A Prayer for South Africa

Hi All,


Today we have a new Format. 

Introduction

All this morning’s Scriptures refer directly or indirectly to prayer. Each one speaks of what was happening in the respective places in their day. Perhaps all of today’s Scriptures could be summarised in David’s words: 2 (O) You (who) answer our prayers. All of us must come to You. 3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all. Psalm 65:2-3 NLT Prayer is often initiated by a particular situation; need; thanks-giving; intercession; praise etc. This is probably because ordinary everyday things are seldom mentioned. If the Bible included everything 24/7 imagine how many pages it would contain. It follows that it refers only to the incidents God considers as important for His people. It is right and proper for you or I to pray for granny’s sore toe. But it’s highly unlikely that God would include that in His Word! On the other hand, in special cases, such as the prayer of Jabez and Asa’s war with the Ethiopians, the prayer and the outcome are both mentioned. We have a similar situation in South Africa. It’s unlikely that we will ever know how many people of all nationalities and ethnic groups were praying for a peaceful election and transfer of power in 1994. Many people were very frightened of what might happen. Some went as far as to be out of the country over that period. Those of us who were in South Africa at the time witnessed an answer to prayer in a profound way. There was hardly any inter-racial conflict at all. For His grace to allow this to happen, still remains one of the greatest miracles in South Africa in the 20th Century. Phyllida and I were living in Worcester in the Western Cape at that time. Our perception was that all would be well, so we were not overly concerned. What we witnessed was extraordinary. People came together peacefully and joyfully. The atmosphere was not quite like a carnival. But it was very close to it. People who had been separated for years came together rejoicing! I’ll never forget those three days. Back then I composed a poem entitled, “A Prayer for South Africa”. It was my way of asking the Lord for a peaceful transition. The problems were stated and likened to the conditions in and around Jerusalem ±2000 years previously There is nothing special in the poem that prompted the hand of God to bless our land. It must have been one prayer among millions! It was possibly a tiny contribution to the prayers of supplication of God’s people to Him. Small or large is not the issue; sufficient to say God responded to the need of our nation.

As we approach Freedom Day 2012 (27^th April) please join with me in giving thanks to God for His South African miracle. Allow this prayer to assist you as you meditate on His goodness and generosity to our land and people.

Daily Light Evening Scriptures

14 The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name. 15 When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them. Psalm 91:14-15 NLT 10 He (Jabez) was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, "Oh, that You would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!" And God granted him his request. 1 Chron 4:10 NLT 7 That night God appeared to Solomon. He said to him, "Ask for anything you want me to give you." 8 Solomon answered God, "You were very kind to my father David. Now you have made me king in his place. 9 LORD God, let the promise you gave to my father David come true. You have made me king. My people are like the dust of the earth. They can't be counted. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge. Then I'll be able to lead these people. Without your help, who would be able to rule this great nation of yours?" 2 Chron 1:7-10 NIrV 29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29 TNIV 11 Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, "O LORD, no one but You can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You alone. It is in Your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, You are our God; do not let mere men prevail against You!" 12 So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled. 2 Chron 14:11-12 NLT 2 (O) You (who) answer our prayers. All of us must come to You. 3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all.

Psalm 65:2-3 NLT

A Prayer for South Africa

Father, I greet You this morning And ask You, "What must we do next?" We've taken to heart Your loud warning That You are decidedly vexed With all that You've seen in the nation; You've watched while the people are robbed Of all justice. You've seen how inflation Is stealing from us. Lord, You sobbed The day that You came to the outskirts Of Jerusalem town, for You saw A system of national perverts Who'd twisted and flouted Your law! The Romans were really the masters, Controlling the country by force. But, the source of Your grief was the pastors, Who'd led all the people off course. You saw all the people in prison Resembling a great flock of sheep, Aimlessly lacking a vision. 'Twas enough to make even God weep. Today, there is little distinction Between all the things that You saw. Our leaders all lack the conviction That THEY are what's wrong with our law. The pastors are all busy fighting Each other with doctrine and word, While agitators are inciting To violence, humanity's herd. The answer’s not found in uprising, Nor telling the people, "Revolt!". Like then, it was really surprising, You rode into town on a colt! God’s Son, on the back of a donkey Was the answer to all of their ills. Political power was the wrong key To bring peace once more to those hills. But, none of the people would heed Him And shouted aloud, "Crucify!” “After all, who is God? We don't need him!" Are the words that our modernists cry. But, all our elaborate solutions, We've tried for two thousand years, Our human inspired revolutions, Make things far worse it appears. Mankind is intrinsically twisted; His mind is distorted by sin. The forces of God are resisted For 'love' of the mess we are in. Only the Lord God can alter The wickedness in a man's heart. Only through You will he falter From doing what he did at the start. So Lord, won’t You come to our nation And change every heart. Even mine! Alter our basic equation And remedy our design. Help us start loving our brother, Regardless of colour or creed. Show us there isn't another Way by which we can succeed. Give us a heart that is caring. Make giving, our permanent aim. That, in You, this land we're all sharing Will be Christian in more than just name. Jim Strickland  Written  Before 1994 SA Election

CAN YOU?

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 15 April 2012

Hi all,

Many Christians have a habit of not wanting to listen. Why should they? They are usually so busy telling other people what to do; they can’t spare a moment to listen. I know I do that more often than I should!

One of the things we all seem to forget is that Christianity is a lifestyle, not a panel debate on TV. We tend to sit around discussing what we should do as Christians. But we seldom get down to the business of actually doing what we talk about. I suspect it’s a bit like a male gynaecologist. Lots of theory; can even tell the ladies what to do. But no actual experience of doing it himself!

In today’s meditation, I’ve tried to address the question of being a genuine Christian. The emphasis is on being a Leader in a Christian Church. Can we do what is required of us in the Scripture? James, the half brother of the Lord Jesus put it like this: ²² But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. Jas 1:22 NLT

I suppose it’s a question of establishing whom we serve. Are we serving Jesus Christ or ourselves in our own ministry? The question is an easy one to ask. But can we be truthful with our answer? Very often we think that our Christian based activity is being a doer of His Word. It isn’t! We all seem to have the ability of having double standards. Is our Sunday behaviour the same from Monday to Saturday? Many of us are inconsistent in this. I’ve struggled with this more times than I dare admit. Jesus tells us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.

Essentially we are faced with a confrontation between what we want and what the Lord has said. Our ambitions in the ministry drive us. Thus our Christian lifestyle is compromised. Even when we find this to be true, more often than not we deny it vehemently. Matthew puts it as follows: ²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. Mat 16:24 NLT

Most of us have exchanged the cross for a mobile sofa. We don’t have to pick it up. Just sit there and allow it to go anywhere Jesus would like! We no longer see the cross as an instrument of an exquisite and agonising death for ourselves and our desires. It’s been exchanged for a seat in a theatre where we can watch other people performing and convince ourselves this is being a good Christian.

Am I being unfair? I would be if I wasn’t including myself amongst the accused. How do we change? I’m not advocating self-flagellation. I’m not asking for the return of the Inquisition. What I would like to see in myself and in my fellow Christians is living the way Christians have been shown in God’s Word. In particular I would like to see this in Christian leaders.

Today’s meditation asks a number of testing questions. Don’t give me your answers. I’m struggling with my own.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Can you?

Contrition for ambition is what the Lord requires.

Devotion to promotion is not what He desires.

Does it really matter, if you are tucked away,

Taken from the limelight and told you cannot stay?

Will it make a difference if Jesus Christ has said,

“You must be the rearguard, and not be up ahead?”

Will it be a burden, if He tells you to wait?

Can you face the prospect of such a lowly state?

Must you be the leader? Can you be number two?

How do you think you will cope, if that’s required of you?

Can you spend a lifetime holding someone else’s coat?

Are you an obedient sheep or just a headstrong goat?

Can you take the pressure of being put aside?

Can you be the bridesmaid and never be the bride?

What will be your answer if God says, “sit and stay”?

Do you think you’ll do it, or will you run away?

Does it really matter if He makes you the least?

Could you be the altar boy and never be the priest?

Can you sit in silence when you can make things right?

If you think that things are wrong, will you stand up and fight?

Can you let a brother make a very big mistake,

Or will you go and interfere and say, “For Jesus sake”?

Can you be a Joshua for almost forty years,

Waiting til your Moses quietly disappears?

This is Christianity. Promoting other men;

Seeing them as better, time and time again.

Never seeking favour or popularity,

Only being what the Lord has said that you must be?

It isn’t very popular. In fact it’s very hard.

Sitting under someone else and acting as his guard.

But there’s no alternative. If things are built by me,

Jesus is the person others will not ever see.

Can you let your teaching fall upon deaf ears?

That’s what Jeremiah did from many, many years.

He was never popular, except perhaps with God.

Can you bear the suffering or will you think it’s odd?

Can you face a giant with his huge and mighty sword?

Will you overcome him in the Name of Christ the Lord?

Will you be contented when all the ladies sing,

Praise to your assistant and to you not a thing?

When you’re made the leader, What action will you take,

Against your opposition, when your leadership’s at stake?

Will your people follow you voluntarily?

Or see how big a bully that you can really be?

If you can face all of this and never turn and run.

You will be a man of God who’s following His Son!

Jim Strickland – Written Sunday 15^th April 2012

WIPE AWAY YOUR SIN?

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 14 April 2012

Hi all,

Most of us have an arrogant attitude toward those who commit sin. Perhaps “pharisaic” better describes our reaction to those who fall into sin. “I’ll never do that” seems to be the unseen and unheard words that pass through our heads. Reading the account of David and Bathsheba’s adultery and the terrible consequences prompt us to say, “I wouldn't do that!” Check your own attitude. Are you genuinely appalled or envious? My honest opinion, which I suspect is true of most men, is to ask the Lord to keep them away from such a situation. What would I have done? What would you have done? Be honest!

David was the King. He was untouchable. He loved the Lord. There are dozens of reasons why this should never have happened. What about Bathsheba. She was at the most amorous time of her month. Her husband had been away fighting in David’s army. She knew she was very attractive. So was it her plan to entrap David? I suspect not. But there were so many “coincidences” in the incident. Could she have refused to come? Only David, Bathsheba and God can answer the question. Our opinion is irrelevant.

Whatever the reason, we know that from that day onward, the nation went into decline. The seeds of the fall of the nation were planted. Some 500 years later, Jerusalem was destroyed and those who survived were taken captive to Babylon.

New Christians tend to have a superior attitude to this. “I would never have done that” dismisses the question contemptuously. Then, in the course of time, your own imperfections surface and we realise that we have not been vaccinated against sin. With the Lord’s help, we have to resist temptation. Can we? Will we? Frankly, I don’t know. It’s a bit like having to face up to persecution. Will you stand or will you collapse? Don’t answer. I can’t truthfully answer that question myself. Corrie ten Boom, who was sent to one of the Nazi concentration camps, said that the Lord gives you the ticket when you get on the train.

My own somewhat limited experience is to recommend that we be truthful with ourselves and with God. He knows what you and I would do. Let’s not try and test the theory in real life.

Our meditation looks at David and Bathsheba and concludes that obedience to God is the only way to be.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Wipe Away Your sin?

It happened in the Springtime; when Kings go off to war.

But David didn’t do it. What did he stay home for?

Perhaps he knew Bathsheba’s naked body would be seen?

The time had come for her to be washed ritually clean.

So when he walked upon the roof, what did he think he’d see?

And what about Bathsheba? What sort of wife was she?

Was she there to flaunt herself before the Nation’s King?

Regardless of the motives, it was the very thing,

That brought about the murder of the man whom she had wed.

For David summoned her to him and took her to his bed.

The outcome was a infant. But what could David do?

The truth became apparent and all the Kingdom knew,

That they were both adulterers. They should have both been stoned.

But David was the nation’s King. The deed was thus condoned!

But God knew all about it. The baby would soon die.

And after it had happened, they knew the reason why!

But we will never know the truth on this side of the grave.

Except it’s not the proper way for people to behave.

Do not stop and preen yourself. One thing we mustn't say,

Is that we are quite certain we will not go that way!

David and Bathsheba’s sin is really not unique.

You and I are just as bad. Don’t ever have the cheek,

To think you are impervious to such a dreadful sin,

It’s a prideful attitude that’s dwelling deep within.

Let us all be grateful for what the Lord can do.

If He pardon’s sinners, He’ll surely pardon you!

Ask Him to forgive you. Trust His Holy Son,

And the Holy Spirit; the gracious Three-in-one,

To take your sin so scarlet and wash you white as snow.

Don’t think you can hide it. There’s naught He doesn’t know.

He will heal our faithlessness, if we will but return.

Admit that there is so much more that we still have to learn.

Turn in true repentance and ask Him to forgive.

There can be no question. He’ll surely let you live.

Don’t forget the good things which He’s already done.

Healed you from diseases; the victories He’s won!

You will know His righteousness; the straight and narrow way,

Surely He will lead you; if Him you will obey,

His anger will be turned away and then you will revere,

The One Who always loves you and is forever near.

Your sin’s won’t be remembered and you will know for sure,

A lifestyle in the Master which is good and clean and pure.

Jim Strickland – Written, Saturday 14^th April 2012

LIGHT AND NIGHT

Time with Jesus - Friday, 13 April 2012

Hi all,

Trying to visualise something can be totally impossible. For example, before the Lord started creation, what, if anything existed? If we say nothing, does that include the “space” into which creation was “placed”? My supposition is that before creation, only the “spirit realm” existed. In other words, God created time, space and the material that fills the space. My logic is that if anything existed before creation, God would not have created it. In this way “space” would be infinite. But we know that only God is infinite. So the answer to the question, “What lies beyond the universe?” Will it be either infinity or God! If that doesn't makes sense, join the club.

So what took place when God began creation? “Light, be!” Is how some experts state it. It could well have been the “expression” God used to begin our time, space continuum. One of the biggest problems with this for me is the origin of darkness. Where did it come from? All we know is that God separated the light from the darkness. The light He called “day” and the darkness He called “night”.

Just to complicate all this, Scripture informs us ⁵ This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all. 1 John 1:5 NLT How all this fits together is beyond me.

Nevertheless, today’s Scriptures focus on light and darkness, day and night in the New Jerusalem. In this situation, the Bible gives us just enough information to stir our curiosity. I’ve no doubt that everything stated will be true. How it fits together is anybody’s guess. What we can say is that the truth will emerge into the light! For you and me it will be our own personal experience of, “Light be!”

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Light and Night

Right at the beginning, the Lord created light.

He separated darkness and called that darkness night.

So right from the beginning there were these two great fields.

The light by which all men can see; to it the darkness yields.

It only takes a little light to penetrate the dark.

A little ray of sunshine, perhaps a little spark,

A golden tinge of twilight, that heralds in the day,

Is quite enough to make the darkness turn and run away.

The Bible tells us clearly That God Himself is light!

Darkness is impossible when He comes into sight.

So when we live with Jesus, the light within Him shines.

Eliminating darkness because He is Divine.

This means when we are with Him, our vision will be clear.

Nothing can get to us when Jesus Christ is near.

So in the New Jerusalem, it is forever day;

Illuminated by the Lord; not in the present way.

The sun will not be needed. At night the moon won’t be,

Shining on the people, for all they need is Thee!

But Master, in the meantime, we are a chosen race.

We are the Royal Priesthood whom Jesus will embrace.

Your very own possession, where darkness cannot be,

Called to be proclaiming, Your Glorious Majesty!

Taking part in everything which You have called us to.

Rescued from dark dungeons, to always be with you.

Thank You Lord and Master for all that you have done.

Putting us forever in the Kingdom of Your Son.

Taken from the darkest pit where we were out of sight.

Lifted by your Spirit into realms of glorious light.

Father we remember, how bad we used to be.

Now in realms of glory we’ll stay eternally.

It seems to be ridiculous, that I committed sin;

And Jesus paid the price for all the mess that I was in!

I know that my salvation’s by grace and grace alone.

Indeed, I had no righteousness, at least none of my own,

And now, because of what He’s done, Your wrath won’t fall on me.

How can I ever thank You for what You’ve caused to be?

A monster of Iniquity; a candidate for hell

With You has now been reconciled! But why, I cannot tell?

Jim Strickland – Written Friday 13^th April 2012