Hello once again, I hope that you are all well and still looking out for your neighbours who are alone or ill, and even if you can’t visit for any reason just say a little prayer for them.
Well by the time you read this summer time will be upon us, although at the moment it seems more like we are in
WAYS OF SEEING
Sing to the Lord a new song – say among the nations, ‘The Lord Reigns’ – The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved, He will judge the people with equity, let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad. Psalm 96.
Psalm 96 is a song of joy to the Lord who rules the heavens and earth in glory and majesty. It speaks of a predicable world that cannot be moved; a world where God puts things right with equity and justice, a joyful world where nature and nations join in jubilation.
But as we look out on this world today what do we see? We see an unpredictable world where climate change can fill a lovely spring day with unease. We see a world where there is injustice, war and the threat of was, sex slaves and child labour. Where undeserved poverty and undeserved riches both distort lives. We see a sad world where relationships are broken and unnamed anxieties haunt even the comfortable
Where is God in all this? Why is His sovereignty so hard to detect?
In one of his memorable comments, John Stott said Christians are realists, they are not pessimists, full of gloom, they are not utopian optimists sure that humanity can build a better world. We do see the world as a desperately unhappy place.
But if that is all we see them this Psalm, and indeed the whole message of the Christian gospel has failed to reach our hearts.
The promise that God does reign. He will redeem and restore the heavens and the earth we can begin to sing a song of joy now.
In many points of our lives today, in achievements, in relationships, in everyday beauties and pleasures the son of joy will break through if we let it.
But we cannot simply sing this song and turn our back on the world. Instead this vision of stability, justice and joy should move us to play our part in bringing this new world about beginning today.
Your friend and brother in Christ – Mac.
