D is for Day

Colours Of Day (Light Up The Fire) is a song by Sue McClellan, John Paculabo and Keith Ryecroft. Popular in schools and chosen by many people for use at their wedding, it effectively conveys a great truth: that we need to be out and about in the world, telling people about Jesus wherever the people are:

"Go down in the city, into the street,
And let's give the message to the people we meet"

Empty Handed

I was awake at well before 6am this morning, so I was quickly up and dressed and waiting for my breakfast.

I was away from home on business, so couldn't eat until the restaurant opened, so I took the time to walk in the grounds of the hotel, listening to the birdsong. I love the peace of the countryside and the stillness of the dawn, and so wanted the most of this experience.

At that time of the morning I was totally alone. Just me... and God. I felt myself relax, releasing all of my tensions, my burdens, till I was totally empty-handed before my Lord.

And the words suddenly came - straight from Stuart K Hine's terrific hymn...

"When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze...

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee...

How Great Thou Art."

It was terrific this morning. An unbeatable start to the day.

More, please. :)

Colourless Lives

Following on from my recent blog entry about the dawn, here's an interesting observation that follows on from this.

You know when you walk around in the dark. There may have been a sudden power cut at night, and the whole house in plunged into darkness. You stumble around looking for a torch, walking into the furniture, perhaps even into the wall! However, eventually your eyes get used to the darkness, and you begin to take advantage of lesser sources of light, perhaps a freshly-lit candle, the moonlight through the window.

You start to see quite well – after a fashion. But as you look around, you’ll find that the world will lack any colour to it. The walls and furniture will be grey, except for the occasional beam of colour from an external light source. You can see, but by and large without that added dimension of colour.

Perhaps you are living in darkness, a perpetual night, just waiting for the dawn to find you. The life you are living will probably be just as grey as the illustration above. There’s not enough light to make your life colourful, perhaps even to make it worth living. Some may even sit there in the dark, trying vainly to remember how life was when colour was the norm. We begin to forget what it was like to have a colourful life.

This isn't living. You’ve got to seek out the light, bring it into your life. With every new level of illumination you encounter, your life will take on a whole new aspect. You'll soon be able to put your current challenges behind you, perhaps become a means of illumination to others...

John 12:46 (New International Version, ©2010, the words of Jesus)

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."

Put some colour back into your life!

Darkest Before The Dawn

There’s an old saying that has been handed down to us across the years. "It’s always darkest before the dawn." If you think this phrase refers solely to the daily transition of night into morning, then I'm sorry to say it’s just not true. If you've been up and about at that time (as I have) then you'll see that there’s quite a brightening on the horizon before the actual sunrise – and even if you count "dawn" from when the light level starts increasing, it’s still not necessarily darker then than any other time during the night. The darkest time of the night is on those occasions when the moon isn't out - it's amazing how we miss even that softer gleam on those nights. Moonlight is, as you will know, sunlight which is reflected from the moon's surface. It's not as bright as light from the sun, but it does help.

If you consider this particular saying in a purely spiritual sense, then this phrase may be spot on. It tends to be when things get really dark that you really miss that light; when you realise you need to seek some assistance. If you're one of those folk who tend to suffer from depression or are going through a difficult time, chances are you've heard this phrase given as encouragement. Just hang on a bit longer, it'll soon be dawn...

Here's another way of looking at it. You don't have to sit around and wait for the dawn. That may be a long time. In the winter months, night can seem to go on and on forever. Why not set out to bring the light into your life! Let it illuminate your situation and brighten up your mood. There's nothing to beat the warmth of a sunrise, particularly when you've been waiting for a long period of night to end. But even a small glimmer of light can cheer us - even the light from the moon can provide enough illumination for us to see the way we ought to go.

John 8:12 (New International Version, ©2010)
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus is the light that you need to seek. Fellow christians may provide you with some immediate illumination, however the light that we offer is light reflected from the Son. It's not as bright as light from the Son, but it does help.

Just Before The Dawn

Psalm 112 (NIV)
1 Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.
2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honour.

10 The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Interesting, this psalm. It's an acrostic poem, where each verse begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostics can be used as a memory-joggers, like Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain helps us to remember the colours of the rainbow.

I am growing very fond of the Psalms - they help me when I lack the words to express my emotions at the moment. They help to jog my memory as to the right things to say, to do, to think. Like today - which proved to be a very dark day, one certainly to forget. I'm encouraged by this psalm to look for the dawn, to seek the light in the darkness. I'm eagerly awaiting the dawn - but am quick to realise that it can get pretty dark before it gets light again.