Hi

Please forgive me for not writing sooner, but as Paul says “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, and in every prayer of mine for you I make my request with joy, and because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now I am confident of this very thing. That he who has begun a good work in you will complete it.

My friend I know things have been difficult for you of late but as I prayed God brought this back to my heart just for you.

When I was about 6 or 7 I can remember going to Cornwall with my parents for our summer break, we were staying with friends and it was one of those summers full of blue skies and sunny days that just seemed to go on forever. One day we decided to visit the beach and ended up spending the day in a little bay that I distinctly remember being full of weed. On one side of this bay there was a high spit of land that stretched out into the sea, both sides of which had very steep cliffs that dropped straight down, you know the ones that make you catch your breath and stomach leap at the same time.

It was a hot day and as swimming in the bay was pretty much out of the question my dad suggested we take a walk out on this spit of land. I remember holding tightly on to his hand as we walked up the centre of piece of land and to this day I hear my young voice asking him why there were names carved into the ground at regular intervals along the cliff edge. The names looked like they had been looked after and stood out brightly as underneath the short grass there was chalk, so that the whole area looked a bit like the green chalkboard.

My Dad in answer to my question said these words, the exact words that came back to me the other day “They are the ones that jumped”. At the time I can remember these simple words hitting me hard and try as I might I couldn’t hide the tear’s running down my face, after all in my young mind it was just so sad to think that anyone would want to hurt themselves like that.

Since that day there has always been a hollow empty feeling that accompanied the memory, but just recently it came back, and this time was different. Because now in my vision the piece of land went on and on and where as before there were probably a few hundred names etched into the ground, this time there were countless thousand stretching into the millions.

Then the Holy Spirit repeated the words “These are the ones that jumped”

This is the question that I would like to repeat now, “Have you jumped”

Have you jumped off the land of your own ways, understanding and will? “Have you been caught by God”? Do you rest your daily life in the Fathers grasp and trust him to uphold and keep you?

Because my dearest friend God wants to save you, and over and over again he holds out his hand to catch the falling and fallen.

You may be standing at the precipice of your life looking down to the crashing sea on the rocks below thinking “I have no where to go, I have no where to run too, it’s all over”.

But God is holding out his hand of grace and will not let you fall.

Acts 2:21 And it shall be that everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Notice the word Every one, there is no exception or exclusion here, it means you me and everyone will be saved from falling should they call on God.

But you may say “I can work it out” or “I do not believe” and although the enemy of your life is formed behind you and the battle is pushed you to the edge of your resource. You stand resolute, but every day you fight but every day a little joy is drained from your life as you try and make it on your own.

Every day you are pushed further into a small space that would contain the brightness of your life and rob your freedom, while all the time salvation is at hand.

Sickness, fear and doubt break across you and day by day you are dying, but still you

hold on.

Dear friend there is lover of your soul who would take you in his arms and bid you come abide in my love, come jump into the life giving grace of God and be saved.

My dearest friend when I now think of that day my thoughts are no longer dark, but there is now a kindled beam of hope that brings a sweetened sorrow. The sorrow for those who knew not of Gods power to save, but the sweetness that now there is another standing her e who will dare to tell them of a Fathers undying love for his children.

So as I write to you, please know that no matter how hard your circumstance is pushing you there is one who is not only able but willing to save you, and I beg you consider this because you are more precious than any thing.

I love you and am praying for you, Pastor Rob