Connecting with Culture
Our blog reflecting on weekly news, trends, innovation, and the arts...
Read
We are currently experiencing technical issues with some of our video content. If you are unable to access a video, please email [email protected] for help.
In the first pandemic wave many experienced loss in all sorts of ways. Now, after an emotionally draining six months, the second wave is here. Apart from the medical impact, we have more job losses, more uncertainty, a very real lack of fun, and the disappointing reality that this is going to go on for a long time. We are running out of steam. As Psalm 42 says, ‘all your waves and breakers have swept over me’. We need hope.
There is a strong parallel in all this with the ancient book of Job and his experience of loss and pain. Like Job we are discovering that we are not always entitled to health, wealth, and happiness; and like Job our suffering inexplicably goes on and on. Like the irritating moralising of Job’s comforters, the constant critique of the media only seems to make things worse. And, like Job, our minds are incapable of totally grasping the meaning of all this suffering. We need hope.
Job was deprived of everything, yet even in his despair he never lost his belief that God was there. Occasionally an indestructible hope burst forth like a ray of light in the darkness of his pain. ‘I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God’ (Job 19:26). But the truly transformative moment for Job came when, instead of seeing his situation in front of God, he finally saw God in front of his situation. Then, even in the intensity of his suffering, the greatness of the Almighty eclipsed the problem. That is the revelation we need.
In this sad and weary time lament is therapeutic, and we can be completely real with our Father in Heaven. Yet in our lament, the path to rekindling true hope lies in the possibility of focusing on the character and immensity of God. Greater is he that is in us than the pandemic that is in the world. Join in with the ancient words of Psalm 42: ‘Why are you downcast O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.’
Paul Valler
Chair of the LICC Board
Our blog reflecting on weekly news, trends, innovation, and the arts...
Read
When someone says ‘London Marathon’, we probably picture Tower Bridge and Big Ben, crowds lining the pavements, and thousands of charity runners spurring on...
Read
Who knows you best? Your family? Your spouse? Your friends? What if, actually, the truth is that soulless algorithms written by Californian tech gurus kno...
Read
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__stripe_mid | 1 year | This cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server. |
__stripe_sid | 30 minutes | This cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server. |
_GRECAPTCHA | 5 months 27 days | This cookie is set by Google. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement | 1 year | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
resource_download_valid | 30 days | This cookie is used to track whether or not you are able to download a resource. |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
woocommerce_cart_hash | woocommerce_cart_hash | This cookie is used to store your basket information and is required to buy items from our website. |
woocommerce_items_in_cart | session | This cookie is used to store your basket information and is required to buy items from our website. |
wp_woocommerce_session | session | This cookie is used to store your basket information and is required to buy items from our website. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_ga | 2 years | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. |
_gcl_au | 3 months | This cookie is used by Google Analytics to understand user interaction with the website. |
_gid | 1 day | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. |
vuid | 2 years | This domain of this cookie is owned by Vimeo. This cookie is used by vimeo to collect tracking information. It sets a unique ID to embed videos to the website. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
IDE | 1 year 24 days | Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile. |
NID | 6 months | This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users. |
test_cookie | 15 minutes | This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. |
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | 5 months 27 days | This cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website. |
YSC | session | This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos. |
Thanks Paul – needed that encouragement this morning. Helpful for a perspective shfit … seeing God in front of the situation. Blessings as you navigate lockdown, again …
Good thoughts, words and insight. Apposite. Thank you. I am sure for many these words will be relevant and I hope & pray they become a source of perspective and encouragement
Thank you for these word. I needed to hear this!
Paul, thank you for your encouraging message. I had only said to my husband yesterday how I was feeling my brain was in a kind of malaise. I seem to have gone into my self.
I just needed to see and feel the Holy Spirit in my life standing against my depressing thoughts.
Amen. Thank you I needed to hear this Truth this morning. I will likely wrestle it over the coming days/weeks/ months/ ???
Thanks Paul, a great message of hope. Remember too the final Chapter Job declares “After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before”. Covid-19 has brought great devastation and tragedy, especially to our most deprived communities, but through prayer and action it offers an opportunity for Leaders to rise up, press the ‘Reset Button’ and deliver lasting change to society. In that way the Kingdom of God will continue to grow as “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” progresses towards its ultimate fulfillment.
Thank you Paul for these uplifting words
Thank you, Paul, for such helpful and true thoughts. I echo your concern about the “constant critique of the media” being unhelpful… it may be endlessly informative but not, in a helpful way!
I long for your hopeful, encouraging message, and others in similar vein, to be broadcast to the nation at large and not just Christian believers… people so need what God offers.
Excellent, insightful perspective Paul! This is exactly the kind of encouraging message of hope from God’s word that needs to be ringing out at this time. Thank you for your leadership.
Grateful thanks, Paul, for your thoughts on seeing God in front of our situation. As clinically vulnerable, we continue shielding, with all its lost opportunities. It’s been a week where we felt especially low but your words really gave us a boost!
Thank you Paul,
I have read your post several times and it is of great encouragement. Praise be to the God who is in front of our situation!