Psalm 37:7 Memorial Service Michael Toogood

Text Psalm 37:37 Date 15/07/23 Place The Swiss Church, Endell Street, Covent Garden

I would like to preach this afternoon on a text. It is found in Psalm 37 verse 37. It says

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

In his Lectures on Sacred Rhetoric the Presbyterian R L Dabney gives it as a general rule for preachers not to eulogise people who have died. However, he does say that there are a few of God's servants whose sanctity is so universally approved even by those who are without, and on whom the Redeemer has so manifestly set his divine image, that it may be the pastor's duty to urge their example upon the church.

I think that is the case with Michael Toogood. Hence the text

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

I thought it might be good first to explain how I came to know Michael and his work. I became pastor at Childs Hill Baptist Church near Golders Green in 1983 around the time when the London Inreach Project was in its infancy. We were then still in the Baptist Union but we soon left and went on to leave the London Baptist Association too. That year the LBA president was inviting churches to give to work in Holloway Road, where there was a woman pastor and Purley, Surrey, in what was always known as the stockbroker belt. I had no enthusiasm for those projects but when I heard about the London Inreach Project I immediately saw that this was a far more worthy work for the church to give to and recommended to the church that we support it and so we did. As it turned out, one of our then deacons, Jeremy Skelton, had been at the very first LIP public meeting representing the church. I was subsequently recruited to the LIP committee, I think originally to edit the newsletter. I was then chairman for some time if I remember rightly.

I am a Welshman and I think it is fair to say that Michael was my idea of a prototypical Englishman. I'm not sure where you stand on nominative determinism, the hypothesis that people tend towards the sort of activity their name would suggest. You know, there's a Scots chef called Tom Kitchin and a Midlands weather presenter called Sara Blizzard. I heard Michael's name before I ever met him and it has to be said that it influenced my expectations. The name Michael can be parsed as “like God” and Toogood speaks for itself. Now the thing is that I was not disappointed.

I will never forget Michael coming to our church for the first time on deputation and particularly that “before and after” set of slides depicting the way he and Pam had transformed that grotty first basement flat that they first lived in. I remember thinking “This is the sort of thing Francis Schaeffer talks about but here it is in practice”.

I never knew Michael personally but I know about how he lived and I have read his short autobiography. In fact I read it again this week to refresh my mind. I don't find myself agreeing with every decision and action he made, of course, but he has been an inspiration. Many years ago, at the end of 1998, when I was the editor of the now defunct Grace Magazine I tried to write an encouraging article. It was called Reasons to be cheerful. It talked about the work of GBM and especially of Keith Underhill, Brian Ellis and Andrew Swanson. And then in a final paragraph I wrote

To take one more example, consider the fact that 20 years ago the Soho area was as bad as ever it was but with no permanent evangelical testimony there. Now, though small and struggling, Immanuel Community Church is there, is known and is maintaining a regular witness to the residents and tourists in that needy area.

I noted that it was a former Grace editor, Keith Davies, who, with others had the vision for the project and that “it is especially through Michael Toogood's valiant efforts that not only was a church planted in Soho but another in Covent Garden, under Mike Mellor.”

Michael and the work was a reason to be cheerful then and it is now too.

*

Psalm 37 then. It is Of David but there is no detail about when he wrote it or why. It was written at a time when David was very aware of the wickedness all about him. People were advancing wicked schemes and, as he says (12-14) a time when The wicked were plotting against the righteous and gnash(ing) their teeth at them, drawing the sword and bending the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

The psalm is a teaching psalm. It teaches us what to do and what not to do at such times and is full of wonderful promises to the faithful as well as warnings for the wicked.

There are four particular places where David exhorts his hearers about what to do.

1-5 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; ... Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD,... Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him ....

7/8 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret

27a Turn from evil and do good; 34a Hope in the LORD and keep his way

Verse 37 comes then in the final section where David calls on us to (34a) Hope in the LORD and keep his way. The promise, 34b, is He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

Verses 35, 36 are the counterpart to verses 25, 26. In 25, 26 he says that he was now old but had never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. In 35, 36 David again speaks from experience. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. He speaks from experience but this is the truth. The wicked soon pass away.

After the 1662 ejection, many of those persecuted at that time made it a habit to note the providential deaths of some of their most bitter enemies. Michael Watts tells us how a wealthy Lincolnshire man named Radley who attempted to harm a congregation of General Baptists became bankrupt and died in London of the plague,  his widow and orphaned children being forced to cast themselves on the mercy of these very same people.

Philip Henry noted the death of arch persecutor, Montgomeryshire magistrate David Maurice, thrown from his horse and drowned in the River Tanat on the Welsh border. Thomas Robinson, MP for Helston, Cornwall, died after being gored by a bull the very day he planned to prosecute dissenters.

Such occurrences seem to be relatively rare but they are reminders that God is in control and that he will one day judge all who rebel against him. What a fearful judgement awaits sinners.

The contrast is in verses 37, 38 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked. This consideration must affect how we think and live, relieving anxiety, strengthening faith.

Just focusing on verse 37 today and thinking of Michael I want to say three things

1. Michael Toogood – an example of a man who lived a blameless and upright life

David speaks about the blameless … the upright. He has in mind people like Michael Toogood. Now we all know that no-one is perfect. The better you knew Michael I guess the easier it would be to identify where his sins lay. However, he was a blameless and upright man. That is to say he lived a holy life and it is notable because he lived in a time and place where it was not a common thing.

When people think a person is very good they will sometimes say “he's a saint”. Well, Michael was a saint – not in that generalised way but in truth, he was one of God's holy ones.

What stands out for me is his commitment to the work of God and the sacrifices he made in order to do the work he did. Further, he was obviously a man full of compassion.

He attempts some self-assessment in his autobiography (pp 63, 64)

Given my background it's no surprise that the work ethic is part and parcel of who I am. I suspect its root lies lies in my upbringing and lifestyle within my family home. Work dominated almost everything. It was the source of our income and provision for the family. Since our well being depended on the work being done, day in, day out, my parents just got on with it.

The second influence was the studio where I was employed as a graphic designer and typographer. My working day normally stretched between 9 am and 5.30 p.m. What impressed itself on me from the beginning was that someone had to pay for every minute I was there ....

My work ethic became something of a joke among the Soho team and church members, although I can hardly believe it. Apparently I used to tap my foot when someone was late, kept us waiting or when I felt time was being wasted. Throughout the Soho years I maintained a pattern of working every day Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and each evening until 9:00 pm. On Monday evenings I relaxed by walking the streets, peering into shop windows and looking at paintings, mainly in Mayfair.

I kept as much of Saturday free as possible, helping Pam with the family shopping ... then walking around the city, guidebook in hand, in the afternoon ....

Commitment is not something we see enough of these days, perhaps. There is even to some extent a fear of commitment. Michael was committed to the work in central London, devoted might be a more accurate word. It is striking that he did not assume a two week holiday would be appropriate but thought it through and came to see it was necessary. If it hadn't have been he wouldn't have taken it.

Commitment always incurs sacrifice and because Michael spent so many years in Soho, it involved great sacrifices. As most of you will know, he contracted TB at one point, a disease we thought had gone forever. It was all part of the sacrifice that he (and of course Pam too) made.

Of course, commitment and sacrifice alone would not have been enough. There was undoubtedly a compassion that drove Michael to be willing to do some of the less desirable things that he did as he sought to serve God.

So we begin there, Michael Toogood – an example of a man who lived a blameless and upright life. Yes, we live in an age where much wickedness exists but here is a tangible example of uprightness, of blamelessness.

2. Michael Toogood - an invitation to consider and observe his life

What David invites us to do is to Consider the blameless, to observe the upright. Now we were able to do that while Michael was alive to some extent and we are able to do it now to a lesser extent. Obviously, as the years go by less and less people will know about Michael's witness but it is right to continue to consider his blamelessness and to observe his uprightness. I think we can do this in two or three ways.

Firstly, I think the autobiography should be kept in print. More than that, at some point a further biography less subjective ought probably to be produced. It will be a good thing if his life is told for a future generation who never knew him.

Then there is the continuing work in central London. The aim was to establish a church in Soho, in the heart of the city and that has been done. The church is weak and small, however, and we all ought to do what we can to see it strengthened and built up.

More than that, it is important that the spirit and approach that Michael pioneered continue. What he did cannot be replicated and does not need to be. He cannot be cloned either and no-one would want that but it would be good if there were people like Michael in the days to come. Pioneers who can see the need and who will be willing to think through a strategy and then make the commitment and the sacrifices necessary to serve God and to reach out to those who have not yet heard.

The description on page 134 is priceless.

I remember the morning I decided that my visiting should embrace all and anyone living or working in Soho. Practically, this meant taking a street or block of flats and visiting them systematically. This policy should also include the notorious alleys! Immediately opposite our Brewer Street home, Green's Court linked with Peter's Street. It was narrow and grubby but tame compared with Walker's Court which ran parallel to it. An Italian Deli, a shoe repair shop, a coffee bar and a club/brothel were all situated there. The brothel was my first venture into the seedy world of the sex industry.

With a club of sorts trading downstairs, the action seemed to be on the first floor. A highly made-up bleach blonde woman in her 60s sat behind a table at the top of the first flight of stairs. I had seen her bustling around the area before. In the 1950s she would have been known as the 'Madame' who sifted the male customers. Apparently not all male customers were acceptable to the working girls! I explained who I was and why I was visiting all the premises in the Court. She waved me into the waiting room. The room was small and made smaller still by a curtain which separated the waiting customers from those being entertained. The girl was already busy on the other side of the curtain! A few minutes later the customer appeared, embarrassed at finding someone waiting on the other side of the curtain but he went quickly down the stairs and out into the street.

Then the girl appeared, not wearing a great deal. She was actually attractive, in her early 30s, dark haired and probably Italian. I explained who I was and why I was there, showing her the family photograph as evidence. She had probably heard many stories like mine before! With customers arriving, time was short. Why was she doing this? I noticed the gold ring on her wedding finger. She said she was working for the money - about £400 a day, lived a train journey away and was in Soho for about eight hours. Her husband was in agreement with what she was doing. It was time to go. I left some gospel literature behind.

Once again, some would find fault with my visiting such places and people, but Jesus did and counted such rejects among his friends and followers. I soon recognised that my visiting like this was not ideal but it was the best we could do at that time.

3. Michael Toogood - a reminder that those who seek peace have a future in the world to come

Then we must not miss finally the closing part of the verse. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. It could be simply peace awaits such people but probably David is saying that the blameless and upright are also those who seek peace. Of course, peace is one of the things that Michael now has but there is a whole lot more that he has now inherited and there is more to come. Now we know he has received all these good things by the merits of his Saviour, Jesus Christ. However, the trajectory that began here on earth, a blameless and upright life is the one that leads to future glory. There is no reason to believe that there is any future for those who do not seek holiness. Without holiness no-one will see the Lord. We are confident about Michael, however, that now he is in heaven. He has been given the crown of righteousness.

I intended to read from page 139 where he gives all praise to his Saviour and speaks of his conversion but that was read earlier.

We have said goodbye to him in the way that we say goodbye to people who set off on a journey in the car or on a train or plane. We've watched as the vehicle disappeared into the distance but we knew that at the other end of the journey they'd be received by others. And that's what has happened. We've said goodbye but Michael has been received into eternal dwellings by God's holy angels, where he will remain until the Lord Jesus comes again and the great resurrection day is here.

His blameless and upright testimony should be an encouragement to those of us who remain to keep pressing on to the glorious future that lies ahead for all who trust in Christ and live for him.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

Learn to number your days aright so that you may be wise hearted

Text Pslam 90:12 Time 25 06 17 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I had an unusual request the other day. I learned that Harry, who has been coming to us for a little while now was about to turn sixty. As some of you know, Harry has been struggling with illness for some time and so whereas some people might just assume that they will reach the age of sixty, Harry realises that he might well not have reached this landmark. if it were not for the kindness of God to him.

And so Harry has invited friends along here this morning in order to help him celebrate and in order to do that and for the good of all our own souls, we are going to look at a text from Scripture. You will find it in Psalm 90:12

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Now before we look at that text let me say two things.

Firstly, you may say to me but should we be celebrating birthdays? Some of you may know that the so called Jehovah's Witnesses say that you should not celebrate your birthday. They forbid it. They apparently did not before 1951 but then had a change of heart.

On July 15 in 1980 in The Watchtower they said “The Bible reports only two birthday celebrations, both of persons who were not servants of the true God. The first was that of Pharaoh of Egypt. It was marked by the hanging of Pharaoh’s baker, who had been in prison with Joseph. … The second, some 1,800 years later, was the birthday of Herod Antipas [during which the daughter of Herodias asked for] ‘The head of John the baptiser.’ … Is it just coincidental that they are mentioned and that both were for persons not having God’s approval? Or could it be that Jehovah deliberately had these details recorded in his Word, which he says is “beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight”?” (pp 30, 31)

They also note Ecclesiastes 7:1 where Solomon says A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

This is typical of their cavalier approach to the Bible, drawing conclusions on the flimsiest of evidence. Yes, the two men whose birthdays are noted are hardly exemplars to Christians and both Scriptures link birthday celebration and death but that hardly says anything against celebrating a birthday. Ecclesiastes 7:1, in the other hand, is a proverb and must be taken that way.

Rather than jumping to false conclusions let's say instead that if and when we celebrate birthdays we should do so in a sober and sensible way, remembering each returning birthday brings us closer to death and seeking not to make the mistakes that Pharaoh and Herod made in their day.

That seems to me to be a far more biblical approach.

The other thing is to say something about the context of the verse we want to consider this morning. Most though not all the psalms are by David. This one is uniquely A prayer of Moses the man of God and was clearly written during the time in the wilderness.

The prayer begins by contrasting God's eternal nature and our mortality. The Lord has been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or he brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting he is are God. We, however, are those he turns back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, you mortals." For God A thousand years ... are like a day ... just gone by, or ... a watch in the night. We, by contrast, he sweeps away in the sleep of death like grass - In the morning the grass springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.

At that time in the desert the people were under God's judgement – all Moses' generation would die before they reached Canaan. Moses sees they are consumed by God's anger ... terrified by his indignation. Because of their iniquities, their secret sins seen by God All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. People, as now, were living to 70 or 80 yet says Moses poignantly the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

The final verses (13-17) are a prayer for God's compassion - Relent, LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. He prays for God to satisfy them with with his unfailing love so that they will be joyful while they live. Make us glad he says (15) for as many days as you have afflicted us … His final request is that God's favour will rest on them and that he will establish the work of their hands.

Before that though he thinks about God's anger (11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due) and he says (12)

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Four things from this verse for us then

1. Consider what sort of request Moses makes of God – to be taught

The verse begins Teach us. This sort of thing comes up often in the psalms. For example

Psalm 25:4, 5 Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.

27:11 Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

86:11 Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness.

143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

In Psalm 119 it comes many times teach me your decrees, teach me your decrees (six times at least 12, 26, 64, 68, 124, 135).

29 be gracious to me and teach me your law 33 Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end 66 Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I trust your commands 108 Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.

A request for teaching assumes ignorance on our part and that is right. By nature we do not know how to live. We need to learn how to do that. Who better to teach us than God himself. He knows the answer well for at least two three reasons.

1. He is the God who made all things including us. He designed us and made us with the view that we should be in his image and live for his glory.

2. He is also God the Son, the one who came to this earth and lived and died in the place of sinners. His life was a perfect life and so he knows by experience what it is to live as many should live.

3. Thirdly, as God the Spirit he is the one who enable the Lord Jesus to live every day for God's glory and the one who will enable us to if we look to him.

When people who know what they are doing go off to university, they find out who are the best teachers and apply to those universities. The best teacher of all is God himself. Go to him and learn.

Here then is something we need to learn, something we need to learn from God. It may well not come easy but we must learn it anyway. God is able to teach us.

2. Understand what it is Moses wants God to teach us – to number our days

So what is it that Moses wants to learn from God? He asks that we will learn to number our days.

We learn to count when we are very young. We start with addition then subtraction and then move on to multiplication an division. Next come fractions and equations. The highest maths is learning to number your days. We need to learn to number our days. What does that mean? He has spoken about death and the brevity of life and the regular manifestations of God's wrath against the people. Every person has only a limited time here on this earth. We may live 70 years or 80. Moses is rare – he reached 120. However old we get, we die. What Moses requests then, and it is something that we should all seek, is that we may be able to have the right approach to our lives. It is not that we forget about the past completely but that we focus on the day ahead.

He is not asking to know how long he has left but to be able to discern how quickly the days pass, the fact that death can come at any time and that life on earth will certainly end at some point. No doubt he also has in mind that judgement that follows death. If we are to number our days as we ought to then we will be aware of the coming judgement and we will order our days in the light of that coming judgement.

You read sometimes of people who have managed to lose millions. They once were rich but now they are poor. How does it happen? Probably not overnight. Usually it is little by little. In the same way, we learn to live wisely little by little, day by day.

Here is a good prayer for all of us to pray then. Ask the Lord to teach you, to instruct you, to help you to understand how to live – not thinking we have all the time in the world but realising that life passes by quickly and that death can call at any time. Ask him to help you to prepare for the coming judgement in the right way.

Here are three good questions for us all.

1 How long do people usually live? Here it is 70 or 80. In UK at the moment it is 799.1 (males) 82.6 (females).

2 How many of my days are already spent? For me 58 years and 33 days – I'm getting closer to70m all the time – as you are!

3 How many days to go? None of us knows!

3. Notice how the request Moses makes to God concerns not years or months – but days

You notice too that it is not Teach us to number our years or months or weeks but Teach us to number our days. The use of day emphasises how short life is but it also teaches us that if we are going to learn about this, it is going to be a daily thing, a day by day thing.

In his famous Screwtape Letters where a Senior Devil writes to a junior one C S Lewis has the senior one write this

“The humans live in time but our Enemy destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself, and to that point of time, which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which [God] has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity or with the Present- either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.”

That is surely right. Life is to be lived moment by moment, day by day. When they were in the desert the manna that they ate descended day by day. There was normally only enough for each day. Jesus commands us to pray give us our daily bread.

God has made us to live in a day by day pattern. I noticed that on a page designed to help cancer sufferers (not a Christian thing) it highlights the benefits of living like this. It says things like riding out your feelings, not pretending we don't have bad days, not worrying or being consumed by what ifs, get up in the morning and go to bed at a sensible time – all good advice.

For Christians each day should begin with God. You may not have time for reading your Bible then but at least begin with prayer. The day should end with prayer too. I was reading about Jane Austen the novelist the other day. She died 200 years ago this year. There seems to be evidence that she was a Christian. She wrote a prayer for the end of the day.

“Look with Mercy on the Sins we have this day committed, and in Mercy make us feel them deeply, that our Repentance may be sincere, and our resolutions steadfast of endeavouring against the commission of such in future. Teach us to understand the sinfulness of our own Hearts, and bring to our knowledge every fault of Temper and every evil Habit in which we have indulged to the discomfort of our fellow-creatures, and the danger of our own Souls. May we now, and on each return of night, consider how the past day has been spent by us, what have been our prevailing Thoughts, Words, and Actions during it, and how far we can acquit ourselves of Evil. Have we thought irreverently of Thee, have we disobeyed thy commandments, have we neglected any known duty, or willingly given pain to any human being? Incline us to ask our Hearts these questions Oh! God, and save us from deceiving ourselves by Pride or Vanity.”

That is a good way to end each day.

One way people often suggest to live learning to number their days is to live each day as if it were their last. Not easy to do but strongly recommended. Too easily we forget about death.

Back in the seventies there was a hit song called one day at a time sweet Jesus. It is not a great song from a Christian point of view but the idea of living one day at a time, conscious of Jesus is a spot on.

4. Realise why it is Moses asks God for what he does ask - that we may gain a heart of wisdom

When we do what our text says and number our days aright, we begin to gain a heart of wisdom. We remember that we are all going to die one day. We learn to be humble and to fear God – the beginning of wisdom. We realise that we do not have enough time at our disposal to justify wasting a moment.

It is to the end of becoming wise that we are to seek God then to teach us to number our days. Further it is wisdom we need – not riches or anything else.

Someone once observed that it is a pity that it is not until people are about to die that they really understand how they ought to live. They “know not to what end they were born into this world, until they are ready to go out of it”. Let's not wait until is almost too late.

You notice the phrase is a heart of wisdom not a head of wisdom. Spiritual wisdom is something that takes hold of the heart not just the head. The man whose heart learns wisdom says one Puritan (Henry Smith) “learns more in a month after than he did in a year before, nay, than ever he did in his life.” You learn a thing best when you put your heart into it.

Of course, wisdom is found above all in Jesus Christ and so we can say that as we learn to number our days so we are directed to Jesus Christ. That is how it should be.

We will all only know how to be wise if we remember how short our lives are. Let's remember the fact and learn to be wise. In the little time we have let's trust in Christ and live for his praise. Sadly, we forget too easily how brief life is. Let's not.

Learn the Shepherd Psalm

Text: Psalm 23 Time: 24/05/15 Place: Childs Hill Baptist

I'd like us to look today at the best known Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 23. In fact I'd like to do more than that. I'd like to encourage you to learn it if you never have before and I'd like to encourage you to use it to pray with. It is more of a confession than a prayer. These are statements rather than prayers - The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul and so on. They can easily be turned into prayers, however, “Thank you LORD for being my shepherd. I praise you that lack nothing. You are the one who makes me lie down in green pastures and who leads me beside quiet waters. Continue to refresh my soul and guide me along the right paths for your name's sake. Even when I walk through the darkest valley help me not to fear evil, but to remember and know that you are with me. May your rod and your staff be a comfort me.” And so on.

The psalm is A psalm of David. Half the 150 psalms are ascribed to him and we rightly think of him as the main author though not the one who gave the book its final form – 150 psalms divided into five books. David himself we know was a shepherd so when we read him saying The LORD is my shepherd it has a particular resonance. I listened someone speaking last week on the nineteenth century Baptist missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson. He mentioned that Judson wrote to his future father-in-law before leaving America asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. Judson wrote “I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world”. That's how it was in those days. Imagine! The speaker said he sympathised in particular as he is the father of three girls. So when David says The LORD is my shepherd it has a weight. Further, the word shepherd was often used for kings and other leaders. In 2 Samuel 5:2 the people remind Jesus of how the LORD said to David You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.

This opening sentence really anchors the whole psalm, The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. The rest of the psalm can then be divided into three major parts. So let's say

1. Is the LORD your Shepherd?

When you see The LORD in capitals, remember it says Lord because that was what the Jews used to say when they came to God's own special name. They did it so often that we no longer know how to say God's name properly. It is something like Yahweh. What David wrote then is not really The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing but Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing. “The true God who has revealed himself by name, he is my shepherd and so I can and do lack nothing at all.”

Dale Ralph Davis suggests there are three things there.

1. Intimacy. The use of the covenant name means that David is talking in very intimate terms and is saying both that he knows God by name and that God knows him as a shepherd knows his sheep. There is an intimate relationship, what we call today a personal relationship. In the Bible we are all encouraged to be in a personal relationship with God. This is possible because the Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, the Good Shepherd, has come into this world to make it possible.

I remember when I was in primary school being told a story that comes from the 1850s and life on the American prairies. In a log cabin a little boy is dying of diphtheria. Because these people were so far from civilisation the only preacher they saw was a circuit riding preacher who would come every two months or so on his horse. He came to them one snowy March day and went in to see the sick little boy and talk with him. They talked about Psalm 23. The boy knew it but the preacher taught him to say it using his left hand to say The (thumb) LORD (first) is (second) my (third) Shepherd (fourth). He told him that the third finger of the left hand is where a woman puts her wedding ring and so it stands for love and that's where the “my” went. That was something the boy never forgot.

Are you in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Is that relationship growing ever more intimate? If not, why not? Don't let anything get in the way of that!

2. Tenacity. The idea of having a god as your shepherd was apparently not an unusual one in the ancient near east. Other gods were proclaimed as shepherds too. David, however, is clear - The LORD is my shepherd. There is no other, there can be no other. If we go back to the story about the boy with his hand wrapped around his third finger, the end of the story tells how one night some time after the circuit riding preacher's visit the boy died and his parents found him the next morning with his hand wrapped around his finger. They didn't understand it but when the preacher came by again he explained and they saw that he had been holding on to Jesus as we all need to do.

Are you holding on to him? The circuit riding preacher was a Methodist I guess and he might have forgotten that Jesus was holding on to that boy too but we need to remember both his holding us where no-one can pluck us out of his hand and our calling to hold on to him. How does Paul put it in Galatians 4:9? You know God - or rather are known by God.

3. Sufficiency. Thirdly, there is that profound conclusion - The LORD is my shepherd, and so I lack nothing. If the Lord is your shepherd then what could you possibly lack? Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Do you see that? Without Christ you lose all. With him all things are yours. You lack no good thing. Is the LORD your Shepherd? If he is, you lack nothing you need.

2. Does he pasture you, lead you, refresh you and guide you?

In verses 2 and 3 David takes up this picture of the LORD as a Shepherd and runs with it. He speaks, mostly in Shepherd/Sheep terms of four things the LORD does for him and the reason why. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. I don't think David is thinking of four distinct things the LORD does for him when he thinks of pasturing and leading and refreshing and guiding. Rather, I think he is calling to mind what he used to do as a shepherd and how the Lord does that for him.

As you know, sheep get fat eating good grass, good pasture.  I remember seeing a picture of sheep eating grass on a football pitch (F C Barcelona I think it was). They are good for keeping the grass nice and short. In Israel it wasn't always easy to find pasture but good shepherds knew where to find the grass they needed. They also need water to refresh them. They prefer quiet waters. Sheep can't always find such things for themselves. Indeed, as you know, they have a reputation for straying away. It is the Shepherd who guides them. Good shepherds keep their sheep in an orderly fashion, always provided for.

Now this is what the Lord Jesus does for the believer. He feeds us and he refreshes our souls. He guides us in the right paths. He shows us the way to go. By nature we stray. We wander off and get lost but he brings us back into the right paths and for his own glory he keeps us on track.

What a comfort it is to know that we have such a Shepherd who supplies all our needs and provides for us and leads us. He will bring us safe to heaven if we will simply trust in him. We can be confident in him.

3. Are you confident even in the darkest valley because he is there and comforting you?

Then in verse 4 we have one of the most famous parts of the Psalm - Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Again he is using shepherd imagery but with application to the every day life of human beings. Notice too how he has turned from third person to second person – from him to you. This leads into what he says about God being near.

Sometimes the shepherd would need to lead his sheep though dark overhanging valleys, through mountain passes where the cliffs rose high above the sheep on both sides and where the sun didn't shine very much. Animals are often instinctively fearful in such situations and become nervous.

There are things we have to face in this life that can also be thought of as dark valleys. Sometimes death and danger come very close. Someone very close to you – a mother, a father, a brother or sister, a child even – will die. You yourself may be at death's door, as we say, or you may know a setback – you lose your job or someone let's you down very badly – or you may suffer some sort of depression that just will not lift. The dark valley comes in various forms.

Now listen to what David says here about such times once again. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, he says – boldly, almost defiantly. $ The Anglo Welsh poet Dylan Thomas has more than one poem that rages at death and resolves not to be afraid – one repeats the phrase “And death shall have no dominion”. Another ends “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Another is called “A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London”. What he never gives is a reason not to mourn, some proof that death shall not have dominion. David does not do that here. He says not just Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil. He is not merely whistling in the dark to give himself courage. No, he has reasons for confidence. For you he says are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

So first of all he is not afraid because his Shepherd is with him. If you go through the Old Testament you will find many references to God being with his people. While he is with them, they need not fear. In the story of Joseph we read how God was with him when he was sold as a slave down into Egypt (even Potiphar could see God was with him) and even in the prison. That is what made the difference. God does not promise us a life free of trouble even though some claim he does. He does promise to be with us in our troubles, however, and that counts for a lot.

There is also the shepherd's equipment. $ Every job has its own tools. I met a man last week who was a joiner or carpenter. Carpenters use saws and planes and chisels and such things. I also met an artist, a painter. They use brushes and mixing palettes and easels to put the canvas on. What about shepherds? Their staff or crook (as the end is usually crooked) is well known. Shepherds still use them today – usually still of wood but they can be made of light metal. They use them to walk with and to keep the sheep in line. Sometimes the hook is used on a horn to pull a sheep in line. Shepherds also carry weapons. Here a rod is mentioned. This is in case of attack by a wild animal – a bear or lion, say, or a wolf.

The Lord has his ways of keeping us in line and of defending us from the wolves and other marauders. Jesus tells us that the Good Shepherd even lays down his life for the sake of the sheep. That is what Christ has done – he has died in order to defeat our enemy Satan and set us free. He is now busy destroying all our enemies that we may escape hell and know the delights of heaven forever.

You may be going through the dark valley at the moment. If you are trusting in Christ he is with you.. You are not on your own. He will defend you. He will gently push you in the right direction. Don't be afraid. And if you are not in the dark valley, you will be some day. Keep these things in mind then.

4. Are you confident that the LORD will always provide for you?

Finally, verses 5 and 6 David says You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Once again we have pictures and ideas. There are five altogether. David says that the Lord prepares a table for him in the presence of his enemies. He has possibly dropped the sheep imagery here or better superseded it. A good shepherd will feed his sheep even when wild animals that may attack are near. David jacks things up and has God preparing the table in the midst of such dangers. It's not just that I can catch a bite to eat here and there, says David, no God prepares a feast for me. That is how it is for the one who trusts in Christ.

He says too that the Lord anoints his head with oil. Maybe the poor could not waste olive oil in that way but the rich could and David is rich because the Lord is his shepherd. Indeed his cup is not just full, it overflows. That is how it is for the person who puts his trust in Christ.

That is why I want to urge you to trust in Christ always.

And then there are the sheep dogs. Sheep dogs, you say, I see no sheep dogs. Their names are goodness and love and they belong to the Shepherd. David says of them that they will follow me or better pursue me all the days of my life. They are always there. If you are a Christian you cannot get away from God's goodness and his faithful love. Strangely, very strangely, we do sometimes. The devil convinces us that we might be better off somewhere else. It is crazy to think so.

The final line is and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. David anticipates not just a wonderful life but something beyond that – to be in God's house forever. The shepherd imagery is completely gone here. What shepherd would ever dream of taking a sheep home with him? But that is what the Lord does fro his sheep – for each and every one of them. He brings them safely home. What a future lies ahead for all who will simply trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in him. He will never fail you or forsake you.

Four Great Comforts in Evil Days

Text Psalm 94:12-23 Time 24 08 08/03 09 08 Place Capel Y Fron, Penrhyndeudraeth Childs Hill Baptist Church
I'd like us to look this evening at the second part of Psalm 94. We looked at the earlier part of the Psalm last week beginning with verse 3, where the psalmist asks How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant? He was writing at a time when the wicked were jubilant, exultant, triumphal. They were full of themselves. We live, I think it is fair to say, in similar times.
Sinners exist in all ages but there are times when their deeds are done largely in secret, behind closed doors, hidden from view. At other times sinners are brazen. Little attempt is made to excuse sin or to cover it up. Sin flaunts itself in provocative ways, parading itself. We live, by and large in a day like that, a day when the wicked are jubilant in their wickedness.
The wicked are described in 4-7 – They are proud (They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting) anti-Christian (They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance) oppressive (They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless) godless (They say, The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed). At such times, like the psalmist, we must pray. Pray O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.We must also reason with people. Look at how he speaks in 8-11 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.I came across this quotation from B B Warfield recently (post-Penrhyn) that puts it well

"It is the distinction of Christianity that it has come into the world clothed with the mission to reason its way to dominion. Other religions may appeal to the sword, or seek some other way to propagate themselves. Christianity makes its appeal to right reason, and stands out among all religions, therefore, as distinctively, 'the Apologetic religion.'"

(Introductory Note, Francis R Beattie, Apologetics, or the Rational Vindication of Christianity, Vol I: Fundamental Apologetics [1903])
Praying and putting arguments before people is not easy but we must do this and not give into the temptation to stop because we feel prayer will make no difference or are afraid to speak out.
To encourage us I want to focus on verses 12-23 where we find four encouragements to press on in these things. If we can understand and take to heart these things, it will be of tremendous help to us. And so I say to you
1. Remember the comfort that the Lord's discipline givesSometimes we feel ourselves thinking 'Why doesn't God do something?' Why is evil allowed to advance to such a degree? Such questions are not easily answered but part of the answer lies in the fact that God often uses such means to discipline his people. Cf Prov 3:11, 12 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. The psalmist understands this and we should too. We should see that
1. Far from being a curse, days of trouble can be a means of blessing

12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, the man you teach from your law. But how can discipline be a blessing? As the writer to the Hebrews says no discipline is going to be pleasant at the time but if we have a handle on what lies behind it we can take it better. By means of discipline much good is done in the lives of believers. Indwelling or remaining sin in us is weakened. We are driven to God himself. Such things enable us to become more conformed to Christ, the man of sorrows. Pride is brought down and humility is encouraged. Our love for this world is weakened. It is vital to remember Rom 8:28 and the promise that God is working all things together for the good of believers, according to his purposes.
2. Discipline is effective only in conjunction with God's Word

There is an idea about called 'learning from experience' and there is something in it but we must not suppose that mere experience will teach us anything. Rather it is our experiences seen in the light of God's Word that leads to learning. Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD, says the psalmist - the man you teach from your law. Discipline will only be effective if we see it in the light of God's Word. Similarly, sometimes the Word is not enough for us, we need the experience to reinforce what is plainly taught in Scripture. In days gone by children would be punished if they got their sums wrong. What ever we think of that it is clear that no matter how many punishments were given, without some teaching the children would learn nothing. The answer to all our troubles is in the Word of God. Look there in trouble. The great thing about troubles is that they can concentrate our minds on the Word.
3. Such a realisation can be a great relief to a believer

In 13 we read you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. He can see that even his troubles are working for his good. Our natural bent is to want relief from our troubles immediately. Augustine says “You wish to bury him at once: the pit is as yet being dug for him: do not be in haste to bury him.” Picture a man running from a wild beast. He looks to be in fear. He is not really. He knows a pit has been dug for the creature and once he reaches a certain point the animal will fall into it. That is our position as believers.

2. Remember the comfort that the Lord's faithfulness givesAnother great comfort in times of trouble is to remember who we are. Back in 5 he says of the wicked They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance. In 14 we have For the LORD will not reject his people;he will never forsake his inheritance. It is unthinkable to suppose that God would reject or forsake his people. However strong the wicked may become, how ever low we may go – God will never forget his own inheritance. We are too dear to him. He has invested too much in us. See Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.This leads to the conclusion (15) Judgement will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. At times justice seems to lose its moorings. Everything is up in the air. But do not be afraid Judgement will again be founded on righteousness. We can expect such days – if not in this life then certainly in the one to come. Then the upright in heart will not only follow it but triumph in it. Today we see righteousness and judgement being slowly but surely separated out. It is frightening to see. The upright in heart are experiencing a time when all that is good is dragged down and ridiculed – with the connivance sometimes of the law itself. For example, acts of parliament have been passed supporting abortion, homosexuality, gambling, etc. We see corruption in the courts, the police, etc. We must not be afraid though. Better days will come one day. Set your hope on that.

3. Remember the comfort that the Lord's help givesJust because we know that all will be well in the end does not mean to say that we should just sit back and wait. Like the psalmist, again, we should be looking to others for help and seeking to encourage them to oppose the wicked. The psalmist asks (16) Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Our experience will often be like the psalmist's, however, it will chiefly be the Lord who proves our help. Notice here how he shows us
1. How to respond to the stridency of the wicked
He was desperately looking for help; his foot was slipping and he was tempted to unbelief; his anxiety was great – how he feared, tossed to and fro by his worries and concerns.
We can identify with him in these similarly desperate times.
2. Where to find help in all this
So where did he find help?
He says
1 The Lord gave him help (17) Unless the LORD had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. Full help came from the Lord. We are always dependent on the Lord, of course, whether we realise it or not. We become especially aware of it, however, when all other hope is gone. The Lord can and will help you.
2 The Lord's love supported him

(18) When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. It will support all who turn to him. There is nothing like God's love. While looking at this verse up in Penrhyndeudraeth in the home of a walker I came across a pair of crampons. The owner explained to me how, amongst other things, they are used to give a secure footing when on packed snow. It's not the most obvious illustration, perhaps, but the love of God is like wearing crampons! That is the import of what he says here. Never forget the love of God. Underneath are the loving and everlasting arms of God.
3 He knew joy even in the midst of anxiety

(19) When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. What an amazing thing – joy in the midst of anxiety. Yet the believer can know this sort of thing. Many of you have experienced it no doubt. Such joy is God given. This joy comes when we think of God's unchanging purposes, his covenant faithfulness, his complete redemption, the Saviour – risen, interceding in heaven for us, our union with him, etc.
4. Remember the comfort that the Lord's justice givesFinally, remember something that we have already touched on a little – God's justice. The description in 20, 21 reminds us again perhaps of some aspects of our own day where the psalmist asks Can a corrupt throne be allied with you - one that brings on misery by its decrees? then says They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. There is certainly a lot of opposition to the gospel from various, sometimes powerful, quarters, these days. People band together against the righteous. They condemn the innocent - such as unborn babies and the elderly – to death.
The psalmist feels safe despite all this, however. 22 But the LORD has become my fortress, he says and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.Has the Lord become your fortress? Is God your God, the rock in whom you take refuge? The only safe place to hide in times of trouble is in Jesus Christ.
The ultimate answer to such opposition is to remember that the wicked will be paid back. 23 He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the LORD our God will destroy them. One writer (Greenall) puts it this way “They make fetters for their own feet and build houses to fall on their own heads”
Here are four great comforts then for believers living in evil days - God's discipline, God's faithfulness, God's help and God's justice, which will surely triumph. Let's take all the comfort we can from these truths.

What to do when the wicked rejoice

Text Psalm 94:12-23 Time 27 08 08 Place Childs Hill Baptist ChurchI'd like us to look this evening at the first part of Psalm 94, verses 1-11. In verse 3, the psalmist asks How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant? He was writing at a time when the wicked were jubilant, exultant, triumphal. They were full of themselves. We live, I think it is fair to say, in similar times. That how long suggests that things had been like that for some time. Again it is the same for us.
Sinners exist in all ages but there are times when their deeds are done largely in secret, behind closed doors, hidden from view. There is a furtiveness, a secretiveness with regard to many sins. Hypocrisy flourishes at such times. At other times sinners are brazen. Little attempt is made to excuse sin or to cover it up. Sin flaunts itself in provocative ways, parading itself. Hypocrisy is less common. We live, by and large in a day like that, a day when the wicked are jubilant in their wickedness, when hypocrisy is almost the only sin left.
So how should we react in times like these? First, let's consider the description of the wicked in 4-7 and then consider what we ought to do in the light of this.

1. Consider the jubilation of the wickedThe characteristics of the wicked really come out in 4-7. there are four main things to notice.
1. They are proud

4 They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. This is their main characteristic. In 2 the writer refers to them as the proud (Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve). Pride is found in every human being, of course, even the godly to some extent. With the wicked, however, it is something very obvious. The wicked are proud, arrogant, self-confident, haughty, full of their own self-importance. Again and again the wicked boast and parade their sin. We see it today in things like 'Gay pride' marches – people marching through cities simply boasting about their homosexuality. Or take some of the arrogant words of Richard Dawkins, eg “What has 'theology' ever said that is of the smallest use to anybody? When has 'theology' ever said anything that is demonstrably true and is not obvious? What makes you think that 'theology' is a subject at all?”
2. They are anti-Christian

5 They crush your people, O LORD; they oppress your inheritance. God's people know very little physical persecution in this country at present yet on many other levels the persecution is intense. In the media the Christian viewpoint is rarely expressed. It is often caricatured or is spoken of as just one option among many. In the world of education, from nursery to university the system is dominated by humanistic, anti-Christian views. Believers are often marginalised, held back or downtrodden. Or listen to Dawkins, this time on on faith “Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.”

Or what about the Nobel prize winner Gore Vidal

The great unmentionable evil at the centre of our culture is monotheism. From a barbaric Bronze Age text known as the Old Testament, three anti-human religions have evolved: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These are sky-god religions. They are, literally, patriarchal - God is the Omnipotent Father -hence the loathing of women for 2,000 years in those countries afflicted by the sky-god and his earthly male delegates. The sky-god is a jealous god, of course. He requires total obedience from everyone on earth, as he is not just in place for one tribe, but for all creation. Those who would reject him must be converted or killed for their own good.
3. They are oppressive toward the weak

6 They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless. In light of all this it is no surprise to see that we live in a society where the weak and the needy are neglected and oppressed. The obvious targets today are the unborn; children who are abused sexually and physically. Think of the pressures on marriage and on family life. Then there are the sick and the elderly, the alien and the outcast too. The Nobel scientist Francis Crick has said, chillingly, "No newborn infant should be declared human until it has passed certain tests regarding its genetic endowment and that if it fails these tests, it forfeits the right to live."
4. They are godless

7 They say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed." Inevitably such an outlook hardens the heart and sears the conscience and so people make statements like this. The thought of God becomes unbearable. Some say such things openly, some in secret or only to themselves. “What escapes the scoffer is the damning display he makes of himself when he fancies he can do as he likes”. This is part of the reason for why God stays silent. It is not just an aspect of his mercy. Part of his purpose is to show man's true state by nature.

2. Consider what we ought to be doing at such timesSo much for the situation. But what are we to do about it? Two things come out here.
1. At such times, we must pray

This whole psalm is a prayer, of course. It begins as an earnest heartfelt prayer (1-3) O LORD, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant? This is how we should be praying too in our day. Let's think briefly of
1. Who we pray to

It is the LORD, of course, the covenant God of his people, the one who has bound himself to them. Here especially he is the God who avenges, the Judge of the earth. See Romans 12:17 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.2. What we ask

Shine forth (show yourself). Rise up – act. Pay back to the proud what they deserve. Once God looks, once he acts there is no hope for the wicked.
3. The great question posed here

How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant? Derek Kidner has written “Nothing has changed the sin or corrupted the judge; it is simply the night is long”. How long will the wicked be proud, the weak oppressed and so on? Only God knows how long.
2. At such times we must also do what we can to reason with people

There is something else we can do. There is a horizontal as well as a vertical aspect. We must also reason with people. Look at how he speaks in 8-11 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.They are senseless brutes, fools but we must go to them somehow and we must reason with them and argue the case. They are proud and boastful but we must confront them.
1 Does he who implanted the ear not hear?

Picture it. Our ears – what amazing instruments. They are incredibly sensitive yet so robust. Have they evolved? Impossible! Look at it logically.
2 Does he who formed the eye not see?

Picture it. Our eyes – again amazing instruments. Can they have evolved? Impossible! Again, look at it logically.
3 Does he who disciplines nations not punish?

This is less expected but consider the various disasters that come on this world. Consider the rise and fall of nations. Who brings it all about? God. Watch out unbeliever!
4 Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?

The writer trails off. Need I say more? God reveals truth to men. He is the Great Teacher (as we see supremely in the Lord Jesus Christ). How can it seriously be suggested (as it was earlier) that he does not know? Impossible!
5 The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.

This is the final argument. The Lord knows exactly what everyone is thinking. Further, he knows that their thoughts are futile, empty, pointless. Andrew Fuller somewhere lists some examples of futile thinking - seeking satisfaction where there is none; vain regrets; worrying; false comparisons (not God and his law); laying plans that will never happen.
Futile thinking goes on all around us. We must convince people of this and do what we can to turn them from rebellion to God.
Praying and putting arguments before people is not easy but we must do this and not give into the temptation to stop because we feel prayer will make no difference or we are afraid to speak out.