The Two O’clock Call

A couple of weeks ago I was challenged with the question, ‘Who would you phone if you needed a friend at two o’clock in the morning?’ I thought about the closeness of my friendships, who I could phone, who might phone me…

In the last week I’ve been challenged by family relationships with people I know… a son who hasn’t talked to his mum for years because of a fall-out… a mum yesterday who hasn’t contacted her daughter for a while because she causes too much stress… younger children who need a constant, consistent parental role model… teenagers leaving home, needing distant but strong family support and reassurance… that the two o’clock phone call is OK.

Yesterday I wrote about the huge sinkhole in Godstone High Street, caused by being constructed on the site of sand quarry. It was on the news again last night. One perceptive friend noted the apparent irony – contrasting the God stone which is solid and unmovable, with shifting sand that causes sinkholes… It’s Jesus’ story of the wise man who built his house on rock and the foolish man who built his house on sand.

Building on the solid and reliable…

Yesterday I shared a ‘thought for the day’ with a few friends at our church community café. In the morning I’d been reading Joshua… Israel had settled in their Promised land. The nation was enjoying peace and rest. The text says: ‘Not one of all the Lord’s good promises… failed. Everyone was fulfilled.’ We reflected on our God who had been present with us over twenty years in our church café… on our God who had been with us through ups and downs in our lives… solid and reliable

I remembered the old Charlie Landsborough song. He describes his faith in ‘My Forever Friend’

He’s my forever friend
My leave-me-never friend
From darkest night to rainbow’s end
He’s my forever friend.

The forever friend… the solid, reliable God stone… receiving the two o’clock in the morning call…