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PLANS IN TURMOIL |
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‘Wednesday 21 May Kathryn's edd’ This confident message appears on my computer task board.
It is set to re-appear every week, a regular reminder of daughter No2’s approaching event. A flight had been booked for mother to be there for the occasion and to help in the first days.
But at 6.30 a.m. on April 29th the phone disturbed our sleep. Daughter No1 was ringing to say she’d just taken her sister into hospital as the birth process had already begun. ‘Oh dear, what shall I do now?’ I heard my wife think aloud. She’d expected to fly south from Scotland three weeks later.
Did someone say The Best Laid Plans Of Mice And Men . . . ! Even Bible giants laid plans that didn’t come off. Paul wrote Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you . . . (2 Corinthians 115) - and he had problems with some of them because his plans didn’t work out. Yet in that context he wrote: 13-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble . . . . Paul had learned two things.
FIRST, in troubles & difficulties we can to find comfort & consolation in God. We need to turn to Him but when we do, He comforts us. He is the God who empathises with us in all our distress. SECOND, He permits this experience in our lives that we might be more able to comfort others in distress.
Psalm 37, is encouraging & gives wise counsel in this area especially (NB 4 & 5),
Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this:
To commit your way to the Lord means that we desire His will to be done & His will is our delight – not that He always does things as we think He should! |
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Rev Richard Martin Monday, 05 May 2003
We would be happy to pray for you. Contact us with your prayer requestMartins.Maybole@Virgin.net or (UK) 01655 88 22 05 |