The first mention of a shining light seems to be in 2 Samuel as above (at least according to the New King James Bible). The word refers to Jesus Christ, who is like the light of the morning and as clear shining after rain.

Those words are a wonderful expression of the outpouring compassion of Jesus to His called-out ones. How glorious it is to awaken to a new day and see the light; it brings hope, even in the darkest times ...

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” [Revelation 22:16 NKJV]

The freshness once the rain has ceased always inspires - the ground has been watered and life is revived. We love these long sun filled days of recent times, but the rain clears the air with new promise.

Jesus said this: “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” [Luke 11:33-36 NKJV]

Within each of us is a shard of the light of Christ, and we should let it shine out. How interesting that Jesus should say take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. How can a light be darkness? The answer lies in what fuels your lamp.

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
[2 Corinthians 11:13-14 NKJV]

There is always a need to stay spiritually alert, so that we are not drawn astray. Hold fast to the light of the morning and the clear shining after the rain. These things we know; they are the reality of Christ within us the hope of glory.

There are many references to the Terebinth tree, or the oak , or indeed other tree types. The fact is that they all come from the same word meaning a strong or mighty tree; a strong or mighty man.

And when any messenger of God appears it is usually under the covering of a strong tree. Trees have many connotations in Scripture but always refer to persons; and thus we find Jesus entering Jerusalem ...

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”
[John 12:12-13 NKJV]

In this case it is a Palm tree, because palm trees in the middle east represented kingship, so we can see that trees represent character - and a strong tree shows a strong man - strength of character.

To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
[Isaiah 61:3 NKJV]

The terebinth tree is the Lord’s strength; His righteousness and power even. Let us rejoice in His steady and unwavering hand that can be relied upon no matter what. He is the tree that can never be shaken. So when God speaks to one who is to be called into His purpose, it is only right the His message should come from the protective shade of a strong tree ... or a burning bush.

For a parting thought, It is perhaps worth noting that in our quote from Judges 6, that the Terebinth tree was in Ophrah, which means a female fawn, an animal sure-footed and living in the high places.

Lord, give us the attributes of the deer. Let us seek to live on the higher ground, knowing our way in Your kingdom and desiring to keep our minds in that better place; the place where Your Spirit rules. Let us indeed be ‘trees of righteousness’.

We listened to Teresa Conlon of Times Square Church in New York yesterday. It was a short 20 minute talk based on Judges chapter 6 (some verses of which are shown above).

She identified that Gideon was very unconvinced that he was this ‘mighty man of valour’ of which the Angel of the Lord’ spoke. In modern terms, the conversation went like this:

“The Lord is with you,” said the Angel.
“I’m not sure I believe you,” replied Gideon. “Look at all the disasters we have suffered. Why would I think The Lord is with me?”
“Have I not sent you?” is the Lord’s response, to which Gideon says he is not up to the task ahead.
The Angel of The Lord then says, “Then surely I will be with you.”

The Lord is with you - Have I not sent you? - Then surely I will be with you. Gideon never questions whether the Lord sent him or not; he only doubted if the Lord was with him.

Gideon then asks The Angel to prove Himself by performing two miracles. Only when these miracles show it is The Lord who speaks does Gideon move.

This story reveals two points to consider. Firstly, that we often doubt that it is God speaking and that He seems to respond to our doubts in a tautological way; as when asked who He was by Moses, God responds with “I am who I am.” God does not have to justify Himself, but - and this is the second point - He expects us to test Him. He knows who He is and wants us to know who He is. John says this “ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” [1John 4:1 NKJV]


Test the Spirits; there are many out there and the Lord wants us all to reject all but Him and know that He is with us; He has sent us; so He is with us.

Yesterday we saw that leaning on the arm of the Beloved is an important part of our growing faith - a submission to Jesus Christ with our whole heart. This is a fine thought, but difficult to realise in practise. We tend to want a ‘How to ...’ manual, but in this case there isn’t one.

With our current lockdown, and Gill’s broken ankle, I have been trying to do more of the cooking. Even as I write this I can hear Gill saying “More of the cooking? Let’s say ‘trying to cook’.”

Despite having a mother who was a marvellous cook, and a wife who seems to be able to create amazing meals when to my eye there is nothing in the fridge, I become immobilised when faced with preparing anything beyond cheese on toast or a marmalade sandwich. I need a recipe - a list of ingredients, a method and have everything pre-prepared to hand - and even then it feels like I am painting the Forth Bridge. Failing this, I need to rely on Gill’s expertise.

It is the same when it comes to so many other aspects of life. You may know that Gill and I went to a retreat at Ellel Scotland near Huntly in Aberdeenshire, where I learnt that I rely too much on my own strength instead of giving it to the Lord. The result for me was anxiety.

Knowing this and believing for my deliverance in this area, has been a feeling of closer relationship with The Lord. I still have to ‘walk it out’ daily until it becomes ingrained, but He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. [1 Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV]

Obviously, today’s song has to be ‘Leaning on the Everlasting Arms’. My favourite version is by Kenny Rogers, sung in a meditative way, but I could not find a video of that. This version, at one of Bill and Gloria Gaither’s Gatherings, is a fine traditional interpretation. May it bless you as much as it does me.

... thanks to Stan for finding what I could not. Here is the Kenny Rogers version of 'Leaning On The Everlasting Arms' ...

The song which gives the title to this meditation begins “when I look into Your Holiness". Holiness, purity, is the background to God’s love, and it is His holiness which inspires our worship of Him.

The apostle John says that true worship is done in spirit and in truth. Without those two conditions, worship can only be performance and cannot reach the Father’s heart.

In verse 2 of chapter 1 of Song of Solomon, we read, Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine. These words are an expression of the desire for close relationship with The Lord, but it is only towards the end of the book, after much searching and dark times, that The Shulamite maiden comes out of the wilderness, leaning on the arm of the Beloved.

At first, her desire, her need even, is for The Lord to come to her, and He does so to draw her up to a higher place. After a time He appears to leave her, but the reality is that He is ever near, ready to step in if she stumbles or falls. Finally, she comes to the full realisation that it is not about what she wants; instead her only desire is to please Him - and the relationship is sealed in Spirit and in Truth. His love for her is fully realised when she focusses on Him instead of herself.

That is true worship, and if I am in that place, then the life of my saviour is my life also. But I can see that I can only get to that place with His hand leading me there and He becomes the reason I live.

We were checking our emails, catching up on correspondence and attention was drawn to a newsletter for May from favourite author Alexander McCall Smith. It contained a story called “The Flying Psychotherapist” [click on the title here to read the complete story].

Like all of McCall Smith’s writing it is beautifully done and flows easily, holding the attention and with purpose, often philosophical or moral to be made. This tale is no exception. It begins,

“This is a story with a difference – the difference being that it is true. It happened in the Australian Outback, that vast swathe of territory that covers the area of several large countries, and that, for all its unforgiving aridity, is a place of great character and fascination. The Outback may be empty in one sense, but in another it is full of life. Not only do the most hardy and adaptable animals live there, but so too do hardy and adaptable people. And these people, with few exceptions, are remarkable characters.”

The author visits a hostelry for lunch in a small outpost near Alice Springs, where he notices that it is busier than he would have expected. The reason is that ‘Doc George’ is flying in for consultations, and the author decides to meet him. If you would prefer to read the complete story, then stop here ... or read on for the concluding part of the story that got our attention:

“I walked down the corridor. The door at the end was ajar, and I knocked and entered. The psychotherapist was sitting behind a table, and in front of him was a chair for the patient. He looked up and smiled.
“A new face.”
I introduced myself. “Look, I’m just passing through. The woman in the bar told me about you and, well, I couldn’t contain my curiosity. I just didn’t believe that there’s a flying psychotherapist.”
He did not seem at all put out by my curiosity. “Not many people know about this service,” he said. “I wish it were more widely publicised. There are a lot of people in these remote communities who would benefit from it. It’s a great pity it’s so little known.”
“So you fly in to deal with people’s …”
He completed the sentence. “With their psychological problems. Yes. I deal with all of that. Phobias. Neuroses. Confidence issues. You name it.”
“But I thought the Flying Doctor was all about saving lives – that sort of thing.”
“It is,” he said. “And my medical colleagues do a great job. They handle that side of things; I handle this.”
I wanted to explore the implications. “So if you’re on a remote cattle station and you suddenly have … have a confidence issue, you fly in?”
He nodded. “Yes. That’s more or less it.” He looked at me. “What’s the trouble, then?”
I wanted to laugh. I wanted to say, ‘The trouble is that I simply can’t believe this’. But I did not say that. Instead, I said, “I suppose I need to move on.” It was a ridiculous, clichéd thing to say; but it just came out.
He nodded. “We all need to move on. You’d be surprised at how often that issue lies underneath the problems that I have to deal with.” He looked at me and I saw his eyes. They were shrewd, understanding eyes – the eyes of one who had seen a great deal of the world’s troubles.
“Here’s my advice to you,” he said. “Don’t forget forgiveness. You have to forgive others, and you have to forgive yourself. The two go hand in hand.”
“Forgiveness?”
“Yes,” he said. “Forgiveness is healing. We forget that, especially these days, when we’re so keen to blame others for our misfortunes. We forget the imperative to forgive. Forgiveness allows us to start again. Forgiveness makes it possible for us to look forward rather than backward.”
There was silence. I had come to see this man in a spirit of incredulity; now I felt quite different. Outside, a wind had arisen – a dry, wind from the north, with heat in its breath; the gum trees moved, the sound of the wind in their leaves seeming like the sound of the sea.
“Do you understand what I’ve just told you?’” he asked.
I nodded.
“And is there anybody you haven’t forgiven?”
There was.
“There’s always somebody in our past – a parent, a friend, someone we work with; there’s always somebody we need to forgive.” He paused. “Or who may need to forgive you.”
I listened in silence.
“So,” he went on, “go and think about it. And while you’re about it …”
“Yes?”
“At this time of year, especially, think about something else. Think about the power of love. It’s remarkable, isn’t it?”
I nodded. He looked at his watch. “All right,” he said. “That’s it. I’ve got one more person to see and then I have to take off.”
“Of course.”
I watched his plane climb up into the sky forty minutes later, gleaming white, catching the sun on its wing. Then I set off again, down the track in the direction of Alice Springs. I knew what I had to do.“

“The Hurt and The Healer” - Mercy Me

Lord, as we wait to gather again in fellowship to sing Your praises and worship You, we discover a sense of wonder and joy in our relationship with You.

You have granted us a time for reflection and meditation; a time to accept Your strength by acknowledging our own weakness, and a time to feel Your power flowing in the knowledge of Your covering and protection amid the fear and anxiety to which we can so readily fall prey.

These fears are not easily dismissed when the threat is so real. The enemy is using these days to sow seeds of distraction and doubt; to pour uncertainty in our paths and fog in our minds. Lord, help us to fully know your presence and commit ourselves to trust in You as never before.

This morning on the BBC Radio 4 Sunday morning programme, a scientist and Christian, who works with Dr Anthony Fauci, the US chief medical advisor, said this, “There is one thing more infectious than a virus, and that is hope.” Our hope is in The Lord.

“Come Holy Spirit, Fall Afresh On Me” - Hillsong Worship