Spring26 Bible School- Joel Meditation- Andy Waller-Simpson

A short meditation lead by Andy

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Okay, and uh um wrap up your discussions. We have um heard some great stuff from Doctor and Tim and it's been really interesting to see how God was speaking in different ways to his people at this time. Um but to finish our evening now, Andy is gonna share a meditation with us. He's gonna be um sharing a meditation on the book of Joel. And if you've been here the last couple of weeks, you know that we have been concluding our evenings um with a bit more of a prayerful meditation as we are wanting to um learn and grow in knowledge and understanding, but also have an opportunity to let what we've been hearing sink in and affect our spirits and heart. So I'm gonna hand over to Andy now.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Great. Um, why don't can I just pray for us before we do this? I know it's a sort of prayer I'm gonna be doing, but just to kind of help us enter in, as it were. So Lord, thank you for this evening, thank you for the stuff we've learned. Um thank you also for the ways that you have been wanting to speak not just to our mind but also to our hearts. And uh, Holy Spirit, we welcome you now to continue that dialogue with us, and we just give you this space and pause now to listen to your voice and to respond. Rend your heart and not your garments, return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Rend your heart and not your garments, return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Lord, I present to you my heart, my innermost self. Thank you, Lord, that you have made each one of us unique, and we are precious in your sight. You, Lord, know me deeply. No thought is hidden from you. May that be a comfort. Whether those thoughts are delightful or difficult, however, I view myself, I thank you that you choose me and you know me. Thank you for this comforting truth. I turn my innermost self towards you. With all of these thoughts and feelings, I return to you, my God. You are so gracious. Thank you for your great faithfulness, our Father. Take a moment to give thanks to God for something specific in your life. Where have you known this grace and mercy? Thank you, Father God, for your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you that you, Jesus, are the resounding proclamation of the grace, compassion, patience, and abounding love of God. That you are how we know what love is. I dwell on your commitment to the cross, scorning its shame. By your blood you purified, met, and cleansed us. Jesus, thank you for transforming my heart and replacing it from stone to flesh. We welcome a fresh revelation of the love you displayed by the cross. Surely the Lord has done great things. Jesus, when you rose from the dead, you proclaimed peace. And in your risen body, humanity glimpsed the glorious future God has in store. A bright harvest of hope for all to trust in. Thank you. Surely he has done great things. Do not be afraid, land of Judah, be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things. Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit, the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, people of Zion. Rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain, the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. Take a moment to give thanks to God for ways you have experienced the new life in Christ, the risen Lord. We welcome you, Spirit. Thank you that you are person and power. You are the presence of the Lord, and we welcome you. I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days. I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days. How wonderful! The same spirit that hovered over creation, the spirit that raised Jesus, the spirit of forgiveness and freedom, of power and peace. We welcome you into our lives. May I love you to hear from you. May I trust you to see as you see. May I be filled to overflow. A source of new life in Christ to all I meet. I receive now a fresh filling from you, my friend. I drink from the never dying fountain of the Lord's house. The waters welling up to eternal life in you, my Lord and my God. Thank you that you save me. Now sustain me by your spirit and send me in your name, my Lord, the name of blessing, the name of life, the name of Jesus. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Thanks, Andy. That's great. So that concludes our evening. But um, the QR code here, um, if you haven't already, um, this is to sign up for the notes and the recording of this evening. So, yeah, if you're not already on the mailing list, you can sign up and uh Tim will send that out. But yeah, thanks so much for being here. And next week we'll be back for our final session where we're looking at the book of Jonah.

unknown 10:18

So