And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. 1 Corinthians 7:17
You should by all means plan and prepare for the future, but don't go losing your life as it is now wishing about other things - you'll miss out.
For such a time as this you are here.
God didn't say: 'There is nothing to worry about', He did say: 'Do not worry, I am here with you.'
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Monday 30 July 2012
I thought it was a good idea all along?!
Every new idea goes through 3 phases: 'It will not work.' 'It will cost too much.' 'I thought it was a good idea all along.'
I think this is very true, however, not always in that order, and certainly some ideas go through the 3 phases several hundred times. This weekend got me thinking very hard about Africa, in particular Uganda. It was no accident the lead speaker at the conference I went to was speaking about her charity in Uganda and the Esther story - 'For such a time as this.' God was saying - this is for you too, in a different way, but this is the same outcome.
God reconfirmed again His vision for my future - Go to Africa, build a hospital, help my people in their need.
Last year when I was in Malawi, looking back, I think I finally got to: 'I thought it was a good idea all along.' Since then though, I have been in the combined thoughts of: 'It will cost too much,' and 'It will not work.' Not in cost terms of money, but in terms of my life. I do want to do this, but I want other things too, and right now I'm not quite sure how they would ever all fit together.
The phrase 'Trust in the Lord, and lean not on your own understanding.' has been God's watchword for me over the last couple of years, now He's added to it: 'Do NOT be afraid.'
Psalm 20:1-6
God answer you on the day you crash,
The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harms reach,
send reinforcements from Holy Hill,
dispatch from Zion fresh supplies,
exclaim over you offerings, celebrate your sacrifices,
give you what your heart desires, accomplish your plans.
When you win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners.
May all your wishes come true!
That clinches it - help is coming, an answer's on the way,
everything is going to work out.
Psalm 119:93
What you say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens.
Your truth never goes out of fashion; it's as up-to-date as the earth when the sun comes up.
Your Word and truth are dependable as ever; that's what you ordered—you set the earth going.
If your revelation hadn't delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came.
But I'll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words.
Save me! I'm all yours. I look high and low for your words of wisdom.
The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I'm only concerned with your plans for me.
I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can't contain your commands!
I think this is very true, however, not always in that order, and certainly some ideas go through the 3 phases several hundred times. This weekend got me thinking very hard about Africa, in particular Uganda. It was no accident the lead speaker at the conference I went to was speaking about her charity in Uganda and the Esther story - 'For such a time as this.' God was saying - this is for you too, in a different way, but this is the same outcome.
God reconfirmed again His vision for my future - Go to Africa, build a hospital, help my people in their need.
Last year when I was in Malawi, looking back, I think I finally got to: 'I thought it was a good idea all along.' Since then though, I have been in the combined thoughts of: 'It will cost too much,' and 'It will not work.' Not in cost terms of money, but in terms of my life. I do want to do this, but I want other things too, and right now I'm not quite sure how they would ever all fit together.
The phrase 'Trust in the Lord, and lean not on your own understanding.' has been God's watchword for me over the last couple of years, now He's added to it: 'Do NOT be afraid.'
Psalm 20:1-6
God answer you on the day you crash,
The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harms reach,
send reinforcements from Holy Hill,
dispatch from Zion fresh supplies,
exclaim over you offerings, celebrate your sacrifices,
give you what your heart desires, accomplish your plans.
When you win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners.
May all your wishes come true!
That clinches it - help is coming, an answer's on the way,
everything is going to work out.
Psalm 119:93
What you say goes, God, and stays, as permanent as the heavens.
Your truth never goes out of fashion; it's as up-to-date as the earth when the sun comes up.
Your Word and truth are dependable as ever; that's what you ordered—you set the earth going.
If your revelation hadn't delighted me so, I would have given up when the hard times came.
But I'll never forget the advice you gave me; you saved my life with those wise words.
Save me! I'm all yours. I look high and low for your words of wisdom.
The wicked lie in ambush to destroy me, but I'm only concerned with your plans for me.
I see the limits to everything human, but the horizons can't contain your commands!
Monday 16 July 2012
The King in the Kid
So I've just got back from Winter Playground 2012! We (Elim Church Blenheim) took around 100 youth group kids from around the area snowboarding up Mount Lyford. Each evening we had a 'churchy' meeting and we learnt more about knowing God. Not just knowing He exists but having an encounter with Him. It was awesome, and it wasn't just the kids who learnt something, God really challenged me as well.
Do we know Jesus is in our boat? He calmed the storm on the sea. Do we know He is with us to draw strength from, we can't do it alone. He will never leave you, nor forsake you.
There is a king in each one of us. There is greatness upon our lives and a plan and purpose for us. God is much bigger than any obstacle and the cause in front of you is bigger than any obstacle.
Isn't there a cause, something worth fighting for? Never let it hold you back that you are too young/old/small/scared/the obstacle is too big.
God reminded me of His vision for my life that night - to set up an orthopaedic hospital in Africa. He reminded me not to give up, even though it seems tough to get where I need to be to go to Africa. Sometimes it seems impossible to get there. I need to be a consultant surgeon, to even think about it, and I seem so far away from that yet. But I was reminded to hang in there, TRUST HIM, the cause is much bigger than the obstacle.
Do we know Jesus is in our boat? He calmed the storm on the sea. Do we know He is with us to draw strength from, we can't do it alone. He will never leave you, nor forsake you.
There is a king in each one of us. There is greatness upon our lives and a plan and purpose for us. God is much bigger than any obstacle and the cause in front of you is bigger than any obstacle.
Isn't there a cause, something worth fighting for? Never let it hold you back that you are too young/old/small/scared/the obstacle is too big.
God reminded me of His vision for my life that night - to set up an orthopaedic hospital in Africa. He reminded me not to give up, even though it seems tough to get where I need to be to go to Africa. Sometimes it seems impossible to get there. I need to be a consultant surgeon, to even think about it, and I seem so far away from that yet. But I was reminded to hang in there, TRUST HIM, the cause is much bigger than the obstacle.
Wednesday 11 July 2012
Do not be anxious
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great unsearchable things you do not know.' Jeremiah 33:3
'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.' Phillipians 4:6-7
How often do we get anxious or worry about stuff? And does it actually get us anywhere??! I always find I get more anxious about the thing I'm anxious about when I keep thinking about it! God promises peace, and as the verse says, we won't necessarily understand it, but it will guard our hearts and minds against the anxiousness eating away at you. Have you ever had that? A worry that when you pray to God about it suddenly you are remarkably peaceful, you know whatever it is will still happen, e.g. an interview/exam etc but there is absolute peace. I've experienced this on occasions, mostly in simple small ways but once in a very dramatic way.
One consultant I worked for at the time (the other 3 were OK with me and thought there were no problems) wanted to fail me and make me retake my first year as a doctor, she thought I wasn't good enough - comparing me to a registrar level rather than a first year. Unfortunately the head supervisor of the deanery took this consultants side of the story and ignored the other 3 and my previous consultants who had all given me excellent reports and had no concerns (they realised I was a first year, and treated me as one)! Anyway, the decision was pending - retake the year or pass.....I was distraught, I couldn't think straight, anger and anxiousness was eating me up at the unfairness of it all and the worry of being classed as a failure and not progressing - everybody would know I was a failure. Finally I couldn't take it any more, and removed myself from the department. I wondered the hospital corridor to the other end to deliver a script at pharmacy, and on the way back I passed the chapel. I went in. No one was there except me. I was still shaking with anger and worry, on the constant verge of tears. I sat down and prayed harder than I had ever prayed before. I cried to God at the unfairness, told Him that I was scared, and couldn't take it any more....I hated her for doing this. And I heard as clear as day 'BE STILL'. 'KNOW THAT I AM GOD.' Not like a loud voice spoken aloud or anything but everything in my head stopped, the worry, all my thoughts, and through that stillness came those words. The ones that had been in and out of my heart for a year or more before since reading Helen Roseveare's book Give Me This Mountain, and the words that continued with me for a few years after, and why this blog is called Be Still And Know!
I didn't understand it but it was awesome, I was no longer shaking and petrified, I was still worried believe me, but I was consumed by it, I could function, and even talk to people without trembling or crying.
God heard my cry, in the most spectacular way. I passed the year, and even though the certain consultant and overall supervisor said they would write a letter to my next hospital supervisor about the situation so I could be 'supervised more heavily' it was OK. Oh and by the way the letter they 'wrote', never made it to the next hospital, my new supervisor when I told her about the situation said: 'never got a letter about you, and I like to make my own mind up about juniors anyway, so I would have ignored it!' WOW! God certainly answers prayer.
Now when I worry about stuff, or wonder whether God will be faithful in His promises, I remember that answer and KNOW HE IS GOD.
'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.' Phillipians 4:6-7
How often do we get anxious or worry about stuff? And does it actually get us anywhere??! I always find I get more anxious about the thing I'm anxious about when I keep thinking about it! God promises peace, and as the verse says, we won't necessarily understand it, but it will guard our hearts and minds against the anxiousness eating away at you. Have you ever had that? A worry that when you pray to God about it suddenly you are remarkably peaceful, you know whatever it is will still happen, e.g. an interview/exam etc but there is absolute peace. I've experienced this on occasions, mostly in simple small ways but once in a very dramatic way.
One consultant I worked for at the time (the other 3 were OK with me and thought there were no problems) wanted to fail me and make me retake my first year as a doctor, she thought I wasn't good enough - comparing me to a registrar level rather than a first year. Unfortunately the head supervisor of the deanery took this consultants side of the story and ignored the other 3 and my previous consultants who had all given me excellent reports and had no concerns (they realised I was a first year, and treated me as one)! Anyway, the decision was pending - retake the year or pass.....I was distraught, I couldn't think straight, anger and anxiousness was eating me up at the unfairness of it all and the worry of being classed as a failure and not progressing - everybody would know I was a failure. Finally I couldn't take it any more, and removed myself from the department. I wondered the hospital corridor to the other end to deliver a script at pharmacy, and on the way back I passed the chapel. I went in. No one was there except me. I was still shaking with anger and worry, on the constant verge of tears. I sat down and prayed harder than I had ever prayed before. I cried to God at the unfairness, told Him that I was scared, and couldn't take it any more....I hated her for doing this. And I heard as clear as day 'BE STILL'. 'KNOW THAT I AM GOD.' Not like a loud voice spoken aloud or anything but everything in my head stopped, the worry, all my thoughts, and through that stillness came those words. The ones that had been in and out of my heart for a year or more before since reading Helen Roseveare's book Give Me This Mountain, and the words that continued with me for a few years after, and why this blog is called Be Still And Know!
I didn't understand it but it was awesome, I was no longer shaking and petrified, I was still worried believe me, but I was consumed by it, I could function, and even talk to people without trembling or crying.
God heard my cry, in the most spectacular way. I passed the year, and even though the certain consultant and overall supervisor said they would write a letter to my next hospital supervisor about the situation so I could be 'supervised more heavily' it was OK. Oh and by the way the letter they 'wrote', never made it to the next hospital, my new supervisor when I told her about the situation said: 'never got a letter about you, and I like to make my own mind up about juniors anyway, so I would have ignored it!' WOW! God certainly answers prayer.
Now when I worry about stuff, or wonder whether God will be faithful in His promises, I remember that answer and KNOW HE IS GOD.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
But The World Looks Flat!
So, I've not had a computer for a week and have therefore neglected quiet time, since my quiet times are based on Nicky Gumbel's Bible in One Year website. And what do I come back to?....
TRUST IN THE LORD!
God keeps reminding me of this, He is patient and keeps reminding me, because I obviously keep forgetting it!
'God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.' Ephesians 3:20
I was thinking again about 'Trust in the Lord, and lean not on your own understanding.' God's understanding is so much more than our own. We only see and understand the tiniest bit, whereas God sees the whole thing. Think about the past when people thought the world was flat and if you sailed far enough you'd drop off the edge. Well to our sight, the world does look flat, you can't see the curve of the land beneath our feet because the world is too large. But God can see the whole world, He has it in the palm of His hand. When He tells us the world is round and we won't fall off the edge, we should believe Him - He can see it, we cannot.
The bottom line? Just because something doesn't make sense to human logic doesn't mean God has lost control or has forgotten us. Trust in Him and His understanding, He is far more wise than us puny humans!
TRUST IN THE LORD!
God keeps reminding me of this, He is patient and keeps reminding me, because I obviously keep forgetting it!
'God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.' Ephesians 3:20
I was thinking again about 'Trust in the Lord, and lean not on your own understanding.' God's understanding is so much more than our own. We only see and understand the tiniest bit, whereas God sees the whole thing. Think about the past when people thought the world was flat and if you sailed far enough you'd drop off the edge. Well to our sight, the world does look flat, you can't see the curve of the land beneath our feet because the world is too large. But God can see the whole world, He has it in the palm of His hand. When He tells us the world is round and we won't fall off the edge, we should believe Him - He can see it, we cannot.
The bottom line? Just because something doesn't make sense to human logic doesn't mean God has lost control or has forgotten us. Trust in Him and His understanding, He is far more wise than us puny humans!
Sunday 1 July 2012
Look in front of you!
'In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God. Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else. But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God's wonderful kindness is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can boast about. God planned for us to live. That's why he sent Christ to make us what we are.' Ephesians 2:1-10
'But forget the former things it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?' Isaiah 43:18
Dwelling on the past is destructive. It keeps your focus on things you can no longer change and off of what God is doing right before your eyes.
We all dwell on the past at some point, but what the above verses state is: what's done is done. Forget it. You can't change it. Look to the future, God has so much planned for you, and you're going to miss out on it because you're looking behind you, and not in front. If we keep looking behind us whilst we're walking, we will trip up and hurt ourselves. Didn't your mother ever teach you to look where you're going when you walk, because of that very reason?! Oh, and to not walk with your hands in your pockets - but that'd be because you'd be better off with a broken wrist than a broken face/jaw if you tripped up!
We sang this in Church today - I think it fits well:
And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand
So whilst it's hard, look forward to the promises God has for you in the future. Trust in Him, Rest in Him, His Grace is sufficient for you.
'But forget the former things it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?' Isaiah 43:18
Dwelling on the past is destructive. It keeps your focus on things you can no longer change and off of what God is doing right before your eyes.
We all dwell on the past at some point, but what the above verses state is: what's done is done. Forget it. You can't change it. Look to the future, God has so much planned for you, and you're going to miss out on it because you're looking behind you, and not in front. If we keep looking behind us whilst we're walking, we will trip up and hurt ourselves. Didn't your mother ever teach you to look where you're going when you walk, because of that very reason?! Oh, and to not walk with your hands in your pockets - but that'd be because you'd be better off with a broken wrist than a broken face/jaw if you tripped up!
We sang this in Church today - I think it fits well:
And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand
So whilst it's hard, look forward to the promises God has for you in the future. Trust in Him, Rest in Him, His Grace is sufficient for you.
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