Daily Scripture:“Sing to God, sing praises to his name;lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds- His name is the Lord - be exultant before Him.Father of orphans and protector of widowsis God in His holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:4-5)Daily Reflection: Is this where the idea of God as an old man sitting on top of the clouds comes from: “….to him who rides upon the clouds”? We know that God isn’t floating along sitting on top of a fluffy cloud somewhere benignly watching over us; we’ve been above the clouds – so we’re cleverer than those people who wrote simple things like this, aren’t we? Well, no, we are not. Because most of them did something that most of us have forgotten to do: they were joyful when they thought about God; they sang “praises to him”. Yet many today go through their day, their week, their life not giving God a thought.Today - right now - think of God, and praise Him. “Praise, my soul, the King of heaven.” And be joyful.Revd David
Daily Scripture:“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” Psalm 103:13Daily Reflection:God is often described as our “Father”, and because he is God, He is the perfect father to us. So, as a father loves, sympathises with, and treats his children with kindness, so God acts in the same way for each of us, His children.The word “fear” here does not mean “afraid of”. Rather, we could replace it with “love” or “ respect”. If we “respect” God, if we seek to know Him better, we then become His children, and he treats us as you would treat your own child – with infinite love, care and kindness. John 1 verse 12 says this “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.Vicki Young
Daily Scripture:"The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who begets a wise son will be glad in him." (Proverbs 23:24. NRSV)Daily Reflection:The NIV translation translates it as: “The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.” A child that is wise and does the right thing, morally and lawfully, is a great joy to the parent. It means they’ve done a good job in bringing up their child. The teaching has gone well; the correcting has paid off; love and patience have borne fruit. The parent’s job is done. Another of Solomon’s “proverbs” that makes good sense.In the Bible, so often “father” is used to depict God. Imagine if God could say that - if God were able to think that – of you. Wouldn’t that be incredible? Most of us know, deep down, what is the morally right thing to do. Let’s just do it more often…...from today.Revd David
