In his second blog from Jordan, where he is on his oversea tour, the Moderator, Dr Charles McMullen, describes leading devotions at a local church, and being moved by the congregation’s deep passion and total dependence upon God.

I led the devotions in a local church this week, not knowing who was sitting in front of me or what would happen next. Afterwards, I watched the international team, including many local people, spreading themselves out to share the unconditional love of Christ.

We greeted a doctor now working in an improvised surgery on the church premises and a dentist, who had miraculously escaped an ISIS bullet to his head, about to give some treatment in a neighbouring room.

Then the local pastor took us to visit a young widow from a nominal Christian background in Iraq, who had fled with her daughter about six months ago. A small flat has been provided by the church, with some furniture and a bed. She had discovered new friends in Christ and her faith has come totally alive! It was so moving as Barbara sat beside her to pray.

Her daughter is attending the local refugee school. The classrooms, the improvised computer suite, the laughter of the children on the flat roof of the building, totally oblivious even to the most basic health and safety regulations! Our guide told us that they could no longer rent these premises and were soon having to move elsewhere. He took us to the new site, a place of even bigger dreams. I was so moved by his unstoppable vision, deep passion and total dependence on God.

And my devotion that morning? It was based on Psalm 46 and the importance of starting in the right place. It would be so easy to be consumed by the frightening earthquakes, political violence and deafening uproar constantly mentioned in these verses. Instead, we begin with God, who is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Despite appearances all around us to the contrary, we remain in him and he brings us to that place where he shatters the spear once and for all.

I met so many that morning, who were quietly, but confidently, making such a difference in his name. People who had the faith to believe that the outcome of the story was going to be different for those children from the war-torn homeland they had been forced to leave. They had the confidence to take that same Psalmist to heart: “Be still, and know that I am God”.

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Dr McMullen is minister of West Church Bangor and was selected as moderator-designate in February 2018 and officially elected and installed as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland at the General Assembly on 4 June.

You can read his other 'postcards' from Jordan here, and news about his overseas tour here. You can also follow his travels on Twitter at @pcimoderator or using hashtag #pcioverseastour.