James Jones
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 69:21-22
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 69:21-22
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 69:21-22 Desolation is when you find yourself estranged from both friends and God. To sense that you are rebuked by God breaks the heart. If ever there were grounds for self-pity then these are they, when no one else will offer you pity or comfort...
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 66:16-17
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 66:16-17
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 66:16-17 Can we ever find God to be deaf to our prayers? After all, surely he sees and hears all. But this poetic image takes us to the heart of prayer. The life of faith is not about finding the right words or rituals to manipulate fate. That’s what the occult tries to do.…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 64:6-7, 10
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 64:6-7, 10
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 64:6-7, 10 The fate of the enemy in the psalms is an inescapable motif and a problem for many. The origin of evil and sin has perplexed the human mind since the days of Adam and Eve. The sad truth is that, whatever the cause, the human heart can secretly harbour in its dept…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 62:4, 8
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 62:4, 8
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 62:4, 8 There are two hearts that are polar opposites. The cursing heart is not always plain to see. It can be well disguised, as in Psalm 55, when the person ‘having war in his heart’ can speak words ‘softer than butter’ and ‘smoother than oil, and yet be they very swords’…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 61:1-2
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 61:1-2
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 61:1-2 ‘Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him. “Come unto me all that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.”’ This is the Gospel invitation at the heart of the service of Holy Communion in the Book of Common Pray…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 58:1-2, 10
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 58:1-2, 10
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 58:1-2, 10 It is curious in the modern world that whereas there is great emphasis upon human justice, there is so little acceptance of divine judgement. Yet the two are the opposite sides of the one coin. People seem to resist and even dismiss the idea of God judging us, wh…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 57:8
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 57:8
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 57:8 Whatever we fix on to in the end absorbs us, so much so that we become dependent on it. That dependency becomes a way of life, integrated into our being. It’s as if we were made to be dependent. ‘No man is an island’, and even those loners who seem so independent of ot…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 55:4-6
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 55:4-6
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 55:4-6 Before you undergo surgery the conversation with the doctor is a sobering experience. Your doctor explains the operation and the risks and asks you to sign the form agreeing to the treatment. I was told clearly and kindly about the risk of a stroke and death...
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 54:6
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 54:6
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 54:6 In the world of the psalms the worship of God involved the offering of gifts. These were signs of the worshippers’ dedication to God. There were rules about the quality and purity of the offerings and the sacrifices. As we draw near to God in our searching after him we…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 53:1, 3
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 53:1, 3
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 53:1, 3 The Bible offers no arguments for the existence of God. It doesn’t engage with the intellectual case for or against. It simply assumes God. It makes me think that the person this psalm has in mind is not the atheist or agnostic who wrestles with questions of faith b…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 49:3-4
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 49:3-4
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 49:3-4 The heart is the seat of the will. It is also the mat for meditation where we muse imaginatively about how God is at work within us. Stories, songs, music and poetry all help us to meditate. You can lose yourself in a story and then deep in the drama suddenly see you…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 45:1
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 45:1
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 45:1 Because the heart is the seat of the will it has the authority to direct the imagination. This psalm is a paean of praise to the king. To a cynical age as ours it sounds somewhat sycophantic! You are, in our time, unlikely to hear such praise for our leaders and those …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 44:19-21
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 44:19-21
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 44:19-21 Nothing is hidden from God. To him we are an open book. He knows the biography of each of us. Such knowledge is both disturbing and reassuring. The heart is in a marketplace where different desirables compete for our attention. Even when we have made our choice we …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 41:1, 6
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 41:1, 6
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 41:1, 6 The causes of poverty are the enemies of God. In a world of great complexity it is not always easy to identify them, nor is it simple to find the remedies. The causes range from trading tariffs to the changing climate, from war to corruption and exploitation. Those …
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 40:10, 12, 15
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 40:10, 12, 15
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 40:10, 12, 15 To be content to do only the will of God is how God originally fashioned the heart to be. With the gift of freedom came also the risk that the human heart might chase after other desires. These psalms testify to the vagaries of the heart, but they also capture…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 39:1, 4, 5
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 39:1, 4, 5
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 39:1, 4, 5 The tongue and heart, two organs at the centre of life. As this psalm shows, what goes on in the metaphorical heart eventually comes out through the tongue literally. Bridling the tongue and muzzling the mouth especially when faced with those who have it in for y…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 38:8, 10
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 38:8, 10
by SPCK - James Jones
Psalm 38:8, 10 The success of those who trample on others with no regard for God or any moral principles can be very confusing for those of us who try to live our life by faith. It’s not unusual for us to make a costly decision in favour of doing what we believe to be right befor…
With My WholeHeart - Psalm 37: 4, 7, 32