Human sympathy and divine care

At the moment there is in the media a crop of stories about people raising funds to help those who either live with adversity or die from it. Often sponsorship is involved. The person doing in the fund-raising may engage in some demanding feat of physical endurance. In some high profile cases the situation touches the hearts of sympathisers on a grand scale. Hairdresser Claire Squires had raised just £500 for Samaritans before she ran in the London Marathon. She died tragically shortly before the finish. Her fundraising page has now raised more than a million pounds. Researchers tell us that there are two main triggers to giving: a sense of emotional involvement and the urge to donate in memory of somebody.

 I wonder how much the average donor knows about Samaritans (formerly "The Samaritans")? They have some 17,000 volunteers who must submit to a rigorous training programme. They aim to offer a 24-hour service for those who are despairing (not necessarily suicidal). Many of the telephone calls come at the "unsocial" hours of 9pm to 2am each night. In one year (2007) Samaritans received 5,319,462 contacts. This work will benefit massively from the influx of funds from Claire's Just Giving appeal site. Samaritans wish to apply the money to aspects of the work which would be close to Claire's heart.

 Countless thousands of lives will have been saved and prolonged by dedicated workers, volunteers or professionals in the realm of caring, supported by generous giving. But do we understand the detail of that care? Even more, do we understand the detail of God's care for those who struggle with adversity - and His wish that their souls as well as their bodies may prosper?

 In Jesus' teaching we read these words from Luke 12:6-7. "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Jesus also remarked, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" (Luke 9:24-25 NIV).

 O teach me what it meaneth, 
that cross uplifted high, 
with One, the Man of Sorrows, 
condemned to bleed and die! 
O teach me what it cost Thee 
to make a sinner whole; 
and teach me, Saviour, 
teach me the value of a soul!
 Lucy Ann Bennett, 1850-1927

Sudden change

Being fascinated by history, I am following the 100th anniversary remembrance of the Titanic disaster with interest. It isn't a question of ghoulish obsession with the fate of so many hundreds of passengers. Yet it is sobering to think of all those people setting out on a luxury cruise, excited maybe, but not suspecting any danger. They found their way to their berths and cabins, sorted out their luggage and established a new routine for the duration. A few days later there would be an abrupt change. All around them there would be chaos, cold and darkness. They would meet with death or, if they survived, their lives would never be the same again.

In more recent times there was a spate of terrorist hijackings of aircraft. On one occasion an observer saw people boarding a certain flight. The following day that flight made the news headlines because it was the subject of a particularly nasty hijack. A few passengers lost their lives. The rest were put through a terrifying ordeal lasting many long hours. Again, on boarding, their behaviour was ordinary and routine. They had no inkling of what was about to happen to them.

What is it like to live as though a life-changing event was only days or even hours away? We couldn't cope with living life that way all the time! Yet, as I read through the gospels again, Jesus constantly taught His followers that anything could be just round the corner.

"No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:32-37 NIV)

We are creatures of habit and regular routine is comforting for most of us. Some people learn to live with constant change and even welcome it, but that is not everyone's cup of tea. The Bible tells us that we can depend on the routine of day and night and the changing seasons. But if we have not made at least one change in our lives - the change of turning our lives round, receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour and preparing for His glorious return - a sudden and unpleasant reckoning faces us.