The Narrow Path

  Saturday, 4 October, 2025 Psalm 80 1 Kings 19:9-21 Matthew 10:28-42 Observance: Francis of Assisi, friar and preacher (d. 1226) The Shining Face Of God (Psalm 80:19) Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!     Let your face shine, that we may be saved! The Bible is filled with blessings, and it is a good practise for the Christian to try and remember as many of them as possible, and pull them out often to bless others. One of our favourites has to be the Aaronic blessing: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26) This idea of the shining face of God is repeated in today’s Psalm, and repeated often; if the Psalm is a song, then this is it’s chorus. A shining face is such suggestive language. Is it shining because of the light that pours out of God? Is the shine pointing towa...

  Friday, 3 October, 2025 Psalm 78:16-38 1 Kings 18:41-19:8 Matthew 10:16-27 Yet In His Compassion (Psalm 78:38) Yet he, being compassionate,     atoned for their iniquity     and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often     and did not stir up all his wrath. Dealing with toddlers really makes one appreciate the patience of our heavenly Father. It is so easy to want to rant and rave, and it is not as if the parent is without good reason. Yet if they exercise patience, long-suffering, and dwell on their love for their child instead of the anger at disobedience, the relationship binds together in such a way that it can never be broken. Such is God with us. He restrains his anger, and does not stir up all his wrath. Rather he, being compassionate, was born of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit and became truly human. Being found in human form he humbled himself, even to deat...

  Thursday, 2 October, 2025 Psalm 77 1 Kings 18:20-40 Matthew 10:1-15 A Diligent Search (Psalm 77:6) I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;     let me meditate in my heart.”     Then my spirit made a diligent search. A recurrent theme across the Psalms is the honest appraisal of human misery. It happens, and can happen pretty badly for us. Does the Lord’s steadfast love ever cease? Do his promises ever come to an end? The pathway out of this state is laid out for us in this Psalm. It requires intent and effort; a meditation of the heart, and a diligent search of the spirit. We must keep in mind all that the Lord has done for us. When we do so, we discover that no matter how awful things get for us, God can and will overcome. He has proved it time and time again, and will prove it again for us. It is not a simple thing to return to a place of spiritual life; but it is guaranteed, if we follow the...