Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 10/08/2025
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 10th August
Heavenly Father, I read a sentence online yesterday which got me thinking about people who come to visit Jane, my wife. When they arrive and I open the door they almost all, without exception, ask: "How are you doing?" As they leave, they almost all, without exception, say: "Make sure you look after yourself"
The online sentence I read was: "You can't pour from an empty vessel; fill yours first". I've been told a number of times by different people that I can't look after Jane if I don't look after myself. I investigated this further and found a lot of advice. "Giving from a place of deficiency is unsustainable. When you constantly give without taking care of yourself, you risk burnout, exhaustion, and resentment...
Self-care is not selfish, it's essential: Prioritizing your own needs allows you to be more present, energetic, and capable of supporting others... The overflow of a full cup: When your own needs are met, you can offer genuine care and support to others from a place of abundance...
Examples of self-care: This could include getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising, spending time in nature, practicing mindfulness, or pursuing hobbies". When I look at the examples of self-care, I can see that there is a number of them that I am not doing well, or even not at all
Lord help me to do better. Help me to remember, and take seriously, David's 23rd Psalm "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"
When my cup overflows then I can pour out into the lives of others. Help me to rest in Your presence every day. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
You filled my empty cup
The Lord's my shepherd I'll not want
You restore my soul
Fill me up / Overflow
Saturday 9th August
Heavenly Father, help me to be patient. Help me to be faithful. I often hear fellow believers in Jesus say: "God's timing is perfect". I hear believers and non-believers say: "All in good time" and "Good things come to those who wait". I don't find waiting easy. I have borrowed money in the past to buy things straight away rather than being patient and saving until I could afford them
When I pray I find it hard to wait for Your answer. I believe You are on my side, that You are for me and not against me. I believe that You always want what's best for me, and I believe that You know what that is better than I do. I find that throughout the day I am constantly asking You for help, for strength, for guidance, and I'm sure You are constantly working in my life and working for good
Your Word tells me: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose... What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" I am also aware that I am not the only one praying and that you have billions of people asking You for things every day, every moment of every day. A matrix of all the prayers spoken to You and how things are interconnected within Your will is mind-blowing! I guess it is not surprising that sometimes we have to wait for Your answer
When the time was right, Jesus was born. When everything and everyone was in place Jesus came into the world. The Bible tells me: "When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship"
Thank You for coming into the world at the right time, in the right place, in order that we might be saved. Help me to trust You, that all in good time Your will will be done and I know my prayers will be answered. Thank You
Amen
Songs and advert for today:
God's a while
Remind me Lord
In Your perfect time
Guinness advert
Friday 8th August
Heavenly Father, we live in an ever more complicated world. The internet gives us access to more and more information every day. Phones, tablets, laptops are all interlinked in a worldwide web. Even my TV has access to much more than just TV programmes; I can even speak to it and ask it find to things online
I can see people on the other side of the world, onscreen with a couple of taps on my phone. I can listen to millions of pieces of music by asking 'Alexa', but I won't have time to listen to them all. I tap on an icon which tells me I need to go to another website, which tells me I need to download another program, but my phone tells me I can't because there is no room left in the memory, so I start deleting files, photos and other programs to make space
I can find information about virtually anything. If I can't remember a verse of Scripture I can type in a few words and find it within seconds. I can ask for information about footballers from years ago, or film stars, or even anyone 'ordinary' if they have a profile online somewhere. I can even see what they are doing or where they are in real-time if they want me to. I can follow my son’s or daughter's progress as they travel home. And of course I am using my phone to write this prayer to You now
Thank You for making my relationship with You better than any of this. You have kept it very simple; You know me and You love me, and I know You and I love You. You said, “If you love me, keep my commands". And Your commands were simple: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these”
Help me to keep this in mind today above everything else. I need to know only one thing, You are my God and Saviour, all the rest is just stuff and nonsense. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
I am chosen by grace
Be still and know that I AM God
Peace
Thursday 7th August
Heavenly Father, "You have searched me, Lord, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You, Lord, know it completely". Lord, You know me!
You know each one of us, each individual human being. What King David said about himself, I can say about myself, and so can each person on the planet. Even those who don't believe there is a God in Heaven, You know them too. And those who have been into outer space, to the moon and back, You knew them too
King David asked: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast". Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, however we are feeling, whatever our circumstances, You know every one of us uniquely, as individuals; You know our pain. Whether we are rich or poor, black, brown or white, good or bad, You know each one of us, and You love each one of us the same
Your Word tells us that You treat each one of us the same: "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous". This is the grace You show to each one of us! As a song says: "There's nothing I can do to make You love me more, to make You love me less than You do". And as the Bible says: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes"
Nothing we do can influence You: "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." But, because of Your great love for us, Your unchanging love, all our sins are forgiven because of Jesus' sacrifice
Lord, I'm grateful, amazed at what You've done. Your grace is all that I need. As St Paul writes to the Galatians: "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing!” Thank You for Your grace in dying for me
Amen
Songs for today:
You know my pain
You know me yet You still love me
Lord I'm grateful - Grace
Wonderful Grace
Wednesday 6th August
Heavenly Father, when people hear the words, or read them, from Your Word: "Do not be afraid... Fear not... Be courageous..." their response could be: "Well, that's easy for You to say!" Or perhaps: "You don't know what it's like!" I am sure there are many people who live in fear every day. I can think of countless examples, and I would include strong, devout, believing Christians among them
The policeman on the beat; a mum or dad who can't pay the bills; a young kid carrying a knife; a parent watching their teenager going out with friends they don't trust and not knowing where they are going; an alcoholic who is about to lose their job, their home, their family; a drug addict who is desperate for their next fix but has no money; a gang member who can't escape the violence; a victim who is being bullied; a person with an incurable disease who knows their days are coming to an end; a man or woman watching that partner's illness get worse every day, knowing they can't do a thing about it; a widow who has been left desolate; a soldier called into action against an unseen, terrorist enemy; a criminal on the run; a gangster with a gun under the pillow; a minister who can see his or her church struggling with any, or all, of the above circumstances
Father, it seems to me it is only natural to be afraid. Just being in this hostile, broken world, living as broken people, is in itself scary, even without the extremes, or the normal everyday life events I mentioned. Help me to remember that when You say: "Do not be afraid... Fear not... Be courageous..." You usually follow it by saying something like: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"
Father, I ask You to be as good as Your Word! Help all those who are afraid, who face a terror in their life today. I know You know what terror is like because Jesus went to the cross. I know He was afraid, sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He called to You, submitted to You, and was able to take the beating and go to the cross
Lord Jesus, we need Your strength and Your courage. It wasn't easy for You and You do know what it's like. Help all of us today
Amen
Songs for today:
I'm breaking Lord - Hear my cry
The things that I'm afraid of
Be not afraid
Tuesday 5th August
Heavenly Father, I was thinking about perspective as I read to Jane from the book 'Jesus Calling' over the last couple of days. When we are in a car and we look forward through the windscreen we can see everything quite clearly as things approach; we can read road signs, traffic instructions, even car number plates quite easily
However, if we look out of the side window, things flash by and we can't really distinguish anything at all. We can be sitting in the same seat, travelling at the same speed and simply by turning out head 90° what we can see changes dramatically. I wouldn't recommend this if the person is driving the car!
The same is true of the passage of time. I was talking to a couple of friends online the other day, school friends. We were talking about teachers, (good and bad) lessons, (good and bad) and what we got up to, (best not to say!) The thing is, those things were over 50 years ago, yet it seems like only yesterday
Jane has had two friends come to help look after her in the last week, and they were school friends from over 50 years ago too! How quickly time passes. And then I think of You, and Your perspective: "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". You are bigger than all of this, and yet You think of us on this planet.
You are aware of me. King David knew this: "You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely"
Help me to see things from Your perspective. Time may flash by, our lives go so quickly. King David, again saw things in perspective: “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure"
Things can change in a moment, but You know every step, and You are with us every step. Help me to see everything from Your perspective, in the light of eternity. "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". Be with us today, especially in our time of need. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Behold our God
What I see
The God who sees
Monday 4th August
Heavenly Father, I put this Scripture on our church's online 'Verse of the day' yesterday and was later asked to read it in church: from Matthew 24:4-14 NIV “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come"
I followed on with this prayer: "Lord Jesus, do not let us be deceived. Do not let us be alarmed. Do not let us turn away from the faith. Do not let us betray one another. Do not let us hate one another. Do not let our love grow cold. Help us to stand firm. Help us to preach the Gospel at all times and in all places. This is Your Church and the gates of hell will not stand against it"
Lord, it feels as though the birth pains are getting stronger, that the labour is beginning. So much of what You said is happening, right now. Strengthen us, strengthen me. I echo the words of Job: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"
We are watching, we are waiting we are hoping, we are praying, we're believing, "Let Your Kingdom come"
Amen
Songs for today:
Rule in my heart
Made in perfect love (Your Kingdom come)
Baba Yetu - Translation (Our Father)
Baba Yetu - Choreographed
The Lord's Prayer
Even so come
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
|
