TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE GOD KNOWN
Wednesday Reflections 2
The second page of reflections from the booklet 'Walking with God' by Chester Cathedral. Various people were asked to choose a Bible passage and explain its significance to them.
You can find the first page here
Each Wednesday, hopefully till the church reopens, a new reflection from the booklet will be posted.
wEDNESDAY 1ST JULY 2020
Derek Jackson Honorary Membership Secretary of the Friends of Chester Cathedral; Sidesman.
Chosen reference: Psalm 121 Verse 1 and 8
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth,
and even for evermore.
How this verse has helped me in my life
When I was a teenager we were friendly with a couple, Will and Florence who
were members of the Pentecostal Church. They were both in their 50’s. As long
as we had known them Flo was confined to bed with TB and had been in and
out of sanatoria and had been told it was incurable. Various people had prayed
over her and miraculously one day she got up from her bed and, within weeks,
was walking round as if she had never had a problem. At the age of about 60
Will and Flo went as missionaries to the Congo, where they worked for about
10 years in conjunction with the Anglican Cathedral in Kinshasa - before
retiring back to the UK. Throughout her illness Flo always said these these
verses from Psalm 121 had kept her going.
We all go through good and bad times and when life is at a low ebb – these
verses are very much a comfort - a reassurance that God is always with us.
How this verse has helped me in my life
With joy I looked forward to retirement and volunteering where I could help
support others so was not expecting to suffer illnesses with increasing
experience of mental and spiritual pressures. Just this past year, I experienced
hand surgery; bereavements, hospitalisation of close family and friends, and an
elderly family member diagnosed with cancer.
I fell into the depths of despair where no usual support structures worked and
spiritual foundations on which I’d built my life no longer sustained me. I came
to the low point where I was not coping and felt on the verge of breakdown.
Then someone suggested I needed to ask people to specifically pray for me
so I quietly approached several spiritually mature, experienced and trusted
friends and am extremely grateful for their upholding me in such a way. I also
asked for prayer from Guild members and found caring support amongst them
too.
So…. I Know He IS God and I am endeavouring to learn how to be still and not
to fret, be anxious or afraid. A life time’s learning I’m certain! Maybe it’s when
you are at your most vulnerable you begin to learn, He IS God.