A stockpile of God-wonders

Evening Reading October 16th Psalm 40

Today is the day that my Dad died. It was also my late brother’s birthday and it is my son-in-law’s birthday.  I suppose it should be a day of mixed emotions but instead I find myself with excitement in my heart. In the busyness of today, meeting people and talking about God things (growing vegetables and growing church, would you believe) the sadder thoughts of today crossed my mind but somehow did not bring sadness. Growing things took me on a positive route and as I sat down this evening for my time with God I thought through the day and I praise Him for taking the sting out of the remembrance of my Dad and my brother’s death. They died just a few months apart. I had spoken to my brother about Jesus just before he died and he was planning at the time to marry his childhood sweetheart and to put his life back on track. I conducted the funeral and while it was the end of a sad life, it did end in hope. When Dad died I had flown down to visit him only to find him in a terrible state. I checked him into hospital and they tried to clear up the water-logged lungs. It didn’t work and he died peacefully in his chair. Next to his bed at home I found that he had been reading Nicky Gumbel’s book “Questions of Life” which contains all the talks for the Alpha course. A man’s man, he didn’t have too much time for emotion but in the last few days of his life we were able to talk about the real questions of life – his life, my life and Jesus. What a privilege that was!  

So it was not a sad day at all. It was a good day to reflect on God’s stockpile of wonders – And this is the text from The Message that really lifted my heart…”The world’s a huge stockpile of God-wonders and God-thoughts. Nothing and no-one comes close to You! I start talking about you, telling what I know, and quickly run out of words.”

And then I got this email from my son-in-law, another man’s man whose heart God has softened …