It's a matter of trust

Trust is an interesting concept.  Sadly, these days there is a tendency sometimes to discourage trust.  A few week's ago I was out for an energetic walk and met a young boy and girl pushing their bikes up the steep hill I was walking down.  After a friendly exchange of greetings they took the opportunity of having a rest and we chatted for a few moments.  On such occasions I am always careful to ensure there is clear space between us.  They chatted away very happily but were then joined by their mum and dad who came puffing up the hill some way behind them.  I greeted them politely and started walking again.  However, I could sense a little concern on the part of the parents as to who the strange man was and why he was talking with their children.  Of course, they were right to be concerned as they knew nothing about me.  Parents have a duty of care, and being too trusting in some circumstances can be dangerous (though I hasten to add, not in this case).

I suppose trusting always carries a certain amount of risk and requires trust.  When Abraham obeyed in faith the call of God to leave home and friends and travel to an unknown destination (Hebrews 11:8) he must have known there was risk, or the element of faith would not be needed.  Walking by faith, like natural walking, requires a willingness to move from security and lose balance.  It takes a little time and some bumpy experiences before a toddler learns that after losing his/her balance he/she can recover it again and move forward in the process.

It seems to me that from time to time our ability to walk by faith gets tested.  Abraham's certainly was.  He had to wait many years for a promise to be fulfilled.  He even had to trust in an extreme way when offering his son.  We can't be sure what went through his mind, though Hebrews 11:19 suggest one explanation.  Haven't you ever reached a place in your life where you wonder just what God is up to?  Or maybe you have wondered whether he has forgotten to look after you and is busy somewhere else!

This week we received in the post an appeal letter from Guide Dogs. The envelope and the papers inside were illustrated with a photo of a friend of ours, Mike Townsend, and his guide dog Tom.  Mike and Tom found themselves caught up in the bombing in London in 2005.  Mike had been staying at the Tavistock Hotel and had just left on his routine walk to the offices of the RNIB in Judd Street just 8 minutes away.  Suddenly he heard an enormous explosion and was aware of people running past him in panic.  A bomb had gone off on a bus ripping it apart and killing many. The police then rapidly closed down a number of roads, making it impossible for the usual route to be followed.  Amazingly, Tom found a new and rather circuitous route to the offices.  Mike told me, "I couldn't understand why Tom was taking me the wrong way, because I couldn't see what was happening.  Then suddenly we were at the office.  Tom had found the way."

What Tom did is a great illustration of how we sometimes experience God's guidance.  Our limited vision makes us confused.  But just as Mike had to totally trust in Tom, we have to trust in God, even if it seems the way we are led is not what we expect.  God sees the bigger picture and knows the right way to get us to where we need to go.

Recent News

• It was good to share in teaching 32 second year cadets at the Salvation Army College recently.  The cadets had just received news of where they would be stationed and were shortly to be commissioned as officers. Please give thanks for their commitment and pray as they take up this ministry.
• Our enthusiastic Bible Discussion Meeting at Yelvertoft has chosen to work through Isaiah and we recently held our first session.  Give thanks for the desire to learn more of God's ways.
• Jonah was the subject for the service on Sunday 3oth June at HMP Gartree as we explored the challenge of obeying God's call to share his word, and the fact that our God gives second chances.  Give thanks for the Christian presence in the prison.
• Give thanks that I am almost fully recovered following the operation and fully back to work.
• Give thanks for an encouraging meeting recently with an Anglican bishop as we lay out plans for the research into rural evangelism.
• Give thanks for a positive response from some to letters I sent out on behalf of Action for Christ. We are grateful for Christian friends travelling with us through difficult times.

Prayers Please

• Sundays 7th and 14th - Yelvertoft Congregational Church
• Monday 8th - Lubenham Primary School, Leics.
• Tuesday 9th - Yelvertoft Primary School, Northants.  Taking our new Children and Families Worker with me.
• Wednesday 10th - Holiday at Home (outreach) planning meeting in Market Harborough.  Pray for the team led by Brian Kennard as we prepare for the outreach in August.
• Thursday 11th - Bible Discussion Meeting in Yelvertoft.
• Friday 12th - Visit to colleagues in East Midlands for renewal of their CRB certificates (now known as DBS)
• Saturday 13th - A bereavement support meeting in Yelvertoft.  This is an experiment and we have no idea who might turn up.
• Health - a recent eye test suggests that the macular degeneration I have in both eyes may be deteriorating and I have been referred to a hospital specialist.  Pray for wisdom and effective response as this could impact both reading and driving.
• International Congregational Conference takes place at the end of this month and we are in the final stages.  Pray for the team led by Val Price, and for all those travelling to London from various parts of the world 
• Action for Christ - pray for an adequate income to maintain this ministry of which I am a trustee.  We are in the final stages of clearing up problems left by a former trustee who devastated the charity.
• Please pray as I prepare to take up the research work, exploring how evangelism is understood and practised in rural England.

Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him and he will do this:

6 

he will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

    your vindication like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37: 5-6

As always, my heartfelt thanks for your fellowship.