Delivered and Possible

 

This Friday I'm once again combining the Lent challenge (delivered) with Five Minute Friday (possible):

I took this photo of Japan's Kohei Uchimura at the 2012 Olympics (on the television; sadly, I couldn't get tickets for the actual event). Uchimura is one of my favourite male gymnasts (now retired, I believe) because even if he fell and his routine went awry, he always kept going and giving his best - and often won a gold or silver medal in the process. He made the impossible or unlikely seem possible.

Several years ago we had a powerful move of the Spirit in the church I then attended. As part of that, many of us who had been Believers for years were delivered from evil spirits. Yes, they are real, and yes, they can cling on to Believers. None of us had idea they were there until they showed their presence, often during Sunday services and prayer meetings. 

I discovered in a very real way the power of Jesus's name - the spirit world is well aware of who He really is and they have no choice but to obey Him. Jesus is far more powerful than any evil spirit. Although I've always known the theory of Jesus's cleansing blood and that by His death and resurrection He rescued me from the domain of darkness and put me safely in His own beautiful Kingdom of Light, during that time and since I've experienced that reality. 

God makes all things possible, even being delivered from evil and haunting influences. A word of warning though: as an account in Acts in the Bible makes clear, you can't mess about with the unseen. Their power is real and they hate humans who are made in the image of God. 

Thanks

 

The first thing that sprang to mind when I saw today's prompt (thanks) was the time my dad got a heart transplant.

My dad had a very poorly functioning heart in the early 1990s and the only treatment he could be offered was an organ transplant. He was put on the waiting list which was 2 1/2 years long; he was given 2 years to live. I was never very hopeful of it working out and, in fact, turned my back on God at the time. 

After nine months, my dad had no real quality of life and was slowly dying before our eyes. I jumped every time the phone in the kitchen rang (this was before mobile phones).

We had two false attempts before he finally got his new heart. He had been so ill and it felt like time was running out - we were overjoyed when he had the surgery. On behalf of my family, I wrote a short letter to the generous family of the heart donor to thank them. My dad had always been a fit, active man who played football and climbed Snowdon. While waiting for his transplant, I had to wheel him around in a wheelchair. It was heart-breaking. After having his new heart, he took up golf and represented the UK as a swimmer in the World Transplant Games. 

Thanks to the wonderful generosity of a family from the north of England, my dad enjoyed another ten good years when he was able to give me away at my wedding, play golf and go horse riding with me, and spend time with his young grandchildren.

My dad really had two new hearts - one physical, the other spiritual. He wasn't perfect but no one could doubt he loved the Lord. He was whole-hearted in everything he did, including being a Christian.

Labour

 

One of my favourite Bible verses is Matthew 11:28: 'Come to Me, all you who labour and are burdened because My yoke is easy and My burden is light.'

Words of Jesus.

In those days in the Holy Land it was common for a working farm animal like an ox to be yoked up with an older ox so the younger ox could learn how to work correctly. If they were both pulling in the same direction, the yoke should sit easy on their shoulders/necks. I gather Jesus' words were meant to conjure up a picture of an individual being yoked to Him, ie doing life His way, meaning that it would be much better for us to do so than pulling against Him all the time.

God lets us do things our own way but the invitation is there to come to Him and do things His way: invitation with a promise that it will be better for us. He doesn't force us into anything. The decision is ours. We can either labour on with life hoping we're right or we can chuck in our lot with God and live life His way, thus experiencing an 'easy yoke and 'lighter burden'. 

(The word labour also made me think of a donkey which is  often described as a beast of burden. So I had a very pleasant few minutes looking up donkey pictures on the Internet. Enjoy.)

Remember

 

To anyone who has to take regular medication, they will know it is important to remember to take it.

I don't have a problem with my morning meds but I have one tablet I have to take in an evening and I'd never remember it if I didn't set an alarm on my phone. The downside is that sometimes the alarm goes off - stridently and insistently - when I'm out for my evening walk or run. 

Now I've hit middle age, I also find it useful to write lists of what I'm meant to be doing when. I used to be able to rely on my memory but I frequently now find myself walking into a room and trying to remember what I've gone in there for. Or going upstairs for something, getting distracted and coming down without it.

Jesus knew us very thoroughly when He devised the Lord's Supper as a visual reminder for us to remember Him and what He's done for us. 

Covenant

 

This Lent I am once again joining in with UM Rethink Church's Lent word-a-day challenge. 

Today's word is: covenant.

I was king of the country but wasn't always that great as a father and a husband. 

Famous stories are told about me: I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and accidentally saw a gorgeous lady having a bath. She thought she was completely private; she didn't know I was ogling and objectifying her. Because I was king, I could do anything and have any woman I wanted so I sent for her. 

I believe today you'd say I raped her. I certainly didn't behave decently towards her.

I didn't even take precautions so she got pregnant. That was awkward because her husband - who was in my elite fighting force - was away at war. I had him sent home thinking he would sleep with her and then everyone would assume the baby was his. But he was an honourable man and didn't think it right for him to enjoy home comforts while his men were away suffering. I had to think fast - so I had him murdered. Later I married Bathsheba and our son became a famous king and the wisest man on earth. 

But I felt terrible about the whole episode. I shouldn't have acted like that. It was wicked of me.

Another time, my beautiful young daughter was raped by my son but, to my shame, I did nothing about it. No justice for her. Another of my sons carried out vigilante justice and then went too far and I ended up pretty much losing everything.

I'm not proud of how I acted. I was a flawed human being. But these two accounts do not add up to the man I was. I was also called the sweet psalmist of Israel and a man after God's own heart. Because I loved God first and foremost. Whenever I realised I'd done wrong it broke my heart and I truly repented. My relationship with the Most High was the most important thing in my life.

I enjoyed living in a luxurious palace but we worshiped God in a tent. A glorious tent, but still a tent. I wasn't happy with that. I have always wanted God to have the very best. So I planned to build Him a glorious temple. It didn't work out, as God had planned for my son to build it. But in the process, God made a covenant with me. He promised my throne would last forever. 

He meant that the Promised One would come through my line - that He would be my descendant. What an honour. 

I was so humbled to know that God would choose me - so flawed - with whom to make a covenant that would bring huge blessing to millions. Truly awesome.

Once

 

This week's Five Minute Friday prompt is: once.

Once upon a time, I dreamed of escaping. It was a revelation to realise they were abusive. I didn't understand what narcissism or gaslighting were.... but I was beginning to feel their impact to the full.

Then the memories returned.... And I made my escape. 

Was it worth it?

Yes. Without doubt. But the cost has been high. Loss of so many dear people. 

Once I dreamed about escaping. Now I've done it. 

I realise it only takes a 'once' - a one-time event - to change everything. For good or for bad. Captain Tom once decided to walk up and down his garden to raise money for the NHS and became a national hero. But other 'onces' or one-time events aren't good. A life-changing diagnosis, a heart attack, a rape. It only needs happen once but it changes everything.

I'm glad God the Father once decided to send His Son - His precious Baby - to earth. I'm glad Jesus once agreed with His Father that it was the best way, the only way. I'm thankful He pursues me every day of my life whether or not I want Him to (and I do want Him to right now!) and that because of His determination not to give up on me, I once made the life-changing decision to follow Him. Good things have come of that decision I once made - and greater things will come of it in the future.

God on Mute

I imagine there aren't many books dealing authentically with the pain and crushing disappointment of unanswered prayer.

God on Mute by Pete Greig is necessary.

I first read it a few months after my life changed abruptly following the re-emergence of long-buried traumatic childhood memories. I'd suffered through a year of mental health issues, grief, anger, huge loss and loneliness. I was raging at God and wondered if I'd lost my faith, indeed whether it was even worth having faith in Him.

Then I got hold of this book.

When you feel you're broken into a thousand pieces and fragile, this is a safe book to read. Pete doesn't gloss over pain with well-meaning platitudes. He knows how it feels. He goes to dark places and looks at the difficult questions.

I found this book so helpful and healing. It's one I keep coming back to and each time I get more out of it.

It is split into four sections, based on the traumatic events at the end of Jesus' life:

• Maundy Thursday: How Am I Going To Get Through This?
• Good Friday: Why Aren't My Prayers Being Answered?
• Holy Saturday: Where Is God When Heaven Is Silent?
• Easter Sunday: When Every Prayer Is Answered.

Pete writes in a balanced, gentle, real way. He believes in miracles; he's seen God do some truly amazing things within and through the 24/7 prayer movement. But he also knows there are times when God is silent and the much-needed, longed-for miracle doesn't happen. What then?

If you are struggling with horrible circumstances, angry with God for being silent and not coming through for you, I highly recommend this book.

I've awarded it 5* though it's easily worth twice that.

Life

This week's Five Minute Friday prompt is: LIFE.

Life is a funny thing....

After a relationship ending in my early twenties a friend assured me, 'You never know what's around the corner. You could be married with a baby on the way this time next year.'

I nodded along, not really believing a word she said. All I could see was a life of singleness stretching ahead of me and that's not what I wanted.

But it wasn't long before my lovely husband came along and we have now been happily married for a couple of decades.

A little over two years ago, we were hit with a juggernaut full of heartache and pain which brought with it mental ill health among other things. Twelve months in and I felt like I'd had enough. I was sick of traumatic memories from the past returning and throwing me into fresh mental and emotional turmoil.

I angrily yelled at God, 'I hate life!' I couldn't see any way out of the dark tunnel I found myself in. I wanted God to know how much I hated life because one of Jesus's titles in the New Testament is 'Life'. There were times I hated God.

Thankfully, Jesus is steering me through the dark tunnel and there are times now that I can even see a pinprick of light at the end of it.

Still, there are some days I'm less thrilled about being alive than others. But I do know now that Jesus is the meaning of life. Without Him I can't see the point, but with Him my life does have meaning.

Sacrifice

This week's Five Minute Friday word prompt is SACRIFICE:

I was reading the account of Abraham taking his son Isaac up on a mountain to sacrifice him, in obedience to an instruction Abraham had received from God.

This was Abraham's much-loved and greatly-longed for son of promise.

I often wonder what was going through Abraham's mind and heart as he walked with his son up that hillside. Such turmoil, such hope, such faith.

The story ends perfectly with the Angel of the Lord calling to Abraham at the key moment and telling him not to kill his son. It was a test of Abraham's love for and faith in God. Would he put God before God's gift?

But on this time of reading, I pondered a different Father and Son. As the Son (AKA the Angel of the Lord) called to Abraham to stop, did He glance over to the Father? What would have been in their hearts at that point? Because when the Son offered Himself as a sacrifice, there was no one to call 'stop!' at the crucial moment.