Monthly Message Aug 2019

Last month’s message was to have sufficed for both July and August, but one of our team members, Sandie, has kindly offered the following piece which I am very pleased to pass on to you.  I’ll be back in September!  Tony

I wonder how many words bombard us every day? Whether it’s the chatter of the family around the breakfast table, news headlines on the media, the voice of a loved one via phone or the words of a song in your headphones, we are surrounded by a cacophony of words each and every day.

But whom we choose to listen to amongst this noise, is really important.

The Psalmist writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge.” The very world around us speaks of our majestic Creator.

And at our next Saffron Walden Bible Focus  we will see from Hebrews that God has spoken to us by His son, Jesus Christ. How utterly extraordinary that the God who made the whole world, who stretched out the heavens and placed the stars, should deign to speak to us!

And what words Jesus speaks. “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:28-29)

I love singing and two old hymns spring to mind. The first by Horatio Bonar , born just after the death of Newton who wrote “How sweet the sound”

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

‘Come unto Me and rest;

lay down, thou weary one, lay down

thy head upon My breast’:

I came to Jesus as I was,

weary, and worn, and sad;

I found in Him a resting-place,

and He has made me glad.

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

‘Behold, I freely give

the living water; thirsty one,

stoop down and drink, and live’:

I came to Jesus, and I drank

of that life-giving stream;

my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

and now I live in Him.

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

‘I am this dark world’s light;

look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,

and all thy day be bright’:

I looked to Jesus and I found

in Him my star, my sun;

and in that light of life I’ll walk

till travelling days are done.

 

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

in a believer’s ear!

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,

and drives away his fear.

 

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

and calms the troubled breast;

’tis manna to the hungry soul,

and to the weary rest.

 

Dear name! the rock on which I build,

my shield and hiding-place,

my never-failing treasury, filled

with boundless stores of grace.

 

Jesus! my shepherd, brother, friend,

my Prophet, Priest and King;

my Lord, my life, my way, my end,

accept the praise I bring.

 

Weak is the effort of my heart,

and cold my warmest thought;

but when I see Thee as Thou art,

I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

 

Till then I would Thy love proclaim

with every fleeting breath;

and may the music of Thy name

refresh my soul in death!

 

I spent a happy time at the Keswick Convention this summer, listening to God’s Word in the company of His people and in His magnificent creation. Arriving heavy laden in many ways, I left refreshed and rested.

I hope to see many of you at this year’s Saffron Walden Bible Focus where we will hear and sing God’s Word together. Until then my prayer is that this summer we will find time to listen to and dwell richly in the Word of our good, good Father.

Sandie