We can't always see the road ahead

It was going to be a busy morning. I had to walk the dogs, come back home to shower, get changed and breakfast, go and do the food shop, come back home and unload it all and then go back out to be at my weekly house group and all by 10am. I had mentally allowed myself an hour for the walk, an hour for the shop and another hour for getting myself ready and the travelling in between. leaving a little time to spare. My plans, my targets, I can do it all in my own strength! As often happens though, my plans were slightly thwarted and I was a bit late setting off to walk the dogs and they, of course, then contrived to sniff and scratch every blade of grass they passed so making our regular walk a good ten minutes longer than usual. By the time I had got them home, jumped in the shower and had breakfast, I had already used up most of the leeway time I had allowed. As I set off to do the shopping later than anticipated, I realised I was going to hit the school traffic on the usual route and was likely to be stuck in a traffic jam at a notorious bottle neck where traffic lights, crossings and roundabout converge so decided on the slightly longer option of going via the by-pass. I should not have bothered. As soon as I joined that road the traffic slowed and a long queue snaked ahead. It wasn't static but it wasn't moving very quickly either.

I began to mentally moan and complain to God. Why was everything conspiring against me this morning? And why was it that whenever I was in a queue of traffic the vehicle in front of me was so huge I couldn't see round it to be able to judge when we were able to move, or how far, until they started to roll? The clock was ticking and I thought I might have to miss the shopping this morning and do it later. My plans were all messed up!

Then it came to me. Life is just like this, we can't always see the way ahead and just have to wait and be patient. We don't know what God has planned for us, we just have to follow the road ahead and trust Him to get us to the other end. We do not, and may never, know what causes these holds up on our journey but it is all in God's will for our lives. Perhaps there has been an accident on the road ahead that, if I had been going at the proper speed and been a minute sooner, I might have been involved in. Perhaps God was just teaching me not to make my own plans rather than relying on His. Or perhaps He just wanted me to stop and admire the little jewels of roadside flowers, the rolling hills and simply enjoy His creation.

As I thought all this my mind calmed and I stopped stressing. Needless to say, the traffic suddenly started moving giving no sign as to why it had ever stopped, I did my shopping in record time and made the house group meeting spot on time. God is very good sometimes!

Obed-edom is Blessed

During my studies of the book of 1 Chronicles I have become rather fascinated by the little-known character of Obed-edom. Although I read the same account of him in 2 Samuel 6 I did not take much notice of him.

To set the scene, in 1 Chronicles 13 we hear how David was bringing the ark of God from Kiriath-jearmin to the city of David. As they were carrying the ark there were great celebrations before God with song and lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets – what a noisy party that must have been! As they reached the threshing floor of Kidon, the oxen pulling the cart stumbles so Uzzah put his hand out to steady the ark. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and He struck him down and he died there. David was afraid of God that day and said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?”

And this is where we get our first mention of Obed-edom. Chapter 13, verses 13-14 tell us: “So David did not take the ark of God home into the city of David but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had.”

Hold on a moment – back up there! It suddenly struck me that Obed-edom was a Gittite. He wasn’t a Levite who were meant to be the only ones to look after, or even touch, the ark of God (as poor Uzzah discovered to his cost). Not only that but the Gittites came from Gath, one of the five principal cities of the Philistines (I had to look this up, I didn’t know this), who were the sworn enemies of Israel. Had not Goliath been killed by David when he was a boy? He had come from there too. So, what was David thinking by leaving the ark with this man? We can only assume that Obed-edom had turned from the Philistine ways and had become a faithful follower of God. God did not strike him down like Uzzah as we would expect. Ours is not to reason why, God sometimes works in mysterious ways! He does not do what we would do, he has a greater plan in mind.

I thought that was the end of Obed-edom until a few verses later when the ark was to be collected from him and taken to the city of David. This time it was carried by the Levites so was successfully delivered. David had commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint singers and musicians to raise sounds of joy whilst leading the ark home (another noisy party!). A long list of names is then given, all of which are very alien to my mind so I would normally tend to skip over them without too much thought. Then, suddenly, there he is again! In Chapter 15, verse 18, “…. the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.” and in 15:21 “but Mattihiah, Eupheletius, Mikmeicih, Obed-edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith” (see how easy it is to miss him amongst these names!). 15:24 also states that Obed-edom and Jehiah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.

So what does this mean? Has Obed-edom come with the ark from his house to the city of David? I suppose that once you have been so very close to the presence of God you would be totally bereft if it was taken away from you and you couldn’t help but follow it. As we read on we find that our man is listed amongst others who had been appointed to play harps and lyres before the ark regularly. So, we understand that he stayed in the presence of God and did not turn back.

This is not the last we hear of Obed-edom. A little bit further on in 16:38 we hear that not only is Obed-edom serving before the ark but 68 of his brothers are too. In chapter 26 it is particularly mentioned of him among the gatekeepers that he had been blessed by God with eight sons who went on to father many others who were all men of great ability. In total there were 62 men qualified for service over the age of 20 and they were allocated the south gate and gatehouse.

The final mention of Obed-edom does not come until 2 Chronicles 25:24 and is not a particularly happy event, although it does show how far he had come and how much he was trusted. We read that he was in charge of all the gold and silver vessels in the house of God, although, unfortunately, this is when they are being seized when Judah was defeated by Israel in battle – but that is another story.

What an amazing testimony! From being a Philistine living amongst giant men of war to serving the very presence of the living God and being entrusted with his treasures. I think I know which life I would choose! If I had skipped over that name in 1 Chronicles, as I had in Samuel, I would not have learnt of this humble, faithful servant of God. A gentile saved by the grace of God, just like many of us.

Open My Eyes

I am currently working my way through the books of Kings and Chronicles. Some of it is pretty boring stuff, some a bit gory, but every now and then there are some real gems.

This morning I was reading how Elisha the prophet had upset the King of Syria because he had forewarned the King of Israel as to where the Syrian army were going to be, so putting paid to the plan to ambush them. The King of Syria is so angry he sends his army after Elisha and they surround him and his servant overnight. 2 Kings 6:15-18 tells what happens next:  

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He (Elisha) said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them". Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see". So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, "Please strike this people with blindness". So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.

This reading filled me with such joy and encouragement. How wonderful to know you are not alone as you walk your way through life for your are surrounded by the army of God, just waiting to step in and help us when we need it. Just because we cannot see those forces around us does not mean they are not there. Be brave! Just imagine the confidence that young servant of Elisha must have been given when he looked up and saw those horses and chariots of fire. They must have made the Syrian army seem like toy soldiers in comparison and his fear was gone. 

What do we not see as are eyes are drawn to the things of the earth rather than fixing them on Jesus? We miss out on His love, His peace, His comfort, His guidance and His companionship.

Psalm 121 is a good one to turn too when we are feeling overwhelmed and lost:

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

The Less Travelled Path

We have two Jack Russell Terriers, Milo and Millie who can be quite reactive to other dogs, Milo in particular, and I tend to choose the path that others are least likely to go on to limit any outbursts.

If I take the more popular path Milo will go wild when he sees another dog, which invariably sets Millie off too. They are barking and pulling and generally making a nuisance of themselves, the peace is shattered for miles around and I get anxious, hot and bothered, embarrassed and ultimately angry with them. All while trying to apologise to the other walkers whilst hanging on to two rabid creatures. Not a happy experience.

So having surveyed the land in front of me, I usually take the less used path walking three sides of a square before joining the main path rather than going straight down to it. Although further in distance it actually is easier doing this extended route as the dogs enjoy sniffing and mooching whilst I get peace and quiet listening to the skylarks singing overhead. In winter it has the added advantage of not being as muddy or slippery as it has less footfall. We all come back happy.

As I was walking them on Minchinhampton Common this morning the words "the less travelled path" came into my mind. In Jeremiah 6:16 it says: Thus says the Lord, "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls". In this verse God is telling us to search (study the scriptures) to find "the good way". If we do we will be rewarded by having rest for our souls. It is up to us to make that choice, we can either follow HIs ways or keep heading down a path that will end in misery and destruction. Keep walking the less travelled path.

As I am writing this I have the words of an old hymn going round in my head. They probably have no relationship with what I have said but they are such beautiful words I am adding them here:

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!

Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;

tender to me the promise of his word –

in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name!

Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;

his mercy sure, from age to age the same –

his holy name: the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!

Powers and dominions lay their glory by;

proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,

the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!

Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure:

tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord

to children’s children and for evermore!

The Vine & The Branches

Picture credit to my earthly
 father, Robert Allen.

I was reminded today of the analogy my old boss, Bonham Bazeley, would give to demonstrate why you should prune a fruit tree and what happens when you do. He would tell you to imagine a hose pipe connected to a tap. When the tap is turned on water flows from the end of the hosepipe just as sap flows through a plant causing the tip to grow. If you then make slits in the hose pipe to represent the tight, dormant fruit buds along the stem, the water, initially will continue to flow from the end of the pipe. Put a bung in the end of the hosepipe and water will then be forced out through the slits - this is what happens when you prune the end of the branch so stopping the flow of sap to the tip and pushing it into the buds instead making them grown out.

In our house group we have been discussing the vine and the branches as Jesus talked about in John 15 and how God prunes those branches to produce fruit. Consider then that we are dormant buds and Jesus in the main stem with His feet firmly planted in the good soil. The Holy Spirit is represented by the sap and God is the gardener who comes along and lops of dead or unproductive branches that do not produce any fruit. The Holy Spirit comes and wakens us dormant buds and brings us to life so we burst forth bearing lots of beautiful fruit.

The process of being pruned seems painful at the time but God is the perfect gardener and knows what needs cutting out of us to produce fruit for Him.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." John 15:1-2

Slow down and listen

As I work my way through the Bible I have decided to intersperse each book with a few Psalms. As they are so varied it does not matter if they are not done continuously and I feel that doing all 150 in one go might be too much. So, having finished the book of Philippians, I thought I would easily do my first ten this morning. Wrong!! Psalm 1 only contains six verses but after an hour and a half I was still finding lots of different things to think about. With so many Psalms to turn to we all have our favourites and I suspect, like me, this first one often gets missed although it is well worth a look at.

Perhaps God is trying to teach me about my "selfish ambition and conceit" which I only wrote about yesterday. I said I was going to study and finish ten Psalms this morning but He said, "No, one is enough, and do it well!"

This is what I learned from that Psalm today. You can choose to walk in one of two ways, either wickedly or righteously. The wicked will be driven away "like chaff that the wind drives away, and their way will perish." They will not be able to stand in the presence of God or even amongst the righteous on judgement day. How awful to be banished from the comfort and love of God's arms forever! It does not say they will perish (which would actually be a better outcome than living without God) but their ways will perish - no more sin. 

The righteous are blessed by not mixing with the wicked but, instead, "delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night". Verse 3 says, "In all that he does he prospers", which I don't think is meant to be a 'prosperity gospel' but by reading your Bible daily and meditating on it you more likely to be tuned in to what God's plan for you it and will follow it. If you do what God wants He will make it a success and provide everything you need to make it happen. It says you will prosper in all that you do, not that you will have lots of material possessions. Think of Paul - he certainly prospered in spreading the gospel and glorifying God but he definitely didn't have an easy life with lots of money and nice houses. He suffered physically but was spiritually very rich.

So, to conclude, to be blessed we should study our Bibles, listen to what God wants us to do and do it. By so doing He will help us succeed. Do not be rejected, worthless, empty and without God, like the chaff blown away by the wind. And do not be conceited and think you are able to race through your studies - God wants you to slow down and listen.

Rejoice in the Lord, always.

As I started a study of the book of Philippians I thought it would not take me long as there are just four chapters and I would quickly whizz through them. How wrong I was! One of the things to do in the study was to record all the instructions that Paul gives to the Philippians and, boy, was I challenged as I worked my way through the book. 

There were three of these instructions that particularly stabbed at me. The first was in Chapter 2, verse 3, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves". I know that I am guilty of pride and like 'showing off' how much Bible study I have done compared to others, and I am not always that patient or kind. I will pray on this and work to not boast (except in the name of Jesus). I should give my time generously and make an effort to listen to those who aren't always included or who find it hard to understand things.

Further on in this chapter in verse 12 it tells us "to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure". Those who know me are aware that I sometimes doubt my own salvation but here it is, saying that it is God doing it all - how awesome!

Chapter 2 verse 15 chides us into "doing all things without grumbling or disputing", (yes, that does include emptying the dishwasher for the third time that day!), And why? So we are "blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom we shine as lights in the world and holding fast the world of life".

Despite this book being full of personal challenges, there are at least twelve mentions of the words "joy" and "rejoice" and for the majority of the time I was studying the book of Philippians, that lovely, lively chorus was going over and over in my mind - "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice" and comes directly from Chapter 4 verse 4. Although I have lots to think about and address, I still found that wonderful, uplifting joy that can only be found in our Lord.