The snow has finally arrived in Goldthorpe and with it a whole range of viruses and illnesses. Added to that a variety of circumstances, and numbers were down this morning. But for those of us present, we heard so much that challenges and reassures us.
The songs we sing influence us more than perhaps many of us realise. This morning, the songs we sang reminded us of great truths and expressed heartfelt prayers:
“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”
(‘O, Church, Arise’ by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend)
“Your grace is enough” (by Matt Maher and Chris Tomlin) reminds us that no matter what circumstances we go through, God’s grace is sufficient for us (see 2 Cor 12:9). Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name” reminds us that no matter what circumstances we go through, we can choose to bless His name. “Living Under the Shadow of His Wing” (David Hadden, Bob Silvester) reminds us that that is the only place where we will find the security we crave. And finally, Stuart Townend’s “How Deep The Father’s Love for us” takes us back to the cross where we can reflect again on God’s love, mercy and the supreme sacrifice of Christ:
“Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.”
Mark then spoke from Matthew 6:25-34 about the futility of worry. Some of us worry far more than others, but the fact remains, no matter what our temperament, worry does not achieve for us anything other than heartache. Worry cannot help us to grow taller or add years to our lives (quite the contrary, probably!) It reflects a desire to control our own destinies and a lack of trust in God’s loving care and provision. Jesus shows us how the Father cares even for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, so His children need not fear that He is incapable or unwilling to look after them. The key remains with us: our part is to ‘seek first the kingdom of God’ or, as Psalm 55:22 puts it, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”
For some people, this is a simple truth and easily put into practice. For myself (and I can only speak for myself), this is a lifelong lesson that does not seem to get easier as I get older. I find it so very hard to leave worry with God. I am so practised at worry, so good at it, that unbelief is easier than faith. I’m particularly good at worrying about hypothetical situations, projecting into ‘tomorrow’ all the things I can’t solve today, without fully grasping that God’s grace, this all-sufficient grace we sing about so heartily, actually is for the now and covers us no matter what situation we face. “Each day has enough trouble of its own,” Matthew 6:34 tells us. For years I read that in the KJV and had no clue what “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” meant, beyond the fact that it sounded grandiose. But if I am honest, what I think it means is that today’s problems are enough to take on, without adding tomorrow’s to the pile as well! God’s grace is there for us today, and He urges us to leave our cares and worries with Him. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:7)
My prayer for us all is that we allow the Spirit to put strength in every stride and give grace for every hurdle. That way, if we will leave our anxieties and worries with God, we will begin to experience the all-empowering grace we need to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.