New Year Message: Water-tanks of Blessing - Jeremiah 2:4-13

1. Drought

When we were in an extended period of drought, and stringent water restrictions were put in place, many of us added water tanks to our properties. This was so that we could keep our gardens alive and keep our vegetables growing. This was a very sensible approach to keeping things alive in a difficult dry time. Perhaps this is like how our lives should be, in a time when many around us are experiencing tough and dry times. Coming out of 2010 and entering 2011, there are many people struggling with life – with financial worries, family problems, work pressures, lack of hope, and varying addictions to unhelpful substances and behaviours. They all need to sense the possibility that some sort of blessing can come upon their lives.

We too, as part of the human community, can struggle in similar ways. The onset of a new year certainly invites us to consider whether we ourselves are spiritually dry, why that might be the case, and what we need to do about this. And we should not delay too long! Jeremiah 2 reminds us of the crucial nature of our relationship to God. Our allegiance to God’s ways has to be the central focus of our life. Jeremiah suggests the possibility of being regarded as “worthless” (in v.4) along with the possibility of going after “things that do not profit” i.e. things that are useless and bring no benefit (in vs.8&11). This should certainly get our attention and echo in our ears. Yet here too is a reminder that our compassionate and understanding God is always seeking out the dry seedlings to give them living water.

Should not the basic way we live our lives be like the water-tank, that when all seems lost, it provides refreshment ... where otherwise that deathly dryness persists! Well this should be the case!! So often the ancient people of Israel let God down in this department. They were meant to be a light to the nations. Yet, so bad was their rebellion at times that they barely looked like a special people at all. They grumbled, they fought, and so often abandoned Yahweh the one true God for other allegiances. Why?? Why do you think they did this?? Well maybe the challenge of living God’s way was just too much!?! Or maybe they just didn’t get the fact that it wasn’t just about them per se, but that God wanted to show his glory through them (to all of creation).

So many disappointing centuries went past, until the time came when God had to send the Son Jesus into the world to seek to bring some decisive inner transformation [this is the very theme of the ‘parable of the wicked tenants’ in Mark 12]. There was to be a new covenant based on this gift of grace. Yet, so many disappointing centuries still go past, where the great potential of Jesus is largely unseen and unknown. So many serious errors have been made, and the human population of each generation have had to come to terms with this, and denounce historic evils, before they are able to go forward. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans (8:19), “For the creation waits [in turmoil!?!] with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God”! Can 2011 be a year in which the world sees Jesus revealed by those who are God’s children? Will many people be able to remember that it was in 2011 that they first encountered a God who loved them (having benefitted greatly through others being water-tanks of blessing to them)?

2. The Text

In Jeremiah chapter 2, we have a haunting description of how wrong God’s people went! In a nutshell – Israel has abandoned the Lord, the source of living water, and substituted a false god symbolised by cracked cisterns. So, Jeremiah spoke these words in seeking to confront these people and challenge them to do better. They would need to really seek the true and living God all over again (and with all their heart) if they were to be people they were chosen, called and nurtured to be.

After all, God’s living water is always abundant, fresh and freely flowing! And water is everything when it comes to the sustaining of life. God is the one essential source of our well-being.

As already mentioned, in verses 4 & 5, we read about the people of God becoming “worthless” (in terms of their life effectiveness) because they went after and centred their lives in “worthless” things and “worthless” pursuits. Now that is a drastic piece of preaching!!! There is actually nothing that could be rationally found against God to excuse such actions. So where does the fault lay!?! Investing our lives in things that don’t amount to much ... tends to lessen what a person’s life is worth (in terms of its output).

We might look at the first of the ‘ten commandments’ ... “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), and feel quite content ... because we haven’t gone over to worship a different god as such. However such idolatry can be far more subtle than this. Exodus 20 goes on, “you shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath ...”, thus covering everywhere and everything that might be allowed to compete with God (Ex 20:4). We can actually displace God through the “gods” of money, work, career, material possessions, food and drink, or just plain convenience. We can never get, though, from things like this ... what they were never intended to provide!

Then there are the even more subtle areas of idolatry ... (i) family and (ii) country.

(i) In terms of family ... to see our family as our primary focus in an exclusive of all others type way, is to risk missing the needy face of Jesus in others that come along. Jesus radically teaches that our identity is now actually more found with our brothers and sisters in our worshipping faith communities than anywhere else (Mark 3:31-34), and this is where our security and future lies (Mark 10:28-30).

(ii) In terms of country or nationalism ... the way you hear some Americans talk, it sounds like the interests of God and the USA are indivisible (one-and-the-same); whereas the agenda of the Kingdom of God is actually much broader and more far-reaching than any one country’s interests. The Kingdom of God does not endorse any parochial desire to control the world’s resources – quite the opposite! We are first and foremost citizens of heaven, which is an international and intercultural realm (Galatians 3:27-28).

In verses 6 & 7, we read that, by the evidence of their behaviour, these people had forgotten entirely about all the good and liberating things God had done for them, especially when it was needed most; in fact they seem to arrogantly refuse to remember. This is the great God who brought this people out of slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness into a promised land filled with so much potential. Yet they not only showed ingratitude, but also dishonoured and wasted their inheritance.

Lack of gratitude seems to always lead in a negative direction. Conversely, when we are grateful and thankful to God, this seems to keep us on track. Let us never forget the good and liberating measures God has taken on our behalf. For, when we grow tired of being prayerful and patient before God, we can easily seek and adopt unworthy and unhelpful substitutes for God.

In verse 8, in the line of Jeremiah’s fire were the leaders of these people. Jeremiah charged them with neglecting to first look towards God, thereby failing to know God well enough to provide worthy leadership. They didn’t consult God anymore! Thus they were vulnerable to leading others astray (into error). Leaders in God’ service should always be about the task of encouraging and nurturing a proper response to God (based on a sound personal and Biblical knowledge of God). Proper spirituality should profit humanity!

I look in the mirror each morning and understand my responsibility, a responsibility that often weighs heavily and seems too much to bear (for such a fallible human just like everybody else). Yet under Jesus, we are all priests to each other, servants of all those whose needs (spiritual and otherwise) are put across our path.

In verses 9 to 12, God through Jeremiah speaks about the absurdity of changing gods, especially given how undoubtedly well God had looked after the people of Israel. Yet, despite the absurdity and stupidity of this, that is exactly what God’s people had done. And this probably did not happen all at once – it was not like all of a sudden deciding to support England in the cricket instead of Australia (just because of a momentary superiority, this being another form of treason).

But rather it was actually far more subtle than this – the odd selfish indulgence, the little unthinking decision, a little lie here and there to try to cover up, a new overly-persuasive friend, some quiet shifting of priorities for convenience sake. And then one day we have lost God entirely from our view! As viewed from the heavens (and also from the earth), this is more than just an unfortunate situation ... this is a “shocking” outcome (refer verse 12).

How can we be water-tanks of blessing ... how can we make a positive difference ... how can we reveal the glory of God? These are water-tanks which, rather than trying to defensively store water, would liberally share their contents and be ready again to be re-filled. This would certainly be an alternative vision to the reality that Jeremiah referred to here!!

Well, it’s not going to happen through coming up with our own design!

In verse 13, we read that the people of Israel’s efforts of life-building were referred to by Jeremiah in terms of digging out their own “cisterns” i.e. water-holding-facilities, which turned out to be cracked and useless. These “cisterns” were plastered underground pits where water was stored for use during the dry season. These broken and leaking “cisterns” represent the ‘false’ gods’ often adopted to replace the real God – but also represent how we would look having adopted such a (ludicrous) course of action. The people had in effect replaced Yahweh (as God) with themselves (even despite their full knowledge of their own imperfections).

This would be like me trying to construct my own water-tank in the backyard, without reference to proper design, engineering principles, the basic rudiments of plumbing, and the necessary professional help. It would no doubt leak, not perform properly, waste water, not last very long, and cause no end of stress. To put your water-supply at risk like this, similar to turning away from a faithful God ... would be an act of stupidity. To be water-tanks of blessing in this life we have to be built according to God’s design, with reference to the ‘Holy Instruction Book’, and transformed into the best version of ourselves by the professional expert on the matter – the Holy Spirit.

3. Refreshment

The ancient people of Israel, with some notable exceptions, generally failed to keep to God’s agenda. The religious leadership of Jesus’ time conspired to stick him on a cross. Would any other people group at any other time have done any different or better? Maybe the recent history of the world would suggest not! The politics of the world is still based on gaining and maintaining power; and all this leads to is poverty and violence. This is just so opposite to the Kingdom of God revealed in the New Testament, specifically in Jesus’ teaching. The Kingdom of God, which should be championed by the church, is about serving the needs of others through humility and gentle dealings. The Kingdom of God is about peace-making not position-defending.

This all cannot help but lead one’s mind to John’s Gospel chapter 4. Jesus knew that ‘the woman at the well’ was thirsty, which was the reason she had gone through and endured so many relationships. Check out this narrative again! This poor Samaritan woman was thirsty for true meaningful acceptance, a sense of belonging, knowledge that she was a valuable member of the human community, and a fulfilling spirituality. Jesus said to her, that he could give her “living water”; and that through receiving such “living water”, she would never be spiritually thirsty again. Jesus said, “The water that I will give – will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life”.

The recipients of this certainly become water-tanks of blessing!! In fact this sounds more like a giant free-flowing waterfall ending up in a calm and secure dam ... full to capacity ... enough to refresh the whole state for many a year! This is a gift we can firstly receive, and then having received it, give it on to others. Let the living waters flow!! If anyone is thirsty ... anyone ... let them come to Jesus and drink. O let the living waters flow! Let the river of God’s Spirit flow through us ... flow through me!!!

Christmas Messages

Please note my Christmas messages have been posted below. The Christmas Day 2010 message, which should be read first, and is a little further down, forms the first part, and "The Plot is Foiled" sermon, just below, forms the second part of my thinking this Christmas. Happy Christmas!

"The Plot is Foiled" - a sermon on Matthew 2:1-23

King Herod was a very bad man – the epitome of a bully. He was insecure, vicious and violent. When Herod heard that the “magi” or “wise men” were looking for someone they referred to as a “King”, naturally all his jealousy and dark side started to come out. To hear the “wise men” say that they wanted to “pay [this child] homage”, meaning worship him, or put themselves under submission to him, this would have sent Herod into an apoplexy!

There was no room for any second king in this paranoid and ruthless man’s world! As well, of course, the Romans, who Herod worked for, wouldn’t like any disruption, and Herod would never want to lose his favour with them. We also read in verse 3 that ‘the people of Jerusalem’ were frightened ... why so? Well no wonder they would be frightened of anything that would get Herod upset! We see later in this chapter what he is capable of!

And we should be shocked at what we read here, for evil leaders over the centuries have continued to commit genocide like this, often without the sort of opposition that should have occurred. People are still seeking to flee from evil leaders like Herod, desperately paying money to unscrupulous people to get into dodgy and ill-equipped boats, facing danger of many kinds, to travel to unknown places, just so that they might simply live; but where they tend to meet antipathy and rejection!

We should not let those ‘citizens of Jerusalem’ off so easy, as if it was not their responsibility to do better in the face of the tyranny of Herod – when they actually should have known their prophets better and been truly excited to hear what the “wise men” were saying. But of course this sort of unresolved ‘fear’ led ‘the people of Jerusalem’ to cry out some thirty-three years later ... “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”! Do we let ourselves off too easy for failing to take God’s mercy for all humanity seriously enough? It’s too costly (we might say)!?!

A plot began to be hatched in the mind of Herod to nip any thought of a rival right in the bud. No effort would be spared to destroy any possible contender for the hearts and minds of his people. The sort of ‘fear’ that Herod experienced was only going to result in violence.

This just raises the question for me again about how we respond to ‘fear’, as the biblical witness gives us such dramatic contrasts as Joseph and Herod! Joseph responded with faith and courage; Herod with self-centredness and brutality. Ironic that the ‘Prince of Peace’ Jesus was so often threatened with violence, and eventually met his (physical) death on a Roman cross. All Jesus was sent to do was fulfil his Heavenly Father’s desire to reconnect humanity with their Creator God; yet from day one Jesus met such concerted and evil opposition.

But there would be the need for three years of ministry, following thirty years of experiencing life as all humans do – so then any early plans to kill Jesus would have to be thwarted.

Herod had cleverly found out the information that the “wise men” needed, and then in conveying that information to the “wise men”, tried to convince them that he too was sincerely interested in knowing the results of their journey ... that he too wished to pay this child ‘king’ homage. What a dastardly liar!

We start to think about whether these sincere and searching “wise men” can see through Herod and discover his evil intentions. How would this occur? The religious leaders in Jerusalem had not been very discerning or loyal ... for they’d told Herod everything he wanted to know (and as such were seen as accomplices to his actions)! Such astronomers/astrologers, as these “wise men” may well have been (at least in part), would unlikely have had the theological skills to work these things out by themselves. There wasn’t any ‘Wiki-leak’ information about Herod, or any mass email to help them discover the truth!

But they had been “wise” enough to follow a ‘Divinely’ provided “star” to a very important destination; and so convinced were they that this was a remarkable moment in time, that they were “overwhelmed with joy”. Would we be good interpreters of this situation? Would we be receptive enough of the “Emmanuel – God with us” before us, to make sense of this picture?? Would we have the closed minds of Jerusalem’s religious leaders or the open and seeking minds of the foreign “wise men” from Persia???

Can we know God’s character well enough to look at each item on the newscast, and say this is where God stands, and this is where evil resides, and this is what I must do, and I will not fear the repercussions! I’m of course mainly visualising that overcrowded boat hitting the rocks at Christmas Island, leading to such tragedy, and thinking how this could have been avoided.

The “wise men” worshipped the Christ Child and gave gifts of extraordinary value. Being under God’s guidance and in a worshipful attitude, these “wise men” were in fact in a place where they could correctly interpret God’s leading and the danger of returning anywhere near Herod. We could say that the wise-men’s initial willingness to respond to the external stimulus of a bright star, led to the required level of openness through which to recognise the internal leading (of a dream). The magi first had the eyes to see – then followed the heart to understand.

So who are those that can foil evil plots? Maybe we see here, that it those who follow God as closely as following a star across the sky, and those who spend time worshipping with the best of everything they have.

The heroic Joseph was totally tuned into God by this time and made sure that this Herod could never get to his son. There are significant moments, like the ones in this passage, that so dramatically affect certain outcomes. Ultimately it was God who overthrew Herod’s plot, but again God chose to use people who were open enough to God’s own leading, and courageous enough to deal with the threatening situations, to participate in changing the course of events.

Let’s have a good look at verse 11:

On entering the house, [the magi] saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid homage [i.e. they worshipped him]. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him [valuable] gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

It was following the guidance of the star and the whole-hearted acts of worship, that the wise men were responsive to the dream that came next.

It is those who look for God in daily events, and dedicate everything they have to him, that will be likely to make a positive difference in the world! It is these that will be in the position to foil any evil activity.

How do you react to this???

The wise men grew in their powers of discernment, starting from the commitment to follow an external star wherever it led, to the internal promptings of the Holy Spirit.

God is everywhere to be seen and to be worshipped. To be so involved with God ... will position us to actually co-operate positively in bringing forward God’s will.

Prayer:

Our loving Parent God in Heaven, Honoured be Your Great Name. May Your Kingdom come; may Your will be done, on Earth as it is already done in Heaven. Give us today enough bread for our current needs; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive all those who have sinned against us. Lead us away from temptation and unnecessary trials; deliver us from all evil. As Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, may we co-operate in delivering others from the evil clutches of those who misuse their assumed power. Help us to follow the light to places where Jesus seeks to serve, and be fully dedicated to serve the cause of Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Christmas Day Message 2010

The Scripture passage Matthew 1:18-25 describes events leading up to the birth of Jesus. It was verse 20 that captured my attention this year, where the angel said to Joseph, “Do not be afraid ...”! This, for me, describes how, through the coming of Jesus to earth, God has addressed human fear.

Feelings of fear occur through a variety of circumstances – fear of the unknown, fear of illness, fear of impending danger.

Christmas casts out at least another three significant fears that affect human beings. These are:
(i) the fear of what others think,
(ii) the fear of death, and,
(iii) the fear of being alone in life

This is so important, because “fear” of any kind is the enemy of faith. Our living and active faith in God will always be limited by any fear we suffer from and allow to persist. If we want our faith to grow and to flourish, then fear needs to be addressed. For fear makes us withdraw, fear makes us neglect the needs of others, fear impedes us getting involved (including being involved in God’s mission in the world), fear stunts our growth as human beings and Jesus’ followers; and fear may also make us doubt ourselves, others and God – when there is really no need to.

“Fear” is when the anxieties and feelings of alarm within us stop us doing what we want to do or know we should be doing. “Fear” stops us taking adventurous risks (which quite often is what the Jesus-following life is actually all about)! “Fear” will also tend to stop us discovering all of what God has for us in life. For example,

(i) If Joseph had let fear control him, being too worried about what others would think, then Mary, at the very least, would have been left destitute and vulnerable and on the margins of society. If Joseph had caved in to the potential sneers of his community, this would have lost Joseph his very important role in history.

(ii) To fear the feeling of being alone in life sets us up to being exploited by every person we come into contact with, because we are so desperate for their approval and company. We need to be so freed from such fear, that when we interact with others, we do so not because we depend upon their approval, but rather because we enjoy a healthy sense of our own value, and know that we can make a strong social contribution. People who are addicted to the approval of others eventually destroy themselves.

(iii) To fear death suffocates life. We would be so concerned with an unknown future that we lose the joy and the possibilities of the present. The reason why we are generally not given glimpses of the future – is that they would lessen our very important focus on the present moment.

God has answered our tendency to fear in each of these areas ... through the gift of Jesus ... the miracle of the first Christmas. How so???

(i) Firstly, the fear of what others think:

The world may seem very chaotic at certain times, and our lives can often seem so out of control. Joseph had one real moment like this. Joseph, who was no doubt planning a fairly normal marriage with Mary, with a normal family life, was suddenly thrown a very major curve-ball that threw everything asunder. Joseph’s great dreams for the future suddenly turn into a nightmare (or so it seemed)!

We can all take a look at the film “The Nativity Story” (Scene 11) on this.

We can only but imagine Joseph’s reaction to finding Mary pregnant. For Mary was betrothed to him, a marriage in waiting, just the formalities to come. Joseph would have initially felt so betrayed, deep in pain and confusion. He wasn’t the father, so who was? What would he do with Mary? Now, this incredible story about the baby being conceived through the Holy Spirit! What was he to do now?

Normally a man who is faced with his betrothed becoming pregnant to another man would publicly shun her as an adulterer (and leave her for dead). But Joseph, showing his caring character, and his strong love for Mary, would just dismiss Mary quietly ... to lessen her public shame and humiliation.

Well ... that was until his nightmare situation was turned completely around by a dream (which was conveying a Divine communication). So, this was not an unwanted pregnancy created through a moment of immorality. This was an intervention of God into human need.

And as God knows what he is doing, we never need to fear (in the sense of being scared of) that which God is doing. Rather we can be in awe of God’s gracefulness (over and over again).

Joseph himself heard from God that, “the child conceived in [Mary] was from the Holy Spirit”. Then Joseph received instructions about naming Jesus which indicated adopting Jesus as his own son.

Joseph is heroic in doing exactly what God called him to do. Joseph decides not to worry what others will think and say, because God has got this covered. Joseph will do the unconventional counter-cultural thing that God requires of him. When confronted by the Divine Word concerning God’s involvement in Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph went ahead and planned to formalise his marriage to Mary (in absolute obedience to God).

Now this would of course have suggested to the gossip-mongers that Joseph himself had inappropriately brought about the pregnancy, and Joseph would have understandably been concerned about such talk, even been afraid whether his reputation and good standing in the community would ever recover. The angel had anticipated in verse 20 that Joseph would have to work through a measure of fear. And this he does! Joseph actually goes on to publicly affirm his role as the human father of the new child through the act of personally naming him ... “and he named him Jesus” [which forms the culmination of this passage – v.25].

There is now no fear in the heart and mind of Joseph. The Holy Spirit has acted and Joseph has followed the Word of God to him. Even if Joseph has to cop a bit of flack along the way, he knows for sure that he is on the victory side.

When God calls us into dangerous territory (which might only mean sharing our faith with our neighbour), God has got the outcome covered. God has got our back, as he had Joseph’s back.

(ii) A human being fears death, because often they don’t know what lies beyond physical death. This is because they have never learnt what lies behind life itself. What lies behind life is God’s desire to have a relationship with each person born. This desire is so strong, and so foundational, that God sent Jesus into the world to bring about salvation for those who had become lost. And this of course, in one way or another, is all of us.

Any fear of death though has been addressed by the promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal life in God’s keeping. This promise is contained in the very name of Jesus, meaning ‘God is salvation’. All Israel’s hopes and all humanity’s need have been addressed at the place of Jesus’ birth – Jesus will do all that is needed for people to be able to reconnect with God. Accept the gift of Jesus and receive salvation.

Death has no power over those who acknowledge the name “Jesus – God is Salvation”. Yes, Jesus lived and died 2000 years ago. Yet Jesus is the Son of God, and was raised by God and lives today to guide all his followers through daily living.

(iii) And, Jesus truly can be our best friend. So, there is no need to fear that feeling of being alone in life when we have Jesus so close. We can still desire human company, but this reality is cushioned somewhat by Jesus' presence; and also through our relationship with Jesus, we have increased opportunities of Christian support.

The prophet Isaiah foresaw that the Messiah that God would send would also be known as Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us”. This is a personal caring comforting God that gives life meaning and purpose. Yet to truly deal with any fear of being alone in life, we will still need to practice a real consciousness of Jesus’ presence.

To do this we will need to picture Jesus with us in the situations we are in ... at the family meal table (where there might be some tension happening), at the work team meeting (where everyone doesn’t agree), in the interview room (where nerves are on edge), at the doctor’s surgery (where concerns are very real). We can also picture Jesus in these places and at these times ... giving us encouragement (‘you’re doing alright!’); and bringing us calm, restraint, fresh clarity, and new ideas.

Being in Jesus’ presence allows his beauty, love and peace to rub off on us.

So if you are often frightened or have a tendency to worry, Christmas has the answer ... an answer that can last all year long. The Gospel of Matthew begins with Jesus – “Emmanuel ... God with us”, and concludes in the same vain – with Jesus promising his disciples that he would be with them always ... right until the end of the age (28:20).

God’s own Holy Spirit has conceived a baby who is Jesus – who will bring grace that addresses guilt and shame, and provide an ongoing presence that guides us into truth and hope. We will also know that the Holy Spirit dwells with us, making us far less likely to worry about the critical and negative judgements of others. There was probably unbelieving whispers around Joseph for the rest of his life, but Joseph knew that with Jesus in his life ... there is nothing left to fear!

Prayer:

Living God, when our dreams turn into a nightmare,
Help us to stay calm.
Lord Jesus, when death seems a reality too much to bear,
Come and rescue us from our sins.
Holy Spirit, when we are suffering a time of desolation,
Speak to us in our dreams.
Blessed Trinity, give us the courage to follow where you are leading;
And give us the grace to cope with the stigmas of being your disciple.

What is Patience and how do we find it? (Psalm 37:1-9)

1. What is Patience?

I’m one of the most impatient people I know (but of course I shouldn’t be)! I just want everything to happen here and now ... the big things and the small things. I want all the broken things fixed! I want all the good things in the future fast-tracked!! When do I want it? Now! This of course possibly leads me to unhealthy levels of dissatisfaction with the present; but on the other hand, at least I’m not apathetic (which is far worse than being impatient) ... at least the impatient can be said to at least care about outcomes. But sometimes, perhaps always, this impatience has many problems attached to it. And we, as followers of Jesus, have no choice but to seek to deal with any impatience within us, lest it takes too high a spiritual toll on us.

You know the three most important words when it comes to real estate??? Location, location, location!!! Hudson Taylor famously spoke of the three most indispensible requirements in missionary work ... patience, patience, patience!!! And we are all missionaries (in various ways), so we all need to have a look at this, especially me.

When we read Galatians chapter 5, and the famous bit concerning the fruit of the Holy Spirit that we need to be active in our lives ... there it is ... fourth in the list of nine ... “patience”. Why is “patience” so important???

Without “patience” we can get tied up in knots, try to take undue control of matters, get ahead of ourselves, stuff things up, become ultra-critical of others, and generally become bitter and twisted. We often head for disaster if we try to do things without taking the time to make the necessary preparations. In a spiritual sense, we can’t afford to skip any of the necessary steps through which God seeks to transform our lives and prepare us for the future. Basically, a lack of “patience” undermines our level of trust in God. Or perhaps, an obvious lack of “patience” actually indicates that we need to work on just how much we trust God. If we truly trust God, then we will be prepared to wait for God to answer our prayers, prepare us fully, change circumstances around us, and guide us into the right future. On this point we will need to reflect on our own and other’s past experience of God’s faithfulness. So we read and reflect upon testimonies (like Geraldine’s that was emailed around this week) and draw out greater reasons still for trusting everything to God.

Some might say at this point ... then I’ll just sit and do nothing, be totally passive. Let’s be clear – that is not patience, nor does it resemble “trust” in God. Patience and trust are active attitudes, involving definite proactive decisions.

We could define “patience” as ‘an acceptance of delay’. This is because in a broken world, such that we live in, and the vast complexities of interactive human life, things simply take longer to resolve than we would prefer to be the case. Because God has given all humanity freewill, and then chooses to work through people to bring about change, transformation can be a very slow business.

The Greek word translated “patience” in Galatians has the idea of ‘steadfastness’ (or we might say ‘stick-ability’), and also has the idea of “endurance” (meaning that such an attitude is applied in times of difficulty). “Patience” thus means ‘not giving up’. This word “makrothumia” also contains the idea of “forbearance” – ‘bearing with things’ (in good heart perhaps), and in the context of Galatians 5, this would be more the act of ‘bearing with others’ (and all their quirky behaviour ... as they do things way different to the way we would do them)!

The Oxford dictionary definition of “patience” includes the “calm endurance of pain or of any provocation”!! Thus, we would be patient with others for the sake of maintaining and developing good relationships. We would be patient with difficult circumstances because getting agitated with such challenges will not make them go away or become any easier. We would be patient with ourselves for we are indeed works in progress. The need for “patience” certainly takes us in a certain direction ... a certain heavenly direction.

And I think it may have been such a search for “patience” that took the psalmist in the direction of the words we read in Psalm 37. Patience with circumstances, patience with others, patience with ourselves, requires ... yep ... trust in God.

2. How do we Find Patience??

Going on my own search for “patience” took me to Psalm 37 (specifically verses 1-9), and there are some good answers here. I started with verse 7. We aren’t expected to be patient into an empty vacuum of nothingness. Quite the opposite, real “patience” is a “patience” focussed on God, and God’s ability to bring about God’s own purposes in God’s own time. We will be called to cooperate in God’s purposes in due course, but of course we need to be still and quiet and reflective and observant enough to recognise what God is doing in and around us. Too much noise, too many distractions, and too much worry (about non-essentials) will blind us and deafen us to God’s real activity.

As we read into the second part of verse 7, we see something of the psalmist’s context – a concern about those who are getting ahead, some by oppressing others and doing wrong, and the personal negative impact this might be having. We read here that we should not “fret” or ‘worry’ about such things. One commentator suggested this could be translated, “Do not burn yourself up [about such things]” (Blaiklock p.93).

This is not to say that we shouldn’t be concerned about the significant injustices, abuse and violence in the world. Yet still, rather than worrying, we have the capacity to make positive contributions to alleviating this. This is not to say that we shouldn’t be sensible and self-protective when it comes to certain dangers around us. Yet, rather than worrying, we can instigate certain boundaries that provide some measure of safety (without overdoing it and becoming isolated).

When, though, we reflect on the unfairness of life, often what we really mean is that we (or someone close to us) are missing out on something, especially in comparison to others; and it is never worthy or helpful to “fret” or ‘worry’ over this.

The admonition to not “fret or ‘worry’ appears three times in the first part of this psalm – verses 1, 7 & 8. In verse 1, right at the outset, this is connected with the thought of being envious of those people who have built their lives on doing wrong. They have gained much in this world, yet these are only treasures on earth, of what real value are they! Why would you focus on them, let alone being jealous of them!!

In verse 8, ‘worry’ is connected to “evil” – suggesting that if you are so worried about gaining certain things, this may well lead completely down the wrong path. Even when we are worried about quite reasonable life demands, we would have to admit that worry does not help, cannot add any further days or even hours to our life, and is more than likely to rob us of time and quality of life. So, it seems, worry and impatience go hand-in-hand, and are very negative feelings.

What is the antidote?? I go to my doctor with a big case of worry and impatience, and what prescription will I be given? A double dose of trusting in God!! May even three times a day with a repeat!

We find “patience” as we fully trust in God for the outcomes of life. We try less to manipulate our own outcomes, and try more to follow the Spirit of God’s gentle leading.

3. Dynamics of Trusting God

What are some of the dynamics of trusting God as suggested by Psalm 37??

(a) Doing good (v.3) – trusting God is not just a personal matter, but also a community matter. Trusting God for everything in our lives will lead us to being kind and generous, welcoming and encouraging, to all those around us – in our family, in our church, in our neighbourhoods. This will not just be a positive sentiment, but also a matter of practical activity ... doing good. As we actively commit to loving our neighbour, our level of patience for them (and their quirks) should grow.

>> There seems to be a connection in the second part of verse 3, between doing good, and our own level of personal well-being. Also it could well be that the “good” we do actually contributes to the resolution of what we were being impatient about.

(b) Taking delight in God (v.4) – trusting God is not just a procedural matter, but also a dynamic relationship, which will produce joy and well-being. Trusting God for everything in our lives will draw us into worship and thanksgiving, which will become obvious and public proof that God loves us and we love God. We will not be embarrassed because we are a follower of Jesus – far from it – we will rather wear our allegiance on our sleeve (so to speak), and rejoice that we have found hope, purpose and peace through a relationship with our Creator and Saviour.

>> There seems to be a connection suggested in the second part of verse 4, between our outward thanksgiving, and gaining an answer to our prayers.

(c) Committing your whole journey to God (v.5) – that is, your whole journey ... every part of your life! Career path, relationships & family, social life, church ministry. Time, talents, money. Trusting God is not a ‘sitting on the fence’ type thing, nor a ‘sometimes in sometimes out pick and choose’ type thing. If we trust God it is an ‘all encompassing everything in’ thing!

>> There seems to be a connection suggested in the words that follow, between committing everything of our journey to God, and God’s actions on our behalf in vindicating our cause and revealing our credibility to all around. In other words, if we are fully committed, God will facilitate others in correctly interpreting what we stand for, and giving us our due respect. Half-hearted people, on the other hand, generally draw no respect.

(d) Being still and waiting patiently (v.7) – being still and trusting God is, as the Quaker philosopher Thomas Kelly put it, about having a calm and quiet centre (to our lives) that nothing can disturb. This allows us to take all the bad things (along with the good things) peacefully as they come along. We will refer everything to God and God’s Word, being responsive to the leading of God’s Spirit. We will increasingly sense God’s guidance more clearly, and thereby make better decisions more quickly. God is on the throne of our lives and we await his word patiently. Yet we don’t wait passively, nor withdraw nor abandon responsibility; for we have been called to live as active disciples, and there is much for us to get on with in being daily missionaries of the gospel. Rather our anxious minds concerning the complexities of the task ... are ‘stilled’ in unreserved faith.

>> One very important aspect of all this will be the way we deal with each other in the church community. Even when frustrated or having a contrary view of something, we will be gentle and patient with one another. Otherwise, what have we really got to offer to others outside!?! Nothing much is the answer, because we are actually proving that Jesus doesn’t really work when things are hard.

(e) Refraining from anger and forgetting about getting even (v.8) – getting angry is just part of life, but the Bible teaches that our anger must never take us into sin; meaning we cannot allow our anger to lead us into hurting others (or ourselves) and making situations worse (simply to make us feel better). Trusting God means that we will leave many areas of hurt in God’s hands, and thus not strike back ourselves.

>> Such is the fallen state of humanity, that evil will continue to persist. We will never stand against evil through seeking to avenge certain people’s wrongs, but only by shifting our focus of attention to God, and by following the Jesus who taught us to love our enemies. This liberates us from thinking we have to fix everything and everybody ourselves.

In conclusion, there is a Tim McGraw song entitled “Still”, that tends to calm me down, and thus help increase my level of patience. The chorus goes like this:

“When this road gets crazy
And tries to break me
And I've had all I can stand
I can close my eyes no matter where I am
And just be still”

Then the song finishes as follows:

“There's a place I need to go
Where the stained glass windows glow
[There] Every part of me is known
Thank God I can go there
Thank God I can go there
Still”.