Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 90 | Saturday 23rd March

Psalm 90

Reflection Written by Jo Oughton

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling-place
    in all generations. 
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, 
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world, 
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 

3 You turn us back to dust, 
    and say, ‘Turn back, you mortals.’ 
4 For a thousand years in your sight 
    are like yesterday when it is past, 
    or like a watch in the night. 

5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, 
    like grass that is renewed in the morning; 
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; 
    in the evening it fades and withers. 

7 For we are consumed by your anger; 
    by your wrath we are overwhelmed. 
8 You have set our iniquities before you, 
    our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 

9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; 
    our years come to an end like a sigh. 
10 The days of our life are seventy years, 
    or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; 
even then their span is only toil and trouble; 
    they are soon gone, and we fly away. 

11 Who considers the power of your anger? 
    Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you. 
12 So teach us to count our days 
    that we may gain a wise heart. 

---

The theologian Tom Wright speaks of this Psalm as standing at the threshold of God’s time. 

It reminds us that God’s time is different from ours; he exists outside our concept of time. 

However, we are reminded of our finite existence. In contrast, we might see our lifespan as a tiny speck. But the psalm goes on to remind us that even this short time when lived through God, is worthy. 

As life goes on, the time seems to go faster and faster, as a child I remember waiting for Christmas to come and the days went so slowly. 

We know that every day has the same number of hours and a countdown of minutes, yet they can feel different lengths. 

 In this psalm, we see God sitting outside of time, ‘from everlasting to everlasting you are God’ 

These days, life seems to rush past each day faster than the next. How will I use these precious hours? With family or friends, on my own in Bible study, or with people worshipping. 

I will spend a large chunk of it sleeping, many hours in front of the TV, and sometimes staring blankly into space, trying to catch my thoughts. 

This psalm reminds us to take those hours and allow God to make them worthy. Will I still sleep, watch television, or stare off into space? Yes, however I will do those things and knowing that my time is limited, but God’s time is endless, and we will be given the opportunity to live his eternal life. 

God’s time is different 

He can sit outside of our understanding, as Peter says: 

“ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”   

If we turn to him, we will share in God’s eternal life; these mortal years will pass away. 

However the psalmist asks us to count our days so we will gain a wise heart. 

Tom `Wright sums this up in a way I never could in his book Finding God in the Psalms 

Make us, in other words, to be the people who know how to stand at the threshold of human time and God's time. And there to learn both humility and hope. Our time is not worthless, but any worth it may possess would come from God's goodness, and not our control of our circumstances. 

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 131 / 25 | Saturday 16th March

Psalm 131/ 25

Reflection Written by Bob Munn

---

The psalms always seem very busy to me, with lots going on 

The writers of the psalms praise God 

they celebrate the world God created 

they admire his laws 

they lament from the depths of despair 

they beg to be rescued from peril 

they give thanks for being rescued from peril 

they plead for their enemies to be defeated 

they celebrate the defeat of their enemies 

Amid all this, I value the more peaceful psalms and passages in psalms 

For this reflection, I have chosen one very short psalm  

Psalm 131 is headed A Prayer of Humble Trust  

It consists of just three verses  

Lord, I have given up my pride 

and turned away from my arrogance. 

I am not concerned with great matters 

or with subjects too difficult for me. 

Instead, I am content and at peace. 

As a child lies quietly in its mother’s arms, 

so my heart is quiet within me. 

Israel, trust in the Lord  

now and for ever! 

This points us away from activity, from doing to just being 

And it gives a picture of calm acceptance that all is well 

As a child trusts its mother, 

so the children of Israel are advised to trust the Lord 

And that is sound advice for Christians, too 

But now I am going to cheat and also read one verse from a longer psalm 

Psalm 25 is headed A Prayer for Guidance and Protection 

 Overall it is full of the busy-ness I have already referred to 

concerning the psalmist’s enemies and God’s providence 

But in the middle, verse 11 simply says 

 Keep your promise, Lord, and forgive my sins, 

for they are many. 

 At our evening services, we have been following the Sermon on the Mount 

There Jesus tells people not to use loads of words when they pray 

and this verse follows that advice 

It says everything necessary very simply  

Putting these together, as Psalm 131 says 

we can rest at ease because we trust in the Lord 

And we can trust in the Lord because, as this verse of Psalm 25 says 

the Lord promises to forgive our sins 

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 100 | Wednesday 13th March

Psalm 100

Reflection Written by Sheila Collins

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

---

When was the last time you shouted for joy?

Captured in my heart and stored in my memory from last year are these 2 personal stories. On a sunny summer’s day my small grandson momentarily lost sight of his family when he suddenly spotted me waving. Shouting his head off with joy and delight he scooted furiously on his balance bike towards to me, threw the bike down and flung out his arms for a hug.

The second is this. On entering the hallowed portals of the Theatre of Dreams I took my seat high up amongst hopeful strangers decked out in red. As the game progressed, the tension was tangible until, miraculously, the ball hit the back of the net. The explosion of spontaneous joyful noise was accompanied by 70000 people rising out of their seats, arms in the air, high fiving those closest, no longer strangers but delighted compatriots who, in those few moments, all understood the significance of what they had experienced.

Whilst the writer of Psalm 100, most likely David, didn’t know about balance bikes and football. He did know about delighting in the presence of God and encouraging the whole earth to sing joyful songs praising and worshipping God for his creation, his goodness, his enduring love and his continuing faithfulness. In fact this joyful psalm is the only psalm in the collection to bear the title Psalm of Thanksgiving.

My small grandson knows he is loved, he knows with whom he belongs, he knows that he can trust his family without question and is spontaneously joyful. The red decked 70000 rising out of their seats shared their experience together with gladness and joyful songs. These are very human expressions of joy and praise but are not just limited to the experience of small boys and football fans. The Psalmist goes beyond expressions of joy and enthusiasm. He exhorts all the earth to worship God with gladness because He is our creator and our shepherd. He is the only one worthy to receive the highest praise as we acknowledge that we know that the Lord is indeed God.

As we progress through the Psalm the writer pictures the people of God from all the earth entering together through the gates and into the courts of the temple. As God’s people approach, the Psalmist advises we should do so with thanksgiving, recognizing how much He has done for us.

The final 2 verses give three reasons for thanking and praising God. Firstly, He is good. He always does what is best for His children. Second, His love is enduring. This is a steadfast and everlasting love, Thirdly, God's faithfulness extends to all generations. He has never broken a promise, He has always been reliable and always will be reliable.

So when will be the next time you shout for joy? The red decked 70000 shared their common experience of joy together. The Psalmist said, ’Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.’

Do you know you are loved? The Psalmist said, ‘God’s love endures forever.’

Do you know with whom you belong? The Psalmist said, ‘God made us and we are his, we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.’

Do you know that you can trust God without question? The Psalmist said, ‘God’s faithfulness continues through all generations.’

God loves you, we belong to Him and He can always be trusted. Worth shouting for joy this Lent? I think so!

Amen

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 121 | Saturday 9th March

Psalm 121

Reflection Written by Phil wadsworth

1  I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From whence does my help come? 

2  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 

3  He will not let your foot be moved, He who keeps you will not slumber. 

4  Behold, He Who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  

5  The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 

6  The sun shall not smite you by day, not the moon by night. 

7  The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. 

8  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore. 

---

As someone who enjoys hill-walking I find lifting my eyes to the hills – happily possible from various places in Bramhall – always gives a boost, an uplift.  Though it’s stretching it to suggest Isaiah 52:7 (‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good tidings’) is about hill-walking these are among passages in the Bible where mountains symbolise majesty, strength, and endurance.   

From a place of refuge (‘flee to the hills’, Matthew 24:16) to a place of tranquillity, reflection, and nearness to God (‘Jesus went up a mountainside .. and sat down’, Matthew 15:29) – the latter a feeling know to many walking the hills – the Bible uses various images of hills and mountains when describing attributes of, and our relationship with, God. 

‘Up’ is a word used in many ways for positivity, including ‘it’s looking up’, ‘speaking up’, ‘come up higher’, ‘feeling uplifted’, ‘upper hand’, and lots more.  It can be an invitation to look to better things – ‘cheer up’, ‘buck up’.  In Lent, though, we may be reflecting on Jesus going up to Jerusalem, with the presage of what’s to come, ‘up’ hardly seeming positive in that passage; and, indeed, most negative, Jesus lifted up on the Cross – but even here we’re carried onward to the greatest positive:  Jesus rising (another ‘up’ word) from the tomb, and later His Ascension. 

Psalm 121 evokes lifting our eyes to the hills as a symbol, an image of raising our thoughts and prayers to God.   

God, incomprehensively moreso than the hills, is majesty, strength, and endurance; He is our place of refuge, and reflecting on Him brings tranquillity.  The psalm comprehensively assures us that God is always there, the ultimate refuge and source of strength in all the circumstances in our lives – wherever, whenever, however bad (or good) things are, whatever we’ve done or not done, in a crowd or alone, and whether we do or don’t remember that He is there.   

As we take the Lenten journey again and after, when it is over for another year, Psalm 121 inspires us with its account of God’s care for us and reminds us, in the words of Romans 8:38-39, ‘that neither death, nor life, not angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’. 

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 150 | Wednesday 6th March

Psalm 150

Reflection Written by Alex Walker

1 Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

---

This Psalm tells us to praise God with music and song.  ‘Let everything that has breath praise the Lord’.  There is no rule that says we have to be able to sing well or play an instrument well.  Simply having breath is enough.  Music is for everyone.

Hearing a song that we love evokes such emotion in us.  Sadness, grief, happiness, and joy.  Music is used to celebrate, to honour, to commemorate, and even to dance to.  It has no language that needs to be interpreted.  Music speaks to our soul.

There is a saying that we should dance like no one is watching.  As a child that is easy, as an adult we worry too much about the judgement from others.  My gift from God was the ability to sing and play music.  It brings me and others joy.  I am always grateful, so many people wish they could sing and wish they could play an instrument.  We shouldn’t hide our talents however insignificant they may seem to us.  Music is there to be shared, to celebrate and to unite us.  It brings common ground.  It brings inner peace.  It puts smiles on people’s faces.  But let’s not forget that God has given us the gift of music and song and therefore dance.  Sing, dance and play music like no one is watching, except God.  Let’s praise God with our gifts of song and music, let’s be thankful that we can make music together. 

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 8 | Saturday 2nd March

Psalm 8

Reflection Written by Peter Illingworth

1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
2     Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are humans that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

---

Chapter 8 of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy begins with a reflection on the enormity of space: "Space," it says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space”.

Psalm 8, probably written by King David, considers much the same thing: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

I am a tiny speck on a trivial planet orbiting an average sun which itself is one of one hundred thousand million stars in our galaxy with a further one hundred thousand million galaxies out there.  Why should God, the Creator, have any interest in me?

With our materialistic view of the Universe, “bigger is better”, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that way, but this Psalm goes on to celebrate the fact that God has made us: a little lower than the angels, He has crowned us with glory and honour and has put us in charge over everything that He has made.  Just like the red blood corpuscles in our bodies, too small to see without a microscope, He has made us the life blood of the world around us.

And our response can be the same as that of King David, who starts and finishes the Psalm with the same words, “Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide, Douglas Adams jokes that "The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42."  Psalm 8 points us towards a more meaningful answer: to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 91 | Wednesday 28th February

Psalm 91

Reflection Written by Mark Hackney

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,

    who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

2 will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;

    my God, in whom I trust.’

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

    and from the deadly pestilence;

4 he will cover you with his pinions,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5 You will not fear the terror of the night,

    or the arrow that flies by day,

6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

    or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

    ten thousand at your right hand,

    but it will not come near you.

8 You will only look with your eyes

    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,

    the Most High your dwelling-place,

10 no evil shall befall you,

    no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways.

12 On their hands they will bear you up,

    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,

    the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14 Those who love me, I will deliver;

    I will protect those who know my name.

15 When they call to me, I will answer them;

    I will be with them in trouble,

    I will rescue them and honour them.

16 With long life I will satisfy them,

    and show them my salvation.

---

The powerful Psalm 91, often titled ‘The Assurance of God’s Protection’, makes clear that God could not be more explicit regarding the extent to which He will look after all of us.

This anonymous psalm is often credited to Moses. In which case the psalm is 3,500 years old. It reassures me to know that God has been protecting his people for so long now.

As one theologian succinctly points out, the psalm tells us four things that God is to us: the shelter we can dwell in; the shadow we can rest in; the refuge we can count on; the fortress we can trust. Beautiful.

Psalm 91 makes me feel surrounded by God’s passionate and ever-reliable love. There is no hesitation here, no hedging from our God. As we trust in the Lord, his loving, protecting arms circle us – or as the psalmist would have it here: God’s wings [verse 4].

And, if you consider these four specific areas of protection, then it may come as no surprise to you that Psalm 91 is also sometimes known as the Soldier's Psalm. For example, camouflage bandanas imprinted with the psalm are often distributed to US troops, or a verse placed on their dog-tags.

And, in British culture, there is a tradition that British First World War soldiers would recite this psalm in the trenches on the eve of battle. I Have taught for many years the evocative WW1 poetry of Wilfred Owen [a local, Cheshire lad], as he strove to portray ‘The pity of war’. I can only imagine feebly the horror and fear those brave souls would have experienced – and wonder at the powerful love I pray they felt, via this psalm, emanating from their Lord. 

I am not a soldier, I know nothing of the horrors they might face. Like all of us, I merely face the stresses and concerns of what it is to be living a life – alongside, of course, God’s gifting of joyfulness and beauty.

But, as I reflect upon this wonderful, powerful psalm, I feel loved, protected, reassured. Though life can be troublesome, through, and in, its trials, God’s love draws me in ever-deeper.

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 19 | Saturday 24th February

Psalm 19

Reflection Written by Janet Ketteringham

1 The heavens are telling the glory of God,
    and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
    and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
    their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth
    and their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
    and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and nothing is hid from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
    making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
    enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
    and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can detect one’s own errors?
    Clear me from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent;
    do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless
    and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    be acceptable to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

---

This Psalm of David has provided so much source material for anthems, hymns, songs and books that it would take more than these few lines to list them all.

However, one of my recent surprise finds was reading the final verse of this psalm etched in granite on the side of the Scottish parliament building.

We were there for a wedding and the sheer joy of those first six verses of the psalm starting “The heavens declare the Glory of God” was echoed throughout the day as we celebrated being together. We saw real joy when bride and groom swore devotion and fidelity through thick and thin and were traditionally handfasted in front of families and friends forever.

Those first six verses, rejoicing in creation, tell us the music of the heavens is all there for us to wonder at. It goes on to then tell us how to live, saying we will find personal joy by following God’s laws and this will be “sweeter than honey”. How amazing.

And finally, there’s a prayer asking to be kept from error, from wilful sin. And we echo that in our prayers each time we say The Lord’s Prayer which Jesus gave us. And we can also, with sincere hearts, repeat the final verse written in stone on that Edinburgh wall:

               May the words of my mouth

               And the meditation of my heart

               Be acceptable in your sight,

               O Lord, my strength and my redeemer

Amen.

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 23 | Wednesday 21st February

Psalm 23

Reflection Written by Dave Walker

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3     he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

---

Of all the numerous festivals in the Christian calendar there are two which are known and universally celebrated more than any of the others. These are, of course, Christmas and Easter, which one might say are the festivals that flank our Faith. The first is a celebration and joy that the birth of a child brings, whilst Easter is the celebration of that life as it is called back to God’s Kingdom. Easter is a celebration not only of Christ’s death but His rebirth, His renaissance, His Resurrection.

Along with the universally accepted festivals above, I think there are two universally known biblical texts; even to those who are not regular church attendees.

These texts are namely, the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd.

Today, and at first glance it would be understandable to see Psalm 23 as being God’s answer to the protection and sustenance sought when saying the Lord’s Prayer. However, there exists at least a millennium between David writing Psalm 23 and Christ teaching His people the Lord’s Prayer. Psalm 23 tell us the Lord is an all-encompassing comforter and provider for all our needs. I think the first line is so fulfilling: I shall not want.

Isn’t this what we ask nowadays, to be forgiven and fulfilled in equal measure with the Lord’s blessing?

In our prayers, today, we ask for guidance away from wrong-doing and to feel safe in God’s love. Psalm 23 verse 3 offers the same guidance and love:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me. Your rod and staff, comfort me.

The terminology is so evocative and just as relevant today: we are not alone, God is with us.

As we dedicate our life and faith to God’s love when we pray His Prayer so David, the erstwhile shepherd boy, knew over three thousand years ago that God was there for him, also.

In these tumultuous times of wars, economic strife and life-limiting diseases, Psalm 23 introduces us to respite and tranquillity away from the busyness of our lives. Even when life is at its lowest ebb and we are consumed by fear Psalm 23 is there for us; offering recuperative support to both body and mind and opening up the right path to follow.

If for me the Lord’s Prayer is my armour, then Psalm 23 is my crutch; they both give me joy and hope and faith. And as David wrote: I shall not want!

Easter blessings to you.

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 139 | Saturday 17th February

Psalm 139

Reflection Written by Jo Oughton

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

 you discern my thoughts from far away.

3 You search out my path and my lying down

 and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

 O Lord, you know it completely.

5 You hem me in, behind and before,

 and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

 it is so high that I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from your spirit?

 Or where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;

 if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning

 and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me,

 and your right hand shall hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

 and night wraps itself around me,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you;

 the night is as bright as the day,

 for darkness is as light to you.

13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;

 you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

 Wonderful are your works;

that I know very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

 intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.

In your book were written

 all the days that were formed for me,

 when none of them as yet existed.

17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!

 How vast is the sum of them!

18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;

 I come to the end

—I am still with you.

---

I chose this psalm because it is special to me in so many ways; I have an art piece with the words on my bedroom wall, which was gifted to me by a wonderful friend. It occurs in my daily prayer at times of importance, but best of all I was asked to read it at the wedding of my youngest child, such a privilege. This is a psalm that grows with our faith, and can help in the darkest of days.

At times I have felt very isolated, lonely even when in a crowd, Seeming to fit in, but that can take every ounce of energy I had.

There were things in my head that I found hard to admit, even to myself, and yet God already knew them. There was nothing that he didn’t know about me. He knew me better than I knew myself. In a world that seems to hide weakness and craves conformity, God knows that I’m not meant to fit into that mould, and I am never isolated or alone.

What is it to be known by God, he knows us better than we know ourselves.

He already knows our most shameful thoughts, he already knows our guilty past and our how repentant we are. But still he stands with his arms open ready to help us heal.

My first steps in faith needed that acceptance of the broken soul, I needed to know he loved me, the real, messy, intimidated and lonely soul that was me.Who is this God who has known us completely from the womb and on into life.

I continue to need remember how well God knows me, but now I can also see that he knows everyone this well. If God knows each one of us from the moment we are conceived, then everyone can have a relationship with him based on their true selves.

How great is our God? Sometimes, we need to be reminded that god is awesome; he is the creator of all. When we try to limit God's shape and form to our understanding, it is no wonder that we could doubt his existence. This psalm can remind us that his powers are beyond our understanding, unimaginable and so perhaps we don’t need to understand everything. We can have faith and a relationship with this awesome God, who knows us so intimately.

This Lent, perhaps we could reflect on our personal relationship with this Awesome God, and find ways in which we can deepen that relationship.

Walking with the Psalms | Psalm 1 | Wednesday 14th February

Psalm 1

Written by Calum Piper

1 Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

---

I often say that Psalm 1 is one of my favourite psalms, and that's not just because it's the first Psalm in the whole book, but it's an introduction into the wisdom that we receive through reading these songs of worship, these meditations, most of which we believe were written by King David.

I love the imagery, particularly of verse three, that image of a tree in season, blossoming and flourishing that's near a stream, a brook. The trees I'm surrounded by down here at Happy Valley aren't in season. They're not blossoming and looking like they are flourishing, but there is work going on as they sap the strength of the passing water as they prepare for spring.

We're told in Psalm one, that those who delight in the law of Lord, those that spend their time focusing and learning the commandments of God and seeking to live them out in their daily lives, they are like that tree nearest the stream blossoming and flourishing.

Remember King David didn't live in Natural England, where there is water a plenty, especially up here in the Northwest. King David lived in the Middle East with it's dry and arid land, and so trees that have blossom, that needed strength to flourish needed to be near these streams of water and we can take that image a bit further.

The law of the Lord is nourishing for those that seek to learn from it. As Christians we’re invited to read Jesus' words to feed on them, that they might give us life, that they might help us to flourish, and in that we might know God's full joy, God's full love, God's perfect peace.

With these days of Lent, take time to delight in the law of the Lord. To delight in Christ's words as written out in scripture and as you read them to wait upon God. As you meditate through the words of the psalms may your joy and strength in the Lord grow. May your love for the Lord grow and may you find yourself flourishing in the life that he offers you.