Fear

Posted on by korgrocker

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.”
Psalm 3:5-6 NIVUK

What are we afraid of? David lived in a politically unstable world and there were always enemies of the Jews present in the surrounding nations, looking for an opportunity to destroy them. And he, as the king of Israel, felt the pressure of needing to be ready. But in spite of all of that, David was able to sleep, safe and sound, because “the Lord was watching over [him]”. But back to us pilgrims. In the UK we live in a more politically stable environment, without the overt threat of aggressive and hostile nations willing and able to invade our island and do us harm. However, warfare is different today, with cyber attacks and the threat of a nuclear strike. And as we look back through history, warfare has never been far away from our shores. We are also aware that living in 21st Century societies is fraught with all sorts of “enemies” that impact our ways of life, and we can quickly tumble into a world of “what if’s” ranging from health care through to job security and financial sufficiency. There is much fear and stress around today. Our immediate enemies might be different to David’s but they are still real and can have a marked effect on our future. 

In a sense, we have little to fear because God is with us. I am writing these thoughts this morning, and you might be reading what I have written in a day or two. Like David, we woke up this morning after a night’s sleep. Recently, I said to a man I met during my prayer walk that it was a good morning. The sun was shining and for once it wasn’t raining here in Scotland, but his response was, “All mornings are good if you wake up”. And that is true in a world fearful and lost, but we pilgrims cannot lose. If God sustains us for another day, we still have work to do for His kingdom here on earth. If He doesn’t then we will wake up in His presence. Win-win. 

The go-to Psalm for me is 121. “He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep“. The Psalmist continues, “The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore”. Do we believe that or do these words just give us a momentary warm feeling that quickly dissipates in the chill winds of adversity that swamp our souls, as another night time worry raises its head and disturbs our rest? Fellow pilgrims, our Lord and God is constantly with us and we believe that whatever He says is what He does. I cannot count the many occasions when He has been there for me in times of anxiety and stress, and I’m sure that is the same for you as well. Trusting in God will not necessarily remove the enemies around us (although sometimes He will), whatever they are, but it will mean we can sleep at night in the knowledge that He is looking out for us, and will give us the strength and wisdom we need.

Dear Father God. Thank You that You are with us, every minute of every day. Amen.

Escape to the Jordan

Posted on by korgrocker

“Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptising and stayed there awhile. And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” And many who were there believed in Jesus.”
John 10:39-42 NLT

The tone of John’s account is remarkably downbeat, factual but unemotional and, at times, a bit short on detail. There was Jesus, apparently in the middle of an antagonistic and aggressive crowd, who were wanting to stone Him because they considered His claims about Himself to be blasphemous – “Once again the people picked up stones to kill him” (John 10:31) – yet He was able to escape arrest, walking away and leaving His aggressors behind. And Jesus didn’t have far to go. The exact place where John the Baptist was baptising in the Jordan is debated amongst archaeologists, but the consensus seems to place it about five miles North of the Dead Sea, no more than twenty or so miles from Jerusalem. So Jesus didn’t have far to go before He found a place of safety. John’s account records that “many” followed Jesus there and “many” believed in Him.  Away from the legalistic and aggressive crowd in Jerusalem it seems people were more able to listen to Jesus, see His miraculous signs, and come to a belief in Him as the Son of God.

We pilgrims know how difficult it can be, to share the Good News about Jesus with several unbelievers all at the same time. They tend to hold each other back and even resort to ridicule or more aggressive responses. But on their own, without peer pressure, people can be more receptive. The devil has indeed blinded the eyes and stopped the ears of those who otherwise would be open to hearing our testimonies of hope in Jesus, for a future with Him in eternity. Much of our evangelism is focussed on helping people move a little closer to a belief in Jesus, without finally hearing the big “Yes” to become a follower and believer in Him. But the people in Jesus’ day were pre-armed by John the Baptist, who pointed the attention to Jesus, and they remembered what he had to say. John 1:29-30, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me’”. John the Baptist was well respected by the people and they listened to him.

We pilgrims must always take advantage of the occasions where we find a chink in someone’s anti-God life and provide an opportunity to communicate the love of God. There are many lonely or depressed people around us, who have no solution to their misery. The pressures of life have worn them down, and they desperately need to hear Good News, but they turn on their televisions and find even more depressing news and images of distress that contribute to their own problems. Such people would, however, rather turn to hedonistic activities to try and dull the pain, or they try and find a “god” in activities such as alternative religions or practices such as Yoga. They end up seeking medical solutions with pills that treat their symptoms rather than the cause behind them. They may even engage in public demonstrations for lost causes instead of focusing their human efforts towards God, because we know that there is only one Person who has the remedy for their suffering and that is Jesus. The people in our families and communities need to see and feel the love of Jesus and we may be the only people who can help. 

In Jesus’ day, the people were drawn by His miracles. In our days, miracles are not quite so obvious but we can tell about the miracle we experienced on that day when we came to believe in Jesus. But there came a time when Jesus had communicated all that He could and it was time for Him to find a place of safety where He could find rest and recharge His spiritual batteries. If Jesus needed to do that then how much more must we, His followers, who are not immune from the pressures of life just because we are believers. We too need to find a place perhaps right back at the beginning when we were baptised. That place when we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. That place when we heard the voice of Jesus saying “come”. And when we arrive there His Spirit will once again flush away the stains of this world, resourcing us for our journey towards the promised land. 

Dear Father God. On our knees today we offer to You all the praise, all the worship and all the glory. Amen.

Hard Work and Worry

Posted on by korgrocker

“It is useless for you to work so hard
    from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
    for God gives rest to his loved ones.”
Psalm 127:2 NLT

Another gem from Solomon’s pen. Our capitalistic and materialistic society is based to a large extent on greed, because we are encouraged by our “work ethic” to get better paid jobs, or work longer hours. And by so doing we end up earning more money which we can then spend on more “stuff”. A cynical point of view? Perhaps. But Solomon was pointing out that we sometimes get our priorities wrong, becoming driven by anxiety, just to obtain food to eat. His was a different, poorer, society of course, and food was a basic commodity often in short supply. But we so often, in these modern and enlightened days, hassle along, driven by our own efforts, instead of realigning our priorities to God’s ways. 

Jesus picked up this theme in Matthew 6:25-27, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” On my early morning prayer walk today, just as it was getting light, hundreds of geese flew overhead, silhouetted and just visible against the greyness of an overcast sky. The ragged V’s, the honking and squeaking. A corporate outing of beautiful birds heading for their next feeding grounds. Jesus was right – their Heavenly Father created them to heed His voice about the supply of food. And Jesus brought into His teaching the concept that we have our priorities all wrong. Instead of pursuing the business of our amazing Creator God, enjoying the abundant life that He has provided for us, we worry and hassle after more mundane things, like what we will eat or what we will wear. Jesus said we are “far more valuable” to God than birds so why do we worry? 

God has promised us rest. Hebrews 4 starts, “God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.” But what is the rest Solomon mentioned, and the writer of the Hebrews epistle alludes to? The rest promised by God to Christians is in two parts – the peace of our relation with God in this life, and eternal life with Him in the life to come. So when we worry we are effectively preferring to trust our own efforts, thereby rejecting God’s offer of rest. 

So we work hard at the tasks God has given us – no place for laziness in His Kingdom – but within the context of experiencing His rest at the same time. Our priorities are clear. And peace descends, flushing away the cares of life.

Shelter

Posted on by korgrocker

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 
This I declare about the Lord: 
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; 
He is my God, and I trust Him.”
Psalms‬ ‭91:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What a tremendous Psalm this is. Tradition has it that it was written by Moses, but whoever the writer was, he managed to capture wonderful and encouraging truths, just as relevant for life today as they were all those years ago. The psalm starts off with the idea that God provides shelter for those who want it, for those who live a life in relationship with Him. And in that shelter God’s people will find rest. The Psalmist continues by boldly stating that he will find rest because God will keep him safe from whatever life-issues he is encountering in his journey. And at the end of verse 2, the Psalmist simply states that he trusts God.

We think about these words, “rest”, “refuge”, and “safety”. Somehow our spirits are drawn to the idea of such places because our daily lives can be so frantic that we become frazzled to the point of exhaustion, to a point where we need to get off the merry-go-round of life and take time out. “Stop the world – I want to get off” was a phrase popular a few years ago. Most people plan to take a holiday, the thought of which sustains them in the weeks and months before they go, providing some sort of temporary relief from the stresses and strains of their situation. But when they return, the merry-go-round is still there, as frantic as ever. But God through the Psalmist points out a better way, available in the now, available when needed, available when our spirits crave rest. And after a spell in His shelter, where we enjoy the God-rest we need, we can emerge back into the world refreshed, and able to once again face into our busy lives.

Are we rest-needy people today? Look at the two words describing the place where we can find the rest we need – “shelter” and “shadow”. One tangible, one intangible. In the first case, we can physically take time out, sitting at God’s feet, praying and reading His Word. During a lunch break. First thing in the morning. Whenever we can. Thus recharging our spiritual and emotional batteries. In the second case, we can, in times of stress, look up, and “see” God’s shadow over us, through our memories, through the Words we have read, through our prayers. God has thought of all situations we are likely to meet in our lives. His loving provision is absolute. So join me today, spending time with our Heavenly Father. As the old song says, “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.”