Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [29] Thinking Beyond Ourselves

Those Unusual Verses

Have you ever read a chapter or passage of Scripture only to suddenly find a verse or two which simply did not seem to fit the context? And perhaps which even seemed to jar with the surrounding verses?

Like an island which was not on the explorer's map? 

An unexpected island says to the explorer, "Sit up, here's something for you to take note of, something new for you to learn." 

In the law books of the Old Testament, for example, the religious regulations are all "mixed up" with the secular ones; one set have to do with the temple, the other to do with civic life, such as farming, diseases, law and order, and so on. This unusual arrangement is designed to show that in God's eyes all of life is one. We cannot divide life up into "church" and "work," or "spiritual" and "secular." Life is a whole, all of it lived under God's loving rule.

As we are making our way through Psalm 103, we suddenly come across some unusual verses.

The psalmist began by encouraging himself to praise God, "Praise the Lord, O my soul..." (verses 1-5) and next he will explain new reasons to praise God (verses 6-12). But!

But in between 1-5 and 6-12 are these words:

"The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed."

These words just don't seem to fit in with the note of deep personal praise! The same sort of thing happens again in verse 19:

"The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all."

The clue for these unexpected islands is that both of them are about God's world-wide concerns and activities.....

The Danger of a Self-Centred Life

 ....you see in the midst of verses that speak of personal blessings  it is all to easy to forget the Big Wide World Out There that God loves, cares for and rules over.

So as we, the reader-explorer, sail through calm oceans of personal divine blessing, God dots a few islands about here and there which are designed to shout, "What about the wider world?" "It's not just about you!" "It's not just about the church!"

In these days of self-isolation and lockdown, it could be all too easy to batten down the hatches, pull up the draw bridges and focus on Number 1; my safety, my wellbeing, my excercise, my mental health. Or even just on we Christians.

But God says "there are other people in the world too." What an opportunity God has given us in this Covid-19 era to reach out to others. Some with practical help. Others with just a phone call. Others with the Gospel, by inviting them to watch our online church services on Sunday, or.....

That's why - it seems to me -  in the middle of a nice homely, spiritual, warm, comforting personal psalm, God has included verse 6 and verse 19.

Summing it Up 

And so, in the same vein, and with the attention-seeking style of the pslamist, a short blog today instead of a longer one, and with the same purpose of verses 6 and 19, "also think about God's bigger world."

Remember what Jesus said to his inward and Israel-focussed disciples?

"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."  (John 10:16)

How can we use the opportunities God has presently afforded us to share the Gospel, by deed and word?

• a loving act towards a neighbour
• a phone call to someone you know is alone
• an email or text - or card! - to someone  
• a Gospel tract or booklet to someone who has time to read
• more time to pray for unbelievers?
• wisely sharing why you are at peace in the midst of the storm
• make sure we are still giving  to the work of the Gospel in our local churches and beyond 
• something else....?

I think of the rousing hymn written by missionary-to-China Frank Houghton at a time when persecution was on the increase. It challenges all Christians to rise to their missionary task:

Facing a task unfinished
That drives us to our knees
A need that, undiminished
Rebukes our slothful ease
We, who rejoice to know Thee
Renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe Thee
To go and make Thee known

Where other lords beside Thee
Hold their unhindered sway
Where forces that defied Thee
Defy Thee still today
With none to heed their crying
For life, and love, and light
Unnumbered souls are dying
And pass into the night

Ours is the same commission
The same glad message ours
Fired by the same ambition
To Thee we yield our powers
We go to all the world
With kingdom hope unfurled
No other name has power to save
But Jesus Christ The Lord

O Father who sustained them
O Spirit who inspired
Saviour, whose love constrained them
To toil with zeal untired
From cowardice defend us
From lethargy awake!
Forth on Thine errands send us
To labour for Thy sake

(though it's not our song for the day, you can hear is HERE)

A SONG FOR THE DAY
I have chosen instead a modern song which also calls the the church to reach out to those in darkness, written by the duo Getty & Townend.

O Church, arise, and put your armour on;
Hear the call of Christ our Captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth,
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;
An army bold, whose battle-cry is Love,
Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole,
We will fight with faith and valour.
When faced with trials on every side
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died,
An inheritance of nations.

Come see the cross, where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This victory march continues till the day
Every eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come put strength in every stride,
Give grace for every hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory.

You can hear it HERE.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Our Lord God in heaven, 

We come to you in Jesus' Name, and acknowledge that your kingdom rules over all. 

We remember in these days when our focus can be too inward and even selfish, your great love for mankind. We remember that you so loved the whole world that you sent your one and only Son.

Forgive us when we forget our mission to make disicples and the reason the Holy Spirit was given to us, so that we would become witnesses.

Help us to know where to start. Show us who we can serve. Help us to give of our time, our prayers and our money, to reach a lost world with the only Gospel of Hope.

We ask these things in Jesus' Name

Amen