[Friday's Devotional] - Are you out of harm’s way?

Are you out of harm's way? The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121: 7-8 [NIV]   God is with you for the journey.  He watches over your life and protects your body, mind and soul. Does this mean that no harm comes to Christians?  Clearly not, as we can all think of Christians who have suffered harm in accidents and crises.  But God sees things from a different perspective – he speaks of both now and forevermore.    When I visited Nigeria as a teenager in the 1970s, the roads were a dangerous place to travel along (I am sure they still are).  We used to pray before every journey for protection.  God cares about our coming and going, and these prayers are a reminder of that.   Take heart from the all-powerful and eternal nature of God.  We will face difficult times but we must not be tempted to have a small-minded view of God. Challenging times may be uncomfortable, but they are also a time to learn and gain experience to make us more mature and wise in our relationships with others.   Lord, keep us safe as we travel today.  Help us to learn the lessons of the hard knocks we face and to grow in maturity and character, in Jesus name. Amen.   Dave MacLellan   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Thursday's Devotional] - Are You in the Shade of the Lord?

Are You in the Shade of the Lord? The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. Psalm 121: 5-6 [NIV]   In the time of Moses, the people of Israel were familiar with being directed and protected day and night.  During the day there God was present in a pillar of cloud to protect them from the fierce sun, and during the night he was inside a pillar of fire to provide them with heat and light.   It is interesting to reflect on the nature of our earth - the sun shines on some part of the earth at all times (it is never night for everyone at the same time), hence God cannot slumber or sleep.   One interpretation of these verses in Psalm 121, suggested in Matthew Henry's Commentary, is that we are both protected from the open assault of our enemies in broad daylight and the more secretive attacks that take place under cover of moonlight.    Are you experiencing visible attack from real and present enemies? Or perhaps you are more concerned about the invisible spiritual attacks that can frustrate the will and aims of God's people?  Know that the Lord is watching over you and you are protected under his shadow.   Lord, thank you for protecting me day and night under your shadow.  Help me to rest in your protection, safe from the visible and invisible attacks that I face.  Amen.   Dave MacLellan   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Is God awake at night?

Is God awake at night? He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.   Psalm 121:3-4 [NIV]   The word slumber is not really used very much today.  What is the difference between slumber and sleep?  Thanks to Google (and some carefully filtered results), I learn that slumber is a very light state of sleep, perhaps the precursor to being fully unconscious or asleep.  When we slumber, we are likely to not be fully asleep – sometimes I am tired and watching TV or a film and find that my eyes shut and I am drifting into "slumber" – apparently this happens to a few other people my age too!   Sleep is essential for good health, and the human body needs enough of it to keep going and gain strength.  Regardless of the exact meaning, it is helpful to know that God is never in either state, and that we are "watched over" just like Israel was in the times of David, the author of this Psalm.  In the same way as an army (like David's) would make sure that some of the men kept watch while others slept, so it is comforting that God has "got your back" day and night – he is not bound by a human body, and therefore can keep watch day and night.   Verse 3 talks about God not letting "your foot slip".  I am never going to be a mountaineer, as I don't like heights – but I guess the secret is to look up and not down.  The time to look down is when you are at the summit.  Why do we find our feet sometimes slipping? Perhaps it is because we have our eyes on the prince of the earth and not the King of Heaven.   Lord, help us to be sure-footed as we seek and follow you. Dave MacLellan   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Tuesday's Devotional] - What Keeps You Going?

What Keeps You Going? I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 [NIV]   In The Message bible, the word "strength" is used in place of "help", or "aid".  At times when we are feeling low and alone, it is good advice to look up, not down.  Many years ago when walking the dog across a rugby field, I was looking at the ground and thinking about the day ahead.  Coming to the opposite edge of the field, I looked back to see my footsteps making a very wavy line across the field.  Had I been looking up, focused on a point in the distance, my path would surely have been much straighter. As we started the week with an upward look – continue to fix your sights on the creator of the mountains, not the muddy prints of your own footsteps.  Too often I find myself looking back at things not achieved, things that could have gone better or things that went wrong.  We can't effectively advance if we spend our whole time looking back.   Sometimes we forget that God made everything around us, including us ourselves.  And sometimes we put God into a box to be opened on Sunday – thinking that he is a historical figure to be admired rather than our Maker, Creator and Sustainer.   To quote another well-loved hymn:   Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.   Lord, help us to look to you for our help and strength this week.  In Jesus name, Amen   Dave MacLellan   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Monday's Devotional] - Where is Your Focus?

Where is Your Focus? This week we are going to look at Psalm 121, which is very well known (though not sung very often these days, I guess). I first sang it, aged 5 or so, when "I to the hills will lift mine eyes, from whence doth come mine aid…" was the school song.  At the time, the language was a little strange though the meaning was later gradually revealed as I grew older.    We will look at the Psalm in more detail, but today let's start by looking at the whole thing.   Here is the Psalm as translated in the NIV:   I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121: 1-8 [NIV]      Take encouragement as you read the words today.  Lift up your eyes and your heart to the one who is always ready to give help, the one who never sleeps, watches over you, shields you from harm and cares for you your whole life.  The Lord is all-sufficient for our needs, though we often forget that.   Lord, help us to focus on you this week.  Help us not to rely on our own strength, our own resources or the wrong advice and motivations of those who deny you.  Thank you for caring for us now and evermore, Amen. Dave MacLellan    Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!