preparing the way

The prophet of old was told by God to prepare the way of the Lord.

And there's a sense in which that call he had is one that's addressed to us all. That's the daily business of our living here on earth.

But some days, though, it feels like the Lord reverses the role and he goes ahead and prepares the way for us!

Today was that sort of day. Days like that are wonderful!

At the start of the day there was a school assembly. (The start of the school day, that is: my day started a couple of hours earlier!)

I like being along when the children are gathered like that. It was Primary 1 to 3 today. And they're all eyes and ears and full of the wonder of life.

The Mind Lab folk were along again. (They were there for the older girls and boys a while ago). And again they played what they simply call the king's game.

All good fun, if predictable (I mean, I know how it's done, having seen them in action before!). And, as I say, it's lovely to see the children all 'spell-bound', engrossed and enjoying the whole thing so much.

The school had a letter of thanks, as well, from a girl in a village in Africa. The school had acquired some water containers and somehow this purchase obtained for the village a pump. So now they have clean, fresh water all the time. And less in the way of illness, of course, as well.

Anyway, they wanted me to read the letter out and say a prayer. Which I duly did. And I took the chance to say how amazing it was that the little thing the school had done had brought such a massive change to a village so far away.

On the way back out I looked in at the classroom of the Primary 5s. The teacher saw me straight away.

"What perfect timing!" she exclaimed. "The expert has arrived!" (I humbly looked behind me to see whom she might mean!). And the class all broke out in shouts of "Yes!" and they gave me a lovely welcome again.

Moments like that keep me going for days on end!

They'd been doing a bit on Judaism and were sort of getting lost in the list of people somewhere between Jacob and Moses. I'm not surprised!

So they wanted a bit of advice. And I was simply given the floor! I think it's great the way this class adjust and seem so happy just to take myself on board. But that, I guess, is the benefit of always being around.

We sorted through all sorts of different issues that they had (things like what was the wife of Levi called? and how come Joseph was hated so much? and any number of other questions that they had). They kept me on my toes!

And then the teacher asked me all about the covenant, and the ten commandments and whether the two were the same. Just so she knew what to teach them next week!

I asked when it was they'd be doing this and I said I'd be glad to come in. To keep them right! That sort of thing.

I mean, covenant's really a pretty important theme. And the fact that the Law was not a set of rules they had to keep to earn some brownie points with God - well, that's kind of important, too.

So .. another open door. Same time next week, she said. And I guess I can see it happening that I end up there each week!

They let me see the work they'd done for a project on the RNLI. Some paintings and some plays that they had done. They were great!

I love being in at the school like that and seeing the Lord at work. Opening doors. Providing opportunities. Preparing the way up ahead for me.

Which is really what I should be doing for him!

The service at lunch was great as well. The mini-bus which we hire to bring folk here - the thing had broken down. So I took my share in the 'taxi rank' and was out and about on my rounds before the service. Rounding them up and bringing them in!

Though the numbers are relaatively small, maybe 30 or 40 at most, there's a great sort of spirit at the service each week. And the preaching is always a joy. That short half hour of worship meets a huge big need folk have.

One of the ladies afterwards was saying that each week when she goes back home her neighbour remarks what a difference she sees in her friend! So she asked (I mean, the lady who's here each week), could she join?

It's a thrill when that happens!

I was seeing a couple of folk as well in the afternoon. A bit like a doctor's surgery in fact. Next one, please. That sort of thing. People and planning and problems. And the Lord and his future and all of the ways he amazingly works in our lives.

That's really helped, one of the people said at the end. We'd talked through the issues and I hope that I'd managed to clarify things the person had been pretty mixed up about.

And we'd prayed as well, of course, and ... well, I think the Lord just loves it when we pray and he releases his power all over again. And he opens up the future for his people. Like he opened up the Red Sea long ago and ushered in a whole new thrilling chapter in their lives.

Sometimes it feels like I'm simply always watching him at work. I'm there, involved - and yet I'm really a spectator and I'm watching him at work.

Speaking, talking, teaching, guiding, helping. It's just him at work. Amazing!

At night I was out, away across town, at a meeting regarding another growing ministry in town. The Lot. 'A good place to be', as the 'tag' line says.

Same again. The Lord is out ahead, preparing the way. And step by step that way became much clearer as we talked and prayed it through.

It's humbling to find myself caught up in something so big. The work of the Lord.

I want to do the John the baptist thing and get out there and myself be preparing the way for the Lord.

But he gets in first! He's out there ahead, preparing the way for me!