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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Major Anne Read

Good morning,

For a few years my service in The Salvation Army took me with my husband to New Zealand. Our responsibilities meant we travelled around that beautiful country. On long car journeys we loved taking a quick detour for a dip in the waters of one of New Zealand’s thermal pools. We would arrive at our destination aches and pains gone, as fresh as daisies, through our soak in the therapeutic waters.

For generations Maori have appreciated the healing properties of their thermal springs, where warriors wounded in battle would bathe their wounds.

In Britain Roman soldiers built a reservoir around the natural springs that came bubbling up from deep underground in what is now the city of Bath. The baths were not just for R and R: their waters were valued for their healing powers too. In fact for centuries, people travelled to spa towns all over Britain to experience the healing properties of our ancient springs and with a renewed appreciation of their waters baths are being restored and rebuilt.

One of the Salvation Army’s Generals, Albert Orsborn also lived for some time to New Zealand. Visiting Te Aroha, the healing springs flowing from the mountain inspired him to think of Calvary and God’s cleansing, life giving stream flowing in redemption for all humankind.

He wrote 'From a Hill I know, healing waters flow… all I require to cleanse me and restore.' You might want to make General Orsborn’s prayer your own this morning:

Wash from my hands the dust of earthly striving;
Take from my mind the stress of secret fear;
Cleanse thou the wounds from all but thee far hidden,
And when the waters flow let my healing appear."

Amen

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