Be Still And Know

Jeremiah 9:23-24 The LORD says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD.” What are the things you boast about – the things that give you the most pride and pleasure? For many people, it’s their family, but for others it’s their education, their achievements, their influence or their wealth. Almost certainly, the answer is found in the things you are most keen to talk about when you have a chance! In these verses, God was not saying that wisdom, power and riches were bad. There is much that can be very good about all three, but they should never take pride of place in our lives. All three of them are of passing significance, but the Lord is different and our knowledge of him is something with enduring importance. The Bible constantly invites us to reflect on our lives and the way that we think. Every day, we are un

Jeremiah 8:21 I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief. The power of Jeremiah’s prophecy lies in the fact that he didn’t stand at a distance from the people. Their hurts were his hurts, and he described himself as being heartbroken and having grief that was beyond healing (Jeremiah 8:18). He knew that they were suffering because they had abandoned God’s way and had found other gods. As a result, they were just about to be defeated by an enemy who would come from the north and overwhelm them. Jeremiah was in such a state of distress that he cried out: “If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered” (Jeremiah 9:1). Leaders of God’s people should never stand at a distance from the people they are serving. If they are to be faithful to their calling, they will share the joys and the sorrows of the people among whom they minister. They will feel the pain of their failure and diso

Jeremiah 7:5-6 I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Most of the time, we probably think of justice as being in the hands of other people. We look to the police and the law courts to handle issues of justice, and we wish them well as they do so. However, these verses make it clear that justice involves us all. We all need to think and to act justly, and that is a challenge every day of our lives. We have to continually make judgments about what is just, whether it’s in our family, business, school, college, church or sports club. God was clear that he would only be merciful to his people if they were willing to take their responsibility for justice seriously. We live in a deeply unfair world. Although massive strides have been made in recent centuries, people still suffer becau

Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the LORD says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.” I struggle to remember the days before I used satellite navigation. However, I drove for many years before the luxury of these devices, and I would often come to a crossroads and wonder which way I needed to go next. I ministered in Devon for a number of years, and I frequently found myself travelling down beautiful country lanes and getting completely lost. Then, I would come to a crossroads, and I had to make a decision. God spoke to his people and told them to do just that: stop and reflect on which way they needed to go next. They had the power to go whichever way they chose but he advised them to choose the old, godly way that God had shown them through Moses. From time to time, we all face decisive moments. There will always be a range of options, but amid the clamour, we can hear the voice of Jesus saying: “Com

Jeremiah 3:22 “My wayward children,” says the LORD: “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” Jeremiah went to great lengths to show just how far people had wandered away from God. He used incredibly strong language. He talked about them acting like a prostitute running after many lovers, and pictured them sitting by the road waiting for customers (Jeremiah 3:2). Israel had totally abandoned the one true God and had explored every other god on offer. But, amazingly, God hadn’t given up on them. He still reached out his hands of love and offered to welcome them home and heal their wayward hearts. The lavish generosity of God’s forgiveness is a prominent theme throughout the Bible. Although humankind has repeatedly rebelled against him, he has always been ready to offer his welcome to all who will turn to him. The parable of the prodigal son is the most beautiful expression of God’s fatherly love (Luke 15:11-32). The son acted in a completely irresponsible way. It was bad enough that he

Jeremiah 2:13 [The Lord says:] “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” In a country like Palestine, cisterns are a vital way of storing water for the long, hot and dry summers. The porous limestone rock needs to be lined with plaster in order to make them watertight. A cistern with a cracked lining is completely useless, and Jeremiah used this powerful image to tell the people that the gods they were worshipping were a complete waste of time. They could never satisfy their needs, unlike the fountain of living water that God offered to provide for them. This reminds us of Jesus’ encounter with the woman of Samaria (John 4). He offered her living water which could completely satisfy her deepest needs. She would never be thirsty again. Our society is full of cracked cisterns. Each one offers the lure of possessions, philosophies and entertainments which have the power

Jeremiah 1:9-10 Then the LORD reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” Being a prophet is a tough job, and Jeremiah was just about to learn how demanding it was going to be for him. We all love sharing good news and saying nice things about people, but much of Jeremiah’s job was almost the complete opposite. He had to declare words of judgment to a nation that had abandoned God’s way. It was going to be a hard road for him, so he needed to be absolutely clear that what he was passing on was from God himself. In a moment which reminds us of the call of Isaiah, the Lord reached out and touched his mouth as he gave him his marching orders. God’s words are always full of love, but they are often tough both to hear and to share. It is tempting for a preacher or prophet to say what people want to hear. Peopl

Jeremiah 1:6-7 “O Sovereign LORD,” I said: “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The LORD replied: “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.” Jeremiah followed in the well-worn tradition of trying to avoid doing what God was calling him to do. His words remind us of Moses, who responded to God’s call from the burning bush with a long list of reasons why he was a most unsuitable candidate to lead God’s people. Jeremiah tried the same approach, feeling that his age was the reason why God would need to look for someone else. His words were, of course, absurd, because he was addressing them to the creator of the world! God had formed Jeremiah in his mother’s womb and, even before he was born, had set him apart to be a prophet. Times haven’t changed that much, and people are still offering God reasons why he has chosen the wrong person. When people were suggesting that I might be called to be a minister, I was eager to find a way of avoiding this. My

Proverbs 26:14 As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed. The writer of the Proverbs has a great deal to say about laziness, and he is terrified of it. He sees it as the surest route to poverty and, in a society without a welfare state, that could easily spell starvation and even death. Fighting the war against laziness starts at the very beginning of the day when we decide to stop turning over in bed and actually get up! Laziness will try to lure us into its trap if it possibly can. A Latin proverb says: “As worms breed in a pool of stagnant water, so evil thoughts breed in the mind of the idle.” I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with times of relaxation. The problem that the writer of the Proverbs identifies is that without a clear sense of direction and purpose, evil thoughts can take root and breed. CH Spurgeon, the famous Victorian Baptist preacher, wrote: “Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle.” Laziness i

Proverbs 25:28 A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls. It’s always tragic to see someone who is drunk. They stagger around with no clear sense of direction, their speech is slurred and you worry that they’ll fall over and hurt themselves. There are many other less obvious examples of a loss of self-control. Some people lack self-control in their spending or eating and the results can be disastrous. The writer of Proverbs compares the person without self-control to a city with broken-down walls – a city that is open to attack at any moment. It is completely vulnerable, and the citizens are right to live in fear. What city would want to live like that for a single day? The New Testament identifies self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit. These fruits naturally grow when the Holy Spirit is in charge of our lives. They are the characteristics of a life that is lived to the full. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gala

Proverbs 25:25 Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty. This wonderful proverb doesn’t make much sense in our modern world where communications across the globe are instant. However, I remember the days before such impressively instant communications. When I lived in India, we had to communicate by post, and it could take a couple of weeks for letters to arrive from the UK. The highlight of my day was when the postman cycled onto our compound proudly ringing his bell. When I discovered that he had letters for me, it was just like being given a glass of cold water on a hot day. When the writer of Proverbs was putting together his wise words, it was incredibly difficult and dangerous to send news over a big distance. To receive any news was amazing, and to receive good news from a distant place was absolutely wonderful. The Bible is full of good news. It tells us that we are made in the image of God, and that we are loved by the creator of the world. At times we might feel unimportant and

Proverbs 25:20 Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like taking someone’s coat in cold weather or pouring vinegar in a wound. This is a painful proverb because we all have the capacity to be insensitive. Singing cheerful songs is obviously lovely, but to impose this on someone who is depressed is the very last thing that we should ever do. We can all do the wrong thing. We can all say things that are inappropriate and act in a way that we later realise was extremely unhelpful. The question we need to ask is: How can we avoid getting it so agonisingly wrong? Let’s begin with humility! We need to be aware of our capacity to get things wrong. We are always learners in the area of human relationships. Am I the only person who has called another person by the wrong name? Probably not! It’s horribly embarrassing, but while moments like these are humbling, they are thoroughly good for us. Secondly, we need to be quick to admit our mistakes and seek forgiveness. If we are living humbly, this wi

Proverbs 25:19 Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot. Being able to trust reliable people is so important, especially when we are going through a tough time. I thank God for the privilege of working with people over the years who have been totally trustworthy. Their word was their bond. I knew that if they promised to do something, it would not only be done, but done well. However, I’m sure we’ve all encountered people who promised generously to help, but simply didn’t get round to it, or did it so half-heartedly that it would have been better for everyone if they hadn’t started. The powerful and painful imagery of chewing with a broken tooth and walking on a lame foot comes easily to mind. We all want to be reliable people. We don’t want to make others suffer through our unreliability. How are we going to ensure that we remain reliable? It is good to be determined, but not enough. We need God’s daily strength to help us

Proverbs 25:18 Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an axe, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow. Lying is a terrible business, and the writer of Proverbs captures its awful destructiveness. It is a very tempting route when the truth is hard to face. The temptation is to at least bend the truth so that its sharper edges aren’t obvious. However, when you start lying, it is very hard to stop. Washington Allston, the American artist and poet, wrote: “Nothing is rarer than a solitary lie; for lies breed like toads; you cannot tell one but out it comes with a hundred little ones on its back.” Lying becomes nothing less than a tragic way of life for those who choose its path. The writer of Proverbs wants his readers to understand that the only way of life worth living is one where the truth is treasured. Phillips Brooks, the hymn writer, wrote: “Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks, and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks.” Dur

Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick! We can always trust the writer of Proverbs to give us sound advice! His purpose is to help us live life to the full and avoid the many traps that lie in wait for us every single day. One of those traps is overeating. He draws attention to honey, which is undoubtedly good, but, like everything else, only in moderation. If we overdo it, the outcome is inevitable and well worth avoiding. Life is full of good things, but each of them will be spoilt if we give them the wrong prominence in our lives. Later in this chapter, the writer repeats the warning about overindulging on honey and adds “and it’s not good to seek honours for yourself” (v27). Once again, honours are inherently good. It is a blessing to be recognised, appreciated and honoured, but these things should be regarded simply as gifts and blessings rather than constantly sought. Keeping everything in proportion is crucial to the enjoyment of life and the writer of the Proverbs is clear

Colossians 4:7,9 Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. You learn a lot about people through the way they speak about others. I love how Paul speaks so warmly of his friends. Tychicus was clearly someone he trusted completely and who gave Paul wonderful support in his ministry. He is mentioned five times in the New Testament and always receives glowing praise from Paul. In his second letter to Timothy, we learn that the apostle sent Tychicus to take over from Timothy in Ephesus so that Timothy could be released to spend some time with Paul before his death. It’s vital that we all have people we can trust completely. That’s fundamental to the way in which the Church, the body of Christ, works. Like Paul, we need to celebrate those who stand shoulder to shoulder with us. I thank God for the trustworthy people who hav

Colossians 4:5-6 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Whether we have a short or a long life, our opportunities are finite. Paul urges his readers to take every opportunity seriously, which means that we need to live wisely. Wisdom is always a deeply practical word in the Bible. The wise person takes God’s truth and applies it to everyday life. This is particularly crucial in our relationship with those who are not believers because, whether we like it or not, people are looking at our lives and learning about God from our example. When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he told them that they were ambassadors – they represented God and his kingdom to the non-Christian world. One of my sisters is an ambassador for the British government and her whole life is shaped by her responsibility to represent our nation well. Our task as Christians is the same.

Colossians 4:2-3 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. The importance of prayer cannot be exaggerated. It has been wisely said that we are as strong as our prayer lives, and no stronger. That applies just as much to us as individuals as it does to our churches. It is through prayer that we deliberately open up our lives to God, so without it we will soon be struggling. It’s for that reason that Paul encouraged his readers to devote themselves to prayer. Paul was more than aware of the spiritual battle that they were fighting every day, and they needed prayer to keep them spiritually alert. We must never forget that Paul was in prison when he wrote these words. No one knew better than he did how important it was to stay close to God in prayer. I love the fact that prayer and action belonged together in Paul’s thinking. So often, peo

Colossians 3:22-23 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. There was a jazz song that became very popular during the second world war which went: “Tain’t what you do. It’s the way that you do it.” Paul would have agreed with that. There were probably many slaves in the congregation at Colossae, and he knew that the way they did their work was a fundamental part of their Christian testimony. They obviously needed to do the right things, but it was important that they did them in the right way, whether or not their master was watching them. They needed to give their best because the service they were giving flowed from their relationship of reverent fear for the Lord. He would always be watching, even if their master wasn’t. They needed to work willingly at whateve

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. The world is full of conflict. Whether you look at international relations, national politics or even the life of your local community, conflict is never far away – but that isn’t what God wants for us. He has made it possible for us to live at peace through Christ. Paul speaks about Christ acting like an umpire who oversees our lives and continually works to ensure that peace occurs. However, the first word of that sentence is the crucial one – ‘Let’. Peace won’t just happen. We have to give our ‘yes’ to the peace of Christ. We need to welcome him into the centre of our lives and allow him to bring his peace to every situation that we face. Peace is our calling as part of the body of Christ, the Church. We cannot sit idly by when we see strained relationships within the Church. As in every other human community, people fall out with one another, and