11. The Path of Love

Monday 26th Feb 

(for more details see here)

 

Pause:

How good it is to be loved by You

O God of love I come to You again
Knowing I'll find mercy
I can't explain all the things I see
But I'll trust in You
 
In every moment You are there
Watching over You hear my prayer
You go before me You're behind me
Nothing's hidden from You

How good it is to be loved by You
 
Hand of mercy, hand of love
Giving power to overcome
If all beneath me falls away
I know that You are God

How good it is to be loved by You
How good it is

LOU FELLINGHAM

 

Today's reading: John 14.1-14

I can't imagine how, after three powerful years together, the disciples began to process the news of that Jesus is leaving soon. 

Shock, confusion, disbelief, fear, denial, anger.
And questions. Lots of questions.
It seems that, with Peter silenced by Jesus' words at end of the last chapter (we don't hear a peep again from Peter until chapter 18!), others find space for their deep worries to be named, and their fears to be aired.

   ...“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”...

      ...“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”...

At times of great pain, fear over what will happen can turn into frustration that God isn't doing what we think of being the obvious thing to do. Anger is so often just anxiety trying to be assertive. 

Lord, why don't You just reveal Yourself to my children?
Lord, why can't You just heal my friend?
Lord, why don't just send revival on Your church again?

Here in this upper room, Jesus with sits us in our pain, our confusion, our questions.
He doesn't retreat, He doesn't reprove, He doesn't reject.
He sits with us.
Calmly, graciously, gently, beautifully present.

He lets us voice the pain - naming our struggles...
He lets us ask the questions - airing our fears...
And then, so lovingly, He speaks into our lives:

JOHN 14.1

He reminds us of that which matters most.

Don't be troubled.
You can trust God.
You can trust me.

He knows what He is doing.
He knows the path He is taking.
Don't be troubled - trust. 
He is walking the path of love.

 

Reflection: 

• There is now a Way where there seemed to be no way!
• There is Truth where there was once only deception and darkness!
• There is Life where there was once only death.

Questions for today:

• Do my questions and longings drive me away from Jesus, or somehow even closer?
• Who is living with struggles and pain that needs me to sit with them today?

Prayer:

The Blessing

May you who are restless
find rest,
and in rest, restoration
and the healing
of your hollow soul.
May peace be yours.

May you who are frozen find freedom,
and in freedom, the strength
to face the fi re
and the thawing
of your ice-gripped heart.
May peace be yours.

May you who are conflicted
find convergence,
and in convergence, confidence
to be the one new child
of your old divided self.
May peace be yours.

May you who live in tension
find tenderness,
and in tenderness, the tendency
to kindness
and the miracle
of majoring in mercy.
May peace be yours.

And you who are God-less,
may you find God,
and in God,
the grace and growth you need
for fruit and fullness
and the love that will last you
through the long haul
of a lived-for-others life.
May peace be yours.

GERARD KELLY (Spoken Worship)

 I prayed this.

My prayer for today: (if you would like to, please feel free to add your own prayer here):

 

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