He has lifted up a horn for his people

This morning I went out for a walk bright and early. I always find that going for a walk between 4 and 5 am is just the thing to enliven my spiritual state - especially at this time of the year when the sun rises so early.

Now, I have a rule. I never take a map or consider my route in advance. I trust in the guidance of the Lord alone, confident that "your word is a lamp unto my feet".

And in this I have never been let down. Today, for example, I strode on in a westerly direction until I fell the Lord telling me to turn. Turn I did and after a distance that I would estimate at only three or four miles, I came across the canal. I followed the towpath as I felt the Lord was guiding for another five or six miles, until I came to what appeared to be an empty field.

At this point, I fell into a mistake. For I now realise that I was engaging in disobedience, as it is written - "you cannot read the signs of the times". The sign in question that I did not read said, among other instructions, "Beware of the Bull". In the event, I left the field somewhat faster than I entered it. But as it is written, "they will lift you up in their hands, so you do not strike your foot on a stone". True indeed. For the bull's horn was indeed lifted up, and I sailed over the hedge without striking my foot on a single stone, as I sailed over the towpath and into the canal.

At this point I felt I was being called home.

The spiritual darkness that fell upon me at this point, as I realised I had no idea where I had to go, I blame on my disobedience in not reading the sign. And for the rainstorm that blew up and soaked me for the four hours it took me to walk back, I bless the One who causes it to rain on the just as well as the unjust. I consider it a blessing that I was counted no differently to the others, who struggled through the rain like me, with only the slight advantage that they were driving cars.

And so it has been a long day. Truly my blisters are as the grains of sand on the sea-shore, and I feel a cold settling heavy upon me. I do not know what spiritual lesson I am to learn from this, but I am sure I will at some stage find it out. At this point some would trust in Lem-sip, and some in Halls, but I will trust in the One who has lead me this far to heal me.

Now, aaatchoo! I'm off for a hot bath and an early night. For the day has truly been full of spiritual blessing. I just have to work out just how blessed I am.