There comes a time in a baby’s life (usually around six months old) when milk is not enough to sustain growth and solid foods have to be gradually introduced. Food still has to be pureed, but this is the time when new tastes and textures can be introduced into a baby’s diet.

Not all babies respond well to this initially, often spitting out the new food at first because it’s unfamiliar. Gradually, however, all babies will move on from milk to solid food.

In the same way, Peter urges new Christians ‘like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation’ (1 Pet 2:2), but this milk is not enough to sustain us throughout life. The writer to the Hebrews says ‘anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.’ (Heb 5:13-14)

The process of weaning us spiritually from milk to solids is often not pleasant. When we’re first saved, it feels as though we live in a haze of wellbeing and a glow of grace. God seems to answer our every prayer and provide evidence upon evidence of His blessing and benevolence. But there comes a period, often known as the ‘dark night of the soul’, when we no longer feel God’s presence and can even doubt His love. Well-meaning people may tell us that if we’re no longer feeling close to God, it’s not God who has moved and we can become extremely worried, anxious and even despairing. Perhaps, though, all that is happening is that God is weaning us. He does not want neurotic dependency on Him; He is looking for child-like trust which will follow Him even when we cannot see where He is going. Is 45:15 talks of the God who hides Himself, and sometimes in those dark times, it’s not that we’ve moved away from God or that God has actually moved away, but that there is a weaning, a denial, a waiting period which we find tremendously difficult to understand but which is designed to help us to trust. God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5), but there will come a time in every Christian’s life when we have to believe that promise by faith, rather than because of our feelings or because of the visible things we can see. Just as the baby may have to wait longer than it wants for its meal and then be given food it would really rather not have to digest, so too God may make us wait longer than we want for His answers or bring circumstances into our lives that don’t seem at all good, but He is looking to shape us into the image of His Son and bring us to maturity.

Maturity means we turn to God, having nowhere else to go (see Jn 6:67-68); we nestle into His arms; we rest in contentment in Him even when we have no idea what to do about the storms that rage all around, even when we are as confused and as worn out as that screaming baby.

This morning’s sermon looked at Ps 131, a psalm which deals with the topics of humility, satisfaction and contentment, qualities which are sorely in need in today’s acquisitive, dissatisfied society. Its simplicity (only three verses long) may cause us to skip over its truths, but we need to linger here because these are such important topics in a world where arrogance, dissatisfaction and frustration seem to dominate.

The psalmist’s heart is not proud nor his eyes haughty. (Ps 131:1) Pride is one of the deadliest of all sins, but is often commended nowadays in the guise of ambition. Pride was at the heart of Satan’s downfall (Is 14:13-14) and many proverbs comment on how pride goes before a fall (Prov 16:18, 29:23). Paul reminded the Corinthians that arrogance can easily lead to our downfall (1 Cor 10:23) and Jesus told a parable about a proud Pharisee and a humble tax collector to illustrate that we must never allow self-righteousness to replace dependence on God (see Luke 18:9-14). The reason pride is so dangerous is that it steers us away from God and makes us believe that we can manage adequately without Him, thus creating an illusory reality which has no real substance.

The psalmist freely admits that he doesn’t know everything and that some things are beyond his understanding or his comprehension. Nowadays, that view is highly unpopular as we seek to increase our knowledge and understanding (no bad thing in itself), but we must understand that there will always be things we can’t fathom (see Deut 29:29, Job 42:3). Paul reminds the Corinthians that now we only know in part (see 1 Cor 13:12); we have to ‘surrender the hunger to say you must know/Have the courage to say “I believe”’, as Michael Card puts it in his song ‘God’s Own Fool.’

The psalmist likens himself to the contented state of a weaned child at its mother’s breast (Ps 132:2). Weaning is not a particularly comfortable process, as babies often react against the unfamiliarity of solid food and cannot understand the parents’ motivation in moving them on from milk! We too often rage against God when things don’t go our way or answers to prayer aren’t immediately forthcoming, but (as C. H. Spurgeon said) ‘It is a blessed mark of growth out of spiritual infancy when we can forgo the joys which once appeared to be essential, and can find our solace in Him who denies them to us.’

Paul tells Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Tim 6:6) Contentment comes as we realise God is in control, no matter what the visible evidence around us may tell us. Contentment comes as we realise God is faithful and His love endures forever (Ps 136:1). Contentment comes as we realise God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). Contentment comes as we realise that God is working for the good of those who love Him and that nothing can separate us from His love. (Rom 8:28-39) We can lie down and sleep in peace because God makes us dwell in safety. (Ps 4:8) All we have to do, the psalmist reminds us, is ‘put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.’ (Ps 131:1)

We don’t live in a vacuum, but in a world that desperately needs peace and godliness. Our prayers that God’s ways will prevail (over the manipulation and misuse of power in politics) are crucially important. All the politics we know in the natural realm require the exercise of power (usually either through the manipulation of force or the manipulation of words), but God’s kingdom operates in entirely different ways. Let’s pray for those who have authority over us, that they may learn to govern wisely and well so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Pray for:

• our local councillors (Charlotte Johnson, May Noble & Ralph Sixsmith) and all working with BMBC to help people in this area
• all those working to improve our community (the local Council, residents, voluntary groups and businesses)
• those involved in caring for families (GPs, healthcare workers, social services, nurseries and schools) to have wisdom in helping those in need, especially the vulnerable
• MPs and all in authority to govern wisely and to help the needy and marginalised in ways that reflect God’s heart.

June 2016 is an important month in UK politics, as the referendum on whether to leave or remain in the European Union takes place on 23 June. I have very little interest in politics, having a certain sympathy with a quote I once read in a children’s book that said ‘MPs ruin the country!‘ The role of rhetoric in politics makes it virtually impossible sometimes to separate substance from emotion and I have found it increasingly difficult to sustain interest in an exceedingly important debate when personalities making grandiose, sweeping statements which cannot be backed by hard facts (inevitably, for the most part, since it’s difficult to determine hard facts about future events which by their very nature cannot be evaluated through foresight and prediction) rant on in verbose sound-bites. The ‘Stronger In Europe’ leaflet which featured expert opinion included a quote from Martin Lewis (founder MoneySavingExpert) saying ‘On the balance of probability, it is more likely we’ll have less money in our pockets if we vote to leave’, which seemed to me hardly a ringing endorsement and turned out to have been used out of context and without his permission (see here)… but I have been just as unimpressed by doom-laden predictions from the Brexit corner.

Whatever my personal opinions on politics, however, the Bible urges us all to pray for those in authority: ‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’ (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Our prayer topc for June is therefore to pray for all those in authority at all levels, including international, national and local government.

Eugene Peterson, writing on the book of Revelation, reminds us that ‘every community is set down in the middle of this conflict of politics. Christian communities of faith have St. John’s vision by which to distinguish the politics of the dragon from the politics of the Lamb.’ (‘Reversed Thunder’, P 132) The politics of the world – influenced inevitably by sin and its anti-God stance – ‘takes the superficial and the pretentious and inflates them into promises of dominion and reputation, seducing the ego and exacerbating pride.’ (ibid.) Jesus, on the other hand, teaches us to lay down our lives in selfless service: ‘the politics of the Lamb, by showing that the plainest details of our daily faith are significant factors in a cosmic drama, protects us from hubris and guides us into the maturity that pours intelligence and energy into what is before us, making a work of holy art out of the ordinary.’ (ibid.)

We are called to be as wise (or shrewd) as serpents and as harmless as doves. (Matt 10:16) Let’s pray for those in authority and continue to pray for God’s kingdom to come, on earth as in heaven. (Matt 6:10)

One of the first Christian (auto)biographies I ever read was Corrie Ten Boom’s ‘The Hiding Place’ which dealt with her family’s life-changing decision to hide Jews in their home during the Second World War. The title always reminds me not only of the literal hiding place they provided (at great personal cost; she and her sister were sent to concentration camps and her father and sister both died during imprisonment) but their hope in God as their ultimate hiding place (Ps 32:7).

Phil Wickham’s new album ‘Children of God’ includes a beautiful song called ‘The Secret Place’ which reminds us that God is our rock of refuge to which we can always go (see Ps 71:1-3). That secret place can be anywhere; it’s a place of communion with God which nourishes and feeds us, giving us strength to stand.

‘Better is a moment that I spend with You

Than a million other days away

I’m running, I’m running

I’m running to the secret place.

Where will you run, my soul?

Where will you go when wells run dry?

When the wind starts to blow,

How’re you gonna keep this flame alive?

In the fading light when night is breaking,

I know You will always be waiting,

You’ll always be there.

I’m running to the secret place where You are, where You are.

I’ll sing to You of all the ways You stole my heart, stole my heart.

Better is a moment that I spend with You

Than a million other days away.

I’m running, I’m running,

I’m running to the secret place.

You are my only hope,

You are the rock on which I stand.

You will not let me go;

I know that I’m safe inside Your hands.

Hands are lifted high,

Hearts awake to life.

We are satisfied here with You, here with You.

Chains will hit the floor;

Broken lives restored.

We couldn’t ask for more here with You, here with You.’ (‘The Secret Place’, Phil Wickham)

We’ve just received some news from Steve & Katuska Davies, giving more details of the work they have been doing in Maputo, Mozambique for the past three years. They are currently on home assignment in Glasgow (with visits to Katuska’s family in Ecuador happening at the moment.)

Maputo Bible & Theological Seminary, where they have worked, trains pastors and church leaders, with numbers currently about 60. Six students completed their course last year and graduated this March:

Rev. André Malombe is now serving as Seminary Director in Steve’s absence; please pray for him (second from left) and for Alberto Guambe, the Academic Director:

The churches they work closely with are part of a denomination called Palavra Viva – the Living Word.  This year it will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Many churches have buildings of wood and cane; some just meet in the sand under a tree. The greatest challenge to faith is that many people don’t fully give up their traditional beliefs and practices when they become Christians.  “Traditional healers” still have a strong grip on society.

Bible teaching often has to be done with the help of interpreters. At his church Steve has sometimes preached in English, and Belarmino translates directly into Shangaan for the congregation. On other occasions, Steve has to teach in Portuguese!

Katuska is heavily involved in home schooling their three sons and has also been busy forging relationships with missionaries of different organisations.  These four ladies are from Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Mozambique, meeting on board the MV Logos Hope. Many missionaries feel isolated and lonely, so it’s good when they can meet together:

Prayer requests:

1. For the team at the Seminary, as they work hard to prepare young men & women for service and leadership.
2. For peace and security in Mozambique where there is still political tension.
3. For the boys’ educational needs now and in the future.
4. For Samuel (first on left) as he is suffering badly with skin trouble at the moment and the dermatologist in Ecuador has said he may need to be hospitalised.