Elizabeth George, Maesycwmmer

What a privilege it is to consider the precious promises of God that have so impacted my life over the years. To be sent to a desert island would be a trial in many ways but to go with the word of God anywhere is a blessing. I have chosen a few verses which have helped me through the darkest times in my life. Following Jesus does not necessarily mean that we will live in health, wealth and prosperity; He sometimes takes us to very dark places but He never leaves us alone – His rod and His staff comfort us.

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:1-2

Without any difficulty at all I start with Isaiah 43:1-2. At the age of eighteen I was in deep depression which took me into hospital for treatment. All through my teens, Isaiah 43:2 deeply impacted me and that awful morning, as I prepared for hospital, there it was again; it was the verse on the calendar for that day. Then, as I packed my case to go, a card which I had forgotten was behind my wardrobe mirror dropped out and fell at my feet. It was the card given to me many years before at my baptism. Isaiah 43:1-2 was there again! This verse has followed me all my life and would follow me to the desert island too.

When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise His word: in the Lord will I praise His word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Psalm 56:9-11

Another precious few verses which strengthened us through these years are Psalm 56:9-11. When everything else seemed to be falling apart I staked my hope on this; come what may, He would bring us through.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

I wrote and rewrote this on paper and also in pottery making plaques to hang as a reminder to hold onto and He was faithful! The reason I kept writing this was because although to all outward observations everything was in free fall, yet I knew His word would never fail and the promise was all things work together for good.

And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. Exodus 16:18

Here is a verse which God graciously gave just after we were married and, unknown to us, God was kindly preparing us for years ahead when I was not going to be able to continue teaching. I was in school teaching a class about the Exodus and subsequently Gods provision for His people. As I read, it impacted on me greatly. Imagine our amazement when, that evening, having come home from school, we found our reading to be from 2 Corinthians 8:15, quoting and confirming that very verse! As the years have passed that precious promise has been proven to us time and again.

Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. Psalm 66:12

He was with me through those valleys. I was weak and full of fear but He remained faithful and was to wonderfully bring me finally out of that terrible darkness some thirty years later. With that, it was this verse which He gave me. It leapt off the page to my heart and I knew it was true! All I could say was, ‘Amen’ and I worshipped Him Who had brought us safely through all.

Which Christian from the past would you like to find on the island for company?

The Puritan, Thomas Watson; it was reading his book on the Providence of God which began to bring me out of that darkness. Since then, I have found anything I've read of his is so clear and rooted in the Scriptures. I’m sure that he would certainly be able to answer any questions which arose on the island.

If not Thomas Watson, it would have to be Hudson Taylor. His biography was one of the earliest and best I’d read as a Christian. I know that if he could survive in China, he’d probably have good practical skills to share and survive on the island.

Which song would you take to the island?

The hymn I'll choose to take with me to this island also incorporates this promise of Isaiah 43. How firm a foundation by John Rippon. There was a time I could not sing those words as I was in such a dark place, but today I praise Him for all His great faithfulness in all.

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He has said -

You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition - in sickness, in health,

In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth;

At home or abroad, on the land, on the sea,

As days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed!

I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid:

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I cause thee to go,

The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;

For I will be with thee, they troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee, thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee: I only design

Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose

I will not, I will not desert to its foes;

That soul, though all Hell should endeavour to shake,

I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

Owen Batstone, Ogmore Vale

I’m writing this because Hywel George asked me to, and I quite like him.

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

I’d like to change the rules this once, if I may. I want to take whole Bible books with me instead of verses. Why would I only take individual verses to an island? I would have to rip up and ruin my Bible to get them out. Also, for the last four years or so, I have become a lover of reading large swathes of scripture at once. After all, God has put the Bible together in books – so it is obviously best to read them as whole books. I find it’s simpler to understand this way and I don’t get bogged down in little details, which are usually resolved by the time I get to the end anyway. Having said that, sometimes I don’t move beyond one verse or even one word because it hits me for six.  But generally speaking, these days, I am worshipping more through reading whole books than individual verses and so I would want them on the island with me.

Now let’s be honest. Do you know what I probably wouldn’t do on a desert island? Read my Bible.
I know it sounds idyllic - the sun, the blue velvety waves - and I’m sitting cross-legged with my Bible open. In reality, however, I’d feel I’m too busy to read. I can see it now - the need to catch my food, to find a drink, or how to source a workable type of sun cream - it would panic me into pushing my Bible aside. Even now, every day I have a mountain of my own sin and apathy to wrestle with before I open my Bible. And that’s with a relatively easy life with food in the fridge and water in the tap.

Esther 1:1 – 10:3

Someone once said that if you struggle with sin, apathy, or anxiety then you should read a Systematic Theology because it will enlarge your view of God and His glory which in turn can help you fight your sin. But I think I can do one better. I would read the book of Esther. And when I had finished, I would read what was going on in the world at the time of Esther (it seems I’ve snuck a History of the World onto the island too). I would get to grips with the spiritual state of the Church back then, where the Persian Empire was, what it was like, and how it fell. Then I would read Esther again and ponder how Jesus is the Everlasting King whose Kingdom never falls. I would smile at how He preserves His people and that nothing happens outside of His will, from the fall of the mighty Xerxes right down to my personal frustrations which come with being marooned on Hywel’s island. I think it’s in the busy chaos of day to day life when I need that vision of Him most. He has a wonderful plan for my life and it might mean I’m going to rot alone on the island and be eaten by crabs. But it’s not without purpose, Jesus wins and so do I. That’s why it would be silly to push my Bible aside just to get on with another day. Every day needs this type of perspective or it gets depressing. So, I guess I would grab my bucket and spade and find some water, realising afresh that even seemingly irrelevant and mundane tasks are actually part of the story of the King’s Everlasting Kingdom.

Which Christian from the past would you like to find on the island for company?

Sorry, if I answer this with anyone other than my wife I’d be in massive trouble.

Jeremy Bailey, Port Talbot

For a Pastor, the thought of being castaway on a desert island is at one and the same time attractive and appalling: attractive because the desire for solitude to read and pray is at times just a dream; appalling because there is an inner desire to be amongst people sharing the word of God and sharing their joys and sorrows.

A similar dilemma faces me as I try to choose just a few verses to take with me. These verses mean a lot to me, so they are very personal, yet they form part of the revealed word of God to all of us, so they are to be shared. I hope that they may encourage those who read this as they have encouraged, and continue to encourage me.

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

This is the verse I adopted at my baptism as a life verse. Although I came to know the Lord when I was very young, around 8 years old, it was in my teenage years that I came to clear assurance. I was concerned to discover whether I had faith independent of my parents, or whether I was simply following their teaching. To discover this, I set myself the task of studying the NT letters. Starting in Romans, by the time I got to the end of 2 Corinthians, I was filled with a sense of the greatness of Christ and His work of salvation for me. I was baptised shortly after my 17^th birthday. This verse has been a guide and a warning against sin throughout my life.

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. Romans 6:17

Dr Martin Lloyd Jones’ preaching and writing helped me to come to a realisation that I am a Calvinistic Methodist! His exposition of this verse brought me to an understanding of what conversion really is. We are slaves to sin. The truth of the gospel addresses our mind (“the form of teaching”), that truth is then embraced in the heart (“wholehearted” acceptance). Then it moves the will (“obeyed”). From the mind, to the heart to the will is always the way conversion happens.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. Isaiah 42:3

Part of one of the servant songs in Isaiah, this speaks of the Lord Jesus’ tender care of his children. We meet many bruised reeds in life, many people who are like a low flame ready to go out. But the Lord Jesus will never break that bruised reed. He will strengthen it and care for it. He will never snuff out that low burning flame; he will cup his hands around it and bring it to full burning light again. How precious the Lord Jesus is to the believer.

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

Very early in my ministry, whilst I was still in a small Essex village, I realised that I was in danger of being afraid of what people thought of me. If that fear of people was not dealt with, I would not be able to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. This verse freed me from the fear of people. We must not care what people think, even when they pass judgement on us. The important thing is to keep a clear conscience. Yet even that does not mean we will always be right. We must leave judgement to God.

When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the King delights to honour?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honour than me?” Esther 6:6

I love the book of Esther. When I was called to my current Church, it was the first Old Testament book I preached through. One young member of the congregation said she didn’t realise it was ok to laugh in church! We did laugh, many times. Every time I read this verse I laugh at the pride of Haman and the way God is able to raise up the humble and bring down the proud. Also, it reminds me that God delights to honour us by clothing us with the righteousness of Christ.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

I have to have one of the “I am” statements of Jesus to remind me of all the others. This is the greatest of all. It gives me confidence in life and in death. Jesus is the resurrection; that means we will be resurrected one day after we have died. He is also the life; that means we have eternal life in him by faith. That eternal life will never be extinguished. Do you believe this? I do with all my heart.

Which Christian from the past would you like to find on the island for company?

C.S. Lewis. One of my favourite memories from childhood is lying on my parents’ bed with my older sister and younger brother listening to Dad read the Narnia Chronicles. Since then, I have loved these books and they led me to read nearly all of Lewis’s work. I especially love his story telling and his autobiographical novel “The Pilgrim’s Regress”. It would be great to have him with me to discuss Narnia and hear some more stories from that amazing Christian mind. It would also be important to have someone there who does not share my non-conformist, Calvinist beliefs but who is clearly a believer.

Which song would you take to the island?

O Sacred Head! Sore Wounded by Paul Gerhardt. This reminds me of the Lord’s suffering and death. It also contains the wonderful words that express an important personal desire of mine “Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee!” It remains my favourite Easter Hymn, and Easter remains my favourite time of year.

O sacred head! Sore wounded,
With grief and shame bowed down,
How scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thy only crown!
How pale art Thou with anguish,
With sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
Which once was bright as morn!

Thy grief and bitter passion
Were all for sinners’ gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain:
Lo! Here I fall, my Saviour;
‘Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favour,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to Thee!

Be near me when I’m dying;
O show Thy cross to me;
Thy death, my hope supplying,
From death shall set me free.
These eyes, new faith receiving,
From Jesus shall not move;
For he who dies believing
Dies safely through Thy love.