Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [25] Goodness and Mercy

"A Lack of Literal Touch"

Timothy Keller, the godly American preacher was recently interviewed about the church and Coronavirus. (You can hear his interview HERE). Listing some of the problems Christians are facing today, he included a "lack of literal touch."

We are wired for physical touch. We all need someone to put an arm around us, shake our hands, even give us a holy kiss.

It is no accident that "greet one another with a holy kiss" appears five times in the New Testament, four from Paul, where it is always called a holy kiss, and one from Peter, who says, "Greet one another with a kiss of love." How can you and I obey this command? Well in ordinary times we might touch a hand or arm, give a hug, put arms around a shoulder, or even give a holy kiss.

Perhaps this will be something we'll be better at when we return to normality. Those of us in happy marriages and family settings where physical contact is the norm (I am always giving my four lovely sons a hug, whether they want one or not!) need to remember brothers and sisters who do not get this necessary indication of love.

Our line from Psalm 23 today is this:

"Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow me all the days of my life."

David is convinced that goodness and mercy (also translated love) will follow him all the days of his life. Why "follow" him, rather than be by his side? The Hebrew word (radaph) translated "follow" means more an active pursuing and chasing rather than the passive English follow.

Goodness and Mercy (love)

First, what is this Goodness and Mercy? Well, God's goodness is something he expresses to all his creatures, "The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." (Psalm 145:9) His goodness is astounding, for he sends the rain and sunshine on all - even those who do not acknowledge him or give him thanks. He feeds the birds and clothes the plants.

Mercy is more love towards the pitiful, reaching down to those in desperate need. It's more of a salvation word. 

In other words David is convinced that God's general goodness towards him as a creature and his specific grace towards him as a saved sinner will be experienced by him into the future. To put it another way, God will always provide him with what all his material needs and God will always forgive him and love him as a child.

Future Provision is Secure

We live in uncertain times. I have deliberately limited my news input to the 6:00 pm news. This is not because I am burying my head in the sand, but because the world is panicking and we should not. I don't want to fill my mind with the fears of the world.

Someone once described Fear like this. Fear is, False Evidence Appearing Real. I like that. We imagine some present or future scenario - it is not certain at all, it is false evidence - but we imagine it to be true and real, and what happens? We become fearful and anxious today. 

The word "follow" is too lame and passive a translation of the Hebrew (radaph) which means to pursue or chase. The word can even mean persecute, to show how intentional the action is! David says that God's goodness and mercy will actively pursue him into the future!  

God will chase me with goodness and mercy! He will pursue me with goodness and love! He will even persecute me with goodness and mercy!

And he will chase me with goodness and mercy ALL the days of my life. Days that are good and days that are bad. Days that are certain and days that are uncertain. Days that are close to hand and days that are far away. Every day I will be grace-chased by God's goodness and mercy!

Utter Confidence

As the future stretches before David, as he thinks about tomorrow, and next year, and the next decade, he says with complete confidence, "Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow me, all the days of my life."

So, let me ask you, what is it that you fear about the future?

Employment? Your children's future? Finances? Health? Family issues? Falling away? Sin? Temptation? Apostasy?

Let us ask God for the confidence - the faith - of king David. Let us ask him for the simple childlike trust that says "whatever the future holds, I know that I will experience God's goodness and mercy every single day of this earthly journey."

When I was a lad, I lived in a missioanry home where our income was very uncertain and we were always poor. Only since I have grown up have I realised how precarious things sometimes were. My parents wisely hid most of these things from me except dad would sometimes say "the wolf is at the door" and the evidence was that we'd go to school with sugar sandwiches (bread, butter and sugar) - which, by the way, we thought was a treat, not a deprivation! 

I never worried as a lad. I trusted mom and dad implicitly, "Of course they will look after me." As I have grown older, I confess I do have my worries. The Lord is looking for that kind of child-like trust in us today.

May the Lord give us child-like uncomplicated trust in his abounding goodness and mercy. And what a wonderful witness that will be to our present anxious world.

A SONG FOR THE DAY
Our song for the day is a simple "golden oldie" which reminds us of Who is in charge of the future and Who we should and can trust.

I do not know what lies ahead,

the way I cannot see;

yet One stands near to be my guide,

He’ll show the way to me:

I know who holds the future,

and He’ll guide me with His hand;

with God things don’t just happen,

everything by Him is planned.

So as I face tomorrow,

with its problems large and small,

I’ll trust the God of miracles,

give to Him my all.

I do not know how many days

of life are mine to spend;

but One who knows and cares for me

will keep me to the end:

I do not know the course ahead,

what joys and griefs are there;

but One is near who fully knows,

I’ll trust His loving care:

You can hear it HERE.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Dear Father in heaven,

We thank you that we have been adopted into your family, through faith in your beloved Son. 

We thank you for the many blessings, both material and spiritual, that are new every morning. We are truly and wonderfully blessed by you. 

We thank you that goodness and mercy will follow us every single day of our lives. 

Forgive us for giving into fear and becoming anxious. Forgive us for not trusting in your Fatherly care. 

Give us child-like trust in you, so that whatever the present or future holds, we will trust in you, not in idols, not in money, not in family, not in education, not in any of the idols we so often turn to, but in you and you alone.

We ask this, not only for our good, but for our witness in a fearful world, and above all for your great glory.

We pray these things in Jesus' Name

Amen.

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [24] My Cup Overflows

 2D may not be the same as 3D, but it's still good!

My are we learning some valuable lessons through this Coronavirus pandemic.

Here is one:

On the one hand, while it is wonderful to have fellowship through Zoom, WhatsApp, Skype, whatever - it is better than not having fellowship at all - we are discovering the limits of 2-D fellowship. Here are three:

We're all looking at the whole group at the same time on the same single screen - in real life our gaze can only be towards one person at a time. This may make some self-conscious saints nervous, because they think "people are staring at me" (we're all a tad paranoid!) They're not but we can feel they are.

We're not always clear who is speaking and so it is all too easy to misjudge and step in too slowly or too quickly.

We lack the great number of bodily cues that tell others exactly how we are feeling. A face alone can deceive.

So one blessing that hopefully will come out of this pandemic is a new appreciation of in-the-same-room, in-the-flesh fellowship.

However, we need desperately fellowship now, and though Zoom fellowship may not be as good as the real stuff, we ought to be thankful for it, and persevere in it.

And that note of thankfulness is at the heart of Psalm 23:5, "my cup overflows."

The Abundance of God

King David means but one thing by this little line, "my cup overflows": God is no miser when it comes to blessings, he is a generous and bounteous God. As I write this blog two little choruses spring to mind.

One we sang as kids:

Running over, running over
My cup is full and running over
Since the Lord saved me
I’m as happy as can be
My cup is full and running over

And one we sang as grown-ups:

God is so good,
God is so good,
God is so good,
He’s so good to me!

Three simple truths will help us unpack this deceptively simple line. First,

God's Abundance is a Fact

David does not say, "on some days my cup overflows, on others it is half full I'm afraid." He says that it overflows, fullstop. All the time. Every day!

Many Scriptures testify to God's abounding goodness:

"The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love..." (Numbers 14:18)

"You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance." (Psalm 65:11) 

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2)

God's abundance arises from his loving nature. Just as parents instinctively lavish gifts on their children, so, but infinitely greater, God pours good gifts on his children.

What is the "wine" that not only fills our lives but overflows the cup? David is talking, surely, about both spiritual and material blessings.

God fills our whole lives with many good things.

God's Abundance must be Counted

We know from experience, however - and this is partly something to do with our characters, and something to do with our old sinful natures - that we are not naturally thankful.

One of the marks of the unconverted mind is that it does not give thanks, says Paul in Romans 1. I know that at 8:00pm in the UK, people are coming out of their houses and clapping various people who are serving them in this pandemic, but according to Scripture, thankfulness to God, is not often found in the world.

Of the ten lepers cured, only one returned to say thank you. That is par for the course.

We know in our own hearts that thankfulness does not always come naturally. The Grumbler's Song bears that out:

Grumble on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Grumble on Thursday too
Grumble on Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Grumble all the whole week through.

Oh what a misery to be among thankless grumblers! (Some nations are more prone to this wretched disease than others!)

No, David says "my cup overflows" because he has counted his many blessings.

So why don't we stop right now, take out a piece of paper, or a notes app on the phone, and list all our blessings. Here are some headings:

Material blessings
Housing, job, etc.

Situational blessings
Family, geography, time born in history, etc.

Spiritual blessings
List all the salvation words, what do they each mean? Adopted, chosen, indwelt, sanctified, redeemed, forgiven, etc....
Tell again how the Gospel came to you...
Your present security...
Our future blessed hope...

Go on,

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
    And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

A  thankless (and thus miserable) Christian is an anomaly!

God's Abundance Needs to be Acknowledged in Praise

Once we have counted our blessings, we can turn them into praise! Do you sometimes run out things to say in prayer? Fill your prayers with thanksgiving!

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." (Psalm 9:1)

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." (Psalm 106:1)

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind." (Psalm 107:31)

Paul says that giving thanks is "God's will" for us in Christ Jesus, something God wants us to do.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

A simple blog, but let's be honest, sometimes thanksgiving is a neglected theme, an absent note in our busy lives.

May God help us to count, to acknowledge and to thank the Lord for our overflowing cups.

A SONG FOR THE DAY
The Christian who wrote our song had just lost four daughters in a sea tragedy and had recieved this short telegram from his wife: "Saved Alone." He was able to recognise that in spite of what happens in this life, his soul was safe.

Take note of the "sea billows" theme, now that you are aware of his heart-breaking, heart-wrenching losses.

When peace like a river attendeth my way,

  When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say,

  “It is well, it is well with my soul!”

It is well with my soul!

It is well, it is well with my soul!

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

  Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

  And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—

  My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;

  Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live;

  If dark hours about me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

  Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Horatio Gates Spafford

Here it sung HERE by one brother singing four parts.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our Abounding Father in heaven,

We thank you for every good gift that comes from you.

We include those who, in this present crisis, serve us day by day, whether in our hospitals or in our governing authorities.

Thank you for bin men and doctors, street cleaners and prime ministers.

We thank you for every material gift: help us to be good stewards of what you entrust to us.

And above all else we thank you for your "indescribable gift", the gift of your beloved Son whose sacrificial, atoning  and self-giving death we remember on this Good Friday.

We thank you and bless you for him, and every spiritual blessing that has come our way, freely, through Him.

We pray these things in Jesus' Name

Amen.

Daily Meditations for Difficult Times [23] Oil for Life

When the (very) Unlikely becomes the new Reality

Someone said to me the other day, "If you had told the nation five weeks ago about a lockdown, people wearing face masks, supermarket queues, people avoiding each other in the street and government ministers sick in hospital, no-one would have believed you!"

I think he was right. 

Especially in adulthood, unless we have experienced or witnessed something for ourselves, we all too easily dismiss it. It's called pride when the prediction is truthful, and wisdom when the prediction is without any foundation in fact.

What is true in the secular realm is also true in the spiritual one. 

One reason men and women do not respond to the Gospel is because they are skeptical of the stories of radical change they hear about in converts, whether friends or family members. They observe perhaps some outward changes, but do not believe the stories of new inward power, new inner peace and new abounding hope.

This revolutionary life-change and heart-change is brought about by the Holy Spirit, whose influence in Scripture is sometimes likened to oil. Psalm 23:5 reads, "You anoint my head with oil."

The still waters of verse 2 and the oil of verse 5 both point to the Holy Spirit's work in the life and heart of a believer.

When David Became King

When David was just a lad, the prophet Samuel was sent to his village, Bethlehem, and anointed him with oil. Oil poured on the head was used in Scripture to appoint men to offices (Exodus 30, Leviticus 8), whether priest, prophet or king.

There in Bethlehem, young David was being appointed-anointed as king of Israel. Being anointed with oil poured from above, symbolised a calling from God above, mediated through a human instrument (in the case of David it was the prophet Samuel).

We must bear in mind that the Old Testament word Messiah, which is the same as the New Testament Christ means quite literally "anointed with oil one." The coming Messiah would be someone who was fully appointed and anointed by God to accomplish God's saving plan. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor…” (Luke 4:18). The apostles said, "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power …” (Acts 10:38)

Oil then, could symbolize someone being appointed by God to accomplish a particular purpose, and it could also be used as a more general symbol for the Holy Spirit's power.  These two symbols naturally combine for no-one can accomplish God's Purpose for their lives unless they have also been endued with God's Power.

So, for example, after David had been anointed with oil as the new king, we most naturally, read: “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” (1 Sam 16:13)  We can't do God's work without God's power!

Oil could also be used as a beautiful refreshing "welcome to my house" gesture along with washing of feet. After a long dusty journey, we can imagine a sensitive and loving host washing your feet and then anointing you with some fragrant oil. Oil was our perfume, its sweet fragrance filled the room and brought joy to everyone. On one occasion, Jesus chided his host for not pouring oil on his head, "You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet." (Luke 7) Oil was refreshing.

Oil could also be used as a symbol of healing power, "They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them." (Mark 6, also James 5). 

And of course, oil was a symbol of unity among God's people, "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head..." (Psalm 133) How life- giving church life is when brothers and sisters love one another, are united under Christ and are submissive to the leadership that God's very Spirit has appointed (Acts 20).

In summary, oil is a symbol of God's power, blessing and grace coming upon and flowing through his people, God's Spirit supernaturally at work in our lives. 

When David writes "You anoint my head with oil" he was describing not only his own past experience under the prophet Samuel, but also the experience of every sheep, of every true child of God. 

We have all been anointed with the Holy Spirit, "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1 John 2:27) John isn't suggesting that Christians don't need teachers, he was opposing false teachers who thought that they alone had an "anointing." Every believer has the Holy Spirit.

Let's notice two simple things today. The first is this:

God does the Anointing

"He anoints my head with oil." Who? The Lord, who is my Shepherd.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. Jesus told his disciples that though he was going to leave them he would send  a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would lead them into all truth. Both He and the Father would send the Spirit (John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7).

The Holy Spirit can't be bought, as Simon the sorcerer hoped (Acts 8), the Holy Spirit must be given by God, freely as a gift.

How then do we receive the free gift of the Spirit?

We receive it for the first time when we turn to Jesus Christ. "Repent and be baptised every one of you... and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) This believing and repenting itself is a fruit of the primary work of God's Spirit in our hearts. We call it regeneration or the new birth. God, through the Gospel, through the power of his Word, perform a miracle in us, he changes our hearts, makes us new, imparts faith and stimulates humble turn-around repentance.

The Holy Spirit is given to us for the first time, through the Gospel, the Word of God. We hear the Gospel preached, read it for ourselves, or have it explained by a friend and the Spirit of God uses the Word he powerfully first inspired to bring about inner spiritual reformation and renewal. "For you have been born again.... through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23)

Men and women are not born again by watching our changed lives, they are not born again by us doing them good works - as important as both of those are - they are born again when they simply hear the powerful Gospel: it's God chosen way!

May we in these days be encouraged and empowered to share the Gospel with our friends and neighbours!

Then, once we have been born again, is that it?

Is there no further anointing of our heads with oil? Christians differ here. Our good pentecostal and charismatic friends talk about a single second experience after conversion called "the baptism of the Spirit" evidenced some say, by speaking in tongues. This secondary experience is what launches a Christian into the spiritual stratosphere, or so they say.

Other conservative and reformed Christians believe that the moment you believe you have the Spirit in all his fulness, "...if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9) And then, they teach,  you should endeavour to be filled with the Spirit, not just once again, but continually and endlessly (Ephesians 5:18).

All true believers, in spite of minor differences believe that the Holy Spirit is absolutely vital for every aspect of our Christian life, which is the second point we note.

God's Spirit is Essential

We need our heads to be anointed with oil every day.

Whether charismatic/pentecostal or conservative we all agree that without the Spirit of Christ we can do nothing. We all want, I trust, much more of the Spirit's power surging through our lives.

Instead of arguing about where we disagree, we should focus on where we are in accord. Jesus said that in John 15, "apart from me you can do nothing."

My shepherd friend MacMillan, if I may call him back for a moment, says that sheep are often anointed with medicinal oils, to prevent pests and to heal conditions. Anointing sheep with oil is an essential part of a shepherd's work - and a regular one too.

If we remain in the Vine, drawing in the Holy Spirit's sap, we will "bear much fruit" and if we ask "whatever you wish and it will be given." (John 15).

Jesus encouraged us to pray for the Holy Spirit, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him." (Luke 11)

Paul encourages us to "live by the Spirit" and "keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5)

Summing it all Up

Are you feeling overwhelmed today? Or empty today? With the burdens of the day, with illness, with exhaustion, with some situation that has arisen directly out of the present pandemic? You do not know how you can cope, or how you can go on any further.

It is all too easy to lose sight of the Holy Spirit - and hence too easy to forget to ask for a renewed infusion and filling of the Comforter.

Is his Power or Joy a missing Jewel in your present walk?

I don't mean He is not at work in you - not at all. You and I could not live the Christian life for a nanosecond without his power. He is always there, comforting, guiding, counselling. He is God's first installment of heaven, a foretaste of the world to come.

But we can also ask God for a renewing, refreshing and refueling of his gracious Spirit for the present hour.

A SONG FOR THE DAY
Someone in our church  - and this sort of thing is happening all the time, praise God! - suggested this song to one of our WhatsApp groups. I pass it on, because it may be just the words you need to hear - and sing? - today.

Are you thirsty
Are you empty
Come and drink these living waters
Tired and broken
Peace unspoken
Rest beside these living waters

Christ is calling
Find refreshing
At the cross of living waters
Lay your life down
All the old gone
Rise up in these living waters

Chorus:
There’s a river that flows
With mercy and love
Bringing joy to the city of our God
There our hope is secure
Do not fear anymore
Praise the Lord of living waters

Spirit moving
Mercy washing
Healing in these living waters
Lead your children
To the shore line
Life is in these living waters

Are you thirsty
Are you empty
Come and drink these living waters
Love, forgiveness
Vast and boundless
Christ, He is our living waters

Kristyn Getty & Ed Cash

You can hear it HERE.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our loving Father in heaven,

We thank you for many many answered prayers. 

We thank you for sending your Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. 

We remember with humble penitence that he was given, not selfishly for our own personal blessing alone, but so that we might become powerful witnesses of the risen Christ to the ends of the earth!

In this season of both sorrow and great Gospel opportunity, help us to share the Good News of hope beyond Coronavirus and hope beyond the grave, far and wide!

Teach us to rely on your Spirit's power for everything. For comfort, for service, for strength, for wisdom, for the fruit that makes our characters Christ-like.

And may He, who was given to reveal Christ to us, teach us more of our Saviour and his vast and unending love for us and for this whole wide Gospel-needy world.

We ask these things in Jesus' Name, 

Amen.

Daily Devotions for Difficult Days [22] A Feast for Friends

 Friends for Jesus

Preparing for Palm Sunday recently, I was struck by how wonderfully God provided friends for Jesus in the last week of his earthly life - and in the most hostile place on the planet: Jerusalem.

A friend provided a donkey on the Sunday before his crucifixion, other friends provided him and his disciples accommodation just outside the menacing city. On Thursday friends provided Jesus with an upper room to eat Passover in, and on Friday a friend loaned him a tomb (A short and temporary loan, it may be said, but a crucial part of Jesus' earthly work was to be buried.)

Since Jesus was surrounded by enemies during his last week, I could not help thinking that our verse today was in some way an echo or prophecy of the Last Supper:

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." (Psalm 23:5)

A sheep or a friend?

At this point in Psalm 23, we have to make a decision. Is king David, the inspired psalmist, still talking about sheep and shepherds, or has he moved to friends and friendship?

The rest of the psalm would work very well with "friends." In other words, David has now ended the shepherd / sheep analogy and wants the psalm to end on more intimate terms. The pastoral analogy has served its purpose well, now it is time to "get real" - for after all we are not sheep, and the Saviour is not a "Shepherd.

But then I read shepherd MacMillan! And he thinks that we're still out in the pastures! He feels that the practice of putting grass on raised tables for the sheep, to prevent parasites on the ground contaminating it, is what David has in mind.

I don't want to disagree with such an eminent writer lightly, but it seems to me that David has exhausted the pastoral analogy and wants his readers to move up a gear, and into reality. So we bid our kindly shepherd  guide a gentle and respectful farewell and charter our own course!

If it had not been for my preparation for Palm Sunday, I might not have seen it, but I believe that this verse is first a prophecy and second a comfort to us.

A Prophecy: The Father's Provision for his Son

How perfectly this verse suits the Passover Meal, the Last Supper! Jesus is in Jerusalem.

The religious leaders hated Jesus with a vengeance. Why? First they were jealous of his popularity. Second they were envious of his gifts, and thirdly they resented his holiness: he did nothing wrong. For the last few years they have sent their emissary-spies around the land, following Jesus, listening to him, picking up "evidence," trying to trip him up in his words!

And since Sunday and Monday the temperature of their hatred has increased seven fold! On Sunday he rode into Jerusalem claiming to be the Messiah-King and on Monday he really upset the apple-cart (plus a lot of other carts) in the Temple.

They were seething with rage! Secret meetings! Nods and winks. You can picture the scene.

Of course Jesus is perfectly safe. Until his hour has come, no-one can lay a hand upon him. But Jesus, would no doubt have had moments of anxiety, for he was a real human being, like us.

And so on Thursday evening he gathers his disciples for one last meal! Today his enemies would have tried (unsuccesfully) to bug the room with microphones and cameras.

God prepared a table for his Son in the presence of his enemies - right smack in the middle of Jerusalem!

The Great Shepherd of the sheep became a sheep himself, under the protection of his Father, so that he could understand the deepest trials of the sheep he came to die for. And also so that he could experience the loving protection of the Father in the midst of threatening hostility. So that everyone who has experienced an unfriendly situation, and everyone who has experienced persecution, can know that their Good shepherd understands the sheep from the inside.

A promised Comfort: God's Kindness in a Hostile World

But this line in Psalm 23 is more than a past prophecy, it's a current comfort too. To prepare a table for someone is the same today as it has always been. We invite friends over because we enjoy their company, we value their friendship. To lay a table is to welcome, to love, to honour, to celebrate another.

And this laying of a table is metaphor for God's amazing kindness to us in the midst of a hostile world.

For some people members of their own household are the enemy company they have to suffer day after day. For other people it's their place of work. For others a neighbourhood and for others the state.

For a select few their enemies are found behind prison walls. Many church pastors have been to prison and are now in prison. The chinese pastor Wang Yi was put in prison last December for 9 years, because he preached the Gospel. 

Whenever authorities put a pastor in prison, always envious of his influence, they spread lies about him. They told lies about Wang Yi. In the past godless authorities said that Watchman Nee had committed adultery with numerous women,  Pastor Krivolapov had killed a three year old while Christians sang hymns around him, bishop Ordass was a black marketer. As the Master so to the servants.

For all of us, there is the arch enemy, Satan and his legions of damned helpers (I mean exactly what I say for their doom is writ) who prowl around looking for ways to tempt and trip up God's people.

We are all in the presence of at least one enemy, but are we aware, alert, and living as children of the day?

But here is the promised comfort: God will prepare a table before us in the very presence of our enemies! A spiritual feast of joy and peace and love and communion with God. 

Richard Wurmbrand, already seasoned by years of prison in the former USSR said to his son,

“Michael, you know that in prison I had no Bible... but these things I know for sure. First, there is a living God and he is our loving Father. Second, Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Bridegroom of our souls. Third, the Holy Spirit works in us to make us more and more Christ like. Fourth, there exists beyond question an eternal life. And lastly, love is the best of ways. This is what I have learned in prison.”

A divine table of the finest of foods, in the presence of Richard's enemies!

Summing it all up

All believers live in a hostile world. We know that. The apostle Peter calls Christians "strangers in the world" (the old word was "aliens", but space fiction has made that word unusable today). Everything we believe and the lifestyle we live is at loggerheads with the world and it's passing values.

But we need not fear, for the Lord God will prepare for us - he has promised to do it - a feast in the very presence of our enemies! He will be with us, he will encourage us, our great Shepherd-Friend.

A SONG FOR THE DAY

Our song today always features highly in any table of well-loved hymns. Today we hear it sung by a quintet (We like variety at this blog!)

 What a Friend we have in Jesus,

  All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?

  Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

 Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness,

  Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Saviour, still our refuge—

Take it to the Lord in prayer;

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer;

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,

 Thou wilt find a solace there.

 Joseph Scriven

You can hear it HERE.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Loving Father in heaven,

We thank you for this beautiful warm day. We bless you for the beauty of your creation and the longer days which gladden our hearts and lead us to worship you, the mighty Creator.

We pray, every day, for our needy and connected world. We  pray that the present suffering will not be in vain, but ask that you will work out your sovereign purposes and bring good out of evil.

We thank you that we are never alone. We thank you that in the midst of a hostile world, you bless us with innumerable blessings, both material and spiritual. Thank you for the table set before us. 

We pray for all those Christians persecuted around the world today. We pray for Pastor Wang Yi locked up in China simply for preaching the Gospel.

We thank you that the Friend of sinners has become  our friend too.

We pray these things in Jesus' Name

Amen