A group of us, keen to encourage people to attend, went around King George Square and the inner city, talking to as many as we could. I don’t recall even one knock-back. But I do remember Frank. Frank was an alchoholic. Totally unskilled in dealing with his dependency, we reached out with Christian love - arranged accommodation, put him in touch with Alcoholics Anonymous and kept in contact over a number of months.
I recall one Sunday night. Frank had planned to come to church. It was the anniversary of his son’s death. He had a clean shirt ready to wear, but someone pinched it. By the time we found him, he had been on the metho and was in a bad way.
I don’t know the end of the story. We were students and returned home at the end of the year and lost contact. Though naïve and inexperienced, our motivation was right - as was our conviction that this man needed more than human help.
In Psalm 145, David expresses praise to "God the King." His greatness is visible in his "mighty," "wonderful" and "awesome" deeds. But especially, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made" (vv. 8-9). God isn’t just majestic and powerful - he is "gracious and compassionate." It is always a matter of amazement that the Creator and Lord of the whole universe should love even you and me, should hear even our prayers.
In the midst of celebrating the Lord’s faithfulness and love, David says, "The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down" (v. 14).
The reality is that people do fall, that they are bowed down. But the truth is also that "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33.27). None - not anyone - need fall further than the Lord’s everlasting arms.
Some are too proud to receive the Lord’s help. Others, like Frank, are just so broken, almost too broken even to ask.
Yet the promise and help are at hand. Perhaps in our innocence, we knew more about Frank’s need than we realised - perhaps even more than some of the experts. There are times when we need to representatives of God’s grace and compassion to people in need - upholding them, lifting them up so that they will know the Lord’s help which is beyond anything we can offer.
| Prayer: We exalt you, our God and King. We praise your name for ever and ever. We acknowledge your majesty and love. You uphold us when we fall and lift us up when we are bowed down. Hear us as we pray for others in need - for all who are hurting and broken, who are despairing and hopeless. Especially we pray for those who don’t know or haven’t understood your ever-present help. Enable us to uphold them, to lift them up so that they can receive from you the help that only you can give. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. |
Since ever
Eve and Adam
ate forbidden fruit,
the path
for humankind
has been
rough
and stony.
Since ever
they fell,
we have
stumbled
and fallen.
The hand of God
has beckoned
and pointed
and called
and invited
to hold
and uplift,
to forgive
and to comfort,
to restore
and to heal.
"Underneath
are the everlasting arms."
None
need fall further
than those everlasting arms
of God.
Back to Sermons