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Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. I wonder when you last felt painfully hungry or thirsty. I suspect for most of us that if it has ever happened, it is a distant memory. However, it is likely that Jesus’ hearers would have been very familiar with both. Harvests could be good or bad, and it was impossible to achieve a reliable flow of food. Additionally, in a hot country, people would often have felt desperately thirsty, and finding a good supply of clean water would never have been easy. Jesus wanted His followers to have just this kind of desperate longing for God’s will to be done in the world. Christianity suffers desperately from those who give it merely polite agreement. They live respectable and considerate lives and consider that Christian faith is generally a very good thing. Jesus is looking for something completely different. He wants us to have the same passion for His kingdom as a hungry and thirsty person has for food and drink. He wants our lives to be dominated by the longing to see His will done and for society to be ordered in a way that honours Him. The wonderful promise is that God will answer the prayers of those who have this passionate longing for His kingdom. For as long as we live on this earth, we will be battling with the reality of sin and injustice. They are sadly an inevitable part of a fallen world, but we can be sure that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, God will satisfy us completely. Question How hungry and thirsty are you for God’s kingdom? Prayer Dear Lord, forgive me for my half-heartedness. Give me a passionate desire to do Your will. Amen

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Meekness and humility lie at the heart of the kingdom of God. As previously mentioned, Jesus once told His disciples that the only way to enter the kingdom was to become as humble as a child (Matthew 18:4). They were still looking for power and influence, but Jesus wanted to turn their thinking upside down. We only serve God effectively by giving up all thoughts of our own advancement and seeking to strengthen and bless others. Mother Teresa provided an amazing example of humility in her work in India. She has helpfully left us a humility list, and this offers us an excellent way of checking whether we are really growing in humility. Here are five of them: speak as little as possible about yourself; accept small irritations with good humour; do not dwell on the faults of others; accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded; do not seek to be admired and loved. I love these simple, practical challenges, and they illustrate the fact that humility is no easy option. Humility is the path for those who long to see the kingdom of God become a reality here and now and who are happy to accept a huge challenge. When writing to the Colossian church, the apostle Paul encouraged his readers to clothe themselves in humility (Colossians 3:12). Living humbly needs to be so natural to us that wherever we go and whatever we do it is always an integral part of our daily life. Question Which of Mother Teresa’s five challenges do you find most relevant to you? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank You for the humility that You showed in your earthly life. Help me day by day to learn more about the joy of living humbly. Amen

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. The word used for ‘mourn’ here is also used in the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, to describe Jacob’s grief when he was led to believe that Joseph, his treasured son, was dead (Genesis 37:34). He was grief-stricken. God’s promise is that those who are overwhelmed with sorrow now will find His comfort and strength. This leaves us with a question: who are the people that are mourning so profoundly today? Jesus probably had in mind, among others, those who knew the agony of losing a loved one. We all know the pain of friends and family members dying, and many of us have had the awful experience of people dying suddenly or even violently. None of us would want to make light of these terrible experiences, but Jesus reminds us that death doesn’t have the last word. Even in the midst of our loss, God is there with us, offering His peace, strength and love. Jesus was almost certainly speaking about others who mourn as well, for example people who are overwhelmed by the brokenness and suffering in the world. And then there are those who feel crushed by their failures and sinfulness. Jesus comes to all those who are overwhelmed with sadness and grief and announces His good news. Miraculously, He is able to bring comfort to anyone who is willing to bring their heavy burden to Him and leave it in His hands. Question When have you had the experience of mourning, and how did God comfort you? Prayer Dear Lord, thank You that You meet us in our times of distress and give us the strength to carry on. Amen

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Today’s verse is the first of the so-called beatitudes. Before we launch into it, we need to be clear what Jesus meant by the kingdom of heaven, because it’s an expression He often used. To put it simply, the kingdom of heaven comes where God is allowed to be in control and, amazingly, that can happen in our lives today. That’s why Jesus encouraged us, in the Lord’s Prayer, to pray for His kingdom to come here on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom of heaven gives us a preview of what heaven itself will be like, and it is, by definition, life at its very best. Jesus declares that the people who possess this wonderful kingdom of heaven are those who are spiritually poor. The word used here for ‘poor’ in the original Greek language speaks of absolute poverty or destitution. Jesus is saying that the way into the kingdom of heaven is to understand that, spiritually, you’ve got nothing to offer apart from empty hands. We need to come to Jesus in absolute weakness knowing that we are totally dependent upon Him. It reminds us of the time when Jesus said that the only way to enter His kingdom is by becoming like a little child (Matthew 18:2-4). The moment arrogance and self-confidence creep in, we spoil everything. From first to last we are dependent on our loving and gracious heavenly Father. He can be depended upon to give us only the best. Question Where have you seen the kingdom of heaven come on earth? Prayer Lord God, help me depend totally upon You so that in my life Your kingdom will come here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

Psalm 143:7-8 Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Depression is tragically common and is one of the world’s most pervasive health conditions. It is estimated that one in three women and one in five men have an episode of major depression by the age of 65. King David clearly had many times of depression and, in this psalm, he revealed the depth of his despair. He had been pursued by his enemy and been knocked to the ground. He described himself as losing all hope and being paralysed by fear. Many famous people through history have suffered from depression. Twenty years before he became US President, Abraham Lincoln wrote: “I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be better I cannot tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible.” It was said that “melancholy dripped from him as he walked”. But despite his depression, God was able to use Lincoln in amazing ways. In his depression, David turned to God. Each morning he reminded himself of the unfailing love of the Lord. He was confident that God would save him and guide his steps. If you ever meet someone suffering from depression, there is nothing better that you can do than to encourage them to follow David’s example. Question How would you seek to help someone experiencing depression? Prayer Lord God, I pray for those who are depressed today. May they find Your peace. Amen

Psalm 142:1-2 I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. This psalm was written by David as he reflected on the experience of hiding from his enemies in a cave. This happened on two occasions. Firstly in Adullam, and secondly in En-gedi. On both occasions he was being threatened by King Saul, who was eager to kill him. There’s no way of knowing which occasion he was thinking about when he wrote this psalm, but it doesn’t matter. What is clear is that he was under extreme pressure and needed help. In his despair he cried out to the Lord, knowing that He knew the whole story. We are often inclined to bottle up our complaints. But it is good and right that we should pour out our concerns to the Lord, and God’s people have done so through the centuries. When St Francis of Assisi died on 3 October 1226, he had this particular psalm on his lips. At times we might find it difficult to imagine that the God of the universe could possibly be concerned with our personal problems. But He is! The God of the Bible consistently reveals His intimate knowledge and complete love of us. If you have nothing to complain about, you must rejoice. But if you do complain, you can be sure that the Lord is ready to listen to you. Questions Have you ever complained to God? If you have, what did you say, and if you haven’t, why not? Prayer Loving God, thank You that You are always willing to listen to us, even when we have lots of problems and complaints. Amen

Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me – that is a kindness; let him rebuke me – that is oil on my head. This verse reminds us of the teaching of Proverbs where it says: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:5-6). These words are no doubt wise, but that doesn’t mean it is easy when somebody tells us that we have gone wrong. It might prove to be soothing medicine in the end but, at the time, it can really hurt. In Ephesians 4, Paul reflected on the fact that we all need to become more mature. He was eager that his readers shouldn’t be blown around by every wind of new teaching. He was constantly aware of the dangers that came from false teachers whose clever lies sounded like the truth. The antidote to this was for the Church to be a community within which people spoke the truth in love. That sounds so simple, but it is often very hard work and extremely demanding. Truth often has sharp edges and we are inclined to shrink from sharing it. We would rather take refuge in pleasantries and superficial talk. But if we really love one another, we will want to share that truth, and we will do it in a way that is gracious, sensitive and wise. Speaking the truth in love will demand the best of us. It will require much prayer and careful thought, and we will never manage to do it without the power of God’s Spirit. Question When have you experienced the soothing medicine of other people’s strong words? Prayer Lord God, teach me more about what it means to speak the truth in love. Amen

Psalm 141:3-4 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies. David knew that his worship couldn’t stand apart from everyday life. If he worshipped God, he knew it had to affect the way in which he spoke to other people. He knew that he needed God to take control of his speech and to set a guard on his lips. The language he used in our verses today is interesting. He asked God not to let him be drawn towards evil. David knew that every day he was being tempted to go his own way and he needed God’s strength to keep him on track. David also saw the danger of spending time with the wrong kind of people. Having meals with others sounds innocent enough, but if we spend too much time with people whose language and actions are evil, it will have an effect on us. The apostle Paul recognised the danger of mixing with the wrong sort of people. Quoting the Greek poet Menander, he wrote: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). What we say gives us away. It reveals the kind of people we really are. So we need to make sure each day that we are living so close to God that our words reflect Him and His love for the people around us. Question In what ways does God help you to control what you say? Prayer Loving God, help me to use my words wisely and lovingly. Amen

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. One of the reasons many people love to read daily newspapers is to find out what terrible things other people do in order to feel a little bit better about themselves. I won’t ask you whether that has ever been your motivation! In this psalm, David reflected on the wickedness of other people. He expressed his hatred of people who hated God. But he didn’t hide from the fact that he himself was a sinner. He knew that there was absolutely no point in pretending with God. God knew the whole story, so David ended this amazing psalm by inviting God to point out anything that might be wrong in his life. He knew that God could put His finger on those things that needed to be changed. We need to hear the truth about our spiritual selves, even when it is difficult to receive. David often had to hear painful words from God, but he knew that these were words that would set him free and give him eternal life. It’s very easy for our prayers to be dominated by us speaking to God, but it is also vital for us to take time to listen to what God has to say to us about our lives. We need to give Him time to share His loving, piercing, liberating truth with us. Question In what ways has God told you that you need to change? Prayer Thank You Lord that You love me and help me to see those ways in which I could get closer to You. Amen

Psalm 139:13-14 You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Our bodies are simply amazing. Here are a few random facts: every second, our bodies produce 25 million new cells; the tongue is covered in about 8,000 tastebuds, each containing up to 100 cells helping us to taste our food; the entire surface of our skin is replaced every month; if we live to 70, our heart will have enjoyed about 2.5 million heart beats; the human brain possesses about 100 billion neurons with roughly 1 quadrillion – 1 million billion – connections known as synapses wiring these cells together. That means your brain, however dull you might be feeling, is more powerful than any supercomputer. I struggle to understand how anyone can think about the human body without bursting out in worship to our great God. That was exactly how King David responded in this glorious psalm. I challenge you to spend time today specifically thanking God for your amazing body. The problem is that we so often focus on the bits of us which don’t work! They clamour for our attention, and visits to the doctors absorb an increasing amount of our time as we get older. But, despite all of that, we all have miraculous bodies which need to be a springboard for our worship. Question In what way are you going to praise God for your body today? Prayer Creator God, I worship You for the incredible miracle of my body. Forgive me that I often forget to praise You for the way You have made me. Amen

Psalm 139:1-2 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. We are incredibly sensitive these days about protecting our personal data. Quite rightly, we don’t want everyone to know everything about us. We’ve likely all had the experience of getting emails and letters from organisations who know far more about us than we would want. However, this psalm reveals with breathtaking clarity that there is someone who knows absolutely everything about us – and I mean absolutely everything! God knows not just our name, address, phone number, bank account and medical details but knows what we are thinking and what we are going to say next. Nothing at all is hidden from Him. If you are hearing this for the first time, I realise that it might scare you. You probably don’t like the idea of having absolutely no secrets, but that’s simply how it is. God created you and so knows everything there is to know about you. If God had bad intentions, it would be horrifying that He is so well informed. But the exact opposite is true. He loves us completely, so Him knowing everything about us is a source of incredible security and peace. And what is even more wonderful is that this all-knowing God is always with us, wherever we go. Question How do you respond to the fact that God knows everything about you and is always with you? Prayer Loving God, thank You that You know everything about me and yet still love me. Help me to know the security of Your presence today and every day. Amen

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands. When you sing about or listen to a sermon on the subject of guidance, it can often sound very straightforward. But life rarely runs in a straight line, and King David, who wrote this psalm, was definitely aware of that. He got himself into endless scrapes and was always up against determined opposition. He was never without external enemies, but in addition there were often many within Israel, and even within his own family, who were determined to bring him down. He was acutely aware of his need to rely upon the Lord for guidance. I am convinced that God has good plans for our lives, but those good things won’t happen without our full co-operation. God won’t enforce His plans upon us, good as they are. It has been wisely said that there is no point in asking God to guide our footsteps if we are not willing to move our feet. Sitting in an armchair waiting for guidance is rarely the way of finding God’s will. We need to get up and start walking and, as we do so, I believe God will lead us in the right way. At times we will face lots of challenges and problems. Everyone does. But we can be sure that God will never abandon us. As the psalmist said: “Your love, Lord, endures forever.” Nothing could give us greater confidence as we look to the future. That was David’s experience, and it can be ours too. Question In what ways are you seeking God’s guidance at the moment? Prayer Loving God, thank You that You are a God who guides. Help me each day to let Your Spirit lead me. Amen

James 5:19-20 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Churches are not made up of perfect people. Far from it! This surprises those who assume Christians live lives of near perfection. For such people there is great consternation when the organist goes off with the youth leader, or the treasurer embezzles the church’s money. We should always be shocked and disappointed by such behaviour, but never surprised. Churches are, in many ways, similar to hospitals, composed of people who are far from perfect but who, by God’s grace and in the power of His Spirit, are becoming stronger and more mature in their Christian lives. Sadly, there have always been people who wander away from the Church. It is always tragic when this happens, and churches need to have a clear strategy for reaching out to such people. Here, James finishes his letter by inspiring his readers to be proactive when someone sadly slips out of the Church. He wants them to know how important this restorative ministry is. In bringing someone back, they are doing nothing less than saving this person from spiritual death. We all need to pray for this vital ministry. Question Can you think of anyone who has slipped away from your own church and, if so, is there anything you could do to encourage them to return? Prayer Lord, we thank You that when we sin You never give up on us. Thank You that Your desire is always for us to be restored. Amen

James 5:16b The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Some years ago I contracted whooping cough. To be honest, I thought it was only something children got and was amazed when my GP told me I had caught it. From time to time over a number of weeks I struggled to breathe. The worst episodes were in the middle of the night, and I will never forget those desperate attempts to breathe which ended in the ‘whoop’ as air finally, slowly and painfully returned to my lungs. Breathing is essential to life, and I now have a new respect for the process and a deep gratitude that I can breathe without a struggle. The Bible makes it clear that prayer is the way in which we breathe as Christians. Everything depends on prayer. It has been wisely said that we are as strong as our prayer lives and no stronger. James encourages his readers to pray because it can have incredible results. He points to Elijah, who was one of the most popular figures in the Old Testament. Key to Elijah’s life was the fact that he was a righteous man – he lived his life in step with God. That’s how God wants us to live our lives too, and it will only happen as we breathe in the life of God in prayer. Like Elijah, we will have our ups and downs, but as we pray we can confidently expect that our prayers will have great power and produce wonderful results. Question What steps do you need to take to ensure that prayer has a more central place in your life? Prayer Thank You Lord for the incredible privilege of prayer. Help me to never take it for granted. Amen

James 5:16a Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. How are you? I wonder how you normally respond to that question. Probably, like most of us, you smile sweetly and summarise your life with one word: “Fine”. It’s a good word and if it’s true, that’s wonderful, and one can only hope that it will continue to be the case. But, if we’re honest, it is sometimes the word we use to push people away. What we’re actually saying is: “It’s none of your business. Leave me alone. Hopefully if you think I’m fine you won’t bother me again.” The reality is that we are not always fine. Sometimes we feel awful, and there are times when we know that we have failed miserably. James is encouraging his readers to be honest and to face up to the stark realities of life. We need to be real with one another and actually confess our sins and pray for each other so that we can find God’s healing. I don’t believe that God is calling us to share absolutely every inner secret and sin with one another. But I do believe that churches need to be places of love and encouragement where we feel able to reveal the people we really are. Question What could you do to help your church to become a more loving and honest community? Prayer Thank You Lord that Your love for me is so complete that I can always feel safe to be totally honest with You. Help me to be more open with my Christian brothers and sisters, and to be more loving and forgiving. Amen