May the words of my mouth

While reading the other day I came across the words for Psalm 19 verse 14 and it reminded me of a paraphrase that I used to sing as a benediction at Church years ago. This benediction song is short and yet it says everything it needs to in a simple and beautiful way. There words are:

May the words of my mouth, 
And the meditations of my heart 
Be acceptable in your sight, 
O Lord my strength and my Redeemer 
     Amen.

I love these words and since being reminded of them don't seem to be able to shift them from my mind. I will be adding this short prayerful verse to my arsenal for those times when prayer comes with difficulty and I need help. This short prayer and ones like it, in my mind, are certainly what I would consider to be powerful weapons to have in our daily struggle against the enemy.Because when we are alone we are powerless, but through God we become powerful, through Him all things are possible, including victory.

Always feet first

Psalm 27:14 (NLT)
     Wait patiently for the Lord. 
     Be brave and courageous. 
     Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

I am not one known for making plans, neither am I well known for thinking things through before I do them. Always in my life I jump in with both feet with little or no thought or planning. In the past I always relied on my ability to think around any problem or at least postpone the negative effects untill I could be bothered to deal with them or they became someone else's problem.

Recently though I have been making some big decisions about my life which some friends and family members have been questioning. Not that they doubt any of my plans, but that they know me as some one who is likely to do something very crazy at the least bit of notice.

The thing is thought that without knowing it I have actually been practicing this verse in my life to some degree. The two feet first approach is still there, when it is time then I jump with all I have, but I have been learning to wait for God's commands before I make that jump.

Learning to live in God's time and to Hi plans has been hard for someone who has always done things their own way in their own time. But as I learn to trust in God's plans more and more and trust Him to make things right when I follow them I have had so much fun. I wont say that life has been easy, but neither has it yet been that hard, but following God's plans has brought a joy to my life that I never knew before, a peace within that bubbles up from inside.

Waiting on the Lord is not easy, His time and plans do not always seem to be reasonable to us. But then that is why it takes bravery and courage to be a follower of the Lord. There will never be anything we can not do with Him at our sides but it does sometimes require a leap of faith, it requires us to be like Peter and take that chance with God.

Matthew 14:25-33
     At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror. 
But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid." 
Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water." 
He said, "Come ahead."
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" 
Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?" 
The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, "This is it! You are God's Son for sure!" 

Like I said, it won't always be easy, and we are likely to fail if our faith falters. But we should know that no matter what, God is always there for us, He will always rescue us from the storms that life may throw our way if we but call on His name.

Be patient and wait,

Be brave and courageous,

But always be ready to act in faith when He calls.

As for God

Psalm 18:30 (NIV)

     As for God, His way is perfect:
     The LORD’s word is flawless;
     He shields all who take refuge in Him.

I would imagine that anyone who said that they had never doubted the Lord or His plans would be lying. As Humans we find it difficult to let go of what we want, of our plans and believing in ourselves. This causes us to ask questions and doubt God's plans because they do not match up with ours or they are not taking us in the direction that we want to go in.

So many times in so many different situations in the Bible we are reminded about God's perfection, the fact that His plans are flawless and in our best interests. In so many stories and parales we see that the Lord only wants the best for us and that in following His will we will recieve so much more than we could gain if we worked on our own.

Jeremiah 29:11  

    I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 

There is nothing He has not already thought of, nothing He has not already planned for. He knows what He wants you to do, He knows what you need to do all that He asks of you. All He asks from us is that we love Him and trust in Him to be there to provide for and support us.

Acts 2:21 (KJV)  

    And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Do you trust in the Lord? When you need Help do you call on His name? I know that often I have tried to do things  without Him, I have struggled on without calling on His help. Time and again I have to learn and relearn the lesson of calling on Him to help. We must remember that God is our father, He wants only the best for us and for us to grow in His image. And like a father He is always there for us when we need Him, whatever the situation.

Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)
     For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

For God is our refuge

Psalm 62:1-8 (NIV)
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down-
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

I have no idea why this passage came to mind to me this evening, I sat down to decide what it was that I was going to write about and all that was in my head were the words Psalm Sixty-two. I didn't even know what the verse was until I looked it up. However when I looked it up this verse is the reminded me of one of my favourite songs I used to sing with the local youth choir.

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be the name of the Lord Most High
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be the name of the Lord Most High

The name of the Lord is a strong tower
The righteous run into it and they are saved
The name of the Lord is a strong tower
The righteous run into it and they are saved

                                      (Clinton Utterbach)

This song is based on another Bible verse that says a similar thing to what Psalm 62 does. The verse that this song is based on is Proverbs 18:10 which is a powerful verse.

Proverbs 18:10

     The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;
     the righteous run to it and are safe.

This week has been quite hard for me, I have had very little time to get everything done and I have had some big conversations with close friends, family and Church members about some major decisions in my near and mid term future. However despite the fact that I have been feeling the pressure and been struggling to cope with things I have had a great sense of calm. Every time I have been feeling down or felt myself slipping in to a trough I have been boosted by something I have read or been told. I am sure that the reason that I have coped and been lifted is because I have been relying more on God than I have in the past. God is my refuge and my fortress, He is my strength and my shield and my protector in all things. 

This is the day

This is the day, so was yesterday, and tomorrow will be too.

Psalm 118:24 (KJV)
    This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 

Is it not amazing that God made all of this for us? Everything you can see, everything you can't see and so much more than that. While at university I had the good fortune to learn about the realities of the universe in which we live, how it is constructed and how it works. Let me tell you it is an amazing and wonderful creation. Christians should not be afraid of science, we should embrace it as a way of looking at our Lord's fantastic creation.

God designed and made everything from the finally balanced dance of an electron around an atomic nucleus, to the fusion processes that power stars. He set the galaxies spinning and He tuned the atomic forces. Everything from the tiniest quantum process up to galactic super clusters are in his design. Why should science have a monopoly on such wonders.

Can we be so closed minded as to say, "Oh no God couldn't possibly work like that!". God reminds us in Isaiah 55:

Isaiah 55:8-9
        "I don't think the way you think.
            The way you work isn't the way I work."
                God's Decree. 
        "For as the sky soars high above earth,
            so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
            and the way I think is beyond the way you think." 

We may not be able to understand God's reasoning or God's plans. We may not even be able to understand creation in the end. But God made us like Him:

Genesis 1:26-27
        God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them
            reflecting our nature
        So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
            the birds in the air, the cattle,
        And, yes, Earth itself,
            and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." 
        God created human beings;
            he created them godlike,
        Reflecting God's nature.
            He created them male and female. 

We were made in God's image reflecting His nature.God created us Godlike reflecting His nature. Our curiosity is built in to us, we have had since Adam and Eve a thirst for knowledge, a desire to know more about the world God gave us.

Why should we be in conflict with, or afraid of science? As a scientist and a Christian I have yet to find a real conflict between the two. People talk of the age of the earth or evolution as being incompatible with Christianity. Let me point out two things, in the beginning a day would be whatever God defined it to be as a 24 hour day is a product of the spin of the Earth. 7 days in Genesis refers not to 7x24 hours but 7 distinct periods of time. And as for evolution, who are we to tell God how he can do things, who are we to dictate His methods. Look back at Isaiah 55:

        "I don't think the way you think.
            The way you work isn't the way I work."

God gave us the intelligence to see the world and learn about it, He gave us the ability to understand at least a part of it. Why can we not take this knowledge and say "What a mighty God have I" why do we insist on telling God, "No you can't do it that way".

Psalm 118:24 (KJV)

    This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 

This is not just the day the Lord has made, it is the world and the universe that Lord has made. Look on it and be amazed, it was by the same hands that were sacrificed and bled that it was made. If we can learn even a small part about it and realise the power our God has, why fight against it. We need to get out of this point of view that science and religion are incompatible. We are taught in the Bible that God made everything and told the story of why, science is just our way of learning some of the hows. Look to science and be amazed, because we have a God who is greater than that, he designed and built it all and understood it all from the very beginning. Do not be scared or offended by science, remember that our God was the first scientist, and will be the last. For He is the alpha and the omega, the creator of it all and He will be there at the end of it all to welcome us into eternity with Him.

Challenge issued

I was at a meeting in the hostel where I work today where we had ministers and musical sections from Churches around for a fellowship service. I wont say it was the best service I have ever attended because I would be lying, but neither was it the worst. It was however not pitched at the correct audience, in my opinion anyway.

There was some good came out of it though. At the end of it I was talking to someone about God, prayer and if there is anything to it. Knowing this person quite well and knowing we would have many chances to talk on an almost daily basis I said. "Rather than debate this now, why don't we try and experiment and talk about it once completed?" I then asked how he would feel about commuting to praying and reading a Bible everyday for a month and see if it makes a difference to his life. He agreed that there was no harm in trying this and he was willing to give it a go and see if it would work. Now we who are Christians know the power of prayer and the word of God and its ability to change lives, this person does not. I know if he approaches this in the right way wondrous things may happen in his life. I ask that everyone who is willing pray for this man as he takes this step towards God, that he will use this opportunity and come to know God through Jesus. I will be praying for him everyday and ask that if it is not too much you do too. If you do not know God then I would challenge you to do the same thing spend a short amount of time each day reading the Bible and praying for 30 days. If you do know God but have a friend or family member who does not know God challenge them to try God out for 30 days and see what He can do.

So there you go, challenge issued.

Psalm 34:8 (KJV)
    O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 

Perfect peace

Psalm 55:7  
            I want some peace and quiet.
        I want a walk in the country,

Well this week I get some well earned peace, pure simple unadulterated peace and quiet. For the next 4 days I am all alone, living on my own. And it is bliss. After living alone for a number of years moving back in to my parents home has been a slight culture shock. It is great that they have provided a roof over my head while I am waiting to move on to the next period in my life and I am eternally grateful for it. But to be able to come home to an empty, quiet house was wonderful, I have been able to relax and rest in a way that I have not in a long time. I am looking forward to being able to do some serious prayer and Bible study without worrying about being disturbed. I am hoping that this week will enable me to get back into a good routine for my Bible study that I have lacked since I moved home.

It is a wonderful thing to have the peace and tranquillity to spend time with God. I plan not to waste it this week and use the time to the benefit of my relationship with God. Time with God is often at a premium in my life due to the many demands on my time from many quarters. I think that from this week a new commitment to finding and spending time with God is what is called for. It is not enough to just say we want more time with God, if it is something we truly desire then we need to make the effort to do so.

How come so calm?

Psalm 62:1-8 (TSB)

MY soul's serene when I rest in your arms,

Like no other time.

Peacetime arrives when I switch off my drives

And float in your ocean sublime.

You're where I run to when there's war at my door,

You're where I come to when I just need more -

My security force, my passport to peace.

How come so calm? You're why.

When all the world is falling apart and everything seems to be going crazy how should we act? Most of the time people get swamped under the worlds pressures and get worn down by the world's pressures. But what we should really be doing is calling on God's strength to help us. We should be sheltering in God's awesome presence.

Psalm 71:1-3

        I run for dear life to God,

            I'll never live to regret it. 

        Do what you do so well:

            get me out of this mess and up on my feet.

        Put your ear to the ground and listen,

            give me space for salvation. 

        Be a guest room where I can retreat;

            you said your door was always open!

        You're my salvation-my vast, granite fortress.

We know that God is our protector and our stronghold, that he is powerful enough to save us from anything. Yet when the going gets tough so often we forget to go to Him for help. We forget to call on His name for our protection. It should be the case that when everything seems to be falling round our ears and the world asks of us "why so calm?"  we are able to respond "He is why".

Psalm 32:10

Psalm 32:10
        God-defiers are always in trouble;
            God-affirmers find themselves loved
            every time they turn around.

I am glad that I have my God. I rejoice that He loves me. I am amazed that He died for me. I am thankful that I have everything I need through Him.

Philippians 4:4 (KJV)
    Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Shut up... Shut off... Shut out...

Psalm 46:10 (TSB)
Shut up... Shut off... Shut out...
and in the silence... sense God!

As people who have been following this blog will know I have been reading the Street Bible (or as it is now known "The Word On The Street"). I have been trying to finish it for a little while but things seem to be against me and so far I have only reached the Psalms. I don't want to review it yet as I have not even finished it. I think I will review it in two parts first the Old Testament then the New Testament as I finish them.

So anyway as I was reading through my copy of the Street Bible the other day I came across this verse. It was one of those moments that just absolutely stops you in your tracks, like a kick to the chest. It made me really think about my life recently. I have had so much to do, so many chores and I have been running from pillar to post trying to do this and that. In addition I have begun a new job as well as gallivanting around the country visiting people. So when I found time to sit down and spend time reading this paraphrase it was quite striking.

Part of the reason I use the Message as much as I do is because I find it easy to read, easy to understand and I feel I hear God's voice clearest through it. A number of times while reading the Message in my daily studies I have stumbled across a passage that has hit me in a powerful way. I have become somewhat hooked on using the Message, sometimes in a detrimental way due to my lack of follow up in other translations. Because of this the message I found in the verse above was that bit more powerful.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle in my life, while reading a paraphrase I was sure I would get nothing out of, God spoke to me. He chose that moment to say "Sam, stop, be still and just connect with me". It wasn't listen to me or talk to me, it was be with me, connect with me. It is something that I can forget about the relationship we should have with God, it is just that, a relationship. It is not a conversation, although that is an important aspect, it is a relationship. Sometimes that means we need to just spend time with God. We may not have anything we want to say to God and He may not be talking to you just then, but why does that mean we should not spend time with Him. I know that all good relationships are built on communication, and the best are built on regular clear communication. But some of my happiest times spent with the people I have loved most have been just time spent in each others company, why should it be any different with God.

Wow, thanks guys

Well September is gone, all over and finished for another year. September has been a good month for me, I celebrated my birthday, I started a new job and thanks to you guys I had 350 hits on this web page. To some people 350 hits might not sound many, but I honestly thought I would have only a handful. When I first began in August I mainly intended this as just an outlet that a few friends would be able to keep track of. A way of expressing my thoughts and feelings on my journey with Jesus. It was a way for me to get things out of my head and recorded as much for myself to recap as anything else. Yet it seems that some people must be reading this, which is amazing for me to think about.  So really all I wanted to say in this post is thanks to any regular readers, welcome to any new readers (please visit again soon) and I hope that you continue to visit and enjoy reading my daily ramblings. I am interested to hear what you guys think about my posts or anything you may wish to say so please feel free to leave comments and ask questions either on here or via jerrathorn@gmail.com. Once again thanks for your support and comments so far you have made this foray into blogging fun, exciting and hopefully it will continue far into the future.

James 1:17
    Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
    thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Psalm 107:1
        Oh, thank God—he's so good!
            His love never runs out.

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:

"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
                      (Carolyn Joyce Carty)

I know this is a very commonly known poem, it is used frequently amongst Christians. It is a fantastic image for life, whether we are Christian or not God walks beside us daily ready for any time we may need him. Even if we can't or won't see Him, He is there. Carrying us when we are unable to walk any further or ready to collapse beneath the weight of the world.

Psalm 23:4 (KJV)  

    Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

This verse says almost exactly the same as the poem Footprints but from a different angle. If we know we have God then not even the worst things in life should worry us. Yet being human we will struggle to allow God to be there for us, we will struggle against Him as he carries us.

I want at this point to apologise for posting another dark and depressing post. I have much to be thankful and happy for right now, but I am feeling very isolated and cut off at the moment. Due to circumstances I am not able to attend the Church I wish to be at regularly and I am not able to spend time with the friends that I want to see very often. These two things have been fantastic anchors for me this past year, providing me with support as and when I have needed it. If it was not for this support I can honestly say I would not be here writing this post. I have no idea what route my life would have taken but it would not have been the positive path that it has been. 

It is our lot in life as humans to face dark periods, it is the nature of the enemy to try and drag us down when we feel our highest. But remember we have the best defence in the world, Prayer. It is our link to God, it is our weapon and it is our defence. As I mentioned in the post on Genesis 22 God has his plans, it has always been planned out. And it is the best plan there is, there could be non better. We may not understand it, we may not understand why we have to suffer or struggle as we do but be sure God will use it all to his advantage. 

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
     And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Whatever the reasons for things being the way they are, you can be guarantee that God will be working through it to produce something good. In my post on painting with dark colours I talk about how God can bring happiness, joy and goodness from bad situations. We just need to learn to fully rely on God in all things and for all things.

To finish I would like to backtrack into this post a little bit. Earlier I mentioned the fact that I am currently a long way from my friends and Church who have done so much for me over the last year. There are two friends who I feel I should thank especially. Despite the fact that I am not always the easiest person to deal with or be around, the fact that I am far from perfect, they seem to always have time to help, listen and talk when I need it. So for that reason I am saying a public thanks to them, I won't name them as they will know who they are and I know they don't do it for the thanks or to "play" the part. At the same time I would like to thank anyone who reads this, I use this as an outlet to pour out the rubbish in my mind yet it appears some people do read it and possibly even like it, although I am not sure on the second point. Please feel free to leave comments or message me on jerrathorn@gmail.com.

Psalm 51:1-13 (paraphrase)

Generous in love, God, give grace!
Huge in mercy.

Wipe out my bad record,
Scrub away my guilt,
Soak out my sins in your laundry
I've been out of step with you for a long time.

What you're after is truth, from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.
God, make a fresh start in me
Shape a Genesis week, from the chaos of my life.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
And I'll sing anthems, to your life-giving ways.

Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise!

If you are reading this you know who you are. Thanks for all your help.

A-level Drama

So it has been results day today, and as in probably many households all over the country there has been tears, disappointment, elation and success all in one day. The results in our household were not what was wanted but after a difficult year not unexpected. It was pointed out by a number of family members that there has been many prayers said and requests made about these results. At 10.30 this morning it look as though they had all been ignored. As Christians though we need to have faith through the tough times as well as the good, rely on God's plan for us when all seems lost trusting he will always see us through, it's all right there in Psalm 23. As it turned out we managed to secure a place for my brother at a good university doing what he wanted, just not his first choice. I can see that God's will places us just where He needs us, just when He needs us and that the methods do not always seem clear or that great during the process. And although I can see this in other people's lives why can I not have the courage to do what I need to do. I hear His call and yet I can not yet take up my cross to follow Him. A verse which I was given recently has helped me on this subject. "I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work." God's Decree. "For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Isaiah 55:8-9.