Which way are you looking? By Annie Try

We had finished the Church leadership meeting and were about to disperse when one of us, Nigel, remembered he wanted photos for the website.  In turn, we stood against a white door and he asked us to position ourselves as if walking towards the corner of the room, but look to the right, towards him.  It felt strange, but as we each turned towards Nigel, as instructed, there was that little moment of connection with a friend when he clicked the camera.

It set me into a pattern of noticing changes of direction in all sorts of places, especially in my readings:

'Because of the Lord's great love
We are not consumed,                                      
For his compassions never fail,
They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness'.     Lamentations 3: 22-23

I love this affirmation that God is there.  But, look, here is a piece of writing that turns in a new direction.  First the writer is telling the reader about God, then the focus turns towards God, 'Great is your faithfulness'.

The Psalms do that a lot - sometimes starting in the first person, then turning to the second person when praising God in the third person.  For example, in Psalm 89 the first line begins 'I will sing of the Lord's great love forever,' and by the end of the second verse declares, 'That you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.' It's almost as if the Psalmist breaks off because he simply has to turn towards his Lord.

So which way are we looking?  Are we making plans and striding strongly ahead, in our own strength, or are we not only looking to God but really making a connection?

Annie Try is the pen-name of Angela Hobday,

Chair of ACW.  Her next novel, Trying to Fly, has been

accepted for publication by Instant Apostle and will 

be released  in January, 2017




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