Daily Devotions: The Watchmaker

As a boy, I was fascinated with a watchmaker's store in Glasgow, Scotland. When I entered the store for the first time, I saw a faded picture of the watchmaker standing in Red Square, Moscow with the Kremlin behind him.

What was his intriguing secret?

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Jeremiah 51:50 “You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the LORD in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem."

His watchmaker’s store was right beside my bus stop for going home. Whenever I went traveled into Glasgow’s City Center, I would get off the double decker bus at this store. There were lots of second hand watches in the window and you could see the watchmaker busy working each day. He had microscopic eyeglass to see the working of each watch and he delicately held small instruments in his hand.

On rainy days, when I stood waiting for my bus home, I watched him studiously and was fascinated by his craftsmanship. Sometimes I was so mesmerized by what he was doing that I almost missed my bus. I wanted to own a watch, so that if it ever needed repair, I could come into his shop and have the watchmaker fix it.

Years later, I got that opportunity. I had one of those old digital watches that blinked red lights to indicate the time. I needed to have the battery changed and so I entered the watchmaker’s store for the first time. It was quiet and peaceful. On the wall behind the watchmaker was a faded photograph of him standing in Red Square with the Kremlin in the background. And when he asked me what I wanted, he spoke to me in broken English with a heavy Russian accent. I was amazed.

I showed him my digital watch. He just shook his head, took it from me, and quickly fixed it. I could sense his frustration and, as I handed over the money for the battery, we both realized that the world was changing. Within a couple of years, his store was gone. I guess people didn’t need his services anymore.

I think he must have missed being back in Russia. I didn’t know what brought him to Scotland and sometimes I wonder if he was an ex-spy, on the run from the KGB and protected by British Intelligence. Whatever made him leave his native land, he still remembered it and even though he was in a Western land during the height of the Cold War, he must have kept that photograph proudly displayed in his store for years.

When Jeremiah preaches to his people, they all know that they are going into exile. The Jews of that time believed that God was tied to the land, so when they left the Holy Land, they thought that God wasn’t coming with them. Jeremiah’s prophecy was a clarion call to his people to keep the Lord and Jerusalem in their hearts, no matter what they experienced or wherever they ended. In other words, he was telling them to keep the faith.

In the midst of our own trials and troubles, sometimes remembering God and keeping the faith can be hard. But if the spiritual experiences of many millions of people over the centuries is anything to go by, those two precepts are extremely helpful, supportive, and encouraging.

Prayer: Lord God, You are the One, Holy Constant throughout Time. Across the history of the world, Your Presence has strengthened and uplifted our people. We pray that in our own trying times, we may also depend upon You to deliver and sustain us through our troubles. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Daily Devotions: Rapanui or Easter Island

I’ve never been to Easter Island (or Rapanui as it is natively known), but like many people, I’m fascinated by the large stone faces that are found there. I think that they must be remarkable to look at, to touch and stand beside. The people who made them must have felt a similar awe as they were being created, erected, and worshipped.

I’ve watched documentaries about the stone faces and from what the archaeologists have pieced together, the history of the islanders appears to be tragic. The island isolated from the mainland by thousands of miles, so the original Rapanui settlers must have landed there by accident. At first there was enough food, water, and shelter to help them survive for generations. But then, because of the rising population, the island became depleted of valuable resources. It was during this time that the stone faces were built, probably because the islanders needed divine help to survive.

Eventually, all that was left on the island were the stone faces. Most of the islanders had either left to find a new place to live or they perished at sea. Very little of them remained on the island. It’s a sad story and a great mystery. All that we have left of the people are their idols and rock drawings. No matter how big, how wonderful, or how awesome they made their idols, their false gods could not help the islanders. All that work and worship did them no good.

In 1722, on Easter, the island was rediscovered by a Dutchman called Jacob Roggeveen. The island population which had numbered more than fifteen thousand was reduced to only a couple of hundred. But the rediscovery brought a new hope and new connections for the people. Today, over 2500 Rapanui people inhabit the island, making a sustainable living from the tourist industry.

It seems that ‘Easter’ was a favorable name to give to the island, for the once isolated people have experienced a resurrection of hope for their community. Idol worship has been replaced by Christianity, and missionaries have planted churches where the people can now serve the One, True and Living God.

Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say,” Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.

We all can make worthless idols in our lives. If we get obsessed with money or the markets, possessions or positions, pride or ambition, we create esteemed images of ourselves that are false and finite. No man is an island, but we can isolate ourselves from God if we separate our hearts from Him. The biblical injunctions of not creating idols for ourselves are just as relevant in today’s distracting world as they were thousands of years ago. By placing our lives in Christ’s hands and giving our hearts to Him, we avoid such foolish ideals and false idols.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, enable us to keep You in our hearts and to focus upon Your Kingdom. Free us from the false gods of luxury and power, ambition and greed. Help us to follow Your words and ways, so that we can remain faithful and loyal to You throughout our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.