Dear Friends,

The God of Surprises

Christmas is almost upon us again and the children are especially getting excited.  Most of them are looking forward to receiving presents, but according to the current John Lewis TV advert, at least one child can’t wait for Christmas because he wants to give a present to his very surprised parents. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLOnR1s74o

There is something wonderful about unwrapping a present – our curiosity is aroused, we do our best to work out what is inside before we finally open it. We love having a good surprise, and in turn, giving other people surprises as well.

God loves giving surprises. Can you imagine how Mary felt when an angel appeared out of nowhere to tell her that she was going to have a baby – and that without an earthly father! The shepherds must have been shocked at the appearance of the angels in the sky announcing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Throughout the Bible, God tends to turn up, unannounced and unexpected, to those who are hoping or longing for him. From Abraham on, the patriarchs and prophets told their stories of encounters with a God who surprised them with his intervention in their lives.

As I stood in the pulpit of the new Faifley church last Sabbath for the very first time, I was deeply moved by the way God continues to surprise us today. At the beginning of 2011 I had no idea that such a suitable building was going to come on the market at an affordable price. This church has become a wonderful present to this congregation and community, just before Christmas. Without it, the congregation would be meeting in a very chilly church.  Now, the members are excited at what God will do now to help them grow, serve and reach their community.

I wonder what good surprises God has in store for you in 2012?  Every day of the new year has the potential to bring small and big surprises for which we can rejoice and give thanks to God. Let’s remember as we pray for the year ahead, the message of the angel to Mary , ‘Nothing is impossible with God’ Luke 1:37! May the God of surprises, answer our prayers that you and all our members and friends will experience his serendipity (happy surprises) in our lives this year.

May God bless you richly as we rejoice at what Christ has done in 2011 and will do in 2012.

Pastor Bernie Holford

Dear Friends

On Monday 24th October, we laid to rest our dear friend, Pastor Martin Bell, in the Crieff Cemetery.  He had died after a short battle with cancer.  At the funeral service we heard about his life and work.  He was a gifted man, a wonderful preacher and a genuinely caring chaplain.  As the director of Roundelwood for many years, he impacted an enormous number of people with his warmth and spiritual insight.  He will be missed by his family, the retired church workers for whom he served as chaplain, and his many friends in Crieff and around the UK.  Although it is very sad that we have lost such a great man, we are comforted by the sure and certain promise of the resurrection for Martin, and all who believe.

Two days later, Karen and I were delighted to hear that our daughter had safely given birth to our first grandchild, Zara, 7lb 10oz!  It is quite a transition and has lifted our spirits enormously.  I discovered why the old custom of the grandparents visiting ASAP after the birth is so important.  But witnessing the new parents with the baby, and holding her ourselves for a short while, was well worth all the time and effort of driving to Oxford to see them.  After the long wait of the pregnancy, the baby is finally here.  We sat together around the hospital bed and praised and thanked God for this new life, a sign of hope that life goes on.  As we held her completely helpless little body she reminded us of our need to be born again and become vulnerably dependent on our loving Father God.

Pastor Bernie

Jeniffer Oroko recalls the blessing of an African mother who loved and disciplined and a village who helped raise children to be respectful.  She asks the question, ‘Do we need to rethink our society’s attitude to child raising in the light of the recent riots?’

Mother’s Noble Role

Proverbs 31:27 -28    “She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

The memory is still vivid in my mind of this lone mother standing side by side with her eleven year old son.  It is three days after horrifying scenes of social disorder and violence on the streets of London.  The fires have died down and the authorities are seeking to bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice. It does not get any worse than the shocking reality of how young some of those were, who caused mayhem in the streets. The mother stands there waiting to hear from the Judge the fate of her child.  Nobody is with her;  she is all alone picking up the pieces. I just can’t imagine what is going through her mind but she stands stoically by her son. How could her child be part of this dark time in the history of Britain? That must never have been in her plan for her little boy.

Mothers take a special place in our lives; they have the best welfare at heart for their children and want the best for them; they will stand by their children at all times.  Those mothers who think and do otherwise for their children, need psychological help.  Mothers work hard to shape how we turn out in our later lives.  Speaking of my own mother, she had a heavy influence on who I am today.  My mother taught me to work hard.  She lived at a time when ‘child labour’ arguments had not been conceived.  If she apportioned out duties to my siblings and me, she expected them to be done without question.  If I did not do my duty, the line of action was clear: she invoked and literally applied Paul’s advice ‘If a man does not work, he does not eat’ 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

In a country where social welfare policy did not exist, I had to learn to fend for myself early.  If I wanted shoes, (which I never had until I went to Secondary School) and I had to get them simply because they were a requirement, I had to work for them.  One does not take advantage of civil disorder downtown and help oneself to other people’s property with an argument that the society has not catered for them.  My mother would consider that self-disrespect.

My mother taught me resilience. When you want something, you will get it if you are focussed enough.  It might take long to achieve it, but you will achieve it eventually; patience will always be a virtue. One would think she had listened to the one time British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s five word speech ‘Never, Never, Never give up!’

My mother taught me respect and especially of the elders.  An opportunity to ‘reason’ with an elder was so rare that actually it never existed.  I took advice from an elder because they knew better.  These folks of my village, including my mother, never understood that this autocratic approach constituted ‘emotional abuse’ of their children. Actually, if I had the audacity to state my case, the application of the common saying ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child’ (He who spares the rod, hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him -Proverbs 13:24), was swift and without any regret.  The village had never heard of ‘Child Helpline’ or any Social Work intervention.  What there was in my time was ‘Mother Helpline’ such that when my mother disciplined me, the ‘Social Work’ intervention of the time (other village women) was at hand to assist her in meting out the discipline.  I did not have anywhere to run to for consolation or refuge because everyone understood that I needed that discipline to give me strength to face the world out there and make me responsible.  You see in my village, the understanding was that bringing up children was a community effort, true to the African idiom of ‘It takes a village to bring up a child’. And sure enough, the community lived up to that!

When I reflect on the journey I travelled with my mother until she ‘rested in the Lord’ 10 years ago now less a month, I praise the Lord for her and  always call her blessed.   I am what I am because of my mother with God’s help!

For those of us who have been called to the noble role of being mothers, the challenge is real. Times have changed from when we grew up.  Now we have ‘big brother’ surveillance and a society with a different approach to raising up children.  The reality was stacked against the mother at one of the trials of the looters after the London riots recently as explained in the opening paragraph.  That was a big lesson for me. The poor mother was all alone standing by her eleven year old  boy.  There was no Social Work present to help her, after  she had failed to instill life’s virtues in him.  It is so important to know how to discipline our children firmly with  love and good guidance.

My prayer is that we consistently pray for wisdom that comes only from above which leads us to be…. “pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere”. James 3:17. This wisdom will guide us in these tricky times to know how to carry out the noble role divinely given to us as mothers, so we can live up to the picture painted in Proverbs 31:28 and enjoy the reality of those words!

When God Makes You Laugh

Imagine that you’re a 75-year old man. If you’re a woman, you might have to stretch your imagination muscle a bit. You’re 75, and your wife is 65. Your whole life you’ve been trying to conceive, but it just won’t happen. Now, imagine that at this age God appears to you and gives you a few promises; some of them you understand, some of them not quite. The part you understand is that your offspring will be numerous. In practical terms this means that you will have a child who will then procreate and produce more offspring. The part you don’t understand is that somehow, through your offspring, the whole earth will be blessed.

The first time you hear this you think: ‘Ok, everything is possible with God; I believe that at some point I will have a child, even at this old-ish age.’ Throughout the next 24 years God appears to you a few more times, each time repeating the promise; many things happen in those years…but your wife’s belly still isn’t growing – at least not from being pregnant. At this point you’re 99 and your wife is 89.

And it is at this point in his life that God appears to Abraham again, and this time the promise is a bit more specific. God tells him that he shall have a child with Sarah – his wife. Most of the time when God would appear before people, they would fall on their face and be struck with awe, amazement, and sometimes terror – most people would become speechless. Abraham fell on his face…and laughed! I mean, who wouldn’t? He was almost 100 years old, and Sarah’s hips were probably in need of replacement; they were in no shape to bear a child, not to mention her reproductive system which was way past the ‘best before’ date.

God responds by affirming that Sarah will bear a son, and that they should name him Isaac which means ‘he laughs’. Sure enough, after a year, Sarah gave birth to Isaac and said: ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me’. Every time they would hear the name of their son, both Abraham and Sarah – who looked more like grandparents than parents – could laugh together in their old age as they remembered how God can sometimes fulfil His promises in His own funny way. (Gen. 12-21)
There are three points that jump out at me from this story:

1.    God has a sense of humour – He gives children to unlikely couples, He brings out great people from barren women, and He makes the most curious choices when choosing people to use for His purpose (He chooses a bad speaker to go in front of a Pharaoh and to be a leader of a huge nation, chooses a Jewish terrorist to become His no.1 gentile evangeliser, saves a whole nation through a foreign prostitute, etc.). He does all this not just to make a story more interesting, but because He (and most of the time ONLY He) knows what He’s doing.

2.    When God says something, He’s serious about it – our God is ‘the same yesterday and today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8), and when He says something, He means it. This should be a word of both encouragement and caution. Have faith in His promises and take His word seriously.

3.    ‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord’ (Psalm 27:14) – if you think you’ve waited long enough, if you think God is acting slowly – your financial situation is not getting any better, you’re still single, the health of you or your loved one is not improving – remember Abraham! He had a promise from God repeated more than once and still waited for its fulfilment for 25 years. God knows when, why, and how; and above all, God cares!

Dear Friends

By the time you read this, it will be old news, but is still important to share.

In the Crieff church on Sabbath 23rd July, I heard the announcement that scores of young people on the island of Utøya in lock Tyrifjorden in Norway had been killed by a Norwegian gunman, dressed as a policeman. In the shock we did our best to pray for all those affected by this enormous tragedy.

The SDA high school in Norway is located a few miles from Utøya island. I have visited it and have friends who live in this beautiful area and feel with their shock as they come to terms with what the gunman, Anders Brevik, has done. Everyone there seems to know someone who has been affected by what seemed like mindless killing.

Naturally reporters have tried to understand what motivated Brevik to kill so many people. Some may suggest that he was badly affected by the consequences of his father leaving home at the age of one; but this is no excuse! My initial interpretation of his so called ‘manifesto’ is that he developed into an ardent racist and nationalist with a hatred for those who encouraged a pluralistic society. He not only hates Muslims, but he has attempted to start a ‘crusade’ against them, and those who promote so called ‘multiculturalism’.

A quick search of the internet shows how this hatred is easy to foster and it leads to death! Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to attack such fatal attitudes in any society. We must be the champions of those of other races and religions who are attacked or victimised. That is why our church’s religious liberty department will fight legal cases defending the rights of SDA’s as well as those of other faiths whose religious liberty is threatened.

As Seventh-day Adventist Christians in Scotland, we join our Norwegian friends in condemning the atrocity in Oslo and Utøya. We also condemn hateful language of any sort that creates a fear of people who are different from us, whether they are Muslims, English, blacks, homosexuals, atheists, Roman Catholics or SDA’s with a different theological emphasis and we must do more than speak out, we must build bridges of friendship even with those of other faiths and lifestyles.

As I write this piece, I am in Romania with the Scottish Mission youth project to build a house for a desperately poor family with a disabled child. I will report more on this positive experience another time.  In the meantime if you want to see pictures of the progress, go to the Facebook page found by searching: Project Romania ’11 Scottish mission youth.

I will leave you with the words of Jesus that challenge us to a wider ministry of reconciliation! ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’ (Matt 5:9)  I pray that God will empower us to be His peacemakers everywhere we go.

Pastor Bernie

Monthly Devotional  – by Taylor Bajic

A Way of Life

On occasion, I have the privilege of leading the Irvine Church’s Junior Sabbath School class in their lesson study and on one particular Sabbath morning a while back, we all took part in an interesting activity together – the two children in the class as well as myself.  We all wrote a list of five items which we own which are extremely valuable to us, and we shared them with the group.  Some listed were a dog, a bicycle, a mobile phone, a Play Station 3.  We had a lot of fun together discussing why they are important to us, what we do with them and so on.

I then asked them a question: ‘Now, in what ways can we use these very things to share Jesus with others and to serve Him?’

There were a few seconds of silence and deep thought… This was a different story; but these lovely children inspired me that morning, as they so often do!  It wasn’t long until one of them said, “Well, a dog is often seen as a friend and a source of comfort… If one of my friends is hurting or sad, I could go and visit her with my dog, and then she could even keep him for the day to maybe help cheer her up.”  The other said, “I could use my bicycle to go visit someone who needs a friend.  Or I could let someone borrow it who needs it”  And “I could use my mobile phone to call someone up who needs to talk and tell them about Jesus.”  Wow… I was humbled.  These kids have it all right.  Even I found it challenging to think of how I could use my computer or my books to share Jesus with someone.

These 9- and 10-year-olds reminded me that the things we use on a daily basis, things that are very important to our everyday lives, can be used in so many other ways and for many other reasons than we would have thought when we initially bought or received them.  They reminded me that Christianity is not merely a belief system, a set of doctrines and traditions, but it is a way of life.  As 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, ‘…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’  He has given us an abundance of gifts and blessings so that we may use them for others and for Him, to share them with everyone with whom we come in contact, to glorify Him.

We are graciously given life, and life abundantly, every day.  What we do with that life is our personal choice, but God has given us such an amazing gift of the Holy Spirit, that we may have that personal bond and relationship with Jesus Christ if we choose  (John 14:17, 26). When we give our every day to God and His perfect and loving purpose, we have nothing to lose.  When we spend time with Him and invite the Holy Spirit in, we will begin to see Him in every aspect of our lives and the love that He gives us will automatically shine in and through us (John 7:38, 39).  Our entire perspectives will be changed and turned towards Him.  His Word and character will be written on our hearts and in our every action, a part of our everyday lives (Jeremiah 31:33, 34).  This is what I long for, for Christ to be the first and last in my life, every day.

Dear Friends,
Small is beautiful!
I’ve just been talking to some friends who have experienced the blessing of attending the combined NEC and SEC camp meeting last week. Many were impressed with the vast numbers attending.  However, it was so crowded on Sabbath morning, with 1000’s in attendance, that some had to struggle for a seat, and felt guilty that they had not shown Christian generosity to others who could not find a place.
In comparison, the first Scottish Mission Camp Meeting a few weeks ago was small, with about 150 attending on Sabbath morning.  The good thing is that even though the hall was almost full, there was space for everyone!  From the feedback we received, people were even more blessed than they expected.  They appreciated the excellent spiritual nourishment, the time to be with the church family and good food.  I would like to thank all those who came both to serve and to be blessed.  It was a great experience that I pray will build the spiritual life of our members and strengthen us for the work God has called us to do.
This SMNL has an excellent report on Camp meeting that I hope will give you more of a flavour of the event, as well as a thoughtful devotional by Taylor. vI hope you enjoy reading it.
Please pray for the BUC session on the Sunday 3rd July that God’s will and wisdom will prevail.  There are some exciting proposals which need the input of the whole church.  Please pray too for the delegates from Scotland: Owen Anderson, Martin Bell, Jimmy Botha, Virginia Dube, Bernie Holford, Lorance Johnson, Steve Logan, Lawrence Pollard, Efraim Zakarias.  We may only have a small presence at the BUC session, but with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I believe a small group can have a beautiful influence.
May God bless you as you read the rest of the SMNL and give glory to our great God who does wonderful things for us all.
Pastor Bernie

‘As Jesus Sees Us’

If you are anything like me, you have, at some point in your life, doubted yourself, felt worthless, helpless, unworthy of good things, or a combination of all of these – and possibly on multiple occasions. And as humans, we are also quick to judge others and to see the negative in people – it’s in our nature. As sinful humans, we are never satisfied with the condition of ourselves, this world, or of those that inhabit it. We tend to be indifferent to others and their lot in life, especially those that we don’t know and love.

But we are not only humans; we are God’s children, first and foremost. (1 John 5:1) A good friend of mine once sighed, ‘Oh that we could just see ourselves [and others] as Jesus sees us…’ We are, each and every one of us on this earth, beloved children of Christ Jesus, each granted the wonderful and perfect gift of eternal life with Him, if we only accept it. We are all heirs of His kingdom, blessed with His unfailing love. ‘While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (Rom 5:8, NIV), all of us. We are all ‘in the same boat’, so to speak – only, some out there don’t know it…

In God’s eyes, we are all unique, valued, loved creations of His very own, some that know Him and too many that don’t. God adores the old man at the newspaper kiosk and the mysterious teen who hangs out in the pub just as much as He loves you and me. He yearns for their companionship in heaven just as much as He wants us there. The salvation I was so blessed to discover and understand and accept for myself is meant for the person down the street just as much as it is for me. It is for me, it is for you, it is for them. If we remember this every time we look in the mirror, every time we walk down the street and meet others on the way, it will greatly enrich our relationships with others, and even, if I may say so, with our very selves. It will open our eyes to a bigger picture, to our purpose here on earth. God does not want anyone to miss out on paradise with Him in His kingdom – we shouldn’t either. He created each of us with the intent to take us home again with Him, forgiven and justified in Him. Our purpose should be to share with as many as possible what God has done in our lives, who He is, and how they can come to know that same God and the wonderful hope He offers, to care for them as Jesus would.

When we doubt ourselves or feel worthless, we must remember that we are not worthless in God’s eyes – far from it! We should care for ourselves, and more so, we should care genuinely for those around us, no matter who they are. We may feel imperfect – because naturally we are – but it does not hinder God and His work in our lives and those of others, His holy purpose. And it does not stand in the way of His love for us. We are not finished yet. As a song of my childhood says, ‘our paint is still wet.’ And we know that ‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Phil 1:6, NIV). God is in perfect control – He knows what He is doing. Let’s open ourselves up for His work and plan in our lives and see what happens. I have a feeling we’ll be surprised by joy.

Dear Friends,

As I visited the practice nurse today for a minor treatment for a blocked ear canal, the lights went out, a power cut stopped work. The nurse opened the blinds and we gazed out at the wind and rain twisting and lashing the trees and shrubs. The nurse said, ‘I love extreme weather, it’s fascinating. ‘ As I’m writing, I’m hearing stories from around Scotland of damage from falling trees and power cuts. Flights have been cancelled as the Grimsvotn volcano ash moves south. After our warm and pleasant April, it seems as though the weather has hit us with a fury, but this is very mild in comparison to the tornado in Missouri where more than 100 people were killed today.

We love talking about unusual weather and wonder if there is any larger meaning to these exceptional forces of nature that harass us. For me they are a timely reminder of the very limited power we have as human beings. In a month where we have celebrated the opening of the new Scottish Mission office, I’m also aware that it only takes a huff and a puff of wind or a fire, and our earthly work is destroyed.

Building a mission office was not an end in itself; it is simply a place that we can use to serve God while we are here. On Tuesday 17th, the pastors and sponsors met there to learn about and discuss our mission, the nurture and growth of our church in Scotland. Evangelism was the main subject, and I was encouraged as our leaders shared approaches and methods for wining the lost to Christ and his church family. God is blessing our church, but there is so much more that we need to do!

I’m a bit hard of hearing as my ear canal is still blocked, however, this won’t stop me listening to the good news of how God is holding back another sort of wind.  The winds of strife are being held so that we can reach all the Scots that God loves and is drawing to him. I pray that you will gaze on the Source of all power and hear the call to proclaim the Good News to your neighbours and friends! Maranatha, Christ is coming.

Pastor Bernie

Monthly Devotional  – by Elizabeth Iheoma

Psalm 103 – described by some as the master-piece of all of David’s Psalms – holds a special place in my heart. Whenever I read this particular psalm I cannot help but appreciate the benefits, the benevolence and the bigness of the God I serve.

Benefits of God (verses 1-7)

God has forgiven my sins and has healed my diseases and I am restored to the favour of God. He treats me with compassion and kindness and gives me good things. He forgives me as I am still sinning and repenting. He fills me with new life and joy and strengthens me for His service. Spurgeon puts it beautifully ‘He gives us a crown adorned with gems of grace and lined with the velvet of loving kindness. It is decked with the jewels of mercy but made soft for the head to wear by lining it with tenderness’. Only God can satisfy my soul.

Benevolence of God (Verses 8-18)

God is good to all. He removes my sins so far that it is immeasurable and my relation with Him is no longer affected. As a caring Father, he shows kindness when I am weak in knowledge and teaches me. He bears with me when I am proud and full of myself. He shows compassion on me when I am sick and He comforts me. He shows kindness when I make mistakes and helps me to rise. And as I submit to Him he forgives me and puts me right.
Why?
God considers my frailty as a human being. I am just as vulnerable as a beautiful delicate flower in an open field exposed to the harsh elements. In contrast, my God is everlasting and considers how little I can do, how little I can bear and has compassion on me.

Bigness of God (verses 19-22)

Everything is disposed for God’s glory. He calls upon the whole of creation in heaven and earth to join in the chorus of thanks giving. There is a world of holy angels praising Him. God is on His throne and has universal dominion which gives me full assurance that He will keep His promises. What a big, big God I serve.

I invite you to join me in this universal thanks giving and praise to have our voice heard as we – the pardoned and redeemed – declare ‘Bless the Lord O my Soul!’

*The Treasury of David, Charles.H. Spurgeon www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries

I recently re encountered a familiar passage in the Psalms and, although most of you have probably read it many times, I’d love to revisit it with you. Each time I study this beautiful song of David, I gain a new and deeper understanding of God’s character, complete reassurance of His love, such great encouragement and strength. I hope you come away with a fresh and personal blessing of your own.

Psalm 139 (NIV) (Italics my own)
‘O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

‘You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

‘Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

‘If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

‘How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

‘If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’

David is in complete awe… and with perfect reason! Not only did God specially and uniquely create each of us, knowing us completely even before our parents knew us, He freed us to make our own choices, however far from His will they might take us. He truly knows our very hearts, our deepest desires, our darkest places – far better than we could ever know of ourselves – and yet, in spite of all this, Romans 8:38, 39 assures us that ‘…neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

He is very familiar with all our ways, even those traits and tendencies we are ashamed of and don’t completely understand ourselves – and He loves us. There is no place that we can go that He will not come with us – He will not desert us. He loves us the way we are, yet He is not content to let us stay that way, because He loves us so deeply.

What a God we serve!

He turned to God in Prayer

We often study the book of Daniel with a focus on the prophecies found therein, yet the book can yield much more as we explore it. We can find, at least in the first six chapters, much of the Bibles teaching on good health. The book also has much to teach us about prayer.

Let us take a brief look at the beginning of chapter 9: 1-3.

Verse 1 ‘In the first year of Darius . . .’

We have moved on 13 years since chapter 8 (or if you like we have gone back to the time of chapter 6). It is the time of the silver chest and of the bear like creature, raised up on one side with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth, also the time of the ram, charging to the west, the north and the south. Time is a witness to the prophecies of chapters 2, 7 and 8 beginning to be fulfilled. It is the time of Cyrus of whom Isaiah said that he was to be a messiah and the saviour of Israel. Cyrus was to be a type of Jesus. Now Cyrus the Persian reigned and his co-regent Darius ruled the Chaldeans. Daniel observes as prophecy is being fulfilled and he begins to understand.

Verse 2 ‘. . . I, Daniel, consulted the books concerning the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD that had come to Jeremiah the prophet, were to be the term of Jerusalem’s desolation – seventy years’.

The conclusion of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh (2 Chronicles in the Christian Bible), reformulates Jeremiah’s prophecy and makes a direct reference to Cyrus and to Daniels time as he studies the prophet’s words. Daniel had not been sure about the meaning of the goat and his activities – maybe – just maybe – he thought that the devastation of Jerusalem was to last for 2,300 years. Having studied the scroll of Jeremiah and there found what must have gladdened his heart (the 70 year time scale); he now has hope for his people, for God’s City and for God’s Temple. These 70 years have now advanced some 67/68 years and as yet nothing has happened. Jerusalem and the Temple are still in ruins and the people, the Hebrews are still in exile. Time is running out for this prophecy to be fulfilled. But Daniel is seeing the prophecies of his visions (and one of Nebuchadnezzar’s) being brought to fruition. The partial fulfilments must have encouraged him – yet time is still running out. So – what to do? Daniel does the right thing and turns to God in prayer.

Verse 3 ‘I turned my face to the Lord God, devoting myself to prayer and supplication, in fasting, in sackcloth and ashes.’

In the book of Daniel, to this point, there have already been six prayers – now the seventh – the final one in the book, perhaps an appropriate number. Although the book of Daniel is full of apocalyptic (symbolic, end-time) visions and miracles – the book follows the daily rhythm of prayer. These seven prayers are not always Daniel’s. Some of them are explicit, others are profound. You will notice as you read carefully that these prayers are rooted in the historical event of the one who is praying. The prayer here in chapter nine is the longest of the seven. Please note that it comes to us between two prophecies, each of which involves the number seven. The prophecy immediately before the prayer, as we have seen concerns the 70 years of Jeremiah which tells of the return of Israel from their Babylonian exile. The prophecy that follows, as you can see if you read on further in the book, concerns the 70 weeks, telling us of the restoration of Jerusalem and the world’s salvation. Please note here the Biblical concept of the Spiritual. In the Bible, when the Divine is met, this is not divorced from reality, the two experiences are interrelated. It has been said that ‘History rests in the hands of Prayer’, so in our text, Daniel turns to God in Prayer. Please note Daniel’s attitude, he offers his prayer from behind ‘the mask of death’.

Verse 3 ‘. . . in fasting, in sackcloth and ashes’.

These are the symbols of death. It appears that it was common in Biblical times to accompany prayer this way. Fasting is often associated with abstention from food (though this may not always be what God wants us to abstain from), so like the dead, one does not eat. Sackcloth was a very simple and rough garment usually made from ram’s wool or from camel hair. This was simple clothing as the dead wear. Ashes, just as a dead body decays to ashes so we crumble before God. As dust, the created calls upon his Creator. It is, after all, God who is the giver and sustainer of life, the source of all things.

We see in the text that Daniel does the right thing; he turns to God in prayer and he comes to that prayer in an attitude that was for him appropriate.

Perhaps at another time we can take a look at the prayer itself.

Bible quotes are from Tanakh, A new Translation of the Holy Scriptures According to the Traditional Hebrew Text.

Dear Friends,
Evangelism in Scotland
On Sabbath at our Edinburgh church, I met a Scottish woman who was there for the first time.  She had been invited to church after meeting members of the outreach team on Princes Street.   I commend this approach that gives out literature and builds friendships with people an am glad to hear that the team has been invited to other SM churches to share their approach.  The same morning a young couple came to church for the first time because a father had just found out our church and just sent them some DVDs.  The Holy Spirit is using the new media in a powerful way to reach out to his people.
Evangelism is essential for a healthy church and gives us the opportunity of working with the Holy Spirit to draw all people to him.  At our last SM Executive we discussed the importance of evangelism in our local churches.  We almost doubled the SM evangelism budget for 2011 over 2010.  Pastor Jimmy Botha (as church growth sponsor) and I have agreed that the SM will support local eligible outreach budgets with matching funds.   It is not money that is holding us back from reaching people, and it is up to all of us to share God’s love for the lost.
Last week we also agreed to finance an internet advertising campaign using the www.freebible.org.uk web site.  The amazing news is that over just the last week, we have 3 new contacts in Scotland, one in each of our 3 largest cities.  Please pray with me that this will be one of the more successful ways of reaching people for evangelistic outreach in Scotland.  Please tell your friends about this site if you think they are interested in getting a free Bible.  Unfortunately, at present, this offer is not open to those who are members or already attend church.
You might be pleased to know that the recent SM Exec also approved the ‘Simple Church’ approach as another option for evangelism in the Scottish Mission.  There is a great article about it on the front of the latest Messenger and you can find out more by going to www.simplechurch.org
Other news:
The Dunfermline Church is still looking for a church that they can call their own.  After a year of searching, they thought they had found the ideal property.  Unfortunately SM Executive received legal advice that said that the proposed new building had the possibility of not being a sound investment.  Please pray with me that God will lead the Dunfermline members as they again seek to follow God’s guidance for them.
The Scottish Mission Executive voted seven delegates for the BUC session this summer.  The lay members are: Lawrence Pollard (Glasgow), Virginia Dube (Paisley), Martin Bell (Crieff), Owen Anderson (Edinburgh), Efraim Zakarias (Dundee).  The ministers are: Pastor Lorance Johnson and Pastor Jimmy Botha.  Feel free to contact these people with your ideas for how we can improve our church.

Pastor Bernie

God’s Whisper…   a devotional thought

In the not-too-distant past, I experienced one of the darkest periods of my life, a most painful and seemingly inescapable state of mental and emotional (and nearly physical) paralysis and hopelessness. It seemed to come out of nowhere and quickly took me with it. I had never experienced anything like it. Oh yes, I had had my lower days, but nothing like this. Not only did it cripple me, but also simultaneously affected those that I dearly love.  After some time, I was diagnosed with ‘clinical depression and anxiety’ and, this being somewhat foreign to us, we had no idea what to do. Many steps were taken to battle the illness, yet it still held strong. I felt somehow unable to approach God, and after some time, I felt I was subconsciously beginning to give up on Him and on myself entirely.

Yet… throughout everything, though I wasn’t always able to recognize it, my husband (boyfriend at the time), my family, my friends were all there – with me through every step. Even when they didn’t know what to do, they never left my side. They did not give up on me. Their support and love gave me the strength and hope I lacked. Even people I didn’t know – had never met – encouraged me. In an airport on the way home one day with my mom, a lovely Baptist couple in the customs queue spoke to us about their missionary travels and repeatedly looked back at me, saying, ‘Jesus loves you.’ Out of nowhere. They had no idea what we were going through. Wow… Even in my numb state, this struck me. And in the hospital, while waiting for some tests in silence, an older gentleman touched me and said, ‘I will be praying for you.’ We hadn’t even spoken! Never had I experienced anything like this.

For me, I cannot explain it in any other way but that God put these people in my life and, little did they know, I needed it. Although this was the hardest and scariest chapter of my life, I would not trade the true change and the enriched relationship with God that I gained from it.

God speaks to us. The same God that spoke to Moses and Noah and all the prophets of old.  We may not audibly hear His voice like they did in the Old Testament, but He has devised all sorts of ways to speak to us. Because He loves us. More than we will ever love ourselves or be loved by anyone here on earth. He never gives up on us. He will not let us go. It brings me such joy to look back and remember how, even when I gave up and let Him go, He wouldn’t have it. When we are weak, He is strong. He listens to our hearts and knows every single need, even when we don’t.

In what ways does God speak to you? Is it through the people He has put in your life? the intricacies of nature in your back garden? the words of a song? The difficult times? The beautiful moments that take your breath away?

Sometimes it’s hard to hear, but God is never silent… I am so thankful!

Dear Friends,
What a change a bit of snow can bring! In the last few weeks we have experienced some of the worst traffic problems in living memory. My hope and prayer is that the cold weather has not caused more than inconvenience for any of our members and friends.
As I researched the effect of the very cold winter of 1947, I discovered that many communities were in fear of serious food shortages when the national transportation system seemed to come to a standstill. Some of us have started wondering what would happen if our favourite supermarkets continued to have empty bread racks for weeks rather than days at a time?
We thank God for our regular supply of food, and at this time of giving to good causes, think about those who are hungry and insecure about what will happen to their future. I hope we all do something practical to make a difference at this time.
In 2011 rather than emphasizing our need for tangible bread, we are joining the World Church in an emphasis on Revival and Reformation. It is my prayer that we will experience a new hunger for Jesus, the real Bread of Life, and that his empowering Spirit will be poured out in our lives.
May God bless you over this holiday time and may you experience His peace and joy in all you do.
With warmest greetings,
Pastor Bernie