The state of some roads in our local area leaves a lot to be desired: they are full of potholes, bumpy, have been dug up countless times to repair pipes beneath them and now resemble a patchwork quilt of tarmac. They are uncomfortable to ride on and when speed humps are added into the equation can make for decidedly unpleasant journeys!

We much prefer smooth, newly tarmaced road surfaces without curves and corners (well, unless you’re Garry, who loves riding round bends, especially on the motor bike…!)

Life is rarely like the smooth, newly tarmaced road, however. It’s full of vicissitudes, those changes in circumstances which are rarely pleasant, full of ups and downs, bends and twists, uneven road surfaces:

There are so many times in life when we have no idea where we are going or what is happening. We may well feel abandoned by God, utterly alone and forsaken. We cannot see how life’s difficulties – bereavement, illness, pain, rejection, divorce, depression, miscarriage, unwanted pregnancy, rape, violence and so on- can possibly be used for good. As Mark reminded us on Sunday, though, our call is to trust in God even when we cannot see Him.

One of my all-time favourite lyrics is in Jeremy Camp’s song ‘Walk By Faith’ which says ‘this broken road prepares Your will for me.’ Written after his first wife’s death at the age of 21 from ovarian cancer, the song declares ‘I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see.’ The song asks poignant questions which all of us must face:

‘Will I believe You when You say
Your hand will guide my every way?
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day?’

It’s not easy to walk by faith on the roads with potholes and uneven road surfaces. But as Joseph demonstrates, it is possible. Even the broken roads prepare God’s will for us. Aaron Keyes reminds us that God is in sovereign control over us, working in our waiting, teaching us to trust (‘Sovereign Over Us’). God is faithful forever, perfect in love. Hold on to that on the broken roads.

We also had a birthday to celebrate tonight:

Stephen spoke tonight about having a heart for God. Our human hearts are amazing, beating about 100,000 times in a day and about 35 million times in one year. We can’t live without them; if the heart stops beating for any length of time, then we die.

God has a lot to say about the heart, which is often used to mean our inner life and spiritual walk, not just the physical muscle in our bodies. When God lives in us, He makes our hearts glad (Ps 16:9); ‘my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.’ (Ps 73:26) The Bible talks of our hearts ‘crying out’ to God (Ps 84:2) and we are urged to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matt 22:7, see Deut 6:5).

We need our hearts to be renewed and purified (Ps 51:10, 17); in fact, we need the new heart which Ezekiel prophesied about (Ezek 18:31) if we are to live for God. We need to walk with whole-hearted trust in God (Prov 3:5-6), keeping in step with the rhythm of God’s heartbeat (see Gal 5:16), knowing as we do so that ‘this beating heart, like a drum, it will beat for You.’ (‘This Beating Heart’, Matt Redman).

Mark spoke on the subject of blind trust this morning. When you play games which involve blindfolds, you soon find out if you really trust the person giving you directions or not! If we don’t, we tend to move nervously and slowly; if we do, we can step out more confidently.

Sometimes it’s hard for us to trust God; there are times when we feel like life is lived with the blindfold on and we aren’t always sure if we trust God or not. It’s easier if we can see where and how He is leading us, but there will always be periods of uncertainty and God wants us to continue to trust Him at those times instead of making our own contingency plans.

Ps 9:10 remind us that those who know God’s name will put their trust in Him. We need to know who God is, understanding that He is our provider (in both the material and spiritual realms.) God does not forsake those who trust Him, but promises to be with us to lead and guide us, even in those times when we feel uncertain of His direction.

Prov 3:5-6 reminds us that God is looking for whole-hearted trust. We have to seek God’s ways first  (see Matt 6:33), knowing that God’s leading is available always.

Jer 17:7-8 assures us that those who trust in the Lord will be blessed by Him. Even during seasons of practical need and drought, we can be like well-watered trees, yielding fruit all the time. Every Christian will go through periods of drought, but we do not hav to be anxious in those times, for God is able to use us to bless others even when we feel dry ourselves.

Is 26:3-4 talks of how God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on Him. Shalom, that sense of wellbeing and wholeness, is available to us in God. The word ‘mind’ does not just refer to our thoughts but encourages us to fix all our creative imagination on God. We might paraphrase these verses saying ‘those whose creative imaginations are founded on God will know shalom in all its fulness.’

Num 6:24-27 tells us of the priestly blessing which Moses spoke to Aaron to pass on to the people of God. This prayer talks of God blessing and being gracious to His people and making His face shine on them and concludes ‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’ (Num 6:27) This involves invoking (calling, asking, seeking) God’s name so that He may come in blessing on others.

Ps 32:10 reminds us that the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him. Our trust in God is never wasted. God’s love surrounds us – a love that is not flawed or affected by stress or illness or fatigue in the way that human love is. His love never ends and never fails (1 Cor 13:8).

Tonight the ‘Churches Together’ meeting celebrating Pentecost was held at Furlong Road Methodist Church, where  the beautiful banners and photographs remind us of the creativity God has given us:

Karen Beecham told us a ‘godly story’ (as used by the Methodist church in three local primary schools) about the Tower of Babel and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Building the tower:

The tower falls and the unity of one language in the world is replaced by multiple different languages:

When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost, they received the power to speak in other languages and to witness to all Jesus had done:

Afterwards, we were given the opportunity to engage in different activities.

Some built their own towers, with young helpers!

Some used Lego to build means of evangelism!

Some were involved in sewing:

Some were involved in drawing or using playdough to make models:

Some investigated children’s books and how to work with children:

Our thanks to the Methodist Church for hosting this meeting and providing refreshments for us all and to all who came to make this a really interesting evening, full of worship, prayer, conversation and fellowship.

In our series ‘Everday Christianity’, we looked at the importance of allowing our faith to permeate every aspect of our lives and the danger of living compartmentalised lives, relegating our faith to a meeting or two on a Sunday and perhaps a few minutes of prayer and reading the Bible during the week. Christianity is nothing if not holistic; we are urged to love God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength (Matt 22:37, Deut 6:5), which inevitably ‘overflows’ into our everyday lives.

Daily Faith, 4 sessions of teaching on this issue, will be held on dates in June and July at Leeds Church Institute. The four-session course (which costs £24 if booked before the end of May and £29 after this date) explores what it means to develop a ‘baptised imagination’ in our day-to-day lives, whether we are at work, are unpaid volunteers, carers, parents, students, retired or anything else! It tackles questions such as:

• How can you share your faith as an opera singer (or accountant or teacher or any other profession)?
• What does it mean to be a Christian diplomat (‘ambassadors for Christ’)?
• How can you live out a Christian calling in a call-centre or shop floor?

It unpacks biblical teaching on work, rest and play and uses inspiring stories of Christians who have been salt and light in their day-to-day lives. It challenges the common view of ‘calling’ that focuses only on Christian ministry and provides inspiration and space to explore how to ‘live life in all its fulness’ from Monday to Saturday.

Led by Mark Roques, an author, storyteller and director of RealityBites (which works with schools, churches and the media to communicate the use of the Christian faith effectively in contemporary culture), this course runs on Wednesday 22nd and 29th June and 6th and 13th July from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Leeds Church Institute at 20 New Market Street, Leeds, LS1 6DG. Tickets can be booked here.