Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 27/10/2024
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 27th October
Heavenly Father, we occasionally hear it said: "time is money". Sometimes I buy something over the internet and there is free delivery a few days later. If I wish I can pay an extra £4.99 and have the item delivered the next day. It must be possible to have the item delivered the next day so why do I have to pay? Because... "time is money"
Thank You Lord that You have paid for me to be delivered and I don't have to wait! Your Word confirms this for me: "I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears". 'Delivered;' past tense "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them" 'encamps... delivers’; present tense. "You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance". 'You are;' present tense; 'You will;' future tense. You have all time covered, past, present and future
Salvation belongs to our God! This is certain. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defence; He has become my salvation. Time may wait for no man, but You wait for us to cry out to You, and the moment we do we know we are saved, redeemed, delivered
Thank You that we do not have to pay for the past, present or future because Jesus paid it all on the cross. All our guilt and shame is washed away by His blood. What a wonderful, loving God You are. Thank You Jesus for Your sacrifice on my behalf. My sacrifice? Worship!
Amen
Songs for today:
Salvation belongs to our God
You deliver me
For All You've Done
Salvation
Saturday 26th October
Heavenly Father, we sometimes hear that "there is a light at the end of the tunnel". This means we are coming to the end of a difficult situation. The light may be tiny but we can see that the end is in sight
This got me thinking about living in a tunnel; living in, or travelling through a tunnel. This must be a dark place; who would want to live there? Your Word explains: "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and will not come into the Light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the Truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God"
Even though the Light is there, people choose to stay in the dark, wanting to continue living in their own way. Those who want to change the way they live, travel, they move, journey on towards the Light. Not only that, but Jesus has come into the tunnel! He lights the Way. Your Word tells me: "Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path". Life can be hard living in a dark world. There are many pitfalls and obstacles to overcome
Lord Jesus, You said: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world". The Light at the end of the tunnel may be Heaven to come and You will be there, but You are also the Light in the tunnel. Your Light has overcome the darkness. Your Word tells us: "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it". Lord, shine on me so I may light the Way for others
Amen
Songs playlist for today:
Shine Jesus shine
Friday 25th October
Heavenly Father, yesterday I was praying about an intriguing thing Jesus said: "I AM the Light of the world". Today my thoughts are about another fascinating thing Jesus said: "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven"
We were talking last night about how the moon has no light of its own, but how it is just a massive rock hanging in space. The only light the moon has is that which reflects from the sun shining on it. In the same way we have no light of our own, the only Light we have is that which is reflected from Jesus
The moon has a dark side, where there is no light. We often have a dark side to us too, and sometimes people find that attractive, but that is not good. When You fill us with Your Spirit, Your Light shines through us, in all directions, so our dark side diminishes, and we can attract people from all around us. The good deeds we do, guided by You, will give glory to You. Also, like a lighthouse, we can give warning of danger
Help me Lord, to reflect the glory of Jesus, to shine as He reflects off me and shines through me. In a world where people love the darkness, You can show them a better Way, Your Way. Help me to be the Light of Jesus, to bring glory to You
Amen
Songs for today:
We are the Light of the World
My Lighthouse
Thursday 24th October
Heavenly Father, many of the things Jesus said about Himself are intriguing. Yesterday I prayed about the spiritual significance of Jesus being the Bread of Life, yet I get physically hungry. Last night my mind was drawn to Jesus being the Light of the world
Lord Jesus, You said: "I AM the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life". It was obvious that when I came home last night it was dark. When I went to bed last night it was dark; not quite pitch black, but almost. What is the spiritual significance of what You said?
When information is kept from us we are often said to be 'in the dark'. When we realise something we sometimes say we had a ‘lightbulb moment’. We sometimes say "it dawned on me". In those lightbulb moments, when it dawns on us, things become clear. "It's as clear as day to me now!"
Many people didn't understand the Truth about God, so You came to make things clear, to shed some light on the matter. You are God in the flesh, to me that much is clear. Why? Because I had a lightbulb moment! You opened my eyes to see the Truth. Without Your Light I could not see; now day or night, in the darkest times, I can still see You; I still know I am safe; I still know there is a God who loves me
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned". I was one of those people, but now "I have seen the Light" and I know I am safe; forever. Thank You Jesus
Amen
Songs for today:
Light of the world
King of kings (In the darkness we were waiting)
Everyone needs compassion
Wednesday 23rd October
Heavenly Father, I remember an advert from years ago that had a little jingle at the end: "Bridge that gap with Cadbury's snack". It may be that our hunger can be eased for a little while by a pack of chocolate shortbread biscuits but eventually we need something more substantial; at least I know I do!
Thank You for the regular meals I have every day; that I don't rely on a snack to keep me alive! I know how fortunate I am to eat and drink well and that there are places in the world where, every day, life is a battle simply to survive. Can my relationship with You survive on a 'snack’? A quick moment of sweetness and then I am gone. Can I "Bridge that gap with a Jesus snack?' A 'trifle' won't get me very far
Lord Jesus, You describe Yourself as the bread of life: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty". It seems to me that this must have a deeper meaning than physical food
If I have bread at Communion on Sunday morning, I am hungry, physically hungry, when I get home, but spiritually I am satisfied. I have wine at Communion too, but still need a drink when I get home
Lord, I need to come to You every day, morning, noon, and night to be fully satisfied, and probably need to speak with You in between too; perhaps that is the Jesus snack that bridges the gap?
Lord, I never mean to trivialise what You have done for us, but this 'trivia' helps me to remember the magnitude of what You have done for us. May I feed on You every day
Amen
Songs for today:
I AM the Bread of Life
Broken for me broken for you
Breathe on me breath of God (traditional)
Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer
Tuesday 22nd October
Heavenly Father, it is not easy being gentle. When we are wronged it is human nature to lash out, verbally or physically. But this is not Your Way
At various times, Jesus was accused, quite wrongly, of breaking the Sabbath Law by healing the sick, threatening to destroy the temple, practicing sorcery, casting out demons by the power of demons, blasphemy and claiming to be the Son of God, the Messiah. Jesus, remains calm, quiet, and does not lash out
Lord Jesus, when You were arrested, one of those with You drew a sword, but You told him to put it away and said: "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?"
At Your trial You remained silent before Your accusers, the chief priests and elders. Pontius Pilate was amazed at Your silence. When he asked You, "Are You the King of the Jews?" You simply replied, "My Kingdom is not of this world". Unable to persuade the people that he could find no fault in You, Pilate set a criminal free, Barabbas, and You went to the cross
The scene of the crime was the Golgotha, the cross. You were innocent, but crucified. The real scene of the crime is me! I am the guilty one. We are told about You: "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed"
Thank You for taking my punishment. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". Help me to be like You, and pursue gentleness
Amen
Songs for today:
What kind of love is this?
Above all powers
Teach me Lord Jesus
Monday 21st October
Heavenly Father, how do I pursue endurance? A couple of days ago I asked You, "Help me to be steeped in Your Word, so I am marinated, so Your Word becomes part of me, so You are part of me, even all of me"
I remember when I was young my Mam used to put some of my clothes in to 'steep' as they were so dirty, mostly my football kit, especially white shorts. Nowadays I guess we might call it 'prewash'. This allowed the water to soak into the cloth to release the dirt. It took longer but was more effective
When we want a steak to be fully flavoured, we allow it to marinate so the juices sink right into the meat. Again this takes time. A dry sponge isn't much use for cleaning; it needs to be plunged into the water and held there. When the sponge comes out it is dripping water. A slight squeeze and more water comes out
Sometimes Jane says to me, "My sponge is dry". I know she doesn't mean the sponge in the bathroom or kitchen; she means she needs me to hold her. So I do; for as long as it takes
Lord, this is why I need to come to You! I can too easily become dry, and when I'm dry I can't do those things You want me to do. You tell us: "be filled with the Spirit..." continuously. As St Paul prayed: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit"
Lord, fill me with Your Spirit so I overflow; so I drip Jesus; so when I am squeezed, pressured, Jesus comes out of me. Help me to constantly seek You and to endure
Amen
Songs for today:
You Are Our Hope
All of a sudden
Breathe on me breath of God
Fill me Holy Spirit
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
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