“No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine” (Psalm 33:16-19). This is a statement worth thinking about. David is writing for those under threat. It is about being “saved” when threatened and about

In Matthew 14:22-31 we read about Jesus coming to the disciples, who are in a boat, by walking on the water. Peter, caught up in the glory of the moment, says, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water”. Jesus says one word, “Come”. Peter steps over the edge of the boat, places his feet on the water, and begins walking to Jesus. You have to admire his adventurous spirit and accomplishment. But then he feels the howling wind and sees the choppiness of the w

When I was about 35 we had four young children and not a lot of money. One time, for example, someone invited us after an evening church service to go out as families for ice-cream. I was embarrassed to decline but we did not have the money to buy ice-creams for the six of us and we did not assume they would pay. Lest he think us unfriendly I had to tell him why. Shortly after that he asked again but this time he said, “Can we treat you and your family to ice-cream?” It