Look to the Coach

I spent last week in my favourite place: Scarborough.  I guess that my love of the town goes back to childhood family holidays.  For some years Sue and I have owned a little flat in Scarborough, which has been a great blessing as a bolt-hole for us to use when opportunities arise.  Being currently on sabbatical, I decided that a week on my own in Scarborough would give me a great opportunity for reading, prayer, walking and reflecting.

When I was planning my sabbatical I decided that I would like to do some deeper thinking about a book written by Bill Johnson called 'Hosting the Presence.'  In the book Bill Johnson examines what it means for the Christian to host the very presence of God.  What I really wanted to grapple with is the question of how we can live our lives in a moment-by-moment awareness of the Holy Spirit (as Jesus himself did).

As I was pondering this question one day last week, into my mind came the image which can often be seen during a tennis tournament: that of a tennis player on court in the middle of a match looking to his/her coach for inspiration. When Andy Murray won Wimbledon last year he gave a great deal of credit to his coach, Ivan Lendl.  

Although this is an illustration which can't be taken too far, and has a number of flaws, it seems to me that it does give a picture of how we can seek to live our lives with greater awareness of the Holy Spirit.  There are times in life when we can find ourselves becoming so bogged down by busyness, pressures and activity that we take our eyes completely from God.  I believe that it is so important that as much as possible we look to him, whatever is going on around us; surely that will help us to keep things in their true perspective (think, for example, of the story of Peter in the storm).

Some years ago I read a book called 'Grace Outpouring' which described the beginnings of a wonderful move of God at Ffald-y-Brenin, a remote Christian House of Prayer and Retreat Centre in South West Wales.  I found the book to be so inspiring, and ever since then I have longed for the opportunity to visit Ffald-y-Brenin.  Thank God, the opportunity has now arisen and this week Sue and I will be spending some time there.  I am excited by the prospect of being in this special place and of deepening my understanding and experience of 'hosting God's presence.'  I know that I am very much a learner but I am eager to develop.  How wonderful it is to realise that the God who created all things desires to enter into a relationship with each one of us!