Reflecting on some April surprises

 

When we eventually look back on this month, I wonder what we will

remember most, asks Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall. It has

brought some surprises, and I am not thinking about the weather this

time.

The sharp increase in fuel prices came as an unwelcome surprise,

making a trip to the pumps ever more expensive. This of course was the result of the unwelcome war against Iran. As it progressed, its effects on many Persian Gulf states came as terrible surprise for them, and now for more countries than ever. Perhaps we did not realise how vital the free passage of oil tankers really was.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Psalms

 

The book of Psalms is one of God's greatest gifts to weary, wandering and worshipping people. It asks the questions we're often afraid to ask: What is prayer all about? Can you be honest? Can you be raw? Would you talk to God when life is too painful? Can you come to God when you doubt He's even listening?

The book of Psalms shines a light on all of this and so much more.

Within the Psalms, there are heartfelt prayers, cries of pain, songs of worship and praise, and shouts of thankfulness. There are echoes of every other emotion known to men. The Psalms are often messy and raw—but the most important point is this: they're genuine expressions of real feelings. They often give words to whatever we're feeling but cannot articulate. And that is precisely why they matter.

Losing a child

It is every parent’s worst nightmare, when a highly anticipated Christmas shopping trip with grandparents in tow takes a dramatic turn for the worst as they suddenly realised that their five-year old, is nowhere to be found. This very thing happened to one of my friends. With fears of kidnapping racing through their minds, they split up to search for their precious little Joe. My friends assignment was the car park. In the grip of anxiety he made his way through the fresh fallen snow yelling, “Joe, Joe!” I have to tell you that he felt a little foolish. But being embarrassed by shouting out in a car park was overshadowed by fears for his son and his need to find him.

But, after covering the extensive area of the car park, there was no sign of Joe. More concerned than ever, he went back into the shopping precinct to see if anyone else had spotted him. He was hoping beyond hope that either his wife or his mother had found him, but their search had turned up empty as well. Their sense of desperation was hitting new levels when his dad walked around the corner with Joe in hand. Overwhelmed with relief, they asked, “Dad, where did you find him?”  "At the sweet counter,” he replied. “Little Joe had his hands behind his back and his eyes were right up at the level of the sweet shelves.” He didn’t even realize that he was lost! Nor did he have a clue about the kind of danger he was in.