Insightful sound bite from Timothy Keller...

"To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial.

To be known and not loved is our greatest fear.

But to be fully known and truly loved, is well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretence, humbles us out of our self-righteouness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us."

Psalm 86 – Help, I can't cope!

A friend of mine was going through some almost unbelievably tough times. I was looking for something to encourage them and came across Psalm 86. It's King David's cry for help when his life is in danger. In his turmoil he turns to the Lord and cries out for help. Inspired by my friend's troubles, I realised this was a Psalm that everyone needs to hear. And so tomorrow, I'll be preaching on it. It's been tough and hard going to prepare, but I pray it will be a blessing. Because at some point everyone goes through times that they don't know how to deal with and whom to turn to. The answer is to turn to the Lord, because there is no one like Him and He is abounding in love.

Why?

Why? Such a small word, but with such big implications.

I guess we've all heard the child who repeatedly ask 'why' to an adult's answer, until eventually the adult feels exasperated and throws their hands up in frustration. There are many things we may want to know the answer to. Like, Why is there pain and suffering in the world? Another question might be, Why would we expect there not to be? Sometimes we have to accept that we'll never know the answer to some of those big 'Why' questions.

When something happens, often knowing why it has happened makes a huge difference. If I am hungry but there is no food, then knowing why helps me to deal with it. If a friend acts out of character and hurts me, knowing why can be the beginning of reconciliation and acceptance. If my car won't start in the morning, although the situation hasn't changed, if I know why then although still not ideal, somehow it makes a little sense.

Questions are good. They force us on to to seek out the truth, and in some circumstances can lead to obtain a greater understanding of a situation/person we thought we had grasped, but had only partly known.

So much confusion, heartache and problems could be avoided in this world if we only took the time to sit down together and work out why. Why did we fall out? Why did I do or say that? Why did things happen that way?

At the centre of the word why sits an 'h'. That should stand for honesty. But there comes the rub. Sometimes it is very hard to ask and answer why with honesty.

"Children spell love... T-I-M-E." (Dr. Anthony P. Witham)

I think Dr Witham got this so right. We try to fit so much into our lives that we can be in danger of neglecting the ones we love the most. This doesn't just apply to our children, it applies to all our relationships – whether family or friends. If we care about someone, we should try and make time for them. People are important. I need to work at this a lot more.