Are you the kind of person who is happy to wait for downloads, or couriers, or public transport, or phone calls?

In the instant-gratification world in which we live, we seek immediate results, and get frustrated when things don’t happen as fast as they can.

And when we’re impatient, it can easily lead us to act in a way that is unwise or ungodly.

In 1 Samuel 13, Saul chose not to wait for Samuel the prophet to perform a sacrifice, but instead he took matters into his own hands.

As God’s king, he was supposed to follow God rule, but as he faced the threat of war, he grew impatient, which resulted in him losing the kingdom to King David, the man after God’s own heart.

When God’s king, Jesus, was under great distress in the Garden of Gethsemene, he chose to patiently and obediently follow God’s rule, even though it would cost him dearly.

King Jesus patiently and obediently followed the Lord in his time of trial and distress… and in doing so, he went to the cross, where he died for our sin, and from where he rose to bring us the guarantee of eternal life.

As we get frustrated with waiting for answers to prayer, we can be tempted to take matters into our own hands, disobeying God’s word and acting independently of his rule.

But we must model ourselves on Jesus our Lord, who cried out to God, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Mark 14:36)

Praise God that Jesus was not impatient and that he was willing to follow his father’s command, even when to do so would bring him pain.

Praise God that his perseverance and obedience led to the glorious tragedy of the cross!

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Heiner Engbrocks via Flickr)

This second lockdown has taken many of us by surprise, especially after the optimistic steps in the past few months towards a return to some sort of normal.

But now with as the press conferences from Gladys and Dr. Chant grow in intensity, it is clear that we’ll be needing to work out how to manage the pandemic for a whole lot longer.

Whilst there is no doubt that our reduced freedoms and changed plans are causing us frustration and heartache, we must never forget that our Lord God remains fully in control of every small and large thing in the universe.

God has known about Covid-19 since the creation of the world, and that is why we can be thankful to him for both the good bits and the bad bits of this global pandemic.

There will be some people who will look back on this year and recognise that the crisis has led them to Christ, and that the trials and traumas of this pandemic have been the very things that have shaken their outlook and drawn them to become reconciled with Jesus as their loving ruler.

This also makes prayer seem all the more powerful, knowing that the one we humbly bring our prayers to is the same person who rules the universe: he listens to us because he loves us.

For this reason, we must keep praying to our Lord, asking that his will would be done, and that his kingdom would come.

What are you praying to the Lord during this latest lockdown? What are you asking your sovereign and gracious Lord in this time of trial?

In these troubling times, let us never lose sight of our saviour, as we fix our eyes “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

JODIE McNEILL

This week on holidays I read a short book called ‘Seven reasons to (re)consider Christianity’ by musician, minister and author, Ben Shaw.

As I read it, I was struck again by how much sense it makes to be a Christian and to follow Jesus.

For his seven chapter titles, he says that people should (re)consider Christianity because:

• it’s worth thinking through what life is really all about;
• Christianity is a lot more intellectually credible than you might have assumed;
• Christianity is about life to the full;
• Christianity gives a compelling answer to the question, “What’s wrong with the world?”;
• Jesus is arguably the most influential person in history’;
• the death of Jesus is surprisingly very good news for you, and;
• if Jesus really did rise from the dead, then it would confirm everything.

Each of the chapters give a simple and powerful explanation of why those facts are true, and in particular, why the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation for everything we believe.

Yet, whilst I think his arguments powerfully defend Christianity, the words of the epilogue bring a real, human dimension to his passioned plea to follow Jesus:

“Having death on my very own doorstep has forced me to do a serious reassessment of my faith, including everything I’ve said in this book. […] Yet in the end, far from having been shaken, I can honestly tell you that having this life-threatening illness has actually sharpened and increased my faith. As I stare at the possibility of an early death, I am, in fact, more confident than ever in these things.”

Last week Mandy and I watched the livestream of his funeral, as Ben passed away aged 52, having died from cancer of the jawbone.

Now he is with Christ, which is better by far, and his faith has now been turned to sight.

And the book he leaves us is a wonderful legacy that we pray will lead others to know the hope that has led him to paradise with his saviour, Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL