MONDAY 25th MAY 2020

Good morning friends,

After a rather stormy weekend with gales and rain, I am looking forward to the promise of a more settled week............weather wise at least, for who can tell what this week will bring for us?

I don’t know what the week past held for you, I expect it was filled with the usual ups and downs that are part and parcel of our human lives. And........of course all of our lives have to take in the constraints of lockdown.

I know during last week I had moments of wanting to head off to visit family, especially those who were expressing feeling the strain of these ups and downs in their lives.

Often when I am feeling like this, I turn again to read the Psalms, for contained in them is a record of how the writer is experiencing life, and I am always grateful for the honesty of the writer.

He shares his vulnerability and his times of despair, as well as his times of celebration and strength, and always, always the underlying song is a song of blessing to the Lord.

I am particularly fond of the opening verses of Psalm 103 where the writer remembers the goodness of God, and the benefits of trusting HIM.

“Praise the Lord, my soul! All my being, praise his holy name! Praise the Lord, my soul, and do not forget how kind he is. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He keeps me from the grave and blesses me with love and mercy. He fills my life with good things, so that I stay young and strong like an eagle.” Psalm 103:1-5(GNT)

The writer is talking to himself, speaking to his soul, which is a comforting thought for me, for often during these days of social isolation I find myself talking out loud to my heavenly Father, having a wee conversation, thanking HIM and blessing HIS Holy Name.

Sometimes too I burst into my favourite hymn Praise my Soul the King of Heaven which contains the words,

Ransomed, healed restored forgiven. All benefits I have known personally over the years.

The Psalms are filled with words of wonderful encouragement for all of us, as there we see the wonderful provision God has made for his children, to restore and heal and bring life.

I hope you can join with me in this coming week as I reflect a little on God’s desire for our well-being that we find in the Old Testament.

God bless you this new day.