Nuach Refuge

May you be rested, blessed and empowered as you feast on this short meditation which is part of a series that explores the word ‘nuach’ – the deep, settled and empowering rest that the Lord sends. Some time ago the Lord had warned me that we would be ‘shuffling about’ for some time to come – and sure enough we spent several years moving from one place to another. Twice within Devon, once to Kent, and then to a temporary location in Malvern before being led to our present home. When we got here we thought about calling it Makon because here was a house – and a word – that spoke of a fixed and settled dwelling place. It was the nearest I could get to ‘Dun Roaming’ in biblical Hebrew! How faithful You are in placing Your people, Lord! Whether it is the street we live in, or the place where we work, the places we are able to visit, You situate us with pinpoint accuracy. Thank You for the blessing of safe dwelling places and quiet resting places. Thank You, too, for the way You weave us into a community of faith. You are the One who makes a home for the refugee, Lord, the One who gives them a name and an inheritance. When Naomi prayed that her daughters-in-law would find rest in the homes of new husbands, she thought she was saying goodbye to them forever, but You had something entirely different in store for Ruth. You took both mother and daughter-in-law to a new and fruitful place of rest. Thank You for the way You led and cared for them both there – and for all that came from it. We praise You for all those times when You keep us from settling, because You never intended the place that we were seeking to be our place of rest, and it is so much better for us to be in the land of promise than to put down our roots in the land of apparent plenty! The music you will hear is the first movement of a sonata by Loeillet (Op.1, no. 1, Largo) played for us on the flute by Nicola Gerard.