Month: August 2025

Tasmania Day 1

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Day 1 of our holiday was dominated by travel. It’s a long way from Narrabri to Hobart! (1400 km as the crow flies). We set out at 6.30 am to drive to Tamworth Airport. From there we flew to Sydney with a 2 hour stop over before flying to Hobart.

Weather at home was damp, and we were worried about not being able to make it to Tamworth due to flooding. But God is good, and the flood peaks at Carroll (between Gunnedah and Tamworth) were not expected until tonight. From the air, we could see that there is a lot of water on the ground around Tamworth, so there is a flood of some size heading down to Narrabri over the next week or so.

After rain at home and rain in Sydney, it was funny to get to Hobart where it was warmer and sunny, contrary to all expectations.

Now we are at the Ibis Styles Hotel in the centre of Hobart. We have great views from the room, which by itself is tiny.

The Mr Good Guys Asian Restaurant, located in the hotel, is quite nice. We shared Malaysian Satay Chicken Skewers (described as a small plate, but it was enough for two of us) with a side of jasmine rice. It was really nice after a long day.

Tomorrow we head up to Strachan, about 200 km away, but a 5 hour drive. It describes itself as a village, so it will be nice to get away from the “big city” (Hobart’s population is 191,000) and into the country.

Quote for the Day

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Many a great battle is won, and many a strong evil disempowered in the quiet place of an apostle’s late nights and early mornings, or together with others in the prayer meetings of a holy Christian community. John Alley

#apostles #church #prayer

Reflection on Daniel 5:1-31

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Scripture

“For you are his successor and you knew all this. Yet, you have not humbled yourself.”

Observation

The story skips 23 years from Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar. This king gives a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles. He orders the gold cups that had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem to be brought out, and they drink from them.

Suddenly they see the fingers of a human hand writing on the wall. The King summons all his wise men and fortune tellers, but they are not able to decipher the writing. The queen mother then tells Belshazzar about Daniel. Belshazzar promises Daniel that he will be honoured and given the third highest position in the land if he can explain the message.

Daniel recounts how Nebuchadnezzar had spent seven years living like a wild animal because he had refused to repent. Belshazzar should have known about this, but instead of repenting, he has defied the Lord of Heaven by defiling the cups from the Temple.

The writing on the wall is decoded as: “The days of the King’s reign have been numbered and will be brought to an end. He has been weighed and has not measured up. His kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

This all happened that night.

Application

Belshazzar died and his empire with him because he refused to repent. He proudly defiled the sacred things of the Lord. There are many people who defy the Lord and blaspheme against Him. They want to be independent of God, so they curse and defile His name.

But God will not be defied. These people will face the judgement of God just as Belshazzar did.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Prayer

Lord, may my heart never grow cold towards you. Please help me to stay humble before you. Amen.

Forgiving Your Enemy

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On August 17th the Channel 7 program “Spotlight” screened a feature on a most remarkable man Danny Abdallah from Sydney. You might remember the terrible incident from February 2020, when Abdallah’s three children, Antony (13), Angelina (12), and Sienna (8), along with their cousin Veronique Sakr (11), were killed when an out of control vehicle ran onto the footpath. The driver, Samuel William Davidson, 35, was three times over the legal alcohol limit and on drugs.

Shortly after this tragic crash, Danny and his wife Leila went to the media and publicly offered their forgiveness to Davidson.

In the “Spotlight” program, Danny and Davidson met together and talked about their experience. While the Abdallah’s were committed christians at the time of the tragedy, Davidson has converted since being in prison.

As a parent I can think of no greater loss than to have your young children killed so senselessly.

To forgive the perpetrator of such severe suffering seems almost saintly or superhuman.

Jesus commands us not only to forgive but to love our enemies. “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28).

In an age where there is so much anger, vengeance and desire to punish others, forgiveness as a way of life seems odd, even impossible. In human terms it is very hard to forgive our enemies. But as the Abdallah family have shown us, Jesus gives us grace so that we can love those who hurt us.

Maybe you have hurt that you need to let go of.

It might seem too much for you to let the hurt go and forgive what was done to you. Ask Jesus to give you the power and the desire to forgive.

Reflection on Daniel 4:19-37

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Scripture

“King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.”

Observation

Daniel explains Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him. At first, he was frightened by the dream’s meaning, but the king encouraged him to not be alarmed.

Daniel explains that the tree represents Nebuchadnezzar himself, who has prospered and grown very powerful. But the Lord will judge Nebuchadnezzar, and he will be driven from human society and live like a cow for seven years. But after this time, he will be restored to his position.

Twelve months later, while walking on the palace roof and admiring the city, he says out loud that this is all his own work. At this expression of pride, the judgement of God falls on him. He is driven out of the city and eats grass for seven years. At the end of that time, his sanity is restored, and he returns to the throne. Nebuchadnezzar honours the Lord who is truly ruler over all things.

Application

Daniel’s desperate plea to King Nebuchadnezzar applies to every person – “Stop sinning and do what is right.”

Nebuchadnezzar was judged dramatically for the sin of pride, which is actually at the root of all the other sins. We think that we are more entitled than other people, more important or more talented. These attitudes undermine relationships and can lead to more extreme sins, even murder.

It is not always the things that we are not good at that trip us up, but often the things that we excel at.

Pride can make us delusional as it did with Nebuchadnezzar. He did not build a city. Thousands of others did the work. How often do people make claims about their achievements that are, at best, shared with others or completely dependent on other people?

Pride comes before a fall, so let’s repent of it before it trips us up.

Prayer

Lord, please forgive my pride. Bring conviction to me and teach me the path of humility. Amen.