I realised something at the weekend while my father in law was preaching in church. It was that God does move! Now that may seem a strange thing to say and I will try to explain what I mean.

WE look at the world and sometimes get quite downhearted. We see Iraq, Sudan, Beslan, poverty, violence and so on and just think ‘God please do something’. I do not know about you, but I pray that God will intervene but sometimes I think I just pray and do not really expect him too. I think too, that this is because I don’t think he does because life is just hard sometimes and these situations seem so hopeless.

On Sunday, Ernie reminded me that even in my ifetime of 40 years I have seen God intervene in some very powerful ways.

I remembered the falling of the Berlin Wall, something that at the time we would have never thought could have happened, in the midst of the Cold War.

I personally remember watching Nelson Mandela being released and later taking up office as president of South Africa and the break up of apartheid. Again, something that looked so hopeless that we never thought could possibly happen.

I look to Northern Ireland and remember as a child growing up in the 70’s and 80’s with bombs, terror and death beng reported and occuring on a daily basis. There is still a lot to do but, again, God has clearly intervened in this country.

Such amazing things, which I remember thanking God for at the time, and yet easily forgotton.

The hopeless situations of today are not hopeless at all – God is on the move, where will we see him intervene next?