Revd Helen Writes …

 

  I worked in the West End and the City for 37 years and one thing working in London gives you is the opportunity to be present, often accidentally, at a range of moments in history. Some moments were almost too interesting. In 1982, on my way to work, I walked along the South Carriage Drive of Hyde Park shortly before the IRA bomb went off causing such terrible casualties and fatalities to so many.

 

  In 1984 I took a short cut through St James’s Square about ten minutes before the random shooting from the Libyan Embassy began. In 1993, although I was at least a mile away, I heard the explosion of the IRA Bishopsgate bomb which destroyed buildings and blew out thousands of windows.

 

  Several years later, when everything had been rebuilt and restored, I went to admire the excellent results of all that hard work and, in St Helen’s Church, I noticed that a simple plaque had been placed below one of the new windows. On it was a verse from the Bible; Genesis 50: verse 20; “You sought to do me harm, but God turned your evil to good”

 

  These are the words of Joseph son of Jacob, owner of the coat of many colours. Joseph was speaking to his brothers; the very same brothers who had years before, attempted to take Joseph’s life because they were so jealous of him. Instead of killing him they sold him into slavery where his life got even worse when he was thrown into prison for crimes of which he was innocent.

 

  Despite all of this, when Joseph’s brothers eventually came to apologise to him for all the harm they had done him, Joseph quoted those lovely words from Genesis 50.

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“You thought to do me harm, but God turned your evil to good.”

 

  Regardless of all the bad things that had happened in Joseph’s life, he remained faithful to God, continuing to worship him, holding on to him throughout the years – even in times of affliction.

 

  From time to time we all have bad or difficult times in our lives. Times when we feel surrounded by worry and distress and we may need to just stop for a moment – to think about how to deal with everything. Times when we just think, ‘O God, please help me, I don't know what to do or which way to go.’ In all our times God is always with us, whether we recognise him or not. He is still there even if we don’t really believe he can be. Our circumstances may not have changed, yet in our difficult times, God helps us and offers his strength and his guidance.

 

  Those words from Genesis can always remind us of God’s faithfulness and that if we just hold on, even if we don't know what tomorrow may bring. If we continue to call to God, even if we are not even sure we believe he is there. He knows where each one of us is and his strength and his encouragement is always nearer than we think.

 

With love and prayers.

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Helen Kempster

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