Sunshine Skies

After days of gloom and rain, the lugubrious voice of the presenter on the radio this morning read out a forecast of yet another day when grey skies would drip down upon us. 

I’m just back from a walk under fairly clear blue skies, pretty mild temperatures for January in Scotland and respite from the powerful winds which have buffeted us over the last few days and weeks.

As I rounded a corner in the path, the few clouds there were began to take on the pink tinge of dawn and before I reached the next bend, the sun reached out in glorious golden rays, refreshing the landscape and my spirit.

There are several points of uncertainty in my life just now. As I rehearsed one of the more worrying ones silently during breakfast, I was reminded – in the old King James version’s words – ‘sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof’. In other words, there’s enough to think about today without worrying about what might or might not happen tomorrow.

Then our daily reading took us deep into the Old Testament and the story of a king called Jehoshaphat. When faced with an overpowering army marching on his nation, he turned to God and prayed, ‘We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ (2 Chronicles 20:12) God then spoke through a prophet, advising that the battle was his, and just to march out praising him.

Praise is powerful. Not because it is a weapon against any enemy particularly, but because it raises our faith level. It reminds us of the integrity of our God. It reaffirms deep within us our core belief that our God is a loving, good God, who has given up his son to death on a cross so that we might share a relationship with him forever. He is smiling at me – and at you – right now. He only has our best in mind. He loves us truly, madly and deeply. And when I praise Him, I remember that, and my love for him is deepened, too. 

So whatever the January challenges are, today I am praising my God and my King, my Lord Jesus Christ, because I know that he is for me. And if he is for me, who can be against me?