By Rev James McNay.

West Kilbride Parish Church

Ahh! The Wimbledon fortnight! Loved by some, endured by others.

I happen to be in the former camp!

I love the spectacle of Wimbledon - the lush green grass courts which become more and more worn over the fortnight.

The spectators on Henman Hill (or should that be Murray Mound), the strawberries and cream and of course the tennis which is often nailbiting and thrilling!

Watching Wimbledon is like the soundtrack of your life. And certainly you remember some years better than others.

I remember growing up amidst the battles between Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg in the late 1980’s - with Edberg being my personal favourite. But maybe you remember Borg v McEnroe or earlier; or Steffi Graf v Martina Navratilova or Sampras v Agassi or the Williams sisters; then into the Federer / Nadal / Djokovic / Murray years!

We look back with nostalgia at times to the Wimbledon that we remember best.

Of course, there is a place for looking back and reflecting on our life and actually looking back on our life can give us courage and hope for the future especially when things are difficult in life.

In the Psalms, comfort is often found in the fact that when things are going wrong or the Psalmist is feeling down or discouraged that God is still there and will help them through.

One of those Psalms is Psalm 73 where the Psalmist is going through a tough time and he envies those who don’t seem to have the struggles he has. But then he remembers that the Lord:

‘Holds him by his hand’ and ‘Guides him with his counsel’.

It is a great encouragement to me that: ‘My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever’.

May this be an encouragement also to you this week.