Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 13/10/2024
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 13th October
Heavenly Father, thank You for every opportunity to meet with You. Sunday is a particularly great day because we can meet with You individually and in community in the church building
When we get together it is an opportunity to share testimonies of what You have done in our lives, as well worship, listen to Scripture being read, and be taught so we are equipped for daily living. There is a time of worship and testimony in church tonight so please protect all who are involved. Cover us with Your Spirit, by Jesus' blood, and surround us with Your angels as I know the enemy hates worship and testimony. I know the enemy hates Your Word!
In Jesus' Revelation to John are these words: "Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accused them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death'"
Help us to be fearless in speaking Your Word, in worship, and in giving testimony. Fill us with Your Spirit so that what we say is endorsed and underwritten by You, so the Truth is heard about all that You have done. As John writes at the end of his gospel: "This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written". May more books be written today. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
No filter
Why me Lord - Cliff Richard
All glory
Saturday 12th October
Heavenly Father, I remember the 'Green Cross Code' from when I was young! When crossing the road: "Look right, look left, look right again". I still do this today. The latter part is often forgotten: "And if nothing is coming you may cross the road". It may seem obvious, but the latter part is equally as important as the first part. We may do all the 'looking' part, but if we ignore the latter we may step out when we shouldn't
Sometimes it is difficult to know which way to look. If I look back, the past has happened and I can't change it. If I look forward, the future isn't yet written; at least I can't see it. If I look down, all I see is what is beneath my feet, my eyes downcast. But when I look up, I see the heavens, and I see You there. As the hymn says: "Upward I look and see Him there, who made an end to all my sin"
I prayed yesterday that when I look I see the effects of good and evil all around me. So what is the 'Green Cross Code for life’? I think You just reminded me that Jesus on the cross is the code for life; the 'Jesus Cross Code'. I need to keep looking to Jesus to guide me, and remind myself of what He did to save me. What has happened has happened, but You know what is to come. You will guide me to the right or to the left, and if something is coming You will prepare me to deal with whatever it is. I know I can step out today and You will be with me
Thank You for caring for me, loving me the Way You do. I know nothing in all creation can separate me from Your love in Christ. Thank You for the code. Help me to pass it on. It is not a secret; we all need to know it!
Amen
Songs for today:
Before the throne of God above
Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer
I know who holds tomorrow
Friday 11th October
Heavenly Father, when we were praying yesterday a thought ran through my head, simply this: "Image. Imagination". We are made in Your image and so we have an imagination
You and Jesus often speak in images, parables. I can imagine when You spoke to the writers of Genesis, explaining the fall of man, the first sin, saying to them: "Just imagine there was a garden where people lived, let's call it Eden, and the people living there were told they could eat any fruit except for one, because it contained knowledge about good and evil; it was bad. And just imagine one of them, Eve we'll call her, did eat it. Immediately she was infected with evil. She offered it to the man, we'll call him Adam; and he became infected. This infection eventually caused them to die. Everyone was infected, so everyone died". Now all this is in my imagination, but it explains the Truth of how it happened.
Where do visions occur? In my imagination. Where do good ideas come from? My imagination. Where do bad ideas come from? My imagination! Where do I hear Your voice? In my head, my mind, my imagination. Does this mean You are imaginary; a figment of my imagination? Not at all
I see the effects of good and evil all around me, and I see what You do and have done, all around me. "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour". Imagine that! Thank You, real God, real Jesus, real Holy Spirit
Amen
Songs for today:
Father of creation
Even
By Your love I am free
But God
Thursday 10th October
Heavenly Father, a friend of mine once, probably more than once, used the phrase: "The heavens are as brass!" They were expressing their frustration that sometimes it seems as though prayers seem to bounce back, as if there was a barrier between them and You
Nothing was getting through to You and nothing was coming back from You. You, it seems, are silent and all that can be heard is the echo of the words of the prayer again and again. "Why don't You answer me?" is asked. Frustration leading to anger and accusations. "You don't care? Call Yourself God? You're not God! If You were God You would answer me! Are You even listening? Are You even there? Do You even exist? Why am I bothering? This is a waste of time! Perhaps I am just talking to myself!"
Lord, I'm sorry to say, sometimes I feel like this. It is hard to say what brings on a rant like this. Perhaps for a non-believer it is fuelled by the belief that You do not exist, but how they wish You did, and that You would do what they say. But what about me? I am a believer! I came to believe, and I would say to know, a long time ago, was convinced, that Jesus lived, was crucified and resurrected, and is alive today
And I still know this today; so where does the doubt, and the rant, come from? The enemy knows he can test us. Right from the start: "Did God really say...?" Many people doubted; Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, Elijah, John the Baptist, the disciples! They were all doubters. Even Jesus' family though He was crazy
Lord, help me to remember, I am in good company, but also, in the end they did trust You. Thank You for listening
Amen
Songs for today:
Now to Jesus
Lies
Before the throne of God above
Wednesday 9th October
Heavenly Father, thank You for this reminder: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal"
We can say this and believe it "...because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus..." In the amount of time already passed the span of our years is so small. In the light of eternity the span of our lives is infinitesimally tiny. We are finite but have eternity placed within us
Death comes to us all, life on earth comes to an end, but eternity waits for us. As You remind us, outwardly we are wasting away, our bodies fail us. Most of us grow weaker as we grow older. Sometimes we need help to get a lid off a jar. Sometimes we groan as we get up from the chair. Aches and pains increase
But inwardly we are growing stronger. Your Holy Spirit is teaching us, strengthening our faith. As we look back at the good and the bad that has happened, happiness and sadness, we know that there is only inexpressible joy to come. "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls" There is so much to look forward to. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Lord I'm grateful - Grace
Comfort in Your arms
Salvation
Tuesday 8th October
Heavenly Father, thank you for my neighbours. Thank you that we get on well. We don't break into each other's houses. We don't steal each other's property. We don't go into each other's gardens uninvited. We don't argue and fight. We don't insult one another. Basically we live peacefully alongside one another. We don't worry about colour. We don't worry about race, or creed, or upbringing. We don't try to get one up on one another. We do share good news and bad news. We do laugh together. We do borrow things from one another and return them
Thank You for good neighbours. I do know from experience what it is to have bad neighbours who are unfriendly, unpleasant, unwilling to listen, determined to cause friction. I don't understand why they were like that, but I do know it was a horrible period in my life. I don't know if this passage in Your Word applies: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight"
Perhaps jealousy or envy is at the heart of bad neighbours. Perhaps it is upbringing? Taught to "Look after No 1!" Perhaps it is fear? "Get them before they get you!" You tell us, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" If only all neighbours could learn to live in unity! If only nations could learn to live in unity! Eventually, You will bring peace on earth. When Jesus returns. How I long for that time
Amen
Songs for today:
You are our hope
Living hope
Make me a channel of Your peace
Monday 7th October
Heavenly Father, having listened to the song I prayed about yesterday, and prayed again I realise I was wrong to criticise it, although I still believe a lot of what I said. Words are very powerful weapons, and emphasis makes words mean different things. The words I was thinking about were "I'll never grow weary, my passion won't fade, with fervour and love, Your name will be praised. In all that I do , Lord, my heart is for You, I'll serve You forever, my soul renewed"
If I put the emphasis on "I'll" in the words "I'll never grow weary..." then the words can sound boastful and proud; but with the emphasis on "never" the words can sound determined, gritty, but also uncertain. With the emphasis on "my" in the words "my passion won't fade" the words can sound arrogant, again boastful, proud. When the emphasis is on "won't" the words again become like a plea, hopeful, determined, and perhaps even with an element of doubt
In the next phrase, "with fervour and love, Your name will be praised..." the emphasis on "will" seems to make the "fervour and love" essential; I need to muster up this fervour, I must love You the best I can, following what Jesus said was the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength"
Perhaps my criticism was rooted in jealousy, or my own lack of zeal or passion or love. Lord, forgive me. Help me to never grow weary, help my passion to grow, not fade, help me to praise You with fervour and love. It's all about You. I need You
Amen
Songs for today:
Serving Forever
Confidence (Faith like Daniel)
Jesus lover of my soul (It's all about You)
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
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