Daily ScriptureO Lord, you have searched me out and known me.... You encompass me behind and before and lay your hand upon me. I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made….. How deep are your counsels to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (Psalm 139)Daily ReflectionThis is probably my favourite psalm. I encourage you to make the space today to pick up your Bible and read the whole of Psalm 139 through slowly and quietly. There is so much assurance in this psalm that God knows you and cares about you. At one point the psalmist cries out, “Where can I go then from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?” Not because he wants to get away from God or hide from Him, but because he’s recognised that God is with him wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, whatever he’s going through. And then he thanks God because he’s “fearfully and wonderfully made” – and you are too. Pick up your Bible; draw closer to your creator; He cares about you.Revd David
Daily Scripture:Why do you say, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40.27-28)Daily Reflection:The prophets spoke for God in troubled times. Their message was often uncomfortable, too, as they addressed the injustices in their society. But they did this because they believed they had been given insight into the bigger picture – into God’s overview. The first man in space ‘looked and looked but didn’t see God’; for lunar astronaut Edgar Mitchell, however, “My view of our planet was a glimpse of divinity. Yes, and down here in the thick of it, we have known, yes, we have heard, we have seen the beauty and the awesome, persistent rhythm of life, so it is right not to give way to any temptation to despair. God is, just as much in our predicament as in Isaiah’s; and not away out there, but with us! David Harmsworth
Daily Scripture:Why do you say, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40.27-28)Daily Reflection:The prophets spoke for God in troubled times. Their message was often uncomfortable, too, as they addressed the injustices in their society. But they did this because they believed they had been given insight into the bigger picture – into God’s overview. The first man in space ‘looked and looked but didn’t see God’; for lunar astronaut Edgar Mitchell, however, “My view of our planet was a glimpse of divinity. Yes, and down here in the thick of it, we have known, yes, we have heard, we have seen the beauty and the awesome, persistent rhythm of life, so it is right not to give way to any temptation to despair. God is, just as much in our predicament as in Isaiah’s; and not away out there, but with us! David Harmsworth
Daily Scripture:‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have those who live by it; his praise endures for ever.’ (Psalm 111:10)Daily Reflection:There is a big difference between knowledge and wisdom; between knowing information and understanding how to use it. We can know that a tomato is actually a fruit; but wisdom is understanding that you don’t put it in a fruit-salad! We do not become wise by life-experience and academic knowledge alone though. The psalmist says that fear of the Lord – revering God; being in awe of God – is the beginning of wisdom. Knowing God as the source of wisdom will give us strong foundations on which to make our decisions in life.But….there is a world of difference between thinking, “I know God exists”, and having the wisdom to live your life knowing – and understanding - that God is your creator, your Saviour, and He loves you. Revd David