sent

When I spoke at the Guild last night, I spoke a bit about how the Lord restores our souls.

From the story of David himself. The man who coined the phrase.

The first thing the Lord always does is send a person to us. In David's case that was Jonathan, the crown prince of Israel.

In the whole grand scheme of what God's about, of course, he sends us a person, too. His own son. Jesus.

The crown prince of heaven.

To be with us, so that we're not on our own.

But it's often the visible, tangible dimension we need. A person we can see and touch and hear and feel.

Jonathan got to take the role of Jesus in David's case. And as often as not we also get to be the person sent by God. We, too, get to play the part of Jesus in another's life.

The person sent by God to start the whole long process of restoring the person's soul.

Which is quite a thought.

It was Primary 5 today at the school again. We were looking at what a parable is. So we did some role play stuff. Acting out a parable or two.

They were all very keen to get the starring role. Like the father in the story Jesus told of the man with the two sons.

They went over the top just a little bit, but they had some fun, and I think they got the point. Every-day stories that Jesus told that have got a hidden meaning.

The second bit was the harder thing, teasing out the hidden meaning in the stories that he told. But they gave that a good shot as well.

From the school it was on to the service of thanksgiving for the lady who'd died at the start of last week. And, again, I'm so conscious that I get to be the person who's sent by God.

I was telling the Guild that after God sends a person to restore another's soul, he also speaks a word. That's what Jonathan did. Not a huge long speel. Just enough to bring assurance to his firiend's beleaguered soul.

That's what I get to do as well at a service such as this. I'm sent by the Lord to speak a word. Always personal. Always addressing their broken hearts.

Always to help the people there rise up again and face whatever future days will hold.

I didn't find it easy today. The lady who'd died was up in her eighties, a mother and grand-mother, with a close-knit, loving family.

It was a bit too close to home for me. It was the Tuesday of this very week last year that my own Mum died. At nearly the same time as the service began today. It got to me when the coffin was carried in.

Strange how things work out. It was, as I say the Tuesday of this week last year she died. And I had a funeral service today at just that sort of time. It was the 9th of October she died. And on the 9th itself (Thursday this year) I've another funeral service to conduct, again at much the same sort of time.

It means, of course, that what a grieving family feel, is what I'm feeling too. Which is pretty much what the Lord says is true of Jesus. He feels not only for us. But with us too.

I was in to the hospital later on. Again, I was thinking this is the role of Jesus I'm called upon to play. The person sent by God to help restore the soul.

There's a lady there I'd never met before. She's the mother of a person I've been trying to help, not least in terms of helping to restore this person's soul. Battered and bruised over countless years and needing some gentle and deep-rooted restoring from God.

A lot of the hurt, a lot of the bruising there's been, is bound up with a whole range of issues the person's had with this lady I went to see, the mother.

As I say, I've never met the lady before, but strangely she had a fall last week and landed in the hospital. I saw that as a providence of God, affording me the chance to go and see her and somehow thereby begin the path of healing for them both.

So I went in to see her and I sat and we spoke for a while. And then I asked if I might pray. I wanted to pray God's healing in a way this woman herself could never really guess.

Sort of open the door to her heart for the soul-restoring grace of God to flow.

Because I think that's going to be needed if the person that I'm trying to help is to have their soul restored as well after all the long-term hurt there's been.

There were six in the ward, so I went and I had a word with them all. And I was conscious again of just what a privilege it is of being in the role of the person that's sent by God.

Playing the Jesus part, as it were. Being him, in a real and wonderful sense. And speaking the word to each. God will bless you sort of thing. Reassurance and encouragement and hope.

Don't be afraid, as Jonathan said to David long ago.

I had a meeting up town at night, but I left it before the end to go and see this person who's been going through a torrid, wretched time, as things from way back in the past are brought by the Lord to the surface with a view to their being healed.

Real restoring the soul sort of stuff.

The couple knew I was calling round. I think the person in particular was pretty scared, worried how the evening would go.

The soul is a fragile, delicate thing, and the Lord I think is very, very gentle in the way he handles such a thing.

Which is just as well. Because my soul, too, is always in need of restoring by the end of every day!