“ARDUOUS, long and uneven” are the words used by the governor of the Bank of England to describe the path to economic recovery, as news broke that our national debt hit the £1 trillion mark for the first time!
Arduous – strenuous hard work.
Long – an extended period of time.
Uneven – not straight or parallel, rough!
When we consider these three words and think of their meaning in depth, we begin to get to the heart of the message the governor is trying to get across.
Our huge debt requires a huge amount of work to put it right.
Tonight, after 65 years as minister of my congregation, I will be attending a service to mark the occasion of my retirement. Such a milestone in one’s life causes pause for thought. My ministry, and indeed the ministry of anyone called by God to a life of service in His name, is all about the payment of a huge debt, and getting that message into the hearts of those burdened by sin. It is a wonderful message to tell – better than the governor’s! The arduous, long and uneven path has already been taken care of - our Saviour has walked it. It took Him to Gethsemane, to Pilate’s judgement hall, to Golgotha, and into the arms of death itself. It took him into a cold, stone sepulchre.
The governor’s message is about preparing us to do a great deal of hard work. The Saviour’s message is about proclaiming the work already done.
The cold, stone sepulchre could not contain Him whom death had claimed at Golgotha. He arose! Sin’s huge debt was wiped out, and with it our path changed from ‘arduous, long and uneven’ to a plain and narrow way. Not of works, but of free grace.
Compare the governor’s words with the words of Isaiah:
“Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not?”
Of course the governor has a task to do and he is telling it as he sees it, and we would be foolish not to pay attention and follow his advice. But Isaiah too is telling it as it is, and just as we need to hear the reality of our temporal situation, we need to hear the reality of our eternal situation. The great thing is that eternal matters can be sorted much quicker than earthly matters, and while we might like a quicker way through the economic problems we face, it isn’t going to happen! But the problem of eternity and where we will spend it, may be sorted very swiftly indeed. Isaiah goes on to persuade us to seek the Lord while He may be found. That is a consultation you may have freely! No big bill will follow in the post. In fact, you will leave the consultation “with joy, and be led forth with peace”.
For 65 years I have seen bankrupt lives redeemed, and tonight as I mark my retirement from ministerial duties, I do so in the knowledge that, unlike banks, “He faileth not!”