Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 17/11/2024
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 17th November
Heavenly Father, help me Lord; every day, help me. My devotional today is about obedience, and I need help to always be obedient. Your Word tells me: "You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your Word"
My devotional makes the point that I need to pick up a shield and I need to go into a refuge; I need to do something. The shield is there, the refuge is there, just as You are there, but I need to do something; I need to put my hope in Your Word. I need to be obedient
Lord Jesus, You said: "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear". Which must mean everyone I guess. You also said: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock"
Your brother, James, learned from You! He wrote: "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." My devotional gives this advice: "If you want the blessing, favour, and protection of God in your life, there's no other Way than to obey God's Word. Obey Scripture whether you like the command or not. Obey whether you agree with the command or not. Obey immediately and completely. Obey no matter what. Obey because God is God and you are not. Understanding can wait but obedience cannot"
My umbrella is useless standing in the porch at home. I not only need to carry it, I need to put it up. Help me to stay under Your umbrella of protection by being obedient to You Word every day
Amen
Songs for today:
Trust and obey
Teach me to obey
Yet not I but through Christ in me
Saturday 16th November
Heavenly Father, thank You for creating us! People! The Bible doesn't go into great detail at the start, it simply says: "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being"
You then created woman and gave us the mandate to go and procreate; create on Your behalf, although You are fully involved in the process. "You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well"
Part of what You created is our respiratory system. When we inhale, breathe in, air enters our lungs and oxygen from that air moves to our blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide moves from our blood to our lungs is exhaled, breathed out. Our cells then use the oxygen to combine with sugar to create energy and this energy powers activities like moving muscles, digesting food and thinking. It is no surprise that King David thought he was "fearfully and wonderfully made". I think that too!
Thank You for scientists who have discovered how we work. All this got me thinking about how we take in a lot of good stuff, but also bad stuff as well. Help me Lord to take in that which is good for me and get rid of the bad stuff. It is often easier to believe the bad
My phone came up with a message this morning: "Insufficient storage - press to clean up". I pressed and 2888 photos plus videos, documents and duplicate files went to the SD card!
Help me Lord Jesus, to give all my clutter, including all the bad stuff, to You and to take in Your breath of life so I can praise You fully
Amen
Songs for today:
I am fearfully and wonderfully made
Great are You Lord (It's your breath in our lungs)
Thank You for everything that I have
Thanks and praise
Thankful
Friday 15th November
Heavenly Father, David wept for his enemy, Saul, the king who tried to kill him. He also wept for Jonathan, his friend, Saul's son, who tried to protect him. As David laments their death, three times he cries out: "A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen!" "Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul... How the mighty have fallen in battle!"
"Jonathan lies slain on your heights... How the mighty have fallen!" When great men fall from the heights they achieved it can be easy to forget the great things they have done because of their fall from grace. But You are not like that. You weep for the lost. Concerning Israel's rebellion and lack of love for You: "Should I not punish them for this?" declares the Lord. "Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this? I will weep and wail for the mountains and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands"
Lord Jesus we know You cried. Your Word tells us that as You approached Jerusalem and saw the city, You "wept over it" and said: "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes". When You went to the tomb of Lazarus, dead for four days, the Bible simply records: "Jesus wept"
It is easy to point the finger. This is how You dealt with those pointing the finger at the woman caught in adultery, reading throw rocks at her: "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her"
Father, help me not to cast stones or point the finger, but instead weep for anyone who has fallen
Amen
Songs for today:
Love one another as I have loved you
Love one another
A new commandment I give unto you
Thursday 14th November
Heavenly Father, for some people, they can honestly say that after today: "Life will never be the same again". Things happen in the world, things happen to us, we do things or say things ourselves, whatever it is, we know life will never be the same again
Some things are outside of our control, but the effect on our lives can be devastating. An accident, a fall, and for someone, and those around them, life will never be the same again. An unexpected diagnosis at a hospital and life will never be the same again. The words: "I'm leaving you" and life will never be the same again. A mistake, a wrong turn, a wrong decision, and life will never be the same again. We can't turn the clock back, and what has happened has happened. Many things can't be put right, we can't fix everything, and so life will never be the same again
You know that we are sinful people, and that our very nature is corrupt, even from birth. Whether it is out of our control, and even if it is, You have come to help. In our time of need You are there and You hear our cry. It may be that "we have sinned against You and against our fellow men, in thought and word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault". It may be that things have happened beyond our control and life will never be the same again
We can't change the past, but You can change us! You can fill us with Your Spirit, so we can honestly say: "I will never be the same again". Thank You Jesus, Your love never changes
Amen
Songs for today:
I will never be the same again
Your love never fails (Nothing can separate)
I'm accepted
I'm accepted I'm forgiven
Wednesday 13th November
Heavenly Father, some days life is quite overwhelming. The problems we face can get us down; get us down so low we don't know what to do or what to say. Sometimes the frustration can boil over into anger, which is rarely a good thing. Sometimes the pain and turmoil can simply lead to tears
It seems King David knew these feelings! "I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes"
You understand too: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans". So, in my time of need I turn to You. "I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth"
I know You hear my prayers and I know You answer. I also know sometimes it takes time for You to answer as You want the very best for everyone involved. "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance"
Lord, as I wait for Your answer bring Your peace, that peace which transcends understanding. I need say no more. As I heard recently: "The deeper the pain, the fewer the words... Turn up and shut up"
Amen
Songs for today:
Just let me cry
Father hear the prayer we offer
Cry of my heart
Tuesday 12th November
Heavenly Father, my devotional today reminded me of a great word: 'daily’. Every day You are the same. You never change. Every day I can come to You! "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens"
I see it there, before my very eyes, in Your Word. You daily bear our burdens. Not only on Sundays, not only when we are good, not only when You feel like it: daily! Every day. Not just on high days and holidays, not just at Christmas or Easter, not just when we are ill, not just when we are upset: daily! Every day. Not just when everything is good, the sun is shining and all is well: daily
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness". Every day. I can come to You every day because of Your very nature: "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love"
Lord Jesus, You invited us to come to You. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I AM gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden light". As soon as I feel the weight of a burden on my shoulders I can come to You. As soon as I feel weary I can come to You
My devotional reminded me: "We weren't created to go through life carrying heavy burdens that weigh us down. Thankfully we don't have to". When You came to earth, You took our burdens onto Yourself. Even though we were far from God, You carried the punishment for our wrongdoing and bore our suffering. Thank You, daily, thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Come to me
I heard the voice of Jesus say
Jesus strong and kind
Blesséd be Your Name
Monday 11th November
Heavenly Father, thank You for the many fond memories I have of my parents. One of the fondest I have is that I had the privilege of praying with them, individually, the last time I saw them; my Dad in hospital and my Mam in our house in Sunderland
I guess this is stemming from Remembrance, yesterday and today. Our lives are often shaped by what happens to us, and I know my Dad's many nights spent at the RAFA club, often every night of the week, was simply to be with men who had gone through the same things he had gone through during WWII. They never spoke of such things, but every time I went with him the same men were always there
I remember, too, the fuss they made if a serving member of the RAF came into the club. He was a hero to them, I guess because they knew what he might have to endure at any time. I only know what men and women endure in war time through what I have seen in films and through present day news reports, because my Dad never spoke to me about any of his experiences; none of the men did
Help me to remember that every one of us is in a war of some kind because sin is all around us, and within us. No one escapes unharmed; mentally, emotionally, spiritually or physically. The privilege of praying with someone, anyone, opens them up to receive a blessing from You, so that they may find peace in this troubled world, and in their own heart, mind and soul
Jesus said: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends". May I lay down my life in prayer each day, for friends, and enemies. It is the greatest privilege to serve You in this Way
Amen
Songs for today:
The Greatest Love
Heart of God
When we pray - Citizens
When we pray - Tauren Wells
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
|
