Happy New Year 2013!

He worried us a bit by sleeping all from 7pm on Saturday and most of Sunday, but thankfully Pads has been in good form when up and about and that included Hogmanay celebrations. We brought the New Year in with singing and prayer. Pads finished his with, 'Even so, come Lord Jesus', perhaps a reference to Richard Brookes' final message in the Summer Conference of 2012. We sang, 'Love divine, all loves excelling', amongst others. That is Mercy's favourite - she's absent from our gathering - helping with healthcare in Malawi. Pads was very moved by the first verse -

Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down.
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling
All Thy faithful mercies crown
Jesus, Thou art all compassion
Pure unboundless love Thou art
Visit us with Thy salvation
Enter every trembling heart.

He explained how ever since he's not been able to sing hymns, he listens and notices more how amazing they are. The 'pure unbounded love' of Christ! What a marvellous petition this verse is.
I thought, yes, we all need to pray this and what a momentous and vital thing it is to have God reinstalled in His rightful place - the human heart. But it needs to be a 'trembling' heart. Any one, even someone like Antony Frew, can draw the conclusion that God is, from the simple observation that matter is. But a 'trembling heart' reflects the Biblical principle that, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom' (Psalm 111:10). Human logic never saved a soul - it must be an act of God and that is why seeing this verse as a petition is so important.