Today’s ‘Guest writer’ is Helen Barton
At the beginning of lockdown keeping afresh my relationship with God seemed so much easier than it does now.
As many of you know, during lockdown my husband Kev received a diagnosis of prostate cancer and as you can imagine it has been a very difficult time for us.
Back at the beginning of lockdown the slower pace, having nowhere to go and still feeling fresh and alert made it easy to make time to pray and read scripture and but now 12 weeks on I’m struggling to hear God’s plans for me, I feel tired and sluggish and my get up and go, seems to have got up and gone!
There is one song I’ve felt drawn to while thinking about ‘things’ of late
Jesus, You are changing me, By Your spirit You’re making me like You;
Jesus, You’re transforming me, That your loveliness may be seen in all I do.
You are the potter and I am the clay; Help me to be willing to let You have Your way;
Jesus, You are changing me As I let You reign supreme within my heart.
(Marilyn Baker © 1980 Word Music)
The scary fact is, that my ‘normal’ life isn’t going to resume anytime soon and I’ve been having to re evaluate the way I’m going to function in this ‘new norm’. I’m a hands on people person, the total opposite to what C19 is! My life is in the community, whether that be enjoying its community crafting groups or serving it via Boy Brigade, Church Events, voluntary work and fundraising. I believe this has been the way I’ve done Gods work in past, this is the direction he’s always steered me.
The reason I am struggling now I think, is because I’ve not been willing to listen and hear the NEW way God now wants me to do his will! This situation might ring true for a few of you also. Maybe the words of this song will help you to stop and re-evaluate the direction God is steering you.
I am still praying and listening and hope some day very soon I will hear and know the new direction God wants me to take. But for now I know not to be afraid of change and not to be afraid to change.
Helen xx
P.S. from Stephen. The writer of ‘Jesus you are changing me’, Marilyn Baker became blind as a very young child due to a medical condition she was born with. For many years Marilyn would come annually to the Baptist church I was a member of in Nuneaton, and each time she would share with us new experiences of God, sharing with us ways in which He has continued to change her, ways in which He had continued to transform her life.
Marilyn could have taken the attitude ‘I’m blind, I can’t do anything useful for God’ – instead she simply offered herself to God and through her listening to God many people came to know Jesus as their Saviour and many, many others found their faith renewed as they listened to what she sang – and what she had to say between her songs. Last year she celebrated 40 years of recording songs, you can find many videos of Marilyn on YouTube. Here are some more of her lyrics for you to consider:
He gives joy to the hopeless, peace to the weary
and He binds up the broken hearted
Did you know there's someone who can hear your faintest song,
someone who can hear your heart's deepest cry.
He's the one who made you, He knows you through and through
So give Him a chance and let Him speak to you
(© Marilyn Baker)
On Sunday (21st) at 5pm you may want to join me on ‘zoom’ for 40 minutes of fellowship. On Saturday the leader who has been contacting you will pass on an email giving you the link to join the event. It isn’t a service, neither is it me preaching, but an opportunity for each of us to share with everyone else a verse of scripture or song lyrics which has helped us during lock-down. If someone shares the same words you were going to share, I still want you to share them – if God is blessing lots of us with the same words it will be helpful to know this.
I look forward to writing to you on Sunday – Stephen