In the Job Description

In charge of the bread

I was reading 1 Chronicles, and came to these verses in chapter 23 . . .

“The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.  They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.”

Those are verses 28 and 29.  It’s all very practical.  The Levites had responsibility for the temple courtyards, for the bread, for the flour, and for other things to help the temple run smoothly.  Then we read in verse 30 and 31 . . .

“They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord.  They were to do the same in the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals.  They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.”

Part of their job

Their responsibilities included giving thanks and praise to God, it was part of their job.  They were to give thanks and praise at prescribed times – every morning, in the evening, and when burnt offerings were presented at different times.

They weren’t to give thanks and praise only when they felt like it, or only when something extra special happened.  It was to be routine, woven into their days and the patterns of their other work.

Practice the discipline?

So, what about you and me?  Do I practice the discipline of giving thanks and praise?  Of course, I’m free to give thanks and praise whenever and wherever I want to.  But sometimes being free like that, means that I never do.

What do you think?

When two or three come together

An odd time?

On the eve of the UK General Election I travelled to Parliament Square in the centre of London to be part of a prayer gathering there.  It was due to start at 7:14 pm.  An odd time?  In fact a carefully chosen time, based on 2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

A rich mixture

About 500 people gathered - people of all ages, from different ethnic backgrounds, and church traditions.  It was a rich mixture.  There were some corporate prayers, there were times of personal prayer, times of silence, and times when we prayed in small groups.

When we were asked to pray in small groups, I turned to two men near me.  We prayed from the heart, for our nation, for different issues.  We echoed each others prayers, agreeing together to see God step into the affairs of this nation in a fresh way. 

The prayer gathering ended in song, and then everyone drifted away.  And do you know, I don’t know who it was I prayed with!  But it actually doesn’t matter.  There was an instant rapport and unity in prayer.  It didn’t matter what our names were, where we’d come from, or what our church tradition was - we were brothers in Christ, praying for our nation.  It was special.

A promise

“I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you.  Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you.”  Matthew 18:19-20 (CEV)

Were you in Parliament Square or did you take part in a similar gathering elsewhere?