Be Still And Know

Psalm 68.28 NLT 'Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.' There’s a Russian proverb which says, “Dwell in the past and you’ll lose an eye. Forget the past and you’ll lose both eyes.” That’s a wise saying in any context but it is particularly important for those who follow God because we learn so much about him from history. As we look back at the way in which he has led his people through thousands of years we see his faithfulness, love, kindness and generosity. The psalmist gazed back at the time of Moses when God gave the law on Sinai. This was a foundational time for the people of Israel giving shape to every aspect of their life together and with God. The psalmist then recalls the time of Deborah when the earth shook as God fought for his people. All of this led up to the time of David when the Ark of the Covenant was brought up to Jerusalem with great rejoicing. Every step of the journey had shown them more about the nature of their God. We have the blessing

Psalm 66.1-2 NLT 'Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is.' When we think about worship we will naturally focus on the church community with which we meet regularly. That’s not only entirely understandable but deeply precious. We thank God for our brothers and sisters and the relationship that we share with them. But we need to be careful because worship belongs to the whole world and not just to the group with whom we worship. The psalmist’s vision was for everyone to worship God, so when we worship we should keep everyone else in mind. Because everyone has been made by God, everyone needs a relationship with him and their life will only be complete when they live in partnership with him. At the heart of our worship there needs to be a longing that everyone around us will join in with us. We see a similar attitude in the New Testament. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul spoke about the way in which Jesus took upon himself the nat

Psalm 65.9 NLT 'You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so.' These days less than two percent of the population is involved in agriculture and so, for most of us, harvesting feels a world away from our everyday lives. In pre-Industrial society most people were involved in agriculture and harvest was a massive communal activity. It was desperately hard work and the lives of agricultural workers were intimately bound up with the rhythms of the seasons. It’s no wonder that many of the psalms make reference to harvesting. Our circumstances are very different, but we are still dependent on the work of our farmers and so I am delighted that over the next few weeks most of our churches will be involved in harvest celebrations. They remind us that our food, however it comes to us, is a gift from God. This is a good moment to focus attention on our farmers. It is well known that the

Psalm 63.1 NLT 'O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.' This psalm was almost certainly penned by King David after he had fled from his son Absalom who had attempted to take over his father’s throne. It was an agonising situation. Absalom was David’s third son and was a great favourite of his father. Absalom was charming and handsome and clearly loved the life of pomp and ceremony. We learn that he drove in a magnificent chariot with fifty men running in front of him. After a while the power went to his head and he decided to rebel against his father. It would be hard to imagine anything more terrible. To be betrayed by anyone is an appalling experience but to be betrayed by your own much loved son must have been almost too awful to bear. In despair David fled to the desert and had time to reflect on what mattered most in his life. He was absolutely clear that his relationship with the

Psalm 62.10 NLT 'If your wealth increases, don’t make it the centre of your life.' It’s interesting how often the issue of wealth comes up in the Bible. Psalm 112 gives an attractive picture of the person who follows the Lord. Such a person takes delight in the Lord’s commands and we are told that even in the darkness, the light shines for them. They are also described as being wealthy and at the same time generous and compassionate. Everything that we have is a gift from God and so whatever we have should be a cause for rejoicing, whether it is great or little. But the challenge comes when wealth increases because possessions are always greedy for our attention. They want to become the main focus of our life, and that’s when the rot sets in. Only God deserves that place and that’s exactly what our verse today is warning us about. We should ensure that wealth never takes centre stage in our lives. The book of Proverbs is wonderfully helpful on the subject of wealth. It often warns against the dangers of i

Psalm 62.1-2 NLT 'I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will neve be shaken.' What’s the biggest challenge that you have faced in life? It may have been an illness, the death of someone who was close to you, the betrayal of a friend or the breakup of a relationship. In such moments we desperately need to know where to turn. We need a rock. King David seemed to face such challenges frequently and he reflected that he had found God to be his rock and his fortress. He knew that, even though life continued to hurl challenges and difficulties at him, he was unshakable. In this particular psalm he spoke about those who were aiming to bring him down through their lies. They trusted in extortion and bragged about their stolen goods. They were always seeking to trip him up, but he discovered that they, and their threats, counted for nothing in the face of God’s unshakable strength. The writer to the Hebrews reflected on the fact that

Acts 17.32-34 NLT When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Paul received a complete range of reactions to his speech to the Areopagus. Some laughed, others wanted to hear more and yet others became believers. You couldn’t get a more varied response than that! First of all there were those who laughed with contempt. They found the idea of the resurrection absurd. It is never pleasant to be laughed at, but Paul knew that the Christian message will always seem ridiculous to some people. He spoke about this at length when he wrote to the church in Corinth. If you have a partner, children or colleagues who find your faith a complete joke it is very tiring and discouraging. I pray that you will find grace and strength to cope and also Christian friends who can support you. Other people were sufficiently stimulated by Paul’s me

Acts 17.22-23 NLT Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ Paul must have been delighted to get an opportunity to speak to the council, which was known as the Areopagus. This was a highly respected body and brought together the leading thinkers of Athenian society. I love the graciousness and sensitivity of Paul’s approach to them. He wanted to build a bridge with these learned people. He observed that he had been looking around the city and noticed that they were very religious. They would have loved that. But he goes further, remarking that he had come upon one particular altar which was “To an Unknown God.” I am sure that his hearers were flattered by the care with which Paul had surveyed the situation and they were all ears. If we are to speak compellingly to our society, we too need to build

Acts 17.17-18 NLT 'He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.' We have much to learn from Paul. When he went to a new place it was his usual practice to make contact first of all with the synagogue. There he would find not only Jews but also people who were interested in the faith who hadn’t made a full commitment. It was clearly a good place to talk about his faith and he was ideally qualified to speak with understanding to both Jews and Gentiles. But he didn’t leave it at that. He also went regularly to the public square. That was a more random activity and I love the way that Luke records him meeting those “who happened to be there”. And, as if that wasn’t enough, he also entered into lively debate with the philosophers. The Stoics taught the development of self-control as a means of overcoming destructive emotions and the E

Acts 17.16 NLT 'While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.' We have no reason to think that Paul intended to spend time in Athens. He was merely there for a few days whilst he waited for Silas and Timothy to catch up with him. The threats to his safety had got too serious in Berea and so he had been escorted down south to the relative safety of Athens. He needed a good break after the dangers and pressures of the recent months of ministry. But Paul wasn’t one for holidays and so he spent his time walking round the city reflecting on all that he was seeing. Politically Athens had become far less significant than it had been in the past, but it was still a leading centre of culture. It was famous for its sculpture, literature and philosophy and Paul was clearly fascinated by all that he saw but was also deeply troubled. The city was full of temples and images of pagan gods and Paul, who had been brought up as a very strict Jew, was distresse

Acts 17.11 NLT 'The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.' Every preacher and bible teacher longs to meet people like these Bereans! They were really open to the Christian message but they didn’t simply accept everything that Paul and Silas had to say. They looked carefully at the Old Testament scriptures to make sure that what they had been taught was right. Having been a preacher and Bible teacher for many years I can’t tell you how much I love it when people question what I’ve said. Although I will always seek to write and preach carefully, I’m far from perfect, and I need to be kept on my toes. I find it really exciting when I hear that people are seriously studying the Scriptures and reflecting on what it means. I almost always learn more when people ask questions. I encourage you to get to grips with the Bible. If these daily no

Acts 16.25-26 NLT 'Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations.' The ministry of Paul and Silas in Philippi soon hit the buffers when they healed a slave girl who was a fortune teller. She had made good money for her owners until she was healed. They were furious when they realised that their source of income had disappeared. They dragged Paul and Silas into the market-place, where they got the support of the magistrates to beat and imprison them. I wonder how you or I would have responded to this. Paul and Silas had been severely flogged and must have been very injured and bruised. Having had a very specific call from God to serve him in this Macedonian area, you wouldn’t be surprised if they were feeling very let down by him. But there they were in a top security prison cell praying and singing hymns to God! What amazing men they were! To cap it all, th

Acts 16.15 NLT Lydia and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed. Paul’s first convert in Europe was a businesswoman. Lydia came from what we now know as western Turkey and was a dealer in the purple cloth for which her home area was famous. As Paul travelled around he normally began his ministry in a synagogue but it would seem that there wasn’t one in Philippi. So he went to the river where he met up with a group of women who met together to pray. As Paul spoke with them Lydia responded to his message and was baptised. It is fascinating to see that her first response was to offer hospitality, and it seems that she was very insistent. Hospitality was crucial for the early church because there were no Christian buildings for many years. The only way they could meet would be if people generously opened up their homes. Our homes are interesting places aren’t th

Acts 16.9-10 NLT 'That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once.' We should never put a limit on the ways in which God might choose to speak to us. Yesterday we saw God putting a block on Paul’s plans. Today he makes it crystal clear where Paul should go next. In a vision he saw a man from Macedonia pleading with them to go and help. We receive no information about what this vision was like although we might presume that it was whilst Paul was dreaming. I wonder how you interpret your dreams. Much of the time dreams are, in my experience, extraordinary and impossible to unravel. If I can remember them at all beyond breakfast they don’t seem to have any lasting significance. But dreams play an important role in many parts of the Bible and so we should definitely be open to the possibility that they will, from time to time, reveal God’s plans to us. Paul was clear

Acts 16.6 NLT 'Next Paul and Silas travelled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.' This is a remarkable moment. Paul clearly had a carefully worked out plan for his missionary journey but, at the same time, was intensely sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit. Here we meet him in what we know as central Turkey heading towards Ephesus but then the Spirit prevented him from going in that direction. So he then set off north until, in the next verse, the “Spirit of Jesus” told them not to enter Bithynia. We have no idea how Paul received this guidance. Perhaps it was through a dream or a word of prophecy. We don’t know and, what is more, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Paul was ready to go wherever the Lord led him, and he was eager to respond immediately to the breath of the Spirit. Planning is good. It is wise to think through plans for the future whether we are thinking about family holidays, c

Acts 16.2-3 NLT 'Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek.' This is a fascinating moment. Paul has just come away from the Council of Jerusalem where the decision has been clearly made that it is unnecessary for Christians to obey the Jewish law. He, more than anyone, passionately believed that it was not necessary for men to be circumcised and in his letters he is scathing of those who insisted on it. So why does he insist that his new companion, Timothy, should go through a ceremony which he believes is entirely unnecessary? The answer is clearly that he believed that their priority was to preach the gospel and that they must ensure that nothing got in the way of that. If Timothy was to work effectively amongst Jews then it would be much more helpful if he were to be circumcised. Timothy’s

Acts 15.37-39 NLT 'Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated.' This is a painful moment, but I’m so glad that Dr Luke recorded it. I am sure that he could quite easily have airbrushed it out of the story, but he didn’t. Paul and Barnabas fell out over taking John Mark on the next missionary journey. It’s impossible for us to know exactly the reason for this, although we do know that Paul was disappointed by the way that John Mark had deserted them on the first missionary journey. Because we know that Barnabas was a great encourager, it is easy to presume that he was all for giving John Mark a second chance. But these things happened a long time ago and there may well have been other factors of which we know nothing. The fact remains that they split up. Splits are never easy. Even when there is a speedy recovery, the pain of separ

Acts 15.28 NLT “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements.” It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of the Council of Jerusalem that we read about in Acts 15. The early church had hit upon a massive problem and they needed to find a way to resolve it. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, it came upon a huge gathering of Jews and so the first Christians brought with them the richness of their Jewish traditions. However, very quickly, the Gospel spread to people from a non-Jewish background. This set up enormous tensions because there were many Christians from a Jewish tradition who believed that non-Jews were welcome to Christian faith on the condition that the men were circumcised and that they all abided by Jewish law. The Council had to work out what to do, and it came to the peaceful and clear conclusion that those from a non-Jewish background did not need to accept all the law. They were simply urg

Acts 14.23 NLT 'Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.' Paul’s first missionary journey is incredibly impressive. Having been nearly lynched in Iconium, they went on to Lystra where Paul was so badly stoned that some people thought he was dead. However, he summoned the strength to go on to Derbe where he and Barnabas preached and got a wonderful response. Then with massive courage, they headed back to Lystra and Iconium where there had been all the problems. You wouldn’t have blamed them if they had given those cities a wide berth. Not so. On their return journey they did what they had failed to do on their first visit and appointed elders. They knew that, it they were to flourish, these young churches needed leadership. As we watch the amazing growth of the early church, there is no question that leadership was an integral part of God’s plan. And if you look at the church toda

Acts 14.14-15 NLT But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings— just like you!” After Paul and Barnabas were rudely bundled out of Iconium, they fled 19 miles south to the small Roman city of Lystra. They may well have presumed that Paul’s status as a Roman citizen would mean that they would receive more respect there. Paul was involved in the healing of a man who had been lame from birth and the people were so excited that they concluded that Paul and Barnabas must be gods. The missionaries were slow to understand what was going on because the people were speaking in their own local language. Things went from bad to much worse when the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, turned up with bulls and wreaths in order to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. Paul was determined to put the matter straight as soon as possible. He was