Zephaniah 3:17

'The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with his love,

He will rejoice over you with singing'

Zephaniah 3:17

 

This verse was on the pillow, on my bed, when I checked into my room in the Hotel 5/10 in Kissy the very first time I ever set foot in Sierra Leone in May 2006 - I still have the note, it's stayed in my bible ever since that day.

 

Later on, when I went back to Sierra Leone to host teams of volunteers, I often left a card with this verse on it for volunteers when they arrived......I wonder if any of them kept theirs too?

 

The note that was left for me in May 2006

 

I know that God is with me, I love the thought that He will take great delight in me, and He definitely does quiet me with His love.

Psalm 121

'I lift up my eyes to the hills
 Where does my help come from?

 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot slip
 He who watches over you will not slumber;

 Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The Lord watches over you
The Lord is your shade at your right hand;

 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

 The Lord will keep you from all harm
He will watch over your life;

 The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.'

 Psalm 121

 

Psalm 121 is one of my favourite chapters in the Bible, I first came across it just before I started doing mission work. I was quite worried about a lot of things at that time - but after this chapter was given to me I never worried about my safety.

 

I truly believe that God has called me to be in Sierra Leone, I am only here because I believe that this is where God wants me to be......so, knowing that, I also know that He will keep me safe.

Reading this Psalm gives me great peace and comfort - knowing that the Lord is watching over me and protecting me gives me peace of mind.

At the time when a lot of people were leaving Sierra Leone because of Ebola I knew that it was right for me to be here. Of course, I take all the necessary precautions to keep myself safe......but not once have I considered leaving because of Ebola. I feel protected, I feel safe.

Matthew 6:6-13

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.   

  This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

   Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

   Give us today our daily bread.

    And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

 

Matthew 6:6-13

 

I love that when we say The Lords Prayer we are praying just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray, isn't that special? When I struggle to find words when I'm praying I repeat The Lords Prayer over and over.
 

It's the one prayer that almost everyone knows, Christian or not - I guess I must've learnt it in school or Sunday school, and when I was a kid it was just a matter of repeating the same words as everyone else but not giving thought to any meaning behind it.

I'm not always comfortable praying out loud in a group and this passage lets me know that that is ok, its fine to pray quietly on my own if I don't feel able to join in group prayers.
 

Now I appreciate just how special The Lords Prayer is - hardly a day goes by when I don't pray this prayer.



John 3:16

'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life'

John 3:16

In most Christian primary schools in Sierra Leone the  children are taught 'memory verses'. This is by far the favourite verse among our children.

Numbers 6:24-26

"The Lord bless you and keep you,

  The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you,

 The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

 

If we are friends on Facebook you will know that I'm having a tough week. Three people that I know have passed away......a child, a man in the prime of his life, and an older person. None of them had Ebola, although if it were not for Ebola they may not have died - many hospitals are closed, those that are open some people are scared to go to in case they are mistaken for an Ebola patient or in case they are exposed to Ebola. People are dying because they are unable to get medical treatment. I don't know if they would have survived if there was no Ebola here - but I do believe they would at least have had a fighting chance.

 

I was pondering all this tonight when this passage came to me - it feels almost as if it were written just for me. When I go to bed tonight I will still be sad, desperately sad.......but I will also be surrounded with Gods love and filled with His peace.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love

Where there is injury, pardon

Where there is discord, harmony

Where there is error, truth

Where there is doubt, faith

Where there is despair, hope

Where there is darkness, light

And where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

This is one of my favourite prayers and I was so pleased to see these words in the program for the Remembrance Day Service in Sierra Leone....I was also very moved when the military band played the music for the hymn 'Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace'

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

Jeremiah 29:11

I love this passage, one of the Mission Direct volunteers shared it in devotions way back in 2010 and I've gone back to it many times since then (Thank you J if you are reading!!)

 

I think God every day that the plans He has for me have bought me to Sierra Leone.

 

Philippians 4:6-7

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus'

Philippians 4:6-7

I need to do this more often. Instead of worrying about how I'm going to cope with something I need to hand things over to the Lord. Sometimes in the middle of a situation is is easy to get so caught up with things that I forget to include God in the equation.

I prayed a lot about going back to Sierra Leone,  and this verse describes perfectly how I feel about it.

Matthew 25:34-40

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’     “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’     “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

I often use these verses during devotions when we have teams of volunteers in Sierra Leone. In my previous life I didn't really do any of those things listed above,  except maybe visiting sick family members in hospital, and only that under protest.  Since I've been in Sierra Leone I am blessed that I regularly have the opportunity to do all of the above,  some of which are much harder than others.......I find visiting prisoners the hardest of all.

I know one young man who was imprisoned for 8 months on suspicion of theft, when I found out where he was I visited him as often as I could. It was a three hour drive to the prison, I was a allowed to see him for just 15 minutes, then it was another three hour drive back home. The conditions in the prison weren't good and the young man was quite sick - he would spend most of our 15 minute visits crying. After he was released from prison he told me that a few days before my first visit he had given up and had tried to take his life, he thought he had no one who cared for him and didn't see the point in going on. I'm so grateful to God for compelling  me to visit and keep visiting.

The young man was eventually released without charge after spending over 8 months in custody. He is planning to start a vocational training program once the Ebola crisis is over.

Romans 15:13

'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit'

Romans 15:13

I love this verse. The first time I went to Sierra Leone I was broken after visiting St George Foundation,  We visited there on the final day of my trip and I had met James and he had touched my heart (James is the boy who died of rabies this year).When I got back to my hotel room that night I couldn't stop crying so I got on my knees and read the bible.  I picked up reading where I had left off the day before and this was what I read. It was just what I needed and as I read it I knew I had to share it with James. I copied this verse out into the front of my bible and left it to be given to James. I though a lot about James after I returned to the UK, and then had a lovely surprise when he called me on my birthday - he'd found my birthday and contact details in the bible I left for him. We stayed in touch from then on until he died.
I believe that God showed me that verse that day to help me through what I was finding a tough time,  and also so that I could share it with James.

John 14:6

'Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'

John 14:6 NIV

This bible verse means a lot to me, it is the verse that led to to Christ.

Years ago I was on a train going through London when I saw the words "I am the way and the truth and the life" emblazoned across a building.  The words stayed with me and when I had the chance I looked them up........then forgot about them.

A month or so later it was Easter and the film Jesus of Nazerath was on TV, I heard those words again "I am the way and the truth and the life"

I started an Alpha course and I think it's during the first session on the video I heard Nicky Gumbel quoting "I am the way and the truth and the life"

Why did I keep seeing and hearing this, what did it even mean? It was popping up all over the place. It kept hearing it in my head, finding it on my mind.

Anyway, the long and short of it is, that hearing it on that day at the Alpha course made me decide that I would really give Alpha my best shot. That night I went home and started reading the New Testament,  I finished reading it the week the Alpha course finished......by which time I was ready to give my life to Christ.

"I am the way and the truth and the life" those words mean so much to me........funny thing is whenever I've been on a train in London since then I've looked out for that building with those special words.....I've never seen it again.  Did I imagine it? Has it been removed?  Was it there just for me to see? Who knows.......but I do know that those words have changed my life.

James 5:12

'But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation'

James 5:12 NIV

It's never fails to amaze me when someone will ask me for something, then the next time I see them they'll remind me that I promised to do whatever it was they asked for.........I know that can't be true because I don't make promises........as it says in James I let my yes be yes or my no be no.

People who know me well know that I don't make promises. If someone asks for something and I am able to help, just saying yes is enough, there is no need for promises.

Galations 6:9

'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up'

Galatians 6:9 NIV

For various reasons I have been having quite a difficult time since I returned to the UK from Sierra Leone.......to the point that a couple of days ago I found myself wondering why I bother.  At just the right time I was given this verse. It reminded me that I am not doing this for myself, nor even for the people I work with......I am doing this because I believe it is what God wants me to do. I will continue to try to help the families that I work with in Sierra Leone and I will return to Sierra Leone as soon as I am able.

I will not give up.