Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 20/04/2025
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 20th April
Jesus Christ is risen today! Hallelujah!
Heavenly Father, today we celebrate Resurrection Day. "The greatest day in history, death is beaten, You have rescued me; shout it out, Jesus is alive. The empty cross the empty grave. Life eternal, You have won the day. Shout it out Jesus is alive! He's alive!"
The day Jesus rose from the dead is undoubtedly the greatest day in history. I know there are many who will argue in favour of other days. The abolition of slavery for example? The fact is that Jesus has brought freedom to millions of people the world over, even people who were slaves to all kinds of sin and addictions, have been set free by Jesus; freed on the inside from the sin that entangled and set free on the outside from the lure of alcohol, drugs and sin
Some people may point to VE Day or VJ Day and the end of wars. However, wars have continued across the earth. The greatest battle was between good and evil, between the One True God and the enemy, satan. But that battle was won by Jesus, just over two thousand years ago when Your Son beat death, and satan too
Some may say that their wedding day was their greatest day, and some marriages do last a lifetime, but our relationship with You, the Bride of Christ, will last into and throughout eternity
Some may point to the birth of their child as the greatest day, but the birth of Your child enabled millions to become Your children; children of God who will live forever
Lord Jesus, the greatest day for me was when I came to know the Truth about You! Because of Your resurrection I know that one day I too will be resurrected. That will be my greatest day in history, in eternity. Thank You. May I give you my praise and worship this day and forevermore
Amen
Songs for today (Resurrection Sunday):
The greatest day in history
Hallelujah - Messiah
Thine be the glory
Celebrate
One Solitary Life
Saturday 19th April
Lord Jesus, today is Low Saturday, the day between Crucifixion Day and Resurrection Day. We paused to reflect and remember what happened on that Friday when You were crucified, and we will celebrate what happened on that Sunday when You were raised from the dead. The day in between is a 'dead' day, nothing much happens. For a couple of years this got me wondering how the disciples must have felt, knowing You were dead, buried behind a large stone. So, I wrote this:
Low Saturday - A Psalm Lament
They saw you taken from the garden
They saw your back receive the lash
They saw the cross, the nails, the crown
And finally they saw the spear
They heard Your cries, "Father forgive them,
Why have You forsaken me."
Some wine was offered but not taken
And then You uttered "It is finished."
They saw You put into the tomb
The stone was rolled across the grave
Armed soldiers posted, the tomb was sealed
What good is a dead Messiah?
And Saturday came
Saturday.
They had thought You were the 'One'
Messiah, Son of God,
Now all hope gone, nothing to live for,
Failure
Despair
They saw the miracles,
Demons cast out
Blind men saw, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk
But now You're gone,
And it's all over
What was the point?
Tears came, nothing to say
Not knowing what to say
Is there anything anyone could say?
Then fear grips
"What if they come for us
Without Him we are nothing
We have nothing
No gifts, no wisdom, no power"
It was real
They all saw
But now they hide behind locked doors
A low day
A black day
A grave day
A horrendous day
A shattered day
Devastated
Saturday
Where can they go from here?
Heavenly Father, I wonder if this is how the world feels? Not knowing You, not knowing Jesus, leaves us with nowhere to go, empty of hope and a future. Thank You that there is always Sunday! Every week Sunday comes and we have an opportunity to celebrate
In fact we can celebrate every day, because You are with us every day; Your promise is fulfilled by Your Spirit. In the Old Testament You said: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, He will never leave you not forsake you." This promise is repeated in the New Testament, with the response that we say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"
We have Your unwavering commitment and support, offering comfort and encouragement in times of hardship. We are assured of Your presence regardless of our circumstances. Thank You for every day
May we continue to spread the Word of the Gospel to those who don't know You. Sunday is on the Way
Amen
Songs for today:
Psalm Lament - Low Saturday
Thank You
What a beautiful name
Friday 18th April
Heavenly Father, thank You that there are 'key verses' in Your Word. As we all know, keys unlock things, and key verses in Your Word are promises which pour out blessings, or which act as warnings
King David knew this as You had him write: "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore"
A key to receiving blessing is unity. We must be united in Spirit and purpose; we must be united in seeking Your will; we must be united in prayer and worship. Hermon is approximately 232 miles from Mount Zion, about 5 hours 45 minutes! For the dew to fall as David describes it is a miracle
Unity is commanded by You and brings with it blessing. You tell us: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace"
I see we must be completely humble and gentle, not just when we feel like it. We must be patient bearing with one another in love, not can be or could be, but "must be". We must make "every effort" to keep the unity, not going off in a huff or a temper just because some upsets us or says something we don't like
Lord Jesus, You were completely humble and gentle, patient and loving, and You made every effort to reconcile us to God, even dying on the cross to make reconciliation possible. This Good Friday, 'Crucifixion Day' may we sacrifice ourselves, our own desires and preferences, to seek Your face and Your will, to bring about the commanded blessing You promise. May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Thank You for this key to the Kingdom
Amen
Songs for today:
There is a place of commanded blessing
What kind of love is this?
What kind of love is this? - Bryn Haworth
Salvation belongs to our God
Video: It's Friday. But Sunday's coming - S.M. Lockridge
Thursday 17th April
Heavenly Father, we all have our weaknesses. If we think we have none then we are deluding ourselves and can leave ourselves open to attack
There is a saying: "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". Help me to recognise my weaknesses and to do everything I can to strengthen them. It is not wrong to be aware of them, although I do not need to dwell on them
Both extremes, ignoring them or focussing on them, can be unhealthy and counterproductive. You tell us: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The lion does not look to overpower the strong, it looks for the weak, the injured, the vulnerable and the unaware, and often the young. We need to be aware of our weaknesses, as You warn us: "... in order that satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes"
None of us is impervious to temptation; even Jesus was tempted, but He did not sin. But if we look at King David, tempted into adultery and murder, or Peter saying he would die with Jesus and then denying he even knew him three times, we can be assured we will face temptation
What can I do to resist temptation when if comes; not if, when? I can follow Your advice: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you." I wonder if the word 'then' is important?
When temptation comes 'then' is the time to submit to You. After all, when we come near to You, and You come near to us, it must be the last place on earth satan wants to be. Help me to purify my heart, grieve, wail and mourn over my sin, as I cry out to You for protection, so that I will not give in to temptation
You tell us: "Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up." May an alarm go off, bells ring and lights flash when the tempter comes near!
Thank You, my Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. If I do as You say, I will always be safe
Amen
Songs for today:
Before the throne of God above
Risen for real
Purify my heart
Lead us Heavenly Father lead us
Wednesday 16th April
Heavenly Father, as Resurrection Day approaches I become more and more aware of the importance of prayer. Thank You that You have given us this means of communication with You. There is not a moment when we cannot speak to You; because Your Spirit lives in us we can always be in contact with You
But equally important, if not more so, You can be in contact with us. What I am writing down now, and what others read later, will be read and heard by You first. Any Scripture is Your Word to us. Thank You for this: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work"
Help me to listen to You more than I speak to You. I need Your Word to teach me, to rebuke me, to correct me and train me in righteousness. Thank You for reminding me: "The Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart"
Because You know me better than I know myself, You can see into the hidden depths of my heart. You know everything that has happened to me, everything that has shaped me to be who I am today. You know all my doubts and fears, but not only that; You know where they came from, what caused them
Jesus' resurrection changed everything! The coming of the Spirit enabled us to see how and why everything is now different. And prayer, especially praying Your Word, is the Way You bring about change. You can open our eyes to see things we couldn't see before, our ears to hear what we couldn't hear before, and our hearts to receive what we couldn't receive before
When the stone was rolled away on Resurrection Day, the stone over our hearts was also rolled away, so now we can be reshaped, transformed by the renewing of our minds. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Stone Song - When the grave couldn't hold Him
Prayer is like a telephone
Open the eyes of my heart Lord
That's What Faith Must Be
Tuesday 15th April
Heavenly Father, it is good to know that You are coming again. My children visit often, and every time they do I get excited. When they text to say they are on their way the excitement increases. At the moment Your Spirit is with us, which in itself is amazing, but the thought that You are returning fills me with even greater excitement
When my family visits there are a number of things I have to do to prepare: put the fire guard in place for the little ones, set up the high chair for the littlest one, move the spare mattress off one of the beds, and do the extra shopping. Depending on how many are coming I might have to set up spare beds. Empty the bins and get rid of the rubbish. There is a flurry of activity for both me and my wife!
I suppose the preparation is different for each family. I have heard it said that wherever King Charles III visits always smells of fresh paint. Well, we don't go that far, but we do tidy up a bit
What can we do to prepare for Your return? Not knowing exactly when You will be here gives us a few problems, but it is best to be ready, so, what can I do? I guess I need to always make sure there is room for You. Physically, You don't need a room, but I need to make room for You in my life
It's too easy to be so busy that I don't have time for You; if I'm too busy then I might miss You altogether! You have sent a whole Bible-full of texts telling me You are coming, and there are plenty of hints that You are on Your Way. What else can I do? Get the throne ready! I can enthrone You in praise! Get my heart ready for You; after all it is the thing You want most; it is why You died!
Holy Spirit, help me too be ready to meet my Maker. "Create in me a pure heart, and renew a steadfast spirit in me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me". Empty my spiritual bins and get rid of all the rubbish! Then I will always be ready. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
The King is coming
Create in me a clean heart
Jesus we enthrone You
That's my King - S.M. Lockridge
Monday 14th April
Heavenly Father, sometimes we get a glimpse of how the world should be. In the world as we know it, there is often violence, hatred and hurt. Very often, of course, love shows through, and if the world was always loving then what a different existence we would have
You tell us a little bit about how different the world will be: "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra's den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea"
I watched a couple of short videos, the first showing the love shared by a gorilla and the man who cared for it when it was young; and second, lions meeting a man with a similar link. Thank You for the love shown in these clips, and in so many other situations. The poet Virgil wrote "Omnia Vincit Amor" or "Love conquers all" in his tenth Eclogue, published about 37 B.C
I am quite sure that it is Your love that conquers all, just as Jesus loved us, gave Himself for us, the greatest love as He laid down His life. It is Your love that enables us to triumph over challenges, conflicts or adversities we may encounter in life. Eventually Your love will conquer all when Jesus returns. I'm quite looking forward to playing with gorillas and lions, wolves and leopards
Thank You for the future assured for us by Jesus
Amen
Songs and video for today:
The wolf and the lamb
God is working His purpose out
Gorillas video
Lions video
Spirit of Elijah
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
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