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The previous blog quoted 1 Peter 5:6. The sentence continues into the next verse: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you ( 1 Peter 5:6-7 ). What is going on here? Let me try and explain. God is fundamentally opposed to the proud (v5). He will not, ultimately, tolerate anyone or anything that tries to usurp His glory. But this does not mean that He impatiently writes people off. Quite the opposite. Verse 6 tells us that His “mighty hand” is pushing down. He exerts His almighty power to press proud people, to lower them, into their proper position. That is, He actively puts people into the place where He can bless them . It is often through suffering that we experience the mighty hand of God most acutely. Suffering teaches us things we cannot learn in any other way. It shows us that we are frail not invincible. That we are vulnerable not im...

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you...” ( 1 Peter 5:6 ) This blog post is proving difficult to write. That is not because there is nothing to say. It is because the middle finger on my right hand is currently out of use. A few weeks ago I decided to pick up an old hobby and whittle swords and whistles out of sticks for the children to play with. Of course when you are learning mistakes happen and mistakes with a knife can be painful and disabling. Choosing the wrong tool for the job is a novice error and it was a painful lesson. The cut is not too bad but it will probably take a while to heal and there is no way to short-cut the process. All I can do is accept my limitation until function is restored and determine not to err in this way again. To suggest that suffering is sometimes a necessary part of learning is not a popular idea. However, it is something that resonates with many people who have expe...

Quarantine seems to have its own life-cycle. There was an initial energy, a ‘buzz’, that propelled us into preparation mode as we stocked the cupboards, searched for resources to school the kids, and adapted to working from home. National Health Service staff became heroes overnight and there was a sense of communities pulling together locally and nationally.  For many, there has followed a period of what can only be called enjoyment. The spring weather arrived at the same time as your boss lowered his expectations and you didn’t have to commute anymore - there was time to binge watch TV shows and take up a new hobby. At some point I think we may enter a different phase and this one concerns me. We start to get bored, frustrated, and impatient - even angry. Worries and concerns grow, fed by internet scaremongering and conspiracy theories. For the most part we are safe in our own homes, protected from immediate danger. Perhaps we start to wonder whether this pandemic i...

While the sun has been shining brightly in most parts of the UK over the past few weeks, for many people the isolation of lockdown is proving to be a very dark experience. Perhaps it is emotionally dark because you are grieving a bereaved love one at a distance from family and there was no opportunity to say goodbye. Perhaps it is psychologically dark because the isolation is exasperating your depression or some other mental health problem. Some are facing the terrifying darkness of being locked down with an abuser who they cannot escape (if so please seek help - see the note at the bottom of the page). For others, having too much time to think allows a bad conscience, regrets about the past, and fears about the future to magnify at a time when it is not just your friends and your pastor who are at a distance - God seems out of reach too. For you it is a spiritually dark place. Suffering in any way is a dark experience which, in a biblical worldview, can always be trace...

News reports this morning suggest that religious services - of all faiths - may not return to normal for the rest of the year. As Christians we want to follow the biblical imperatives to preserve life and willingly cooperate with the government which God has put in place, so far as that does not require us to compromise the moral, ethical, and spiritual principles of our faith. However, I wonder if those making policy decisions fully appreciate how deeply troubling this is for Christians. I don’t mean that as a criticism. Christianity is not the majority religion it once was and it isn’t reasonable to expect everyone to understand. Better to recognise that, perhaps through no real fault of their own, they might not understand - and to try to explain instead of criticising. This is my attempt to do that. Joining together for worship is absolutely central to our core values and beliefs. It is essential to our sense of identity - to be a Christian is to be part of the church co...

This is the final blog in a mini-series exploring questions raised by President Trump’s declaration of a national Day of Prayer in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Just a few weeks later the number of cases increased until the USA had more than anywhere else in the world. Does this mean that God doesn’t listen to prayer or that He couldn’t answer prayer? Is this a challenge to the Christian faith? The crux of the matter is that the Christian God has not promised to listen and respond to all  our prayers, like a genie in a lamp. True prayer requires childlike humility expressed by faith in Jesus Christ rather than spiritual self-confidence. Like a good father, God is free to give the answers “no”, “wait”, or “this is better” as well as “yes” and He doesn’t have to explain why. In fact, if we take seriously what the Bible says about God it is clear that we could never understand fully even if He did explain. However much we grasp it is always a little bit more complicated t...

Let’s assume, for the sake or argument, that Trump is a man with real faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who is following the Bible’s command to humble himself in calling the United States to pray. There is much in the media portrayal of the man that might cause us to question that but ultimately only God can judge his heart. So for the sake of argument, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. The Christian God is not a genie or a vending machine who is obliged to listen to every prayer. We can go further than that and say that He is not obliged to answer every prayer in the way we expect. To illustrate this think about a parent with a nagging child. When children ask for things they really need - like food, water, or rest - a good parent is only too happy to provide. There are occasions when children ask for things that would be harmful - to drive the car, play with dad’s chainsaw, or parachute off the roof with an umbrella - and a parent has to say “NO!” But there are other oc...

The Christian  God is not a genie who will answer our demands just because we go through the motions of praying. God is not a mechanical vending machine in the sky. There is nothing ‘automatic’ about calling for a Day of Prayer. We cannot judge President Trump’s heart but God can and it is up to Him to respond as He sees fit! This begs another question: why should God listen to any of our prayers? This is a really good way to explain one of the most important things Christians believe about prayer. You may not be so interested in that but I would ask you to stick with me because it is, in turn, essential in exploring how Christians understand the idea of a ‘Day of Prayer ’. One of the ways God is portrayed in the Bible is as a great King. If you have ever been to visit Buckingham Palace or the White House you know that tourists are kept at a safe distance by multiple layers of fences, walls, and well-armed security guards, both uniformed and in plain clothes. You ca...

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump announced a national day of prayer in America but it is not clear if or how God answered those prayers. What do we make of this ? Chatting it through whilst preparing to write this blog I received the tongue in cheek reply "Well, would you listen to him?" Joking aside there is a very good question implicit in this comment. Why should God listen to Donald Trump? Does calling a 'day of prayer' compel God to listen and do whatever people ask him? It is easy to imagine God as a vending machine: press the right religious buttons and put the right spiritual coins in and whatever we want falls into our laps. It is also easy to imagine God as a kind of genie in the sky: use your prayers to rub His lamp the right way and He pops up to give you your three wishes. Sadly, some people claiming to be Christians are deliberately encouraging this view of God promising that He always gives healing and prosperi...