Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
(Psalm 86:2-4, ESV)
Alas, wherever I go, ahead or behind,
He is not there;
I am unable to find Him.
When He works on either side of me, I still cannot see Him.
I catch no glimpse of Him.
But He knows the course I have traveled.
And I believe that were He to prove me,
I would come out purer than gold from the fire.
My foot has been securely set in His tracks;
I have kept to His course of life without swerving;
I have not departed from the commands of His lips;
I have valued everything He says more than all else.
He alone is one True God; who can alter Him?
Whatever He desires within Himself, He does.
For He will carry out exactly what He has planned for me,
and in the future there are more plans to come.
He is not there;
I am unable to find Him.
When He works on either side of me, I still cannot see Him.
I catch no glimpse of Him.
But He knows the course I have traveled.
And I believe that were He to prove me,
I would come out purer than gold from the fire.
My foot has been securely set in His tracks;
I have kept to His course of life without swerving;
I have not departed from the commands of His lips;
I have valued everything He says more than all else.
He alone is one True God; who can alter Him?
Whatever He desires within Himself, He does.
For He will carry out exactly what He has planned for me,
and in the future there are more plans to come.
(Job 23:8-14, The Voice)
Do not take money with you: don’t take gold, silver, or even small, worthless change. Do not pack a bag with clothes. Do not take sandals or a walking stick. Be fed and sheltered by those who show you hospitality. When you enter a town or village, look for someone who is trustworthy and stay at his house as long as you are visiting that town. When you enter this home, greet the household kindly. And if the home is indeed trustworthy, let your blessing of peace rest upon it; if not, keep your blessing to yourself. If someone is inhospitable to you or refuses to listen to your testimony, leave that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. This is the truth: Sodom and Gomorrah, those ancient pits of inhospitality, will fare better on judgment day than towns who ignore you tomorrow or next week.
Listen: I am sending you out to be sheep among wolves. You must be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. You must be careful. You must be discerning. You must be on your guard. There will be men who try to hand you over to their town councils and have you flogged in their synagogues. Because of Me, naysayers and doubters will try to make an example out of you by trying you before rulers and kings. When this happens—when you are arrested, dragged to court—don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. The words you should speak will be given to you. For at that moment, it will not be you speaking; it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Matthew 10:9-20, The Voice)
It is a terrible risk to follow even a Friend into the unknown. It is made worse by the fact that he so often seems to disappear or go ahead instead of staying close by.
The instructions he gives us should make it so much easier to continue our journey: but what instructions?
'Don't provide extra for yourself in case I let you down.'
'Don't worry what to say.'
'I will be there when you need me, even if it's only at the last moment.'
'Don't worry what to say.'
'I will be there when you need me, even if it's only at the last moment.'
Instructions like these leave us incredibly vulnerable but they are only examples of what he is really asking from us: that we choose intentionally, deliberately to make ourselves vulnerable and to walk in that vulnerability! (Northumbria, Aidan readings, Dec. 2)
