Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 07/12/2025
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 7th December
Heavenly Father, help us to keep our hearts prepared. As the Psalmist asked: "Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear." Help us to keep our hearts and minds focused on You. Lord, in asking this, I am only asking You to do what You said You would do: "This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people"
And this is what King David asked of You too: "Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to You." So often our hearts and minds wander, looking to the world for satisfaction, but Jesus pointed out the Way to find what we need: "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"
King David knew of this as he praised You in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to You, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in Heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as Head over all. Wealth and honour come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all"
Spirit, help us, in our hearts to revere Christ as Lord. Create in us clean hearts. Help us to stay alert and to draw near to You. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Create in me a clean heart
In Jesus Name (God of possible)
Undivided heart
Heaven has come to us
Saturday 6th December
Heavenly Father, as so often happens, the Scripture in my online devotional is perfect for me today, as I'm sure it will be for others I know: "The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit"
King David, the writer of this Psalm, knew all about broken heartedness. He knew great success and great failure, but he always came back to You. He knew times of great distress: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" And he also knew times of great comfort: "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken"
St Paul knew this too, as he wrote: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." St Paul, therefore gives us this advice: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"
Even though we may be broken-hearted, You are near. Even though we may be broken-hearted, we can know Your peace. Even though we may be broken-hearted, You will guard our hearts and minds. Even though we may be broken-hearted: "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"
Thank You, Lord, my hope is in You, so I can look forward to soaring soon
Amen
Songs for today:
On eagles wings
Dear Lord and Father of mankind
Lord I come to You
Here I am waiting
Friday 5th December
Heavenly Father, I have heard it said: "You don't know what you're missing." I've also heard people say: "You never know what you had until it's gone." Certainly, Joni Mitchell sang about this in her song 'Big Yellow Taxi': "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"
There are things we don't always appreciate in life. Freedom, equality, law and order, justice, mercy, forgiveness, opportunity, friendship, love. You! We can so easily become hard-hearted and forget to be thankful for what we have. Help me to remember what I read on a poster yesterday: "In life, you will never know what you have been missing until it arrives. And you will never know what you've got, until it's missing. Appreciate everyone you have in your life because they can be gone so quickly." "Appreciate everyone you have in your life because they can be gone so quickly?" Wow, well I know this to be true!
I look back to my childhood and think of the many happy memories I have of my parents and aunts and uncles; now all gone. Yet to me, it seems like only yesterday. And for some, yesterday was a time to say goodbye to a loved one, a time to share appreciation for everything they contributed to life; in the midst of sorrow, so much joy
Keep reminding me Lord, to keep texting, to keep using my phone to call people, to keep talking to people in the street, to keep knocking on doors and seeing people for a coffee and a chat, to keep my home an open house. Help me to appreciate everyone. And, help me to keep talking and listening to You; my closest Friend and Advisor. The One Friend I can never lose, for You have told me: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you... Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away." And thank You that one day, we will all meet again. Thank You, Lord
Amen
Songs for today:
One day
How long O Lord how long
Heavenly will keep you (Psalm 121)
Thursday 4th December
Heavenly Father, I have so much to be thankful for. The clothes on my back, the roof over my head, the food on my table, the breath in my body, the thoughts in my head, the ability to think and speak those thoughts. The love of my life and the love in my life; family and friends. And my relationship with You
You Word tells us: "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" Thank You that I no longer live in fear. Your Spirit assures me that life goes on, not only here on earth but also on into eternity
Even though I have lost the love of my life, I haven't really lost her; she has simply gone on ahead of me, to be with You. I am sure she is enjoying sorting out her new room, the one You prepared for her; it will be more than we could ask or imagine
Thank You for the time we spend here on earth. Thank You that You are with us in all our joys and sorrows, even today. "Sing the praises of the Lord, you His faithful people; praise His Holy Name. For His anger lasts only a moment but His favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soul; Worship His Holy Name. Thank You for bringing us to this day. May You be glorified throughout
Amen
Songs for today:
No longer slaves
Thank You
Bless the Lord O my soul (10,000 reasons)
Wednesday 3rd December
Heavenly Father, when I was chatting, and later praying with a friend, I used the phrase 'beyond belief'. I used the phrase in the context of my faith, saying that it was beyond belief. This morning, I looked up the phrase online and found some synonyms: inconceivable, unimaginable, unthinkable, strange, unbelievable, improbable, incredible, unlikely, contrary to reason or belief, impossible to comprehend and highly unlikely
Only one or two of these words fit in with what I was thinking, strange and incredible; because the Gospel story of Jesus is strange and incredible, and for some it is beyond belief. So why would I use it with reference to my faith? The way that I meant it was that my faith has moved beyond belief to knowledge!
I have come know that Jesus is alive. The Holy Spirit, living in me assures me that this is so: Jesus died on the cross, was dead and buried, but resurrected, risen from the dead, met with the disciples and ate with them. Later He ascended up to Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free"
Lord Jesus, You didn't say we would simply believe the Truth, You said we would "know the Truth." This is why I can say that my faith is beyond belief, it is knowledge. It is why I can speak directly to You and to the Father today. The Holy Spirit does so many things in the life of a believer; He is the enabler!
Just a few things spring to mind: He is our Helper; He lives in us and seals us until the day of redemption. (The Holy Spirit’s presence in us is irreversible.) He guards and guarantees our Salvation; He assists us in prayer and intercedes for us in accordance with God's will. He regenerates and renews us. He baptises us into the Body of Christ. We receive new birth by the power of the Spirit. He comforts us with fellowship and joy as we live in a hostile world. He fills us with "all joy and peace" as we trust in Jesus, causing us to "overflow with hope". And there is even more
Thank You that our faith can be beyond belief
Amen
Songs for today:
Our God is an awesome Godj
We shall all be changed
The Truth will set you free
The Truth
Tuesday 2nd December
Heavenly Father, help me to keep breathing the Name of Jesus. Help me to keep proclaiming the Name of Jesus. May the Name of Jesus forever be on my lips. The Name of Jesus is more than just a name! The Bible tells us: "The Name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe"
Thank You, Father, that I am safe, not because of anything I have done, but because I have called on, and trust in, the Name and person of Jesus. As Scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved'"
As each day passes, I realise more and more how much I owe to Him. The depth of my sin, and the depth of His love, cannot be measured: "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"
This is why Simon Peter quoted King David, that Jesus is " ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under Heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved"
So, as King David ended his Psalm, I end my prayer: "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless You. The Lord is God, and He has made His Light shine on us... Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Gig & JiL, God is good and Jesus is Lord. All praise to His Name
Amen
Songs for today:
Blesséd be the Name of the Lord
Run to the Father
Daylight
Monday 1st December
Heavenly Father, King David asked some very interesting questions: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?" He then lists a number of places where he might try: "the heavens... the depths... the wings of the dawn... the far side of the sea..." but You are always there. He even thinks: "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” but then reminds himself: "Even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as Light to You"
No matter what we think, no matter where we go, You are always there. I might ask myself "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" I suppose this depends on how I think of You? If I think of You waiting to pounce on me every time I break the Law, like some sort of cosmic policeman, then surely it is a bad thing, and that's why I look to escape. But I don't believe You are like that at all. To see what You are really like I must look to Jesus
Lord Jesus, when I look to You, I don’t see a policeman, I see a Friend, an Advocate, someone who loves me and walks alongside me. Someone who defends me and is on my side. Someone who never wants me to feel alone or be alone. Someone who would rather die than see me suffer for my sins. So, I don’t want to escape; rather I want to run into Your arms, where I am safe and loved forever. I love You, Lord, because You first loved me. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Where can I go
The Thrill of Hope
My Jesus I love Thee
Goodness of God
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
|
