Where have I been and where am I going?

It is quite a long time since I have posted on this blog, for which there are a number of reasons. First, illness in the family and other family circumstances have made it difficult to find time, as well as other new opportunities for ministry in local churches and community services. In response to the question I have posed as the title to this blog post, I think I know, more or less, where I have been over the first six months of this year, but I don't know specifically where I am going, because I don't know where God is going to lead me next. it is all very well to talk about having a "Purpose Driven Life," about which I have read in years gone by, but like many other Christians I have spoken to who have read the well-known book by Rick Warren, I don't really buy into the brand. This may be owing to a fundamental cultural difference between the UK, where I live, and the US, or it may be a different perception of the way I have been taught to interpret the Bible and the events we see playing out on the world stage in our times! Who would have believed, a few years ago, that we would see 59 million people displaced, becoming refugees, not welcome anywhere, in 2014 alone? Or that we would see Egyptian Coptic Christians being beheaded on a beach, by IS Jihadists, who covered their own faces, so that they would not be recognized, but left the victims' faces uncovered, so that relatives and friends could recognize these martyrs and testify to their faithfulness in following Jesus even unto death? We live in a tragic, broken world, where so many need to experience the love and grace of Jesus for themselves, and to be set free from sin by accepting Him as their Saviour. I only want to be involved in spreading the Good News of salvation in Christ alone (John 14:6). Anything else pales into insignificance beside this; ethnic, cultural and denominational differences, political viewpoints, differences in the ways in which God speaks to us individually and our various tastes in music, fashion, films and hobbies! All these things are rather like rearranging the deckchairs on the "Titanic" just hours before it hit that huge iceberg. May I challenge you (and myself) to try and focus our attention on following Jesus more closely every day. May it be our aim to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly and to follow Him more nearly, day by day, to His glory and the blessing and salvation of many others in these challenging times!

A Personal Update

You may have been following my blog for a while and have questions to ask about some of the things I have written. If so, please feel free to contact me through my own email address at erikretallick@yahoo.co.uk or erik@worldprayr.org. It is my intention to include some further thoughts and observations on this personal website, in addition to the official World Prayr blogs which I publish, so that you may see that I am an ordinary person like the next man or woman, wrestling with the same issues in our very sad and troubled world from October 2014 onwards. Like most people, I often feel bewildered, angry, frustrated and helpless in my encounters with the news, beauracracy and the huge corporations and political forces which seem to work against our best interests day by day. I always try and remind myself that God is ultimately in control of all that happens, and that everything is ultimately guided and directed by Him! One thing we need to remind ourselves, is that God's grace and love is still extended to everyone, regardless of their race,gender, their past life and seeming insignificance or lack of status in the world in which they live. My prayer in these days is that many may find the source of all peace and comfort in their lives, through accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour, believing that He died on the cross about 2000 years ago, and that He rose from the dead to give us salvation through faith in Him, plus the sure hope of Eternal life, as He was raised from the dead. As many older Christians who know these things deep in my heart, there are times when I experience doubt, anger and frustration as I look at the world around me. Nevertheless, God in His grace brings me back to His word, the Bible, and I realize that my eternal hope of forgiveness for all the wrongs that I have done as well the great hope of eternal life, serving and worshipping Him in heaven, are only the result of His saving power and grace (undeserved kindness) in my life. Like most of you, I have good days and bad days, but deep down in my heart I know that God loves and cares for me, even though I am nothing special and can only offer back to Him the gifts which He has given me. It is the same for you, you may feel worthless, beyond help and have experienced many difficulties in your life. Nevertheless I want to bring you the only good news that there is today. It is not about becoming rich and famous, but putting your faith and trust in the only person who can lead you to God, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). He loves you so much and cares for you more than anyone else can (John 3:16-17). I would love to hear from you if you have any questions about my blogs or this one, so that I can guide and help you and lead you to the true source of hope and deliverance from sin (wrong-doing), God's one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Do your mornings need Reforming?

Do your mornings need Reforming? [Translate] ​Do your mornings need Reforming? By Erik Retallick “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” ~ Lamentations 3:22-23Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) I don’t know what you are like when you wake up, first thing in the morning? Except for a short spell at school when I used to do a newspaper delivery job and got up at 5.45am, mornings have never been the time of day when I am at my peak performance (to say the least!). Even at the age of 13-14 I think I must have done it on automatic pilot. There is a tea mug available to buy here in the UK which has a picture on it and some writing with it which says “I hate people who sing in the mornings!” I think I may buy one at some time, just to drop a hint. Our old Pastor who has now moved to another Church used to really emphasise how it is so important to get each day off to a great start with Prayer and Bible reading, and for me this is still a constant struggle. No matter how early I go to bed the night before, this formula doesn’t work for me. However, looking at and reading Psalm 139 tells me that we are individually made, and I think that after God made me, He must have thrown away the mould, thinking, “there isn’t room in the world for two people like that!” There is a verse I love in Proverbs which says, ”If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.” I think you know from what I have already revealed which of the two people I would be in this illustration! It is because of my weak point, that is, when I awake in the morning, that I take great comfort from the verses in Lamentations quoted at the beginning of this article. These thoughts and words stand out like light from a lighthouse at sea, in this tiny book, squeezed between Jeremiah and Ezekiel in the Old Testament. The book, written by Jeremiah most probably, because of its similarity in literary style to the book of Jeremiah, shares his overwhelming sense of loss that accompanied the destruction of Jerusalem, its temple and temple worship, to which Jeremiah was an eye-witness in 586 BC. This date was the earliest it could have been written, the latest date being 516 BC, when the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem was dedicated, after the Jews’ return from captivity. To suddenly see Jeremiah’s affirmation, written as he was led by the Holy Spirit in chapter 3 verses 22-23, gives the sign in the midst of darkness and hopelessness there is hope and future prospects of change in the circumstances of ruin and captivity of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 BC. I see a parallel sign of hope in my personal situation, my attitude in relation to the beginning of each new day. After all, our faith is based on facts not feelings. The great fact stated in these verses, which I cling on to for dear life, is that God’s love, mercy, grace and compassion are renewed every morning. It is because of His love, grace and compassion that I have even woken up to see a new day in the first instance. Everything else is a bonus and a great blessing to me, knowing that I am saved by Jesus’s death on the cross, have new life as a result and am blessed by God’s great grace and love! I pray that I am also enabled by His Holy Spirit dwelling within me to be a blessing to others I meet and contact during the day. Yes, I know that my life needs reforming in the morning, (I like things with rhymes, they are useful sometimes!) but I know that God loves me now, just the way I am. Maybe one day I will walk out on the street early in the morning and greet my neighbours in a loud and hearty voice, but knowing what it feels like to be on the receiving end of such friendly gestures from others, maybe I will turn the volume and heartiness down a little and save it for later in the day! Eugene Peterson expresses Proverbs 27:14Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) in this way. “If you wake your friend in the early morning by shouting “Rise and Shine!” it will sound to him more like a curse than a blessing (The Message). Photo credit: Jean-Francois Phillips / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND Erik Retallick serves as Sr Pastor and President of World Prayr Ministries. He lives in Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK with his wife Hazel. He has two grown children, daughter in law and two grandchildren. A Speaker, Teacher and Musician. Leads an extremely varied life with many challenges and blessings, full of tears, laughter and great fulfillment!

Living by Faith? "Living by Faith?" By Erik Retallick There are many references in the Bible to faith. Did you know that we exercise faith every day, even if we are are not Christian believers? We expect the sun to rise in the East and set in the west, we have faith when sitting down, ... Check This Out “Living by Faith?” [Translate] “Living by Faith?” By Erik Retallick There are many references in the Bible to faith. Did you know that we exercise faith every day, even if we are are not Christian believers? We expect the sun to rise in the East and set in the west, we have faith when sitting down, that the chair will hold our weight and we have faith that when we go to the mall, there will be items for sale. Whether or not we can afford what we want is a separate issue. In Romans 4, reading from verse 3b, we come across the following words. “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to Him as righteousness. Now when a man works, His wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin The Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:3b-8Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). Later, in Romans 5:1 weOpen in Logos Bible Software (if available) read, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I am in the process of learning (albeit slowly!) that there is far more to life than earning and spending money. Many people at my age (59) are retired and receiving a comfortable pension on which they can afford to live. I don’t see retirement as ever being an option, first, because I hate the idea of doing nothing and second, because I would like to carry on in paid self-employment. In addition to that my pension would not be sufficient to live on. That gives an example of what things are like here in the UK following the greatest economic depression we have seen for more than 60 years. Like the US, we are probably not through the end of it, as God screams into our situation, “When are you going to learn that there is more to life than what you eat, drink, what you wear and what you drive?” (Car, motorbike, bicycle, skateboard!) In Matthew 6: 25-34Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), Jesus makes a clear distinction between investing in earthly goods, which will never satisfy, or laying up treasure in heaven. Please take time to read this before continuing with reading this article. If we choose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, as the disciples did, leaving their fishing businesses, tax offices or other occupations, such as farming and being involved in revolutionary groups trying to overthrow the Romans, we are leaving what most people would regard as security and status in this world. That really is what George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilisation, would call radical discipleship. How many of us see that as a viable option in today’s world of consumerism and rising prices? Yet if we are called by Jesus saying “Follow me!” that is something He may be wanting us to do, in order to share His Gospel of Grace with a needy and broken world, where so many are in need of rescue from sin, which is manifested in greed, cheating, addictions, and so many other “dangers, toils and snares.” I always find it significant that in Israel it was common for individuals to choose which Rabbi (teacher) they wanted to follow. They were not usually called out by a Rabbi, and hand-picked like Jesus chose His disciples. In the same way today, we can choose which idols or great people we want to follow, until we meet Jesus and respond to His call on our lives. During their three or so years with Jesus physically present with them, the disciples were going on a great adventure, being taught by parables, (earthly stories with a heavenly meaning), learning how to teach, heal and often being puzzled by what Jesus was saying and where He was leading them next. Since I heard God calling me and responding to Him by accepting Him as my Savior and Lord, realising that He died to take away my sins, (over 50 years ago), it has been a long and winding road through life, with times of great joy and deep sorrow, but I know that God is still leading me by His grace and that when my work is done, He will take me to His home in heaven, where there will be no pain, tears sorrow or mourning. No need of lighting either, because God will provide all the light we need, as He does now, here on earth. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119: 105Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)) Do you have faith in God and have you accepted that the death of Jesus on the cross in your place, as a sacrifice pleasing to God is sufficient to take away your sins, to remove them as far as the East is from the West? If so, then you can live in Grace and freedom, following God’s guidance each day. If you would like to know more, please write to me and I will pleased to discuss anything with you in further detail. Photo credit: Art4TheGlryOfGod / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0) Erik Retallick serves as Sr Pastor and President of World Prayr Ministries. He lives in Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK with his wife Hazel. He has two grown children, daughter in law and two grandchildren. A Speaker, Teacher and Musician. Leads an extremely varied life with many challenges and blessings, full of tears, laughter and great fulfillment! Facebook Twitter Google+

Meet Tabinda Ayub!

The previous post has been written by Tabinda Ayub, who I have only got to know in the last few months, but feel I have known for ever! You will understand that Tabinda has lived through some very difficult experiences in her life, together with her family, but they are a wonderful example of what a Christian family should be like. I am hoping that Tabinda will be writing a lot more blog posts on this site, and that they will be a great blessing to all who read them. Knowing Tabinda has been a great inspiration to my own faith in our own easy come - easy go Western culture, where being a Christian is OK as long as you don't take it too seriously or talk about it to anyone. Believe me, where Tabinda lives there are no half-measures, you are either a fervent 100% Christian or not one at all. Since I have got to know Tabinda, I have been challenged to think and live differently, to see that being a Christian means being sold out for Christ, not just someone who attends Church on a Sunday and does what they like the rest of the time. Welcome to this blog site Tabinda, and may we all be inspired your thoughts and insight into the things which are really important in life, the grace of God and serving our fellow

Happy Independence day to all my friends in the US!

You may have wondered why I haven't written on this blog for quite a while. There are a number of reasons, not least that I have been writing in other places such as https://worldprayr.blog.org . Another reason is that I have two very active Grandchildren who seem to spend more than half their lives in our house, although that is probably really an exaggeration. If you want to know how I am doing, my answer is that I am fine, thanks to the work of Grace of God at work in my life. I seem to be becoming more active in ministry work as well as spending time with my family, and hopefully with God Himself in prayer and devotion. I guess, at the age of 59, I am beginning to discover a new freedom from needing to work all the time, and to find a bit more time for relaxation. However, I still find that I feel guilty when I am not witnessing or writing on behalf of God! As if He needs me to save the world!? The great thing which we need to remember when we reach our late 50's and early 60's, is what we can do to impart encouragement, excitement and motivation to those who we can identify and see as potential Church and ministry leaders to the next Generation. I carried out one of those amusing surveys on Facebook recently, which indicated that I have the mind of a 20 year old. I certainly don't feel that way physically as the high blood pressure and fight against falling asleep during the day reveal that I'm not really like a 20 year old! On this American Independence day, 2014, let me wish all my friends in the US a very happy Independence Day. Think yourselves very blessed when you think of all the mess we are experiencing with our EU relationship, here in the UK. I pray that we will fight to the end for our wish to be free from the shackles that Europe has placed on our once proud and independent nation, with a very real Christian heritage, going back to the Reformation (early 1500's). To be honest, I would like to see us having a closer and more special relationship with the US, where our forefathers went to obtain freedom from oppression, where even The Netherlands (Holland) could not guarantee freedom from oppression and persecution from their Government and people. Maybe that may be the way forward, if, as I hope, we re-negotionate our relations with Europe and hopefully withdraw from the EU completely. A 51st. state of the US is how I would rather see our UK position, where we are truly free and can shake off the shackles of Europe once and for all. The majority will of our people is to see laws made in Britain, rather than Brussels, and many of us see this as the way forward, to help poorer nations across the world and greater justice to mankind as a whole. Please feel free to comment on my thoughts and to add your own opinions, for or against. I value all the feedback I get to my blog posts and invite friends who want to know me better and know more about my personal Christian beliefs. We know that we will never all see things the same way, because we are all individuals, who see things from our own viewpoint, based on our own background and experiences.

Beaten But Not Down by Tabinda Ayub

Beaten But Not Down

[Translate]

 

 by Tabinda Saher Ayub

 

 

Dear friends, I have a real story of my life and I want to share it with you. I hope after reading it you will really be made to think.

 

One day we were not at home, we went to my cousin’s wedding and then some people called us and told us that ”your house is burning!” So we went a short distance, and soon arrived back at our home. When we got there we saw our house had been totally burned to the ground.

 

The fire’s flames were very high, we could not look at our house’s destruction and we cried loudly. Our area’s people gathered and called the fire brigade team.  They came to control the fire, but our house was fully destroyed. Everything was destroyed, our house fell down. Our furniture, electronics, clothes, crockery, our books (full bags), school uniforms, etc., everything was burned.

 

We cried because we had worked very hard for everything we owned and we worried, ”How will we buy all these things again and how we will rebuild our house”? But God consoled us. We are strong Christians and believe only on the Lord Jesus Christ and we knew that one day God will provide us with everything needed.

 

We trust and obey God.  We tried to forget that incident and we started a new life in God’s name. Then Jesus Christ helped us in so many ways.  Our relatives collected some money for our help, even though they are also not very rich but they helped us.  With their help, we rebuilt our house with that money and brought new books, copies and school uniforms and then my younger brother and sisters were able to go to school.

 

Our relatives gave us some household goods and after 2 or 3 months we were able to buy our own things with our salaries and were able to return our relatives things. Slowly, slowly we bought more items to replace those lost, as God provided us.  We still don’t have all of our home needs, things like sofa, beds and other things but we hope God will must provide us with everything needed. Praise the Lord!

 

God is a great helper, we believe when we have a problem, God must open the way for help to us. We will follow Job’s hard life.

 

In the Holy Bible we read; ”Then Job arose,and rent his mantle,and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither ; The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”. (Job 1, 20:21)

 

My father’s name is Job (Ayub) so people said “you are really Job, your patience shows you are really like Job who obeyed the Lord.”

 

Then we were made as an example for our area’s people.  The people gave our example of patience to other people in these words, ”This family are very strong Christians, they are the great followers of Lord Jesus Christ, they obey God and only believe on God.  Therefore, God provides for them, when they need help.”

 

Now we are hopeful that one day God will help us stand again, and give us all those things we lost. ”I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause; which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number; Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the field; To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exatted to safety.” (Job 5, 8:11) AMEN!

 

In this story the lesson and moral is that, when we are in trouble, and we face many difficulties, we should believe on God and obey Him in very situation and pray regularly, then God surely will hear our prayer and help us and provide for us.

 

God bless you.

 

Tabinda lives in Pakistan, is the founder and director of  Wpc Pakistan. She enjoys teaching Sunday School and loves to share her gift of writing.

 

As part of the World Prayr family, she serves with the Daily Devotional Blog team and Facebook team.

 

Meet Tabinda on Facebook>>>

 

Are you an Ostrich?

I heard a story quite a long while ago, from my father. In the Australian outback, there was a small wooden hall with a sign outside labelling it "Ostrich Club." It had no proper floor, just desert sand, like the landscape for many miles around that area. Two ostriches arrived early for a club meeting one day and stood talking about the latest news and asking after each other's families, as ostriches do, no doubt. After about ten minutes they heard voices of other club members approaching and one said to the other, "Quick, let's hide!" and so they duly buried their heads in the sand. The approaching members walked through the entrance into the hall and one of them said, "there's no one here, so we must have come at the wrong time. We may as well go home."

How many of us go through life, keeping our heads down, metaphorically, trying not to get involved in anything, other than eating, drinking, buying and selling and perhaps working and enjoying the ride? I used to be rather like that, not wanting to hurt the feelings of others, trying to go unnoticed and just assumed it was because I was shy and introverted.

Then, as I gained more confidence and knowledge of life, I began to realise that the world and the rich variety of life was passing me by. I looked at the world, watched and read the news and began to see that things could be different. We don't need to accept things the way they are, but have been blessed to be placed on this planet for a time to make a difference, help other people who are less fortunate than ourselves, whether through political channels, our faith and hope, or committing acts of kindness. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that even when we smile at someone, we are sharing love and kindness with others, brightening up their day (paraphrased).

I used to be an ostrich in my mentality, and would have probably literally buried my head in the sand, had I lived in the Nevada or Sahara desert! Have a think about your own situation, are you into "political correctness," not wanting to rock an already rocky boat, or like wallpaper on Windows 7 or 8, just there looking pretty? Now think where you would like to be in a year from now, what you would like to be remembered for, what you want to achieve. What you do today will determine what you will be like then, your life may have direction, purpose and meaning or it may just be going round and round day by day orbiting the sun one more time!

Some years ago I read "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren, and I can definitely recommend this as a good read. I have been given to believe that many celebrities have read this book, and many people who we would think had got life all figured out. It helps to put things in perspective and see that life itself is more important than what we possess, what we eat and drink and what we wear.

Please feel free to write to me with any comments, questions or join in our discussions on the Bible Study and Prayer group. God bless you and I hope to hear from you soon.



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Vindicate Me, O God

Vindicate Me O God

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 04:00 AM PDT

By Erik Retallick

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!

Psalm 43:1-5

---

A short while ago I wrote an article about Psalm 42 and mentioned that Psalm 43 follows on very closely with its thoughts and tone.

However, on taking a closer look, I think you will see a much brighter spirit emerging from the gloomy preoccupations of Psalm 42 with its small glimmers of hope here and there.

Those who have suffered depression or mental health disorders which have become so prevalent in our modern world know that it can sometimes seem like a long tunnel they are going through, and at first there appears to be no light at the other end.

After a few bends in the road and maybe some lighter moments, it is glorious to emerge once again into broad daylight, to feel God’s love, peace and joy returning as a reality in our daily experience.

God has been there all the time of course, but we’ve been looking in the wrong direction or become too preoccupied in a cycle of gloom and negativity.

The first thing the Psalmist asks for in this Psalm is vindication and defence, emanating from God. He knows that he has to constantly deal and cope with ungodly people, just as we have to in our contemporary world.

He requests deliverance from the unjust and ungodly man, something which many of us long for when dealing with the current ways of carrying out business.

Some would say it has ever been thus, but I have noticed a definite slippery slope as money becomes scarcer and business becomes harder to maintain. Honesty and integrity, certainly in the UK, seem to be very much lacking in so many areas of business, but especially in the worlds of finance and politics.

Isn’t it a comfort to know that we have a God in whom we can take refuge (verse 2), yet despite this it is still possible to feel that God has abandoned or rejected us.

When the Psalmist asks the question, “Why do I go about mourning because of of the oppression of the enemy?” I believe it is because He feels something of the way God must feel when people abandon His commandments and decide to do things their own way.

It makes us feel oppressed and as though we are swimming against the tide when we try to follow and keep to God’s laws in a society where they have been abandoned.

Verse 3 is a prayer which all those who know and love Jesus, desiring to follow Him, must want to echo. “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!

The nearer we draw to God, the nearer He will draw near to us (James 4:8). We will then reflect His light towards others and they will see that we have been with Jesus and the radical difference it makes to us as His chosen people.

The Psalmist is then led to go to the altar of God, the place where sacrifices are made and where thanksgiving and praises are said and sung.

Do you enjoy praising and thanking God, for who He is and what He has done by saving us from the world, the Devil, flesh and the last enemy, death itself ?

In Psalm 122, David begins this Psalm of ascent by saying “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” You’ve probably heard the story about the husband who wakes up on a Sunday morning and says to his wife “Oh no, it’s Sunday again, I really don’t want to go to church,” to which his wife replies, “but you’ll have to go, my dear, because you’re the pastor and you’re taking the service!”

I don’t know whether it’s because of the (polite British) persecution we are experiencing here now, or people’s apathy to anything that is spiritual, but I always go to worship God together with His people with a sense of excitement and anticipation, because I know He is going to meet with us, to love and enjoy our praises and hearts being led out to Him in praise and worship.

We can bring the needs of our world, friends and brothers and sisters to Him and hear and put into practice what He has to say to us! To me it is party celebration time, and the way things are going, we don’t know for how much longer we will be free to have this privilege, which is a foretaste of Heaven, where we shall be able to praise and serve Him for ever!

Although Psalm 43 ends with the sad “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” refrain which we see several times in Psalm 42, we see an amazing positive outcome.” The Psalmist ends by saying that if he hopes in God, He will praise Him again and know His salvation.

Salvation, wholeness and healing are still available to all who put their faith and trust in Jesus, seek His forgiveness through confessing their sins (1 John 1:9) and choose to follow Him as their Saviour and Lord.

You can know God’s salvation today, maybe by inviting Him into your heart and life for the first time. In John 1:12 it says “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."

My prayer for you is that you may know with certainty today that you are a blood-bought child of God through knowing that Jesus died to save you from sin and have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

If you already know Him my prayer is that you will walk ever closer with Him and draw others to Him. As St. Augustine said, “preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

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Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

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[Translate]

Psalm 42

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul

by Erik Retallick

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
”Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Many people can probably identify with many of the anguished feelings the Psalmist expresses here, with all the turmoil going on in the world at large, the Middle East and African unrest and their own personal uncertain circumstances and relationships.

Do these things give us a thirst for God, as expressed here (verses 1-2)? Or do we become bitter and say, why should this be happening to me? As one of my mother’s Christian friends who is very ill, and has been for many years responds when people say, “Don’t you question why God lets all these things happen to you?” with the reply, “Why shouldn’t these things happen to me? Like Paul, she seems to count it a privilege to share in the sufferings of her Lord, to be counted worthy enough to suffer.

In between the overwhelming moments of feeling downcast and depressed, the writer of this Psalm expresses some wonderful thoughts, which we would do well to take to heart in these turbulent times.

1) In verse 2 he longs to come and appear before God, to be in His presence, to take delight in being with Him!

2) In verse 4 he recalls the days when he felt liberty in praising God, making his way with a crowd of God’s people singing with joy as they anticipated a forthcoming festival celebration. Do we feel like that on our way to worship the Lord with our brothers and sisters, or is it a case of sighing and thinking, “it’s that day of the week again, I suppose I ought to go.”

3) Verse 6 brings in the hope factor, that essential ingredient of our lives, that helps us to get up in the morning and motivates us to serve the Lord with gladness! He obviously had a real sense of God’s presence in the land of Yarden and the Peaks of Mount Hermon and the hill of Mizar. It does us good when we are downcast to recall those precious moments in our lives where God has touched us in a special way and reminded us how special He is to us and how important we are to Him; even the very hairs of our head are numbered.

4) In verse 9, even though the Psalmist questions why God has deserted him, he refers to God as his Rock, the one and only firm foundation in his life. Again, it does us good when we are going through overwhelming problems, to recall that God is our Rock, whose ways are perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 says “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, he is righteous and straight.”

5) This amazing Psalm, which expresses so many depths of sorrow and anguish, ends with a reaffirmation of faith in our trustworthy God, our Rock. “Hope in God, since I will praise Him again for being my Savior and God.”

Without the walks through the dark valleys and the steep climbs up the rocky mountainsides, how would we ever get to appreciate the mountaintop experiences in our lives? Sometimes the mountaintop experiences may seem far and few between, but they are then all the more precious. Even when his friends and family questioned “Where is your God?” the writer of this Psalm knew deep in his heart that He was there all the time. Likewise, He has promised to “never leave or abandon us” (Hebrews 13:5)

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I'd Rather Have Jesus

"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways." Proverbs 28:6 (ESV)

Billy Graham preaching the Gospel

George Beverly Shea in action!

I remember as a young 11 year old in 1966, Billy Graham came to London, capital of the UK, where he held a Crusade, I think it was for 10 days, in the great exhibition centre, Earls Court, the last night moving to Wembley Stadium, our largest football ground. Night after night, people came in their thousands to hear the Good News of Jesus preached simply and plainly, with an appeal at the end for people to come to the front of the hall to commit or recommit their lives to Jesus. Many people came to know Jesus as their Saviour as a result of that great event.

It was my privilege to be taken by my parents to hear this great American preacher. There was no reason for me to go forward after the appeal at the end. I had already committed my life to Jesus at the age of 8 and been baptized at the age of 10. What made a tremendous impact apart from the fact that the man who spoke seemed so normal even though he came from America and said a lot of things that seemed to relate to a young boy living on a tiny island thousands of miles away, was the music. There was a singer called George Beverly Shea who sang the following words with great feeling and an obvious 100% commitment to their message.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,

I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain

And be held in sin's dread sway;

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.

The simplicity of the tune was such that it didn't detract from the words being conveyed by a man in his mid 40's who was well dressed and obviously meant every word which he sang. It certainly made an impact on someone who came from a poor background in a small village where we lived a contented and care-free life playing outside without any fear and knowing that we were safe and loved by our parents and extended family.

I think something became ingrained in my thinking at that point, and that is that there are two very distinct sets of values, involving earthly treasures and wealth and heavenly treasures. During our life time on earth, which is short, we have to make a choice about which we are going to set our hearts on, because, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 (ESV).

So the choice we have to make in our life is to follow Jesus who took on Himself the form of a servant and owned nothing or to hanker after the things that are for this life only. We have been taught a salutary lesson about earthly investment in the last few years, and many of our bankers, financiers and wise investors are looking for alternative investments.

Those of us who follow Jesus as our Saviour and Lord have effectively chosen an alternative investment, one that involves laying up treasures in Heaven. The way in which this is contrasted with the world's way in the opening Proverb quoted is very stark, it is better to be poor and walk in integrity than rich and crooked in our ways. I have to challenge myself on a regular basis, with the last two lines of the verse in this hymn. Can I honestly say today, here and now, "I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today?" If we are involved in the King's work, serving Jesus and reaching out to others with our hearts and lives to share His love and compassion, then the King will provide for our needs according to His riches, and He owns everything.

"The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (ESV)

John the Baptist with Jesus in the River Jordan

John the Baptist preaching

John the Baptist was a cousin of our Lord Jesus and was sent to prepare the way for the coming of our Lord. He baptized people in the river Jordan and his baptism was a baptism of repentance. The word repentance simply defined is "to change your mind about something." I think a more satisfactory definition is to make a 180 degree turn around to face and move in the opposite direction. Certainly, when you become a Christian you find yourself moving in the opposite direction to most of the world around you. This baptism John offered, in water, was for the turning away from sin, the baptism Jesus offers, with the Holy Spirit (verse 33) is turning to Christ and being filled with His indwelling presence.

What an amazing declaration John makes here when he sees Jesus walking towards him. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The word "Behold" is translated from the Hebrew word "hinneh" and the Greek word "idou" which means something like "Pay careful attention to what follows! This is important!" Although in some contexts this word could be replaced in modern English with the word "look!" "see!" or "listen", in many instances these modern equivalents do not carry sufficient weight or dignity. This is especially the case here, when referring to our Lord Jesus, who is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

Why does John refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God, when in other places we see Him referred to as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." To understand this, we need to look in the Old Testament at Exodus 12, the Passover Feast, where a perfect spotless lamb had to be slain and its blood applied to the two doorposts and lintel of the door of each house in order to prevent the killing of the firstborn of each family, including flocks and herds as well as people. The lamb was eaten as part of the Passover feast the night before the plague, and the Israelites celebrated it at the ready with shoes on to escape from slavery in Egypt early the next day. This was all a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to take away our sin by having His blood spilt in order that we could be forgiven, delivered from slavery to sin and saved for eternity.

Have you beheld Jesus, the Lamb of God, confessed your sins to Him in order to receive forgiveness and eternal life with Him in Heaven? Earlier in John 1, in verse 12 we read, "to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (ESV) Note that in the Passover it was only those who applied the blood to the doorposts and lintel who were saved. Likewise, it is only those who put their faith and trust in and receive Jesus who become children of God, heirs of salvation and citizens of Heaven. There is still time for you to behold Jesus, and once you do you will know His peace and joy in your heart and mind and His presence with you through the storms and trials of life. He will give you a whole new sense of purpose, direction and fulfilment and He will never leave you or forsake you.