[Wednesday's Devotional] - Gamma

Gamma is the third letter of the Greek alphabet, equivalent to our letter C. In exam terms this is still a pass and so is quite acceptable for most of us. Not up to the standard previously mentioned but better than a failure.

When I worked in radiography we normally used X-rays. However, in some situations it was better to use something a bit more powerful, or that could be used in a position where it was not possible to place an X-ray machine. That was a radioactive source which emitted Gamma-rays.

So this is my third part of God which we think of as the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost as we used to say). Being something that can work within people or in places or in situations, it is a big bonus for the human race. It is the power that can work through us, freely given to those that have accepted Jesus into their lives. And the Holy Spirit is God just as Jesus is God.

And so we have the three in one, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

It is possible to buy Three-in-One oil which can have a number of uses on bicycles, lawnmowers, and other small machines, but it cannot compare with the three in one that is God in any way, shape, or form!

Lord fill us with your Holy Spirit and teach how to use it in your service.

Jim Finch

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Beta

Beta is the second letter in the Greek alphabet and is second only to Alpha. It is sometimes wrongly pronounced 'better' perhaps because some think Beta (correctly pronounced beater) means it is better than other others.

Scientists have discovered Beta rays or particles– a form of energy I believe - and so we have the Betatron, but don't ask me what it does!

Beta is second and a B grade in exams is just that, not quite an A but still pretty good.

However I'm looking at this as the second part of God, and that is Jesus. So is Jesus a lesser part of God? No, we have learnt that Jesus is the Son of God, the same as God, and is God. So the rules that we humans apply to various things don't always work in the overall structure of everything.

Jesus taught us that the only way to God the Father is through him. He came down to earth and died to save us from our sins as part of God's plans for us all. Which is why we ask Jesus into our lives rather than God. He also gave us the perfect model for our own lives, although I'm sure most of us find reaching that Beta standard is still extremely difficult.

So we will all try as hard as we can to beat a path to God's door and encourage our fellow humans to do the same.

Jim Finch

[Monday's Devotional] - Alpha

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet as you all know and in many cases is thought of as the first or best of almost anything. We have the "alpha male" in many animal groups – the top dog as we think of them, and that can apply to humans in the family or workplace too.

It can also apply to the grading of exam results. A is the top standard grade, although we add a plus or star for exceptional results. When I was taking exams it was just a pass or fail and although there were more passes than fails I'm not sure that any would have rated an A in today's standards.

Then we have the Alpha course, a series of social meetings that introduce people to, and help them to understand, the Bible, Jesus and God. It certainly helped me some years ago. Like many people I had grown up in a 'Christian' house but never really gave it much thought. After a week or two of the course I was thinking "So what? I knew this years ago and it means nothing really to me." How wrong can one man be? Before the course was over I had asked Jesus into my life and have never regretted it. I doubt anyone does.

So, to me, Alpha is God and God is Alpha. The number one, the all powerful creator.

We are smaller than the smallest ant by comparison and yet he loves us, cares for us and calls us his children. And like children we are not always very well behaved, but still he loves us. So we try to do better next time.

Let us aim for that A grade, it's not easy to attain but then the best things never are.

Jim Finch

[Friday's Devotional] - Andy's Story (2)

In my third year at University, I moved out to Whalley Range – an infamous area of Manchester. There was a chap in the house who was a bit oppressive, the weather was freezing and my bedroom was cold. I started getting a bit depressed. I didn't do as much work as I should for my final year exams, I didn't finish a final year proj6ect, and I ended up failing my final exams. I didn't take the advice of the course tutor to go and see a psychologist or councillor which was a big mistake.

I went home, was unemployed for a while and sleeping a lot, then went back to an old job at Sainsburys. I was in a weakened state though. One evening I felt unwell, and it was the start of a breakdown. This was the second watershed in my life.

That night I lay in bed and had this mental pain – I don't know where it came from, but it was a very difficult night. It was the start of several horrible days. As I lay in bed, I felt as if blood was coming out of my fingernails (although of course it wasn't). Eventually I made it into psychiatric hospital, still having hallucinations. I didn't understand what was going on, which may or may not have been made worse by the strong drugs I was put on.

About two weeks later I was able to start some art therapy, which could reveal to the therapist what is going on inside, and formed part of my recovery. After another couple of weeks I went to Christchurch in Warley where the hospital was. A little girl took hold of my hand at some point in the service, but I held it in the wrong way, and she corrected the hand hold. That spoke to me of how in your walk with God you have to hold his hand in the right way. I also met a guy called Tim there, who was to become my best friend. He invited me out to a video and take-away the following week. Things got better from there. I started going to services at the church and joined a home group. They were able to seamlessly integrate people who had problems into their congregation.

I was in hospital for a total of six months, followed by six months in day hospital. One thing I would say of this time is that when everything else is stripped away, God is the bedrock. During this time I wrote to several friends, and I got sent the same verse back from three of them. This is Jeremiah 29: 11-13 which starts "I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope". This has proved to be true.

A lady gave me some "Every Day with Jesus" Bible notes whilst I was in hospital, and I started using them. I went into a side room to pray and received the gift of tongues, which spoke to me of how God was with me and hadn't deserted me. This was very important. In a way the gift brought things round full circle to the important issue for me at my conversion.

I returned to University, was able to complete my degree and I got a job at GEC in Rugby. It is like God has gone ahead of me and sorted things out, like a curler brushing the ice ahead of the stone.

As told to Jon Seaton

[Thursday's Devotional] - Andy's Story (1)

A change of tack for today and tomorrow, as I relate the story of Andy, a friend of mine. I have written it down with Andy speaking in the first person.

I was brought up as a Roman Catholic - Mum was Catholic, but Dad didn't believe. One day when crossing the car park on the way to church, I decided I was old enough to make my own decisions, and I rejected Christianity. I suppose I was about eleven or twelve. I thought science explained it all, but nevertheless I knew the Bible stories.

A friend of mine, Stuart, took me along to a Luis Palau meeting as part of Mission to London when I was in the sixth form. I remember sitting through the worship, and being unmoved by what was said. On the way home I felt I could counter every argument that was put to me. My friends prayed for me afterwards, which I think I was a bit angry about! Looking back on it though, I think this was perhaps when God started doing something in my life.

My interest in science led me to take Physics and Chemistry 'A' Levels, followed by a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at UMIST in Manchester. It was at my hall of residence that God started "reeling me in", to use a fishing metaphor. Although there was an average number of Christians in the hall, in my particular block fifteen out of twenty students were Christians. I was surrounded by them! I got to know their good and bad points, and was invited to some Christian Union meetings. One significant point was a sermon tape that was lent to me, of the five hundred witnesses to Jesus rising from the dead that is recorded in 1 Corinthians. It lodged in my brain, and made me think that maybe there was something in Christianity.

A week before I became a Christian a few events came together. I bought a Bible – I thought I should give it a try as you are meant to read at University! Then, the Christian Union were having a mission starting on the Monday, and the Friday before I went to play a game of squash with a friend. He gave me his testimony of how he found God at a Pathfinder Camp, and how people were praying earnestly in tongues. Hearing about praying in tongues was the proof I needed to believe. I didn't tell my friend, but it raised my squash game and I nearly beat him! Funnily enough, he turned a bit nasty then, which I think was the Devil trying to get back at me, but I was able to push that aside. It got to the Monday, and I sat down at the meal table with my friends in the hall. Normally the non-Christians used to bate the Christians, and my turn came but I didn't join in. My friends wondered why, and I said that I had become a Christian, which gave everyone a bit of a shock!

My faith grew through attending church and Christian Union, and this was the first watershed in my life…

As told to Jon Seaton

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Acceptance

Kenny Borthwick met a man on the streets of Edinburgh who asked him for money. He realised he knew him – he had previously met him in Aberdeen, flat on the floor of his parents' house in the power of the Holy Spirit. The story was that this man had later fallen into cross-dressing, and his Christian family couldn't cope with that, so they threw him out. The man rolled up his sleeve and showed Kenny needle puncture marks. Kenny gave him some money, and the man ran off like a frightened rabbit back to his drug addicts' den. The encounter provoked Kenny to write a poem, using a play on words for the marks. The man was going to get more marks – needle marks, yes, but also more marks-out-of-ten from those in his drug addicts den, more marks than he found in the Christian Church.

What is your reaction to those whose lives are out of control? Maybe you cannot cope with them, and it could be true that the best course of action is not to see them if they are causing you severe physical or emotional harm. But it is a pity that we don't see more of those people in our 'den'. It would be good if they knew that they could find love and acceptance in church.

Maybe it is only as we identify our own addictions, and realise our own need of God that we can truly welcome those with addictions like drug and alcohol problems, and get alongside them as fellow addicts. The Gospel is a great leveller.

Jon Seaton

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Struggling

What is the most Holy moment of your day? Maybe your quiet time, or small group meeting, or listening to a worship CD? Author Max Lucado, thinks the most Holy moment is when you get up in the morning, when your pyjamas are crumpled, your face would scare the dog and your breath would stain the walls. That's the "you" that God sees, and that's the "you" that God loves. So, take your shower and put on your deodorant. Do it for the sake of those you will sit next to, but you don't have to do it for God.

I was saying yesterday that it is hard to get it into our heads just how much God loves us. Of course, we will never realise the full extent of His love, but even just to believe that he loves us at all can sometimes seem a struggle, and that struggle can give way to addictions.

We are in good company in the struggle though, as Jesus was tempted along the lines of addictions and cravings. He was tempted to seek comfort for his hunger by turning stones into bread, to seek assurance of God's love by throwing himself off the temple and to have the angels save him, and to seek power by claiming the Kingdoms of the world. If you didn't know these temptations were from the Devil, they sound quite reasonable (maybe except the throwing yourself off the temple!). You could almost imagine justifying them as being from God – surely he wants to satisfy our hunger, and wants everyone to know His love and worship Jesus? Yet Jesus was secure enough in his Father's love to know their source was not Him.

Kenny Borthwick shared something quite profound. He said if you want to get anywhere with God, you sometimes have to leave something not satisfied. It may be you are desperately seeking comfort or love or assurance, but if doing that thing takes you outside the will of God – don't do it.

Jon Seaton

[Monday's Devotional] - Addiction

"Welcome to Addicts Anonymous" began a talk I went to at New Wine this year. The speaker, Kenny Borthwick, believes that we are all deeply addicted if we are outside the love of God. I found his words very challenging and illuminating, so I would like to share some of them with you this week.

Kenny is not just talking about addictions to drugs and alcohol, but also those things that society might deem as acceptable – comfort foods, purchases, relationships that look for a love or affirmation in people that can only truly be filled by God.

According to author Don Williams, the anatomy of addiction is as follows. You are alone at home feeling low, and there is chocolate cake in the fridge. You have good memories as your mother told you she loved you as she gave you a slice of cake as a child. As you take a slice you feel comforted, but the sugar effect wears off, and craving kicks in. So you take another piece and another until the whole cake is gone. There is control loss. You want more, and know where you can get particularly good chocolate cake in town, and you are willing to pay the price. In other words, you get your suppliers in place. The cravings have given way to full-blown addiction. You have lost your freedom.

Do we know that we are loved, loved, loved, and not only loved but lovely in the eyes of God? He deeply appreciates us, and has a warm affectionate love for us. Grace seems to be a subject that we have to go over again and again and again until we get it. Until we do, other comforts and affirmations will take God's place.

Jon Seaton

[Friday's Devotional] - I Won't Forget

"So break my step
And relent
You forgave and I won't forget" (Mumford & Sons, "I will wait")

How many reasons have you got for thanking God? Perhaps knowing his forgiveness is one near the top of the list. Forgiveness is one way in which we receive God's love, and from this comes transformation – as it says somewhere 'we love because he first loved us'.

"Maybe the discipline of prayer is the willingness to gather in all the moments of love that are offered to us each day" (Mark Yaconelli)

To Reflect

Think of the ways in which you have experienced God's love, including forgiveness.

Thank Him for His love and forgiveness.

Tim Norman

[Thursday's Devotional] - On Our Knees

"And I'll kneel down
Wait for now
And I'll kneel down
Know my ground
And I'll kneel down
Wait for now" (Mumford and Sons)

Here are some words from my journal following a recent meeting of our small group:

"Along with wonderful pizza and bread & butter pudding, great first evening yesterday with Francis Chan's 'Crazy Love': stopping to think about who God is before we rush in to pray.
Tried to do that this morning - long time since I actually got on my knees to pray but I thought I'd give it a go again, I can see why people do it - seems to help focus the mind and I had a great time praying."

Of course, you can pray lying down, sitting, or standing up as well, but there's a reason that kneeling seems to help focus the mind. Kneeling is a position of humility and reverence before God.

"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." (Psalm 95:6,7)

To Reflect

In the light of these words, spend some time waiting on God and praying - perhaps kneeling.

Listen to the song "I will wait" and pray as you do so.

Tim Norman

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Prayer Like Breathing

"Now I'll be bold
As well as strong
Use my head alongside my heart
So take my flesh
And fix my eyes
That tethered mind free from the lies" (Mumford and Sons)

These words conjure up for me memories of athletics training when I was a teenager, and the way in which we were told to develop a pattern of breathing and fit our running pace to it. It's incredible just how helpful this is, and how it helps in running.

In a similar way prayer should be as natural to us as breathing, energizing us in the realities of life:

"As one elderly woman confessed to me one Sunday morning "I don't have a practice of prayer. Instead, I wake up every morning and I say to God, 'How do you want to love me today?' And then I listen ...and go'" (quoted by Mark Yaconelli). This lady is describing how she breathes out (talking to God), and breathes in (listening to God).

To reflect

Listen to the song "I will wait" and pray as you do so.

How does God want to love you?

How would you like to receive God's love?

Tim Norman

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Like a Stone

"I came home
Like a stone
And I fell heavy into your arms
These days of dust
Which we've known
Will blow away with this new sun" (Mumford & Sons)

What an amazing picture of love and restoration!

I was speaking at Overslade recently and we thought together about what we miss when we are away from home – hugs, home and hanging out with friends all came near the top of the list. Prayer can be like that:

"..he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." (Jesus Christ, Luke 15)

'God does not expect you to develop a daily discipline of prayer. It's more intimate than that. God simply wants to love you, in whatever way you are willing to allow yourself to be loved' (Mark Yaconelli)

To Reflect

Listen to the song "I will wait" and pray as you do so.

Experience God's love and acceptance.

Tell him about what's on your mind and receive His love.

Tim Norman

[Monday's Devotional] - Prayer is a Liberating Experience

"And raise my hands
Paint my spirit gold
And bow my head
Keep my heart slow"

I love these words from Mumford and Sons new song 'I Will Wait'. It's amazing to hear just how much airtime this song is getting, in fact they are selling more than Justin Bieber in America. This song was played at a recent Christian leadership conference that many of the leaders in our church went to.

It's a song about prayer – not surprising because some, if not all, of the band grew up in church and their faith seems to keep on bursting through along with songs about life realities.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 106:1

To Reflect

Listen to the song "I will wait" and pray as you do so.

Give thanks to God for who He is and what He's given you.

If prayer sometimes feels like a duty, pray for God to lead you in fresh paths of fun in prayer which better fit who you are.

Tim Norman

[Friday's Devotional] - Prayer at all times

The last prayer I want to share with you is the shortest. Often known as the 'Jesus' prayer, it comes straight from scripture and can be prayed in one breath.

'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner'.

The phrase comes from the story of Bartimaeus the blind beggar who calls out to Jesus desperately and receives his sight. Three gospels tell the story but only Mark names him. And of all the people healed by Jesus, Bartimaeus is the only one whose name is recorded. And what does his name mean? In Hebrew his name deepened the insult of his condition as a beggar: it means 'son of rubbish' or 'son of filth'. Bartimaeus stands for all of us, if only we are willing to admit it. Bartimaeus represents the fact that God's grace does not overlook us because we are unworthy or unattractive or even useless. Instead God goes out of his way to touch and transform those who are willing to accept their own deep need.

The prayer is best prayed meditatively, repeated slowly, focusing on a different word or phrase each time. It's a prayer that put us in a right posture before God. Spending a minute or two praying this prayer will often silence all the noise and other distractions in my mind and bring me to a place of quiet listening. It's also a very simple prayer that can be said even in our moments of turmoil, distress, on sleepless nights or through weary days this prayer can be under our breaths and in our minds, bringing to mind our need for the sustenance of God in our lives moment by moment.

Sheila Bridge

[Thursday's Devotional] - Prayer when everything else seems bleak

Many of the prayers that have come to mean a lot to me have come from the Celtic tradition of spirituality which emphasises seeing God in his creation and understanding God as trinity. I have particularly enjoyed a book of prayers called Music of the Heart: New Psalms in the Celtic Tradtion by David Adam.

Today's prayer is from this book. It's an honest prayer, for anyone in a dark, weary place who is willing to acknowledge that they are finding life hard.

A few weeks ago I came across this prayer again by accident and finding it expressed exactly how I was feeling on that morning, I prayed it with more of a sense of relief than an expectation of change. To my great surprise when I came to pray again the following morning, many of the things that had weighed me down and oppressed me had lifted. The important thing to note here is that the prayer 'worked' not like some kind of incantation or spell, if it worked at all, it worked because it carried me honestly into my Father's presence.

Restore my Vision

Let there be a gleam in my eye again, O Lord,

For my sight is growing dim.

All around me lacks glory,

The world is dull and grey.

Restore my vision, open my eyes,

Keep me from the kingdom of the blind.

Let me not be among the walking dead.

Touch my heart, that it may be warm

To the wonders and beauty of the day.

Be at one with me, O mighty Lord,

Make this the place of my resurrection,

A place of new vision and new hope.

Let not the evil ones prevail, O Lord.

Let no one rejoice because I am down.

Lord I am shattered to the roots,

I have lost all identity and purpose.

Yet somewhere within is a light,

For you are at the centre of my life:

You are in the heart of the world.

Lord, I trust your light and love.

When this heaviness is gone,

Let my heart rejoice again in you,

And sing of your mercy and love.

Sheila Bridge

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Prayer for Wisdom

Praying is a way of seeing. When we pray, we peek behind the surface realities of life: work, routine, relationships - and we remind ourselves that there is a God who gave us life and calls us to live that life in an awareness of him.

The prayer I'm sharing today asks for clearer sight and acknowledges that often we don't see things as well as we should. It's by Gerard Kelly and from his book Spoken Worship.

When we claim to have foresight

Second sight

And insight

When in reality

Even our first sight is short:

Father, open our eyes.

When we blunder on blindly

Like ships in dense fog,

Never knowing

How truly lost we are,

Never seeing

Past the end of our needs:

Father, open our eyes.

When we collide with one another

Like bats with malfunctioning radar,

Not even noticing

The damage we have done:

Father, open our eyes.

When we walk through your world

As if we ourselves

Had made it

And fail to recognise

The fingerprints you leave:

Father, open our eyes.

When we are blind to your presence

In the eyes of the poor,

Blind to the perfection

That lies visibly before us,

Blind to your handiwork,

Blind to your care,

Blind to the signs

That you scatter around us:

Father, heal our sight.

Sheila Bridge

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Prayer Alone

Yesterday I reminded you that there is nothing wrong with leaning into words that other people have pondered and weighed. Focusing on a written prayer can keep us from the ramblings and meanderings of our minds when we are distracted or distressed. Sometimes too, we find that someone has summed up our experience of life better than we could ourselves.

This was the case for me when I first came across this prayer written by Joyce Rupp. At the time I was experiencing huge changes in my life.

Pilgrim God, there is an exodus going on in my life: desert stretches, a vast land of questions. Inside my head your promises tumble and turn. No pillar of cloud by day or fire by night that I can see. My heart hurts at leaving loved ones and so much of the security I have known. I try to give in to the stretching and the pain. It is hard God, and I want to be settled, secure, safe and sure. And here I am feeling so full of pilgrim's fear and anxiety.

O God of the journey, lift me up, press me against your cheek. Let your great love hold me and create a deep trust in me. Then set me down, God of the journey; take my hand in yours, and guide me ever so gently across the new territory of my life.

If you find this prayer expresses something of your experience at the moment, stop and pray it now.

Sheila Bridge

[Monday's Devotional] - Prayer Together

This week I would like to share five prayers that have come to mean a lot to me. I grew up in a tradition which despised written prayers. For them, the only way to pray was to 'make it up as you went along'. Anything else, especially using other people's words, was 'vain repetition'.

So it has only been later in life that I have come to value, cherish and yes, even at times, rely on prayers that other people have written. And some of these prayers I return to again and again, precisely because their familiarity has carried them into my heart.

So this week, I encourage you not just to read these prayers. Read them first but then pause and actually pray them. Allowing the prayer to carry us into the presence of God is the difference between meaningless reciting and active connection to Christ.

So here is the first prayer: I'll explain the sentence in bold, below, but then I'll leave you to pray it. It comes from the Order for Holy Communion in Common Worship, the liturgy used by the Church of England and it is called the Prayer of Preparation

Almighty God

to whom all hearts are open

all desires known

and from whom no secrets are hidden:

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen

This prayer brings us into God's presence acknowledging that we cannot hide anything from God. Its central request is that we be cleansed. The phrase 'thoughts of our hearts' stopped me in my tracks the other day. Isn't it our brains that have thoughts and our hearts that have feelings? Actually I think there is great wisdom in this phrase for it is our deep motives, our inner drives, our self-protecting mechanisms that form 'the thoughts of our hearts' and it's in this inner place that healing needs to begin.

The prayer also tells us the means (i.e. the way) that we can be cleansed: by the Holy Spirit and tells us the point of it all: to love God and honour him with our lives. It's also a corporate prayer, we pray it together, not just as individuals which reminds us of another benefit to written prayers: we can pray together.

So let's pause and pray…

Sheila Bridge

[Friday's Devotional] - Wind to Strengthen His People

When the winds of adversity blow into our lives, we can be assured that God will show up in power in His time.

God used wind to dry up the waters after the flood (Genesis 8:1)

to bring the plague of locusts on Egypt (Exodus 10:13)

to part the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21) He stopped that wind to drown the Egyptian army.

to blow quail into the camp of Israel (Numbers 11:31)

to teach Elijah about the presence of God (1 Kings 19:11)

and to teach Peter about faith (Matthew 14:22-33)

I'm sure you can think of many more examples, but my point is that the winds sent into our lives do not come to destroy us. It may appear that they will, but God sends them to teach us about His purposes and His power in our lives. God is not trying to hurt us, but to change us, to draw us into his presence to grow us! They are His winds of change.

“And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.” 2 Samuel 5:24 [KJV]

When the wind came, David was to “bestir” himself. “Bestir” means “to become active, to rouse, to take action.” David was to go on for God when the wind began to blow, but until that time David was to wait on God in obedience. For many of us waiting is the hardest part, yet I know that God is doing the unseen as we are obedient to his will. We too should 'bestir' ourselves while we wait and take action pressing into the very presence of God, it is wonderful when others pray with us and for us, but nothing substitutes our own personal relationship with the living Lord. Maybe, if you too are facing winds of adversity, reorganising the time you give to God is the answer?

My husband and I know that the Lord is aligning plans for His future will for our lives...... new home? new job? new location? He has been talking to us on all these matters (if only I could take a fast-forward glimpse to my 2013 Springtime devotionals!) but now is a season of waiting and preparing. God has revealed there is more to this stormy season than meets the eye, seeds are being sown at work and are growing, seeds have been sown in Romania this year and we return in October to see a vision becoming reality, it is just the beginning. Be encouraged that in all of our lives the 'unseen' is unfolding and I thank God for the friends who support us all in prayer.

 

Tomorrow, Sat 6^th Oct, is the main Open Day for my school, my greatest responsibility of the year and craziest time, for the last 2 years it has been overwhelming, yet this month I have felt the most amazing peace and I will smile tomorrow, amidst all the busyness, as I watch the leaves blowing in the top of the mulberry tree outside my office window.

Dawn Milward

[Thursday's Devotional] - The Wind of His Presence

I heard a flying analogy recently, "You can't change the weather conditions or the landscape, but you can adjust your altitude". I am learning to adjust my altitude, to see the Lord's perspective on my job, my home, my family and my future. I think sometimes we look through binoculars - the wrong way round! - while God looks through a telescope. We just don't think big enough, we may not see the bigger picture but we should think big, he wants us to.

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:20-21 [Message]

In the midst of my storm God is stirring up a wind of change and I'm watching that mulberry tree and waiting. While I am waiting, I know God is preparing me for the adventure ahead.

I have just started reading a book called "The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" it is the true story of an ordinary boy's most extraordinary journey. In 2004, Kevin Malarkey and his 6 year old son, Alex, suffered an horrific car accident. The impact from the crash paralysed Alex and, medically speaking, it was unlikely that he could survive but two months later, Alex awoke from a coma. He tells his incredible story of events at the accident scene and in the hospital while he was unconscious, of the angels that took him through the gates of heaven itself and of meeting and talking to Jesus.

I was reading this book down by the riverside one lunchtime and Alex tells how he saw five angels lift his dad from the car, he then saw those same five angels in heaven. God reminded me of my motorbike accident 5 years ago, I sat unharmed on a grass verge by Mr Kipling Island (you Rugby folk will know the place) as I watched a motorcycle being dragged up the dual carriageway mangled beneath the wheels of a juggernaut, it took me some time to comprehend that a lorry had just ploughed into the back of me and the bike was mine. I would relay the story to friends at church and work alike saying 'I swear a big ol' angel just lifted me off my bike and sat me on the grass', some folk would laugh at what they thought was my humour, yet I would repeat in all seriousness 'I swear a big ol' angel just lifted me off my bike and sat me on the grass'.

The book concludes "As you see heaven and earth through Alex's eyes, you'll come away with new insights on miracles, life beyond this world, and the power of a father's love". I agree with this statement, however, I would add that when we spend time in the wind of His presence we obtain a glimpse through our heavenly fathers eyes and become excited that, for the 'here and now' and for the 'here after', we are made for so much more than just the things of this world.

Dawn Milward

[Wednesday's Devotional] - The Wind of HIs Promises

"And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines." 2 Samuel 5:23-24 [KJV]

You may be bored of this verse by now but I make no apology, it's a promise you see, and I'm pressing into God for this one! We can easily get disheartened yet, if we know his personal promises to us they give much needed strength in the midst of the toughest battles. If we voice these promises and share them with others they carry great power....unless of course we share them with someone who doubts God's words, they would probably think you a fool, but this verse made me smile:

"How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand" (Psalm 92:5-6)

Today I want to focus on the wind in this passage 'the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees'. We all know that wind can be either beneficial or harmful. Good winds cool hot summer days, good winds scatter seeds upon the earth, help dry the earth after times of floods. The phrase "a fair wind" is used to refer to times of peace, blessing and calm.

Harmful winds, on the other hand, can do tremendous damage to people and property. We have all seen the devastation caused by the winds of tornadoes and hurricanes. The phrase "it's an ill wind that blows no good" is used to speak of a time of hardship, trouble and turmoil.

I believe the wind in these verses signalled the arrival of the Lord in a time of trouble. Often, you and I find ourselves trapped in windy seasons of life, when the winds of adversity and affliction blow against our lives, our tendency is to become filled with anxiety and fear. The winds of life should not fill us with fear, but with faith. The sound of the wind was the signal that God was present with His people to lead them to victory, likewise, His presence with you is His promise of victory to you, that's a promise worth hanging on to!

Dawn Milward

[Tuesday's Devotional] - The Sound of a Going

"And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines." 2 Samuel 5:23-24 [KJV]

Looking again at yesterdays' scripture I'd like to focus on "the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees". The phrase "a sound of a going" literally means "the noise of marching", it refers to the clank and clatter of an army on the move and speaks of the pounding of feet and the rattle of equipment. The ancient Jewish rabbis taught that this sound was the angelic host marching to the battle. Others believe that God is simply saying that He will send a wind to stir the mulberry tree tops to let David know that it is time to move - and that is exactly what God has been saying to me.

Each day when I go to work I now smile when I pass the mulberry tree outside my office, I listen for that 'sound of a going' but, like David, it is a time of waiting to allow the Lord to go before me and prepare the way. We are all in a spiritual war, our battles may be different, but we all have them. I believe God has been teaching me 'how' to wait.

Because of my workload my habit is often to work through my lunch hour and, even having done that, I am frequently still there after hours in the evening. Too often when life is so busy it is difficult to make time for God, but that is when we need him the most. During my 2 weeks summer holiday, part of which was spent at New Wine, the Lord challenged me to hand my time back to him and to resume my prayer journal. Although the school had broken up for the summer my workload is unchanging, being an independent school we are a business and there are constant deadlines to meet. During the week I was obedient and 'pressed in', I got up even earlier to spend more time than usual in prayer before work, like David I "enquired of the Lord" and sought his will, I kept my journal and set a daily lunch date with God on my phone for 12.30pm which, when the alarm went off told me I had a 'Divine Appointment'.

In the following 2 weeks guess what happened?...........things went from bad to worse! Instead of redeeming my time it seemed He was dumping even more work on me, I would go down by the riverside at lunch and sob my heart out, I would wrestle with my father "You know how hard this truly is", I would enquire of him WHY?' there were no immediate answers but I sensed the 'unseen' was happening. As I left work I declared almost in tears "It's just too much"! before the words had even left my mouth the Lord replied via a street name right next to where I work, I had passed this daily but never before noticed the name of the street which read..........'MULBERRY TREES'. He was there, he is always there with his angelic host in the midst of all our battles.

Dawn Milward

[Monday's Devotional] - Mulberry Trees

Over the last few months the Lord has been encouraging me to 'hang in there' at work. I have had many challenging and demanding jobs throughout my career yet, as I have shared before, my current job as school Registrar has been above and beyond any workload I have previously encountered and at times unbearable with constant deadlines and frequent late nights. I have been tempted over the last two years to move from where God has placed me, however, he has clearly been telling me to 'wait' and has encouraged me beyond measure with scripture from 2 Samuel:5

Chapter 5 recounts how David has just taken the throne of Israel and the Philistines think that the new king and his divided monarchy will be easy pickings, so they attack Israel (v17-18). David seeks the Lord's will for the battle; he follows the Lord and God gives Israel a great victory, however, the Philistines are not totally defeated, so they come up against Israel again. David turns to the Lord once more for leadership (v23-24) and this time, instead of telling David to attack, God commands David to lead Israel in a flanking manoeuvre. They are to circle behind the Philistines and WAIT by a grove of mulberry trees.

"And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines." 2 Samuel 5:23-24 [KJV]

Tomorrow we will look at 'the sound of a going', but for today I am content knowing that God is with me in my difficulties at work, wherever you face difficulties know that He is close by. For the past 2 years (while struggling through my 'winter of discontent' at work) I have watched a solitary tree outside my office window change with the seasons; as it sheds it's leaves to expose bare branches in the winter, it develops new shoots in the spring then a mass of green leaves for summer which are followed by an abundance of dark purple fruit. Sadly I have often been too busy to rest in His presence which, as God highlighted to me in the above passage, has always been as close as the Mulberry Tree that sits outside my office window. This tree has a preservation order on it, how apt that our lives too are 'preserved in his presence" Genesis 32:30 (my paraphrase)

Dawn Milward