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.

Many people think that having faith is something needed simply to get us started on the Christian journey; after that, it’s just a question of plodding on. I think this is one of the most fallacious and dangerous views that we can ever have (see Gal 3:1-6 to see what Paul thought of it!)

Every day, God challenges us to dare to believe Him. Faith is having confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Heb 11:1). Every day we put our trust in a God we cannot see, believing not only that He exists but that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Heb 11:6) In other words, we believe not only in God’s existence (lots of people believe that, even the demons, James reminds us (Js 2:19)), but in His character as revealed in the Bible – that He is love, just, compassionate, forgiving, merciful, gracious, patient, kind, righteous and both omniscient and omnipotent, and also that He longs to give good gifts to those who ask Him (Matt 7:11).

That means every day we need to dare to believe what God says over and above what other people say, what our feeble hearts may say, what the enemy of our souls may say. We need to dare to ask God for things which are impossible for us to receive without His intervention and help. We need to dare to ask that He will use us to speak words of life to people who don’t know Him, that He will speak His words of life through us, that He will do for us and for our friends, families, neighbours and enemies things which are impossible in the natural and only possible through His divine power.

This kind of faith is exciting, daunting and challenging. We develop it by pouring fuel onto the fire: the fuel of faith, stoked by the Word of God and maintained by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Dying embers have to be prodded into life as we speak the life-giving Word of God over our situations: ‘over fear, over lies, we’re singing the truth that nothing is impossible with You.’ (‘Every Giant Will Fall’, Rend Collective)

The truth is that life is meant to be an adventure with God: a dazzling dance, a journey where the impossible becomes possible. Paul says God is able to ‘do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’ (Eph 3:20), but adds ‘according to his power that is at work within us’! As we meditate on this verse and others like it (eg Eph 1:19-20), let’s dare to believe that today can be different as we receive God’s power and pass it on to others in need.