Thought of the day – Thursday 30th April 2020
THOUGHTS FROM THE KITCHEN
The Celtic Church held a lovely concern for the everyday. God is present everywhere if we only take the trouble to look for him and listen to him. They also used the Book of Psalms daily in their devotions.
This set of thoughts is inspired by acts of creation in the kitchen, for many of us the heart of the home. God is there and speaks to us clearly, if we only listen. Each thought is connected with a quotation from a Psalm as a starting point.
DAY FOUR – Trust in God
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green pastures, he leads me beside peaceful meadows, he renews my strength. He guides me along the right paths, bringing honour to his name. Even when I walk in through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord for ever.
Trust is hard. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is discernment, letting God show us the good from the bad, the trustworthy from the ill-intentioned. We are wise not to trust too readily but we need to trust when and where we can.
I remember the first time I made a souffle. I’d seen it done, I knew the theory, but I needed help from someone I could trust. Thankfully, there was a recipe in a cookery book which had never let me down written by a cook I knew I could trust. The result was quite perfect creating a lot of pleasure, no thanks to me. What had made it work was trusting where the trust was merited.
We need to trust our Father God. If we go off and start creating on our own, we can make a serious and damaging mess. And as we grow in the faith, we learn to realise how much we can trust him – the one person who will never let us down. Consider now the times when God has seen you through – times of illness, of doubt, of confusion. He has promised that all things can work to good for those who love him – let that promise linger in your heart today and bring you hope.
Prayer
Gracious God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for the times you have been there for me. Thank you that I can trust your word. Thank you that I can know you will never let me down.
Amen