s more – if we look up, there’s His hand of blessing about to touch our heads. It is no wonder that David can’t cope with what it all means, as we read in verse 6. And he continues to meditate on God’s omnipresence, which extends all the way from Heaven to the place the Jews called Sheol (verse 8). And the lovely word picture emerges of David riding “the wings of the morning” and “dwelling by the farthest oceans” (verse 9). And he finishes this section with the thought that God is always there in the dark, because it is light to Him. Perhaps there’s a comforting thought there for people who do have a fear of the dark.

There is an amazing truth in this Psalm. No matter how we view God. No matter if we reject Him and try and run away from Him, He is still there with us. Embracing us. Encouraging us. Blessing us. All because He loves us. So if we’re feeling neglected and unloved today, we are believing a lie. Our enemy, the devil, would want to deprive us of God’s presence and His blessings. But he can’t. We reach out, switching on our God-receptors; switching off our devil-receptors. And because God knows our very thoughts, He will complete the circuit. Connecting us to His throne room. Giving us a glimpse of His wonder. Helping us in our life-pilgrimage, every step of the way.

Plans

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The Lord will work out His plans for my life –
for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. 
Don’t abandon me, for You made me.”
‭Psalms‬ ‭138:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What are God’s plans for my life? I look back in my life and see at times how a potentially chaotic situation resolved into a good result. How a far from ideal life-choice I made somehow became something better. Was God working out His plans for my life? Gently and persuasively whispering in my ear, “Not that way, better this way”? 

The Psalmist was clear in today’s verse. Because God’s love for each one of us is faithful and ever-enduring, He will work out in our lives what He wants us to do. He has plans for each one of us. And David, the Psalmist, says why – because He made us. But we look around us, at our nation, at world events. We see the ravages of the pandemic. We see wars and conflicts. We see persecution, the ill-treatment of our Christian brothers and sisters, and ask the question, “Where are God’s plans in all this?” This is a world in the grip of sin. And a sobering thought is that it would be infinitely worse without God working out His plans in the lives of His servants. Because He made us. Because He loves us. As we work out God’s plans in our societies and communities, we are “salt and light” bringing peace to where there is no peace. Bringing God’s presence into a godless world.

There is a day coming, when all His plans will have been completed. Job done. But as the Psalmist says, God’s love for us will still be there. It endures forever. God will never abandon us. Our lives on this planet will end and instead transition into a wonderful life with Him.

Promises

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
    I will sing your praises before the gods.
I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
    I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
    by all the honour of your name.”
Psalm 138:1-2 NLT

David is back behind the writer’s desk; another Psalm emerging from the experiences of His long life with God. Right at the start of this Psalm, he declares that he doesn’t care what people might think. He will sing praises to God regardless. And we certainly found that in the passage in 2 Samuel 6 where David, wearing nothing other than a linen ephod, danced in front of the Ark as it was brought to his city. As he said later in the chapter, “I was dancing before the Lord“. He didn’t care that his wife was unimpressed. And neither did he care about the “gods” other people worshipped. 

David declared that he would praise God for His “unfailing love and faithfulness”. Because, and here’s the thing, God’s promises are backed by His name. In this country, an arrest of a criminal might take place with the phrase “I arrest you in the name of the Law”. And I have in front of me a Scottish banknote which says, “The Royal Bank of Scotland promises to pay the bearer on demand…”. But both the Law and the Bank cannot guarantee 100% of the time that they can fulfil their promises, because the name of both has limitations. The “name of the Law” means nothing in a state of anarchy. The Bank might go bust, and unable to pay out. Now, the Creator of the Universe and everything within it – God Himself – His name has weight. If God makes a promise, and the Bible is full of them, then that promise will be delivered. No doubts. And when He puts His name behind the promise, the result is absolute.

So it’s no wonder that David gives thanks to the Lord with all his heart. And sings His praises. On our pilgrimage through life, God’s promises ring in our ears. Make a step – thank You God for Your love for me.  Make another step – thank You God for Jesus. Make another step – thank You God for Your faithfulness. And somehow the rigors of our journey becomes easier, step by step. As we call out to God in response to His promises, He delights in us and our faith. His promises are not green-backs – they are God-backs. Worth so much more.