Be Still And Know

John 14:26 How’s your memory? You will doubtless know the joke about the person who goes upstairs to get something only to totally forget why they went. They then return downstairs with something else simply to justify the journey. For me, that’s no longer a joke but a way of life! Forgetting is part of the human condition, and it undoubtedly gets worse with age, so it isn’t surprising that the Bible has much to say about it. When Moses gave instructions to the people of Israel before they entered the promised land, he anticipated that they might well forget the Lord’s commandments. So he urged them to “tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:8). Sadly, the Old Testament is full of instances when God’s people totally forgot about him. Jesus wanted to prepare his followers for the years to come by giving them tools to remind them of the things he had taught them. During Jesus’ last supper with h

John 14:15-17 The word that is translated ‘advocate’ in today’s verses is hard to pin down. Some of us were brought up with the term ‘Counsellor’ which was the word used in the Authorised King James’ version of the Bible. The Greek word literally means ‘someone who is called in alongside’. Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit is an advocate and he will definitely bring comfort, but we will never find a word which embraces the Spirit’s whole ministry. I like to think of the Holy Spirit as being our supreme friend. He is always with us, continually pointing to Jesus and leading us in the right direction. One key role that the Spirit plays is to lead us “into all truth”. Earlier in this chapter, we learnt that Jesus is the truth, so the role of the Spirit is principally to keep us focused on Jesus. The world can be full of lies and half-truths. The truth can be hard to find, and people often choose to hide away from it. So the role of the Spirit in leading us into truth is a continual one. Jan Hus was a ch

John 14:13-14 On the face of, it this sounds like Jesus is writing us a blank cheque. If you hadn’t read anything else from the Bible, this passage might give you the impression that we can come to God and ask for whatever we want. Request a jet aeroplane, the latest electric car, the biggest house in the area or a guaranteed income for life and it will be yours on a plate! But, mercifully, that is not what Jesus was talking about. I say mercifully because if God were willing to do whatever our selfishness dictated, we would soon transform our lives into a living hell. We would be fully in control and God would be pushed out. And that’s never good. Jesus was describing to his disciples what it is like to live in obedience to him. As they followed him, they would be doing the work of God, with his full authority. They wouldn’t be thrust out into the world all by themselves but, as they were soon to learn, they would have the power of the Holy Spirit. They would, therefore, be able to pray with confiden

John 14:12 When the disciples heard Jesus say these words, they were doubtless in a state of shock. They had just learnt that their master and friend was going to be leaving them. Given that they had abandoned their previous ways of life to follow Jesus, this was going to mean a colossal challenge. Surely everything, from now onwards, was going to be much worse. But Jesus had a surprise for them. He told them that, in fact, much more was going to happen after he left them. And it would be good. Jesus spoke along the same lines again in John 16. There, he explained it was to the disciples’ advantage that he went away because, “the Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave” (John 16:7, CEV). Jesus wasn’t saying that more powerful miracles would happen after he left, but simply that there would be more of them when the Holy Spirit was poured out. During Jesus’ ministry he accepted the limitations of being human. He could only be in one place at one time. But with the release of the Holy Spirit on

John 14:6 Jesus had just told his disciples that they knew the way to where he was going. But Thomas denied it. He didn’t know where Jesus was going, so how could he have any idea how to get there? Jesus’ answer is one of the most crucial statements in the whole of the Christian faith, because he makes it clear he is not talking about geography at all. He is talking about relationship. Thomas wanted to know the destination, and then be given a map to get there. But Jesus simply offered himself. He is the true and living way. Religions come in many shapes and sizes, but they all tend to have rules or practices which must be followed, and which lead to understanding or enlightenment. Christianity is different. It is all about a person - Jesus. It is through a personal encounter with Jesus and a relationship with him that we find what life and truth are all about. He is the one who shows us the way to live our everyday lives. When I lived in India, I often struggled to find a particular house in the

John 14:1-2 The disciples were facing the biggest challenge of their lives. For the previous three years, their life had been defined by Jesus. They had intimately shared all the daily challenges and excitements of his healing and teaching ministry. But now, suddenly, Jesus had told them he will be leaving. His pronouncement was followed by Jesus informing Peter, one of the inner circle of closest friends, that he was going to betray him. They must all have wondered what would happen to them, knowing Peter was the most devoted of all the disciples. There was much to make them very anxious. However, Jesus tells them not to be worried but to trust in him. He was indeed going to leave them, but he promised them a completely secure future. Jesus spoke about the rooms in his Father’s home as if he had booked them all into a hotel. All they needed to know was that the booking had been made, and there was room for everyone. Life can, for all of us, often seem very predictable for a long period of time.

John 13:34-35 It’s not entirely clear what was new about this commandment from Jesus because the command to love one’s neighbour is firmly embedded in the Jewish Law (Leviticus 19:18). Perhaps Jesus was pointing to the new example of love which he had set for his disciples. Certainly, when he died on the cross not long afterwards their understanding of love would be totally transformed. Jesus knew that the most effective way for the good news to be communicated to the world would be through love. Looking back through Church history, there have been attempts to influence the world through power, prestige, grand buildings, art, poetry, books and music. But the only language which is truly effective is love. The tragedy, of course, is that the Church has so often gained a reputation for the exact opposite. Only the other day, I was talking to a friend who doesn’t go to church. She was saying that all she heard about one of the churches in her village was that they were “always bickering”. I felt so e

John 13:14-15 At no time in the history of the Church has foot washing been a regular practice, and I don’t believe that Jesus was suggesting that it should be. He was simply giving his disciples an example of costly service. If we want to live in step with Jesus, we need to be willing to serve others - even though that will often prove difficult and unpleasant, and come as a surprise to those whom we serve. In Jesus’ teaching, the supreme illustration of costly service was that of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). He was willing to expose himself to considerable danger by helping the man who had been attacked by robbers. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho wound its way through rocky desert, and was well known as a place where bandits operated. But he was willing stop and help the wounded man in this potentially hazardous area. He was willing to offer his own donkey, to take the injured man to a place where he would be cared for. And when he got there, he offered to pay the inn keeper enough mon

John 13:8-9 For Peter, everything seemed wrong about Jesus washing his feet. The task of foot washing was such a lowly role that a Jewish slave had the right to refuse to perform it! Peter’s refusal was as strong as he could make it, and totally understandable in the context. He would never let it happen! But then Jesus explained how vitally important it was that Peter should allow him to do so. If Peter were to refuse, he could never be said to belong to Jesus. Peter’s complete devotion to Jesus was such that these words changed his mind instantly and, with predictable enthusiasm, he invited Jesus to not merely wash his feet but the rest of his body as well. This beautiful story makes a very important point which we all need to understand. We can only serve the Lord effectively when we have, first of all, allowed him to serve us. We may be full of ability, energy and enthusiasm but, before we serve God, we need to allow him to first nourish and strengthen us. It takes considerable humility to

John 13:6-7 Everything was surprising about the fact that Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. First of all, this was a job for a junior slave, not a rabbi of Jesus’ standing. It was also a job that was done as soon as people entered a house, not when they were sitting down for a meal. So when Jesus approached his disciples to wash their feet, Peter asked what many of the others may well have been thinking. Was Jesus really going to wash their feet? What I find interesting is that Jesus didn’t offer an explanation. He seemed content with the fact that they couldn’t understand what was going on, and simply reassured them that, one day, they would. Very often, this is the way in which the Lord works in our lives, too. So often we want a complete explanation of the way things happen. When we experience failure or rejection, we want to understand why. Or we face some unexpected good news and just can’t understand that either. Peter and the disciples needed to learn they could trust Jesus completely. Even

Psalm 149:4-5 As we read through the book of Psalms, we see that they are full of declarations of how great God is. They constantly remind us that he is the creator of heaven and earth, and is therefore worthy of all our worship and praise. But we also learn a great deal about God’s understanding of us. Even though he knows absolutely everything about us, he looks at us with love and delights in us. He honours us. No wonder the psalmist says that God’s people sing for joy as they lie on their beds. I love that! He is saying that we can praise God wherever we are. As we relax at the end of the day, we can do so joyfully. We can sleep peacefully and calmly because we are in God’s hands. The blessing of the psalms is that they are constantly pushing the boundaries. However great you think God is, the psalmists want you to know that he is much, much greater. But, at the same time, the psalmists also want you to understand that you are more loved, accepted and treasured than you ever imagined. The psal

Ezekiel 37:4-6 The prophecy of Ezekiel isn’t an easy read. It records the complete failure of God’s people, and the details of God’s judgment are spelt out in vivid and terrifying detail. When Ezekiel was given a vision of a valley filled with dry, dead bones he must have felt that is was a very apt summary of all that God had said to him. It was a scene of total lifelessness. But God hadn’t given up on his people. He was still longing to breathe on them and bring them back to life. Imagine the scene. The whole valley was full of bones. Nothing else. And then, suddenly, there was a rattling noise. It echoed across the valley as the bones started to come together and form complete skeletons. And then, as he watched, he saw muscles and flesh form over the bones. Finally, skin was stretched in place. This was all very encouraging, but the newly constructed bodies still couldn’t live. They needed breath. And so the Lord breathed on the bodies and they came to life, standing up on their feet like a great a

Ezekiel 16:62-63 These words come at the end of a long and agonising chapter in which God reminds Jerusalem of its rebellion against him. He recalls the fact that the city had heathen roots. Before it became the holy city for the people of Israel, Amorites and Hittites lived in the city. God paints the picture of the city of Jerusalem as a baby, unwanted by its parents and cast out, left to die. This appalling custom was quite common at the time. But God came to this abandoned child and lavished his love and care upon her. The child became a beautiful woman, with whom her rescuer fell in love. She was given status and security, but was unfaithful and freely offered herself to other men as a prostitute. It’s a tragic story, and tells of the way in which God had been consistently rejected and mistreated by his people. God was furious with Jerusalem for the way in which they had treated him, but he was also a God of covenant. He longed for restoration. This reminds us very strongly of the parable of

Ezekiel 14:6 If you had visited Jerusalem in the days leading up to King Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on the city in 597 BC, you might not have thought their problems were all that great. The Temple was still functioning and, on the surface, nothing seemed to be going wrong. But it was a bit like picking up a juicy apple which looks perfect on the outside. Take one bite and you immediately realise that it’s a very different story on the inside. Jerusalem could put on a good show but, when the Lord shone his light on the situation, it was a complete mess. In their hearts, the people had firmly rejected God and given themselves over to idolatry. The problem with idols is that they push God out. They demand attention and devotion, making it impossible to give God his rightful place as first in our hearts. Unfortunately, the word ‘idolatry’ makes one immediately think of strange ancient statues. This is dangerous, as it can lead to us assuming that idols are no longer a problem these days. But nothing coul

Ezekiel 3:16-17 Most towns and cities in Ezekiel’s time were protected by thick walls. They lived with the continual possibility of attack and so the role of the watchman was crucial. When Nehemiah rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, watchmen played a central role because of the opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arab. When the walls were fully rebuilt, watchmen were one of the first appointments that he made (Nehemiah 7:1). When God called Ezekiel to be a watchman, it was very clear what he was saying. He needed to fulfil the spiritual role of watching out for attacks against Israel and warn the people when they came. The Church today has exactly the same role. Because of our love and care for our society, we need to be willing to speak the truth and warn others of the consequences of disobeying the Lord. This is a tough role, and we won’t often be thanked for performing it. Our responsibility is to ensure that, whatever we say, it is motivated by love. If we speak with anger or with an air

Ezekiel 3:10-11 This is a crucial point for every Christian teacher and minister to hear. Before you dare to tell other people about God, you need to make sure that you have first received the message for yourself. This was precisely where the Pharisees and Sadducees fell down. On the surface, they appeared to be impressive adverts for the Jewish faith. There is no question that they were deeply committed to their religion, and were meticulous in the way that they followed the requirements of the law. But they missed the point. On one occasion, the Sadducees posed a legal puzzle to Jesus. They believed in the resurrection, but they wanted to know who a woman would be married to in the afterlife if all seven of her husbands died. It was a crazy question and Jesus didn’t even attempt to answer it. Jesus said: “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). The Sadducees were very bright people who knew a great deal about their faith, but the le

Ezekiel 3:8-9 God has just told Ezekiel how tough his job is going to be. He tells the prophet that the people don’t listen to him and so they are unlikely to listen to Ezekiel either. God describes them as being hard-hearted and stubborn, and that made Ezekiel just the right man for the job! He had all the qualities needed for the tough role that he had been given. I don’t believe we all have the gift of being obstinate and hard-hearted, but I do believe that God knows what he is doing and that he perfectly equips us for the work he calls us to do. Some of the work that God calls us to do requires people who are gentle and sensitive. Other tasks will require people who are determined and strong. We are all different, but God will make sure we have the gifts to do what he has called us to do. If we have the kind of challenges that Ezekiel had to face, God will no doubt give us foreheads that are as hard as the hardest rock, too! It is important to know these things because the greatest fear is tha

Ezekiel 3:1-3 This is all rather weird isn’t it? I’m certainly not going to suggest that you start eating your Bible in order to get closer to the Lord! I think it might have the opposite effect! However, I believe that Ezekiel was commanded to take this rather strange action to show that the word of God on the scroll was absolutely a part of him. He needed to learn that he had to be completely obedient to God’s commands even when they seemed rather strange. The result was wonderful. The scroll tasted great! There’s something really important for us to take from this. If we are to serve God effectively, we need to let his word become a part of us. We need to learn it, memorise it and meditate on it. Memorising the Bible is an excellent thing to do, but it is perhaps not widely done these days. When I was young, there was far more attention given to memorising scripture. I can still remember great chunks of the Bible that I learnt as a boy. It is also good for us to give time to meditating on the B

Ezekiel 2:6-7 We all want to be loved, and listened to with joy and appreciation. But any servant of God also needs to be ready to keep going whatever the response to their message. Ezekiel was told by God that he needed to be ready for the worst possible reaction. I have very little experience of living with threats, but I can imagine how painful and trying it must be. To be surrounded with threats “like nettles, briers and stinging scorpions” sounds terrible - and if you have ever lived in the tropics with the constant potential threat of scorpions, you will get the point! They are often very small, but their sting is terrible. God told Ezekiel not to be afraid or dismayed, both of which seem like perfectly reasonable responses to overwhelming threat. Ezekiel needed to know that he was doing God’s work - and so he had no need to be afraid or dismayed. If ministering to the exiles had been his own idea, and he had been doing it in his own strength, fear and dismay may have been the inevitable consequ

Ezekiel 2:3-4 God certainly didn’t do anything to make Ezekiel’s ministry look attractive! Like Isaiah, he is informed that he will have a really tough time serving God and will meet with constant resistance. Serving God in a world which largely ignores or rejects him is always hard work. Earlier today, I was reading a biography of John Newton, the slave trading captain turned Christian. Newton was convinced that God had called him to be a minister and had his eyes wide open to the challenges of doing so. In his journal, he noted that he expected to face “opposition on all sides... censure and ridicule...a larger measure of trials than others.” I’m not going to disagree with any of that. It is hard work being involved in God’s work and, after 40 years of being a minister, I know from personal experience that this is true. But serving God has also been the greatest joy and honour that could be imagined – and I am sure both John Newton and Ezekiel would agree with me. Having the privilege of spe