Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 23/11/2025
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 23rd November
Heavenly Father, we can't be certain if one of the sons of Korah, Assir, Elkanah, or Abiasaph wrote Psalm 42, or if it was King David. What we do know is that the writer was desperate to know You. The first line of the Psalm tells us: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God"
I have never lived in a desert, nor have I lived in a time of drought; even the 'hosepipe ban' didn't really affect me; but I do know what it is like to have gone for a long walk in the hot sun of the summer and felt parched and desperate for a glass of cold water. The words of the Psalm are talking about a desperate need to know You, to be near to You, to have a relationship with You
Sometimes, I find I have to 'give myself a good talking to’. In Your Word, sometimes the Psalmist talks to himself, to his soul: "When can I go and meet with God... Why, my soul, are you downcast... Why so disturbed within me... Why have You forgotten me... Why, my soul, are you downcast... Why so disturbed within me?" Yet even as he asks this of himself, the Psalmist knows the answer: "These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng... Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God... By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me - a prayer to the God of my life... Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God"
Thank You that we now know You through Jesus. When we are thirsty for You we can now come directly into Your presence because of His sacrifice. Because Your Spirit lives in us You are never far away. "Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of Living Water will flow from within them"
As I come to worship You today, quench my thirst again, that I may go on to lead others to You, that they too may know You and have their thirst slaked
Amen
Songs for today:
As the deer pants for the water
No one but You Lord
Saturday 22nd November
Heavenly Father, I had a thought the other evening, at the end of a time of prayer: "People love Christmas but they don't love Christ." Lord Jesus, as we draw closer to advent, the TV is already full of adverts for Christmas and the shops are filled with Christmas banners and music, but in it all there is very little about You
There are some carols playing it is true, but there seems to be little in the way of true worship. Certainly "White Christmas" and "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer" have little to do with the Gospel. 'Chanel' and 'Paco Rabanne' vie for our attention and our money, but You are nowhere to be seen. Santa Claus is more likely to appear than You! Even when talking about the 'True meaning of Christmas' often You are missing as "Christmas is all about the kids" or "Christmas is a time for the family." And there is no mention of the cross, and no mention of resurrection
Christmas is all about You and the start of Your journey to the cross. Without the cross, Christmas has little meaning and no purpose. If You were simply born, lived and died, You would be just like the rest of us. The cross and Your resurrection are the purpose of Your birth and life. Like the launch of a lifeboat, the purpose is the rescue; the rescue of people, people like me who were lost in a sea of sin and selfishness.
Lord, help me to keep sounding the rescue siren in the coming days. Christmas celebrates the launch of God's rescue plan to bring peace and reconciliation through Your sacrifice. While we celebrate never let the cross be far from our thoughts, and may Your Spirit, alive in us, constantly remind us that resurrection is Your plan even at Christmas
Amen
Songs for today:
O come O come Emmanuel
In the first light
Christ in me
Friday 21st November
Heavenly Father, I had a thought the other evening, at the end of a time of prayer: "People love Christmas but they don't love Christ." Lord Jesus, as we draw closer to advent, the TV is already full of adverts for Christmas and the shops are filled with Christmas banners and music, but in it all there is very little about You
There are some carols playing it is true, but there seems to be little in the way of true worship. Certainly "White Christmas" and "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer" have little to do with the Gospel. 'Chanel' and 'Paco Rabanne' vie for our attention and our money, but You are nowhere to be seen. Santa Claus is more likely to appear than You! Even when talking about the 'True meaning of Christmas' often You are missing as "Christmas is all about the kids" or "Christmas is a time for the family." And there is no mention of the cross, and no mention of resurrection
Christmas is all about You and the start of Your journey to the cross. Without the cross, Christmas has little meaning and no purpose. If You were simply born, lived and died, You would be just like the rest of us. The cross and Your resurrection are the purpose of Your birth and life. Like the launch of a lifeboat, the purpose is the rescue; the rescue of people, people like me who were lost in a sea of sin and selfishness.
Lord, help me to keep sounding the rescue siren in the coming days. Christmas celebrates the launch of God's rescue plan to bring peace and reconciliation through Your sacrifice. While we celebrate never let the cross be far from our thoughts, and may Your Spirit, alive in us, constantly remind us that resurrection is Your plan even at Christmas
Amen
Songs for today:
O come O come Emmanuel
https://youtu.be/KZggySBrroc?si=EpMrYKMZP3viISh6
In the first light
https://youtu.be/slpEHNiurDg?si=jiUffiTgS3TjQTdI
Christ in me
https://youtu.be/-52M_EoSa6M?si=z6c4CRryV4rRk6Hm
Heavenly Father, there is a Psalm headed, "A prayer of Moses the man of God" which begins: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away"
There are some I know who have gone beyond seventy, to fourscore years and ten, and even beyond that to one hundred! But there also those who don't get as far as seventy. Only you know the reason why some do and some don't reach that age
When my earthly father died at the age of seventy-five, when I was forty, I thought he had died as an old man, even at "a goodly age" like Moses and David, and yet now, to me, it doesn't seem old at all. And, of course there are those who die much younger!
Thank You Lord, that whatever age we leave this mortal coil, we can know that we are safe in Your hands. You have made provision for us through Jesus. He told us He had gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us
Lord Jesus, thank You that we can know that we are safe, no matter what age we are, if we trust in You. Not only what age we are, what our circumstances happen to be; rich or poor, weak or strong, when we are Yours then our future is waiting for us. Seventy is no age at all when measured against eternity
Eternal life waits for us and what joy there will be when we meet You face to face, and also all those who have gone before us. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Belovedness
Creator of the stars of night
Thursday 20th November
Heavenly Father, I wanted just to praise You this morning. In thinking this my mind went back to a hymn I sang at school which reminded me of so many of the reasons You deserve our praise:
"Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like thee His praise should sing?
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise the everlasting King!"
Ransomed: Lord Jesus, You paid the price for us on the cross. Healed: "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." Restored: our relationship with You, our God and King has been made new. We can freely enter Your presence. "In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Forgiven: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." And there's more!
"Praise Him for His grace and favour
To our fathers in distress;
Praise Him, still the same forever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless."
"For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." And there's even more!
"Father-like, He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows;
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes...
Widely as His mercy flows."
Your Word declares: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me." Thank You, for Scripture, hymns and songs that remind us of the depth of Your love
Amen
Songs for today:
Praise my soul the King of Heaven
How deep the Father's love for us
Hills of the north rejoice
Wednesday 19th November
Heavenly Father, King David wrote this heartfelt Psalm: "How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give Light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, 'I have overcome him,' and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your Salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me"
Father, I don't know which enemy David was facing; it may have been King Saul, or the Philistines, the Ammonites and Syrians, or the Moabites, Hittites, or Amalekites. Or it may have been death that he was facing? Your Word tells us quite simply: "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." Death has been defeated by Jesus. Death could not hold Him as on the third day He was resurrected
Lord Jesus, thank You that, like David, we can trust in Your unfailing love. His trust was in You, though he had not seen You; what faith! Our trust is in You, whom we have seen, born as a Son of Man and Son of God, alive with us. Then crucified, dead and buried, but then raised from the dead to reign forever
Thank You that our hearts can rejoice in Your Salvation, that we can sing Your praise, for You have been good to us. Thank You that eternity waits for us and that You will lead us home
Amen
Songs for today:
How long O Lord how long
Acoustic Sessions - Worship playlist
Tuesday 18th November
Heavenly Father, in the UK we have the 'Highway Code’. It gives guidance on how we should use the road. Some parts are laws and some parts are advisory. It is best practice to follow everything it says as it helps everyone to stay safe on the road. A lot of it is common sense, but a lot of people disregard it, often with tragic circumstances and sometimes legal implications. Quite often, of course, people don't stick to the guidelines, and also break the law, without any consequences. Simply put, they don't get caught
You have a 'Highway Code' too. Your Word tells us: "And a Highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it." The only Way to travel on Your Highway is to be holy, and the only Way to be holy is by 'sticking to the rules' perfectly. Just as we break the earthly rules of the road, creeping over the speed limit for example, we also break Your Law
Thank You for giving us a Way to travel the 'Way of Holiness.' Thank You that it does not depend on our purity, but Jesus' holiness. It does not depend on our perfection but Jesus' forgiveness. He has paid all the fines we have accrued. Lord Jesus, if it were not for You I would be unclean, like a leper. But because of You that is not the case
A man with leprosy came and knelt before You and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” You reached out Your hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” You said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. This is how it is for all who come to You today. Thank You that I can travel the Highway of Holiness, because of You I am clean
Amen
Songs for today:
Highway of Holiness
Jesus take me as I am
Thank You
Monday 17th November
Heavenly Father, when we see that there are problems in the church, should we really be surprised? When Jesus met with John on the island of Patmos, John records: "On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: 'Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea'"
Jesus then talks about how the different churches had lost its first love, or tolerated false teaching or a false prophet, or were spiritually dead, or weak and lukewarm. I wonder how many of these problems exist in the church today? And I wonder how many individual people have suffered from these problems? Can a person lose their first love for Jesus, become spiritually dead, weak or lukewarm? And if these things are possible, how can the church and the individual person combat the problems?
Lord Jesus, how do I make sure that You are my first love? I know You love me, and that You want our relationship to be strong, but what can I do? In any human relationship it is essential to meet regularly, to talk and share everything; hopes, fears, dreams, aspirations; but especially with our first love. With You, this can only happen through prayer
How can I avoid false teaching? Your Word is Truth, as are You, so every teaching can be tested against the Bible. Your Spirit will help me to be alive! You said: "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you - they are full of the Spirit and life." And I can ask for Your Spirit! You said: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
So Father, I ask You again today, to bless me with Your Spirit, so I am not, and never will be spiritually dead, weak or lukewarm. And I will ask every day for Your blessing, for me, my family and Your church. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Turn your eyes
My first love is a blazing fire
The goodness of God
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
|
