Thought for the week: The desire to walk more closely with God
I meet up periodically with a friend who is now in his nineties. While little known to recent generations, he was a familiar name in the local Christian scene in the early 1980s. Michael Perrott was secretary of the Belfast YMCA, but will be better known as a Christian evangelist who conducted many evangelistic missions throughout Northern Ireland.
His interesting preaching style included illustrating his sermons with memorable stories.
I recently sat with him in a café in Holywood and recalled to him a sermon he preached many years ago. He told us of a visit to Switzerland where a charming couple hosted him in extremely comfortable surroundings. However, when he went to bed, he was kept awake by a town clock that chimed every quarter of the hour. When he came for breakfast, his hosts asked whether he slept well.
Sensitive to the situation he hesitated, but gently said: “I did hear the clock.” They responded with real surprise, “What clock?” I understood, as I had a friend whose back garden faced the railway line and the passing trains never disturbed him.
Michael’s application in the sermon was that this is often true in the Christian context. Perhaps out of habit we go to church, sing the hymns, and listen to the preaching of the Word, but being so familiar with it all, we can become immune to its reality.
The 18th-century hymn-writer William Cowper wrote of his desire to walk more closely with God. “Where is the blessedness I knew when first I sought the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view of Jesus and his word?”
Why not take a moment today to reflect on the amazing grace of God in Christ who alone can forgive past sins, give us ever-abiding hope, and rekindle our spirit of of wonder.