The World Day of Prayer locally was held yesterday (1 March) at St Peter’s Church in Barnburgh. The service was written by Palestinian Christians on the theme ‘bearing with one another in love’, and we enjoyed the percussion instruments as we sang and the different props for use during the service (we extended the olive branch of peace to each other, for example.)

The beautiful church hall was decorated with paper angels and we loved having refreshments after the service.

The author continues looking at household objects connected with cleansing, with today’s object the bath and today’s Bible reading Luke 7:36-47, the passage where the woman breaks open the alabaster jar of perfume to wash and anoint Jesus before the crucifixion.

In Jesus’s time, having a bath was not an everyday occurrence; foot-washing was the standard activity for anyone welcoming a guest into their home. The woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and anointed him with perfume was only doing what the host, Simon, should have done. Luke makes it clear that the significance of this action is bound up in the woman’s awareness of forgiveness and points out, ‘Whoever has been forgiven little loves little.’ (Luke 7:47) Lent is a time when we need to ponder how much we have been forgiven and can then come to a new appreciation of what it cost Jesus to bring us into this new relationship.

Showers tend to be quicker than baths, where we can have the luxury of a long soak. We need to take time periodically to remember how far God has brought us and how much we have been forgiven.

In the midst of the ongoing trials of David in the wilderness, pursued by Saul whose obsession showed no sign of abating, Jonathan comes to find David and to offer wise words of encouragement which literally give him the heart to continue. (1 Sam 23:15-18) The world has a proverb ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’, and that is certainly David’s experience. He must have felt discouraged and dismayed by the ongoing need to hide from Saul, to be on the run each day, but Jonathan’s visit must have greatly heartened him. Jonathan affirmed his loyalty and commitment to serving David (freely recognising that David has been anointed king of Israel by God Himself and that he will therefore be happy to play second fiddle to the kingship which will soon be David’s.) He also reminded David not to be afraid (a command repeated for every day of the year in the Bible – no matter what our situation, with God on our side, there is nothing to fear!) and repeated God’s word to him: “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” (1 Sam 23:17)

Encouragement is a spiritual gift which brings perspective to our difficult circumstances, and often involves saying the right words at the right time in an appropriate way. Prov 25:11 says, ‘Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances’; later in that same chapter, we read, ‘Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.’ (Prov 25:25) This is what David experienced at a tough time in his life, and we can be like Jonathan, bringing words of encouragement to others. Paul told the Thessalonians to ‘encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing’ (1 Thess 5:11), reminding them to ‘encourage the disheartened.’ (1 Thess 5:14) Barnabas, the son of encouragement, was great to encouraging; we too can be used by God to bring hope and courage to other people.

In Ps 27:8, David prays, ‘My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.’ Seeking God’s face is part of what sets David apart as a leader. In 1 Samuel 23, he faces tough choices: does he fight against the Philistines who are looting the threshing floors of Keilah, thus risking Saul finding out his whereabouts and therefore coming to kill him, or does he go to the aid of the people of Keilah, even if it means potential personal harm? His men, understandably, are afraid and want to remain in hiding, but David seeks God to find out what he should do. He is not prepared to let safety-first be his guiding principle; he wants to know God’s will over and above what situations look like or what others tempt him to do.

With Abiathar with this group and therefore the means of divination present (the priestly ephod with its Thummim and Urim), David seeks God twice for guidance, and ventures out of his comfort zone to defeat the Philistines and save the people of Keilah. He is not prepared to hide behind safety and self-protection; he wants to do God’s will.

We may not have the same means of guidance as David had, but we need to learn to seek God’s face just as He did. Nicky Gumbel lists some of the ways that God guides us:

• Commanding Scripture (God’s word spoken directly to us)
• Compelling Spirit (that inner disquiet as God disturbs us and speaks to us personally)
• Common Sense (never to be despised!)
• Counsel of the Saints (where God uses other believers to speak to us)
• Circumstantial Signs (where circumstances slot into place to lead us on in new areas)

Whichever method God uses and however He rescues us, the fact is that David is at this point indestructible because he has not yet fulfilled God’s plan for his life. He may be facing trials and opposition and his life may be at risk, but God is still in sovereign control. That remains true today, giving us confidence and hope.