Be Still And Know

Luke 1:72-73 “He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant – the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.” Zechariah’s beautiful song of worship after the birth of his son, John the Baptist, celebrated how God had led his people in the Old Testament. Fundamental to God’s dealings with his people was his covenant. This was the understanding that underpinned God’s relationship with the people of Israel. Importantly, a covenant is two-way. God made certain promises about what he would do, and then he expected the people to fulfil their side of the relationship in response. Although he longed for them to live in partnership with him, he never imposed it. Zechariah pointed back to the covenant that God established with Abraham. To show the intense seriousness of the covenant, God made it with an oath. That might seem strange, since we are used to people using oaths in order to appeal to a higher authority. Clearly, God is in a completely different position as he is the

Luke 1:67-70 Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Saviour from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.” The birth of John the Baptist was a momentous moment in many ways. John’s mother, Elizabeth, had been astonished to fall pregnant at her advanced age, but also had to cope with the shock of a mute husband. When the baby arrived, neighbours and relatives came together to celebrate. The big question was how the child would be named, and the crowd of well-wishers expected that he would be called Zechariah after his father. But no, Elizabeth had become convinced that his name should be John. They then needed to find out Zechariah’s opinion and, still unable to speak, he wrote down on a writing tablet to everyone’s surprise: “His name is John.” The great joy for this elderly and godly couple was that in their son, John, G

Psalm 90:10,12 Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. It’s wonderful that so many people are living to the age of 100. In the UK, there are more than 15,000 centenarians, and that figure is about double the number of 20 years ago. However, such long lives are as nothing when placed on the timeline of history, or when we think of our God, for whom 1,000 years are like a day. It is important for us all to listen hard to the psalmist. He observes that 70 years is a typical lifespan, and that some reach 80. In the light of this, he asks God to teach us to realise that life is brief. That could sound sad and morbid, but that would be to forget that every single day of life is a gift that we couldn’t possibly deserve. Facing up to our mortality is actually a very positive thing to do. When we accept that our number of days is lim

Psalm 89:8 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. Faithfulness is a wonderful word. To find someone who is absolutely trustworthy and dependable is an incredible blessing, and the psalmist is convinced that God is exactly that. He looks into the heavens and reflects on the awesomeness of creation and concludes that God is entirely faithful, unlike anyone else. I am happy to be the owner of lots of insurance policies! I like the security that insurance gives and am more than happy to pay up, but we only need insurance because we live in a world where there is so much uncertainty. Things break and people let us down, and we need to have the cushion of insurance to keep life going. However, when we look to God, we need to take out no insurance against the possibility that he might let us down. We can lean with all our weight on him, knowing that he will never fail us. I love Deuteronomy 33:26-27, where Moses, like the psalmist, speaks of God

Revelation 21:3-4 [John wrote:] “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Here, John gives us a wonderful vision of heaven. If our present world is characterised by the gap between God and humankind, heaven is the place where no such gap exists. God will live with his people with an intimacy that we cannot fully experience here on earth. In consequence, it will be a place where death, sorrow, crying and pain have come to an end. All four have to do with separation, and when we are in the nearer presence of God, there will be no separation. What a joy and relief that will be! Christians have varied enormously in their thinking about heaven. Some have devoted so much time and energy to focusing on heaven that they have been distracted from the

Revelation 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered – to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.” Life is full of mysteries. The evil of our world is agonising, and the innocent suffer in ways that continually horrify and distress us. In this chapter, John shares his vision of a scroll which held the answers to the mysteries of the world, but there was a problem. There were seven seals to this scroll, and nobody could be found to open it. John wept bitterly at this, but the 24 elders pointed out that somebody had been found who was worthy to break open the seal. He was the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, none other than Jesus Christ himself. Jesus was the victorious lion but also the lamb. He had only won his great victory because he had been willing to become a sacrificial offering. In response, millions of angels burst out in song, praising him. This takes us to the heart of this amazing book. It recognises the terrible evil of the w

Revelation 4:8 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty – the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” During the last few days, we have been challenged by the risen Lord’s messages to the seven churches. They have been extremely down-to-earth and have spoken directly into the lives of those very different churches. We have been given a very clear insight into their strengths and weaknesses and the sharp challenges that they had to face. Now, our attention is moved from earth to heaven, and the language is dramatic and amazing. In this chapter, we meet the risen Christ sitting on a throne, surrounded by 24 thrones on which sat 24 elders. We are then introduced to four living beings, which had eyes both back and front. They had the appearance of a lion, an ox, a human face and an eagle, and they each had six wings. It’s all utterly amazing and quite unlike being on earth, but what matters is that they spent all day and night declaring: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—

Revelation 3:20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Holman Hunt’s painting [itals]Light of the World[end itals] is probably the best known of all biblical pictures. Jesus stands outside a door which is overgrown and clearly hasn’t been opened for a long time. Hunt painted no handle on the door. Jesus has to wait for the person inside to open it up. The risen Lord was standing outside the church in Laodicea. Although the people were self-confident and believed that everything was fine, Jesus hadn’t been admitted to the church. He had to ask to be let in. Could there be a greater tragedy than this? The whole point of a church is that it is the community where people can meet Jesus, but this powerful letter tells us that it is actually possible for a church to exclude Jesus. Churches can degenerate into being nothing more than a social club, or a social action organisation. There’s nothing wrong with thes

Revelation 3:19 [The risen Lord said:] “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.” This letter to the church in Laodicea was a wake-up call. They were full of self-confidence, but the Lord told them that they had absolutely no reason to feel like that. In a city that prided itself on its wealth, they were told how poor they are. In a region famed for its wool, they were told that they were naked, and there was no humiliation more terrible in the ancient world than that. In an area that was famous for its eye salve for sore eyes, they were told that they were blind. But the Lord hadn’t given up on them. Although he was appalled by their lukewarmness, and shocked by their misplaced self-confidence, he was eager for them to change. His reason for correcting and disciplining them was because he loved them. Discipline is never enjoyable, but when the words are full of love and wisdom, it is a very foolish person who ignores them. I would be intrigued to know what

Revelation 3:14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen – the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation.” Nothing is more important in this life than knowing who can be trusted. It is fundamentally important within our family and among our friends, but it is also important with our work colleagues, garage mechanics, plumbers, electricians and all the people who play a crucial part in our lives. This is supremely important when it comes to our faith. Who can we trust with our lives and our eternal future? This letter begins with a firm affirmation that the risen Lord Jesus Christ is totally reliable. He is the Amen, the God of Truth, and he will never let us down. His witness is absolutely true, and he is the one who has ushered in the new creation. For all of these reasons, the Laodicean church needed to listen hard to the words of the risen Lord. What they received certainly weren’t the words they wanted to hear. Lao

Revelation 3:8 [The risen Lord said:] “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” These words were written to the church in the prosperous city of Philadelphia. Most of the seven churches were criticised for some aspect of their life, but not this one. They were probably small in number, but they had persevered in the face of opposition and been faithful. The Lord encouraged them that he had opened a door for them, and because he had opened it, no one would be able to close it. What an encouragement this must have been for them! It was clearly tough going for the Christians in Philadelphia, and the danger at such times is that we turn in on ourselves. We just try to survive. I believe that God wants us to keep our minds and hearts open to new possibilities and opportunities. God is always in the business of opening new doors for his people. I love how the apostle Paul constantly looked and pra

Revelation 3:1-2 This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive – but you are dead. Wake up!” I love that these seven letters to the churches are all completely different. Each church had its own history, strengths and weaknesses, and the risen Lord addressed his words specifically to each situation. The church at Sardis seemed to mirror the city in which it was founded. The city was built on a very steep hill and it was assumed that it would be impossible for an enemy army to attack it successfully. However, on two occasions, attacking forces managed to scale the precipice and conquer the city. They succeeded because the over-confident residents hadn’t felt it necessary to have any guards. Their laziness was their downfall, and now the church was being accused of exactly the same failing. The church in Sardis had a great reputation. They were seen as successful, but the Lord knew the tr

Revelation 2:18-19 This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.” This is the beginning of the letter to the church in Thyatira. It was the smallest and least significant of the seven towns which the risen Lord addressed, and yet they received the longest letter! Thyatira was a busy commercial centre, particularly famous for dyeing wool. You may remember that Lydia, who Paul met in Phillipi and who was the first European convert to Christianity, was a trader in purple cloth and came from Thyatira. There was much to praise in this church. Not only were they loving, faithful, servant hearted and patiently persistent in their faith, but they were also constantly improving. What more could you want? Sadly, they had a problem. They had allowed somebody to infiltrate the church w

Revelation 2:14 [The risen Lord said:] “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel.” These letters to the churches in Revelation are wonderfully straightforward and personal. The risen Lord didn’t beat around the bush! He identified that the Christians in Pergamum had much to commend them. They had been loyal to the Lord in the face of great opposition, but they weren’t perfect. They were living in a society that was full of idolatrous practices and they weren’t standing up against them in the way that they should have been. I wonder what the risen Lord makes of your church. What would he be commending, and what might his complaints be? Your church, good as it may well be, isn’t perfect. It has room for growth, and every church needs to be willing to hear the truth so that it can come up with a plan for its development. Over the years, I have been involved in a number of consultation proce

Revelation 2:12-13 This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword: “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me.” The city of Pergamum was famous for its commitment to emperor worship. It had three temples that were exclusively devoted to the Roman emperor. Although it didn’t have the long history and grandeur of Ephesus, Pergamum was the Roman capital of this region. It was here that the proconsul lived, who had the power of life and death. This was a supremely difficult place for Christians to live and worship, so the commendation from the risen Lord was all the more powerful. Even though Satan appeared to be in charge, they had remained loyal to the Lord. JRR Tolkien, the author of [itals]The Lord of the Rings[end itals], wrote: “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” It is easy to be loyal and faithful when times are good and the going is easy, but the test is what you do when night comes. The Lord looks for followe

Revelation 2:10 The risen Lord said: “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.” It’s hard for most of us to imagine living with the continual likelihood of persecution for our Christian faith. The harshest treatment we are likely to receive is being laughed at because of it. Just imagine what it would be like to live with the fear that at any time there might be a knock at the door from the secret police. For those of us who have never had such an experience, we need to be aware that there are millions of Christians in many parts of the world who live today with exactly that threat. Throughout the past 2,000 years, there has been a constant tide of persecution. The Lord told the church of Smyrna not to be afraid because there would be an amazing reward for their suffering. They would receive the crown of life. This wasn’t the cr

Revelation 2:8-9 This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: “I know about your suffering and your poverty – but you are rich!” These words introduce the letter to the church in Smyrna. There was no surprise that the first letter went to Ephesus – it was viewed as the most influential of the cities. However, Smyrna was a close rival. It was a busy commercial centre with its own well-protected port. It had been founded long ago as a Greek colony, but in about 600BC it was largely destroyed by an invading army. Hundreds of years later, it was reconstructed, and it became a finely planned city with broad straight avenues and pavements. It was truly a city that had come back to life, so it was more than appropriate that they received a message from the Lord who had passed from death to life. The Lord’s message was that he totally understood where they were coming from. He knew just how much they had suffered and how grindingly poor they were. The word used for

Revelation 2:7 [The risen Lord says:] “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” All seven of the letters to the churches end with these words. They make it clear that the letters have been written not merely to them specifically but to anyone with the ability to listen. They are the words of the Spirit, words of life for anyone who will hear them. Tuning our ears into the voice of the Spirit is vital for all of us. The Holy Spirit is the source of life and wisdom, and without him we will never be able to discern God’s will. However, his voice is only one of the innumerable voices with which we are continually bombarded. Listening to the Spirit is an activity which will only take place when we deliberately give him our attention. Most people don’t listen with the intention of understanding, but of replying. We are all looking for the opportunity to share what matters to us and often have no real interest in what the other person has to say. True

Revelation 2:4 [The risen Lord said:] “I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” Many of us will be more familiar with an earlier translation of these words: “you have lost your first love”. The Christians in Ephesus had done so well. They had been strong in the face of opposition but, in the process, they had lost their early passionate love for the Lord and for one another. We don’t know what had caused them to lose their first love, but we all know how easily it happens. The normal cause is simply distraction. Life gets busy, and even the most important things can be crowded out. In Ephesus, the Christians had had to work really hard to survive amid all the opposition. They had been infiltrated by false teachers, but they had tested them and found them out. The Lord commended them for standing up so strongly for their faith and particularly for the way they had resisted a group called the Nicolaitans. All of that was excellent, but along the way they had

Revelation 2:2 [The risen Lord said,] “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people.” These words come from the first of the seven letters to the churches, and they were addressed to the church in Ephesus. Pergamum was the capital city of the province of Asia, but Ephesus was in every way the greatest city. It had the largest port in the area and many major roads converged on it. It was particularly famous for its religious significance. The city was home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – the Temple of Artemis. It was a vast structure measuring 130 by 60 metres, and with 120 columns. Ephesus was also a notorious centre for pagan superstition. In short, it wasn’t the easiest place to establish a church, and the Christians were commended for their hard work and endurance. They could so easily have buckled in the face of the challenges, but they hadn’t. The word from the risen Lord to the Ephesian church was that he