Reg's Emmaus Walk

“And behold, to of them [Christ’s disciples] were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place. And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Jesus Himself approached, and began travelling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognising Him.” Luke 24:13-16

On 5 September 2002, Reg, a great friend of mine and long-time Christian went on his Emmaus Walk. An Emmaus Walk is a three-day retreat designed to renew Christian disciples. I was asked to write something for his time there and I wrote a special version of Psalm 139 for him. Here is part of it:

“The Lord searched me; and knowing me, He selected you to be there so many times.

“He knew when I’d come there and when I would need extra encouragement. He understands how much I need someone to discuss things with and sometimes take long walks with.

“Because He knows me so well, He works to protect me from my own sinful foolishness with His hand-picked-for-me friends. This thought – just imagining how much He can love me, nearly breaks my heart.”

You may be a friend like that too and I know Reg always will be to me.

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Adrian’s uncle was released from the hospital. Lyle’s brother recovering from cancer (fell 40 feet off a balcony) needs prayer to heal from broken pelvis, leg, shoulder, elbow. David’s and Randy’s doctors. Gregg who must sell his home in the UK. Paul started his new job this week. And my need.

Psalm 139 - "Your Daily Walk"

“I will give thanks to Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well.” Verse 14

When I was a new Christian, I found one of my first devotional study books by William Barclay called, “Your Daily Walk”. Every morning for several years I would consider the thoughts there. For Psalm I39, I learned that as I consider the infinite knowledge and unceasing presence of my omnipresent God, my faith in Him as “the everywhere, everything God, will grow. But I must take time to consider Him daily.

“And they sang the song of Moses the bond-servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvellous are Thy works O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; for all the nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been revealed.’" Revelations 15:3 (for verse 14)

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Adrian’s 88 year old uncle was rushed to the hospital this morning. Lyle’s brother recovering from cancer (fell 40 feet off a balcony) needs prayer to heal from broken pelvis, leg, shoulder, elbow. David’s and Randy’s doctors. Gregg who must sell his home in the UK. Paul started his new job this week. And my need.

Paraphrase of Psalm 139:7-12

“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I fell from Thy presence? If I ascent to heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Thy hand will lead me, and Thy right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night.’ Even the darkness is not dark to Thee. And the night is as bright as the day, darkness and light are alike to Thee.” Psalm 139:7-12

“There is no way to escape You, no place to hide. If I ascend to the heights of joy, You are there before me. If I am plunged into the depths of despair, You are there to meet me. I could fly to the other side of our world and find You there to lead the way. I could walk into the darkest of nights, only to find You there to lighten its dismal hours.” From Psalms Now

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Lyle’s brother recovering from cancer, was at a friend’s home and fell 40 feet off a balcony. He needs prayer to heal from his many fractures (broken pelvis, leg, shoulder, elbow). The Kossally family is home safely. David’s, Adrian’s and Randy’s doctors. Gregg who must sell his home in the UK. And my need.

Psalm Now 139:1-6

“O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou doest know when I rise up; Thou dost understand my though from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, and art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word in my tongue, behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all. Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, and laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” Psalm 139:1-6

Leslie F. Brandt and Corita Kent wrote a lovely paraphrase for Psalm 139 in a book called Psalms Now:

“O God, You know me inside and out, through and through.

“Everything I do, every thought that flits through my mind, every step I take, every plan I make, every word I speak, You know, even before these things happen.

“You know my past; You know my future.

"Your knowledge of me sometimes comforts me, sometimes frightens me; but always it is far beyond my comprehension.”

Paraphrasing or writing a verse or chapter into words the help personalise God’s Word can help the depth of our understanding. Yet the purity and effectiveness of His Word needs little more than personal heart application.

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: The Kossally family arrived safely back home late last night. David’s, Adrian’s and Randy’s doctors. Gregg who must sell his home in the UK. And my need.

Word Repetition - Psalm 139

“And the Book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the Book and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are down trodden, to proclaim the favourable year of the Lord.’ And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the synagogue were fixed upon Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” Luke 4:17-21

Sometimes looking at repetition within God’s Word can give new insights. In the 24 verses of Psalm 139. For instance: “My” is repeated 8 times. “Me” 15 times, “I” is repeated 18 times; and, as you might expect, the words referring to God (Lord/Thy/Thou) occur 36 times.

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: The Kossally family taking a much needed holiday. David’s, Adrian’s and Randy’s doctors. Gregg who must sell his home in the UK. And my need.

Personal Notes - Psalm 139:23

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;”

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

God is completely engaged in every aspect of our lives and He doesn’t just inspect us once and put a “seal of approval” on us, never to watch over us again as some imagine. He is there always and you heart tells you this even when you are struggling with personal anxiety and wonder where He is. But as the story of Footprints tells us, when He seems far away, He may just be so close we cannot see Him.

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Carla’s family. David’s, Adrian’s and Randy’s doctors. And my need.

Personal Notes - Psalm 139:22

“I hate them with the utmost hatred; they have become my enemies.”

“For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am not longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:19-25

Recognising personal sin is difficult. Perhaps it takes time to see and recognise personal sin, because we don’t want to and sometimes because of this we can too often be our own worst enemy!

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Carla’s family. Paul’s restoration of health. Randy’s health. And my need.

Personal Notes - Psalm 139:21

“Do I not hate those who hate Thee, O Lord! And do I not loathe those who rise up against Thee?”

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;” Philippians 3:7-10a

I heard a sermon once that challenged me to pray for the “mind of Christ” about what was happening in my world. And in some ways, as I look back, praying for this was dangerous, because as you read God’s Word and see His heart more and more, you begin to see just a little bit of the sadness and disappointment He must have regarding His creation. Yet He still loves and extends His hand even to His enemies.

“’But I [Jesus] say to you who hear, love your enemies, do go to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.’” Luke 6:27-28

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Carla’s family during this second time of loss. Paul’s restoration of health. During Randy’s heart surgery – they were unable to repair the damaged valve, but believe he can manage with it the way it is. And my need.

Personal Notes - Psalm 139:20

“For they speak against Thee wickedly, And Thine enemies take Thy name in vain.”

“For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horse’s mouths so that they may obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Behold, the ships also, though they are so great are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder, wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a fire is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.” James 3:2-6

Ever have your words return to you and how surprised at how “Chinese whispers” changes the meaning or intent of your words? Or who may report them to you? Our tongue is a very strong muscle, one we use so often throughout a normal day; it can destroy another, destroy a long friendship in just a few moments. Most of all it can hurt the cause of Christ.

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Carla’s brother will be buried on Sunday, the family hesitates to tell the mom (recently back from the hospital). Randy’s heart surgery 4 July. And my need.

Personal Notes - Psalm 139:19

“O that Thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore men of bloodshed.”

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature ; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:17-21

This part of Psalm 139 just never seemed to fit until I personalised it. We are not asked to slay the wicked but ask Him to. And it is not just the easy to identify “wicked”, but that attitude within me when I try to blame those around me for my problems and difficulties. The old nature that allows my pride power. These things have become my enemy!

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 7:25-8-:1

Stay near God's Word. Take care. Your servant & friend in Christ, Darlene

PS: Prayer Requests: Carla’s family as they deal with the mounting costs of the death of the father and brother (her mom is home now). Randy’s heart surgery 4 July. And my need.