SAWGBLOG

A common theme of worship, is that we seek in God, a refuge, a place of security. In Psalm 17, the Psalmist prays: “Hide me in the shadow of your wings”. Such prayers are often found in the Psalms. But what does it mean to find refuge in God? It cannot be that, through faith, God rearranges our experience to protect us from encountering life’s ups and downs. For, even the strongest of faiths does not insulate us from illness and ill-fortune. What our faith offers, instead, is the conviction that in all the uncertainties of the present and future, we commune with Him who is unchangeable, certain and dependably loving.          

Christians of all ages and from many churches in Ipswich have come together to sing an uplifting blessing for our times. The song is both a prayer that God will bless all and a reminder that God cares for all, a tremendously encouraging thought.  

"They will beat their swords into ploughs   and their spears into pruning-knives".       (Isaiah 2.2-4) The recent tragic events in the United States, made me think again of the dream of the prophet Isaiah, that, one day, all people will “walk in the light of the Lord” and in the way of peace. This vision seems a long way off. However, as Christians we continue to pray that God’s will be done on earth and that God’s Kingdom will come. We hope and work for peace. We also affirm that, as Isaiah says, true peace can only be built where fairness and justice are valued and acted upon.        

As Christians, we follow a faith that finds God at work even within times of hardship and suffering. This is exemplified in the Cross. As we pass through the current crisis it is important to look for signs of God's presence. In our time of isolation, it's natural to try to replace the busy-ness of everyday life by diving headfirst into the virtual world. But, maybe, we should see our  social distancing, as an opportunity for growing closer to God. For, t he biblical stories of exile, fasting, and penitence share a common theme: a disconnect with the social world can lead to a deepening of our relationship with the life-giving presence that sustains all that we are and do. 

The Head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now; a royal diadem adorns the mighty Victor's brow.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free; rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me.