Monday
Psalm 107.30 “They were glad when it grew calm and he brought them to a safe harbour.”
The sea isn’t always as calm as it looks in the photo. Neither is the life we have to live every day. There are storms that disrupt our equilibrium, sometimes strong headwinds of circumstances and difficulties we have to plough through. This verse is a reminder to cry to the Lord in our trouble, “He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” Every life has its storms and at times like that we look for a safe haven, a secure harbour, a place of refuge, the providence of a merciful God.
Tuesday
Luke 4.40 “When the sun was setting the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.”
King’s College Chapel at dusk, one of my favourite places. Evening can be a difficult time for folk who have struggled through the day with illness, weakness, mental ill-health, or emotional exhaustion. In prayer we too bring people to Jesus for healing of body, mind and spirit. We can never know what our prayers achieve. But we do know the promises of God, and that our prayers are heard, woven into the patterns of God’s purposeful care for all who are in need.
Wednesday
Psalm 23.2 “He leads me beside still waters.
Stillness – a break from surrounding noise, a chance to quieten the mind, and to listen to our life. Faith is many things, but for the Psalm-poet it includes that peace of mind and heart that is not self-achieved, but is the gift of God – the gift of God’s presence felt. After he was risen, Jesus “the great shepherd of the sheep”, often announced his presence with the words, “Peace be with you.” Recognising the risen Jesus, present, there, with them, in the midst – that has always been the key to Christian peace.
Thursday
Proverbs 3.5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”
I love paths! Forest tracks, sheep tracks across the moor, or winding round and up a hill. A path is made by all the feet that have gone before us, so it’s a shared journey. Christian fellowship is to walk the same path, following faithfully after Jesus. Early Jesus followers were called precisely that, followers of the Way. Each day is another part of that long trek, “looking to Jesus the starter and the finisher” of the journey we are making. Trust is the inner attitude of humility, a firm willingness to follow, an obedience of the heart that acknowledges God as our guide.
Friday
Psalm 19.14b “O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
I often walk past this rock. And yes, I’m daft enough to have a favourite rock! It’s about a metre in length and millions of years old. But here it sits, above the tide line, weathered and sculpted and, yes, solid. Poetry is about finding words and images that can tell truth differently, and help us imagine new things. That’s why the Psalm poet describes God as a Rock – God’s love and mercy are solid, forever enduring, unchanged by tide or time, his purposes eternal and wise, his promises unbreakable. As the old hymn has it, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hid myself in Thee.” Or another, “Yes! Jesus is a rock in a weary land…”
Saturday
John 1.1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The symbol of John’s Gospel is the eagle. Majestic in its range of thought, soaring to the heights of eternal truth, fierce and relentless in pursuit of that truth, with deep and distant vision to see, to behold, and to gaze in awe. John’s aim is to bear witness to the One who is Creator, Light, Truth, Bread of Life, Resurrection and Life. Awe and wonder rebuke the smallness of our minds and upset our sense of familiarity with holy things. “The Word became flesh, and we beheld his glory, full of grace and truth. (John 1.14) To which our proper response is worship, kneeling, and the confession of Thomas, “My Lord, and my God!”
Sunday
Isaiah 1.4 “They will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more.”
The photo was taken outside The Gordon Highlander’s Museum in Aberdeen this week. An entire hedge of poppies, individually knitted or done in crochet. Vivid, eye-catching, and with a moment’s reflection, deeply poignant. Thousands of poppies, each one a few hundred stitches, in memory of all who have died in conflicts not of their making. Remembrance Sunday is a day of mixed and powerful emotions because that’s what memories do – they trigger our grief and sadness, and signal our loss and confusion. Isaiah looked forward to a day of peace and harmony, an age of shalom and flourishing that is yet to come. Until that time comes in the purposes of God it is a divine imperative to pray for peace. Why? Because “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” And because we pray to the God of peace, and in hope to the God of hope.
(Photo from Gordon Highlander’s Museum, Facebook post. No attribution there, but credit acknowledged.)
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