Daily ScriptureSo teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. (Psalm 90.12) Daily Reflection The older I get, … how should I complete that honestly? Like a lot of poetry, Psalm 90 looks at life’s experiences with quite frightening honesty. ‘The days of our life are three score years and ten, or if our strength endures, even four score; yet the sum of them is but labour and sorrow, for they soon pass away and we are gone’. The psalmist prays to be taught to count each day as precious. Taught – because we are so easily led into foolishness – taught to focus on being wise. Boring? Well, not if the alternative is to be scammed. David Harmsworth
Daily ScriptureYour word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path. (Psalm 119:105)Daily ReflectionThis is one of those beautifully simple images portrayed in the Psalms, in fact, in the whole Bible. The lantern is something that is held, and provides light immediately at your feet so you see obstacles before tripping over them and fall flat on your face. The “light” shows us the path that we should be taking; it guides us in the right direction. There’s no point walking off with your lantern, confident of not falling over….. but going completely the wrong direction!Q. What is it that provides this guidance and this security? A. “Your word”, the psalmist says. God’s word. The scriptures! Pick up your Bible; hold it; read it; use it. Don’t leave your “lantern”, your “light”, covered up. Revd David
Daily Scripture“Upon you I have leaned from my birth, when you drew me from my mother’s womb” and Isaiah 49.1 “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.” (Psalm 71.6)Daily ReflectionMany times in the Bible the writers describe God “knitting us together in the womb”. The truth is that each of us has been fearfully and wonderfully made by God Himself. Intricately known by Him, and intimately loved by Him, most of us go through life without really taking this on board, or applying it to our lives. So what does it mean to you to hear these truths? Will it make you think differently, act differently, have different life priorities? It should. Nothing could make God love you anymore than He does at this very moment. If someone professed to loving you that much wouldn’t you want to get to know them better? Vicki Young
Daily Scripture13 As a father has compassion on his children, so is the Lord merciful towards those who fear him. 14 For he knows of what we are made; he remembers that we are but dust.15 Our days are but as grass; we flourish as a flower of the field;16 For as soon as the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord is from of oldand endures for ever on those who fear him, and his righteousness on children’s children; (Psalm 103:13-17)Daily ReflectionThis portion of Psalm 103 tells of our generous Father God, who treats us like the children we are to him – lovingly, with mercy and compassion. He doesn’t harbour any illusions about us, he remembers that he formed us from dust. And of course, this is true, even in a scientific sense – you and I are in essence space dust! This makes us both infinitely precious and very insignificant. Who knows where all our atoms have been before they assembled as little old you, or silly little me? There is a thought to make your head spin!Another thought, that pulls in the opposite direction is, that our time is very short, we are here today and gone tomorrow, as the Psalm says.But God and his mercy last forever and ever, even longer than the stars. Revd Ylva
