Sunday, Bloody Sunday - Lent 13

 
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
How long...
How long must we sing this song
How long, how long...

These are the opening lyrics to the song, Sunday, Bloody Sunday, written by the hugely famous band U2. They wrote these words during the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1980's. This song focuses  on the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders.

I share this with you because this was the song that immediately came to mind when I began reading Psalm 13. In the opening two verses David cries out 4 times to God, "How long O Lord?" Each time he speaks these words they relate to something in particular. How long will God...

• Forget us
• Hide from us
• Let me wrestle with my thoughts and sorrow
• Let our enemies triumph over us

Perhaps you can relate to this right now! Perhaps your prayers also start with the phrase "How long O Lord?" If this is you, then please read the entire Psalm and note the word of hope and comfort David brings. His questions end with a statement of faith, born out of a clear belief in God's willingness to act and love.

"But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, 
for he has been good to me." - v.5-6

God will always deliver us from our darkest night!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Words, words, words - Lent 12

Words are easy to come from our mouths, but sadly they are not always followed up with action. David wrestled with a situation where people were happy to lie to each other and deception was common practise - wow, that sounds a lot like our world in 2013, hey?!

Everyone lies to their neighbour;
they flatter with their lips
but harbour deception in their hearts. (Psalm 12:2)

Yet, despite the attitudes and examples of those around him, David still reminds us that with God things are different. God is always a person of his word!

And the words of the Lord are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,like gold refined seven times. (Psalm 12:6)

When God speaks, his Word brings life!

Reflection: 
1. Think of the many people who flocked to hear Jesus preach and perform miracles. Reflect on how their 'words' changed over 5 days (from one Sunday until the Friday). Words of praise quickly became words of hate and condemnation. Are we also so fickle?

2. What 'words' are you going to be using today? Guard them well.

 “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” - Rudyard Kipling

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Running for dear life - Lent 11

I can remember one incident clearly, where I ended up 'running for dear life.' We were caught in a thunderstorm at Dover Castle in England. We had left the castle and we running to our car, which was quite a distance away. I still recall a bolt of lightning striking the ground a few meters from us - to say we were scared is an understatement! ....So, I understand the phrase 'running for dear life!'

Psalm 11:1 (Message)
"I’ve already run for dear life
    straight to the arms of God.
So why would I run away now..."

At times we can be so afraid of what is happening around us that we turn and run. Running away from danger is not a bad option, but we must remember to run into the arms of Jesus. He is our refuge and strength. God is our protector and safe haven.

Let's not run away from God, when the times are tough. Run towards God!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

God is Dead! - Lent 10

David's words in Psalm 10 have resonated with many faithful Christians throughout the ages - why is it that non-believer's have no regard for God and yet succeed in all they do? It doesn't seem fair does it?

Friedrich Nietzsche claimed "God is dead! God remains dead...". And it seemed to David that the people of his day thought the same thing... and they were getting away with it.


4The wicked are too proud to seek God.
    They seem to think that God is dead.
⁵ Yet they succeed in everything they do.
    They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
    They sneer at all their enemies.
⁶ They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
    We will be free of trouble forever!” - Psalm 10

David's complaint was that these 'evil doers' were getting away with their injustice, wickedness and sin - they were piling misery upon the poor and marginalised and were not even being held accountable for their actions. 

HOWEVER, the truth is that God is alive and God will call each of us to give an account of our lives in the end. Never give up on your faith, even it seems that the ungodly get away with their wickedness. God brings all things into the light.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

A Shelter - Lent 9

 
"The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,    for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you." - Psalm 9: 9-10

We will  all need to take shelter from something at some point in our lives. It may be the pouring rain, the blazing sun or even a sandstorm on the beach. A Shelter is a gift in the time of need and God is willing to be that Shelter for us. 

You may have noticed that I used the picture of a bus stop, for a shelter. I like this image, because it reminds me that even though God will always be my shelter, it is never God's intention that we stop the journey. God has called us to keep 'walking in faith' - He will be my shelter whenever and wherever I need, but I MUST keeping going.

May you find peace in the shelter of God's grace.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Majestic sandwich - Lent 8

Imagine having a 'majestic sandwich?' Of course I am not speaking of a real 'Subway' sandwich, I am speaking in a spiritual sense. In fact, it may do us good to eat some heavenly food for a moment and leave the fattening stuff til later.

David starts and ends Psalm 8 with the same phrase, thus sandwiching a lot of good stuff in the middle. This is the outer part of the sandwich:

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" - v.1 & 9

In the middle he reflects on the glory of God, the creation, humanity and so on - all the works of His hands. God has certainly made a lot of awesome things over time! The challenge is that God has left us to be stewards of all of these and often we forget the important role we can play in God's world. 

May we challenged this Lenten period to be good stewards of what God has made.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Judge me - Lent 7

The issue of judgement is a hot topic at the moment, especially surrounding the Oscar Pistorius case. I will reserve my comments on the matter for another day, but in today's Psalm David makes a strange request. He asks God to judge the people and then to judge himself.

"Let the assembled people gather around you. Rule over them from on high; 
let the Lord judge the peoples.
Judge me, O Lord,
according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity,
O most high." - Psalm 7:7-8

That's a bold prayer to pray.

"Judge me, O Lord. See if there are any offensive things in my life. Help me to be right and holy in your sight."

Would you be willing to pray that prayer?

"Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated every day. " - Jim Rohn

Living in Grace
D3LM3