Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 05/01/2025
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 5th January
Heavenly Father, today is marked down in the Church calendar as 'Epiphany' Sunday. The focus is on the visit of the Magi, who travelled from the east to Jerusalem and revelation to Gentiles that Christ had been born
We use the word 'epiphany' to now mean any sudden moment of great revelation or realisation. In the scripture we are also told that the Magi brought gifts to Jesus, paying homage to Him. The shepherds had previously visited, not bringing any gifts but, like the Magi, received the gift of knowing the Messiah had been born
We now know that You give us gifts of many kinds. A number of passages in Your Word mention gifts, two give lists, which are quite distinctly different. The first lists: serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and mercy. The second lists: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues
We are told: "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good". And: "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines". Your gifts are to be used for the building up of the church. Any gift we are given needs to be used and appreciated. Paul reminds Timothy to "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands"
Thank You Lord for the gifts You give, something for everyone. At Christmas everyone in the family receives gifts; no one is left out. And so it is with You when we are adopted into Your family. May all our gifts be used wisely to build the Church and glorify Jesus
Amen
Songs for today:
Ruach - Holy Wind of God
Gifts from God
Thank You Lord
Saturday 4th January
Heavenly Father, I feel drawn to pray for all who had a difficult Christmas and New Year's Eve. Those who lost loved ones during the previous year. Those who have had awkward relationships to deal with, including those who are estranged from their families. Those who have spent time feeling ill and may even have been in hospital, or have had visits to make. Those who are homeless or living in shelters
Thank You for the great work of organisations like Shelter, Crisis, the Salvation Army, St Mungos, Dogs on the Street, and Christian Aid, and many local organizations all manned by volunteers who provide meals, accommodations, and guidance for those in need
Lord, every one of us needs Your blessing. Why You choose to bless some and not others is a mystery to me but I know Your purposes are always good. Why You choose to heal some and not others is also beyond my understanding, but I know Your ways are higher than my ways; even Your thoughts are higher than mine
I also know there will come a day when Jesus returns and there will be everlasting joy and peace in a new Heaven and a new earth. Perhaps You are waiting until the world becomes so full of wickedness, depravity, and sin that You will decide to end it, like You did with Sodom and Gomorrah. And perhaps, just as You allowed Lot and his family to escape, so too those who trust in Jesus will be rescued. In the meantime, thank You Lord for all the blessings You pour out on us
I may not understand the mystery but I know the depth of Your love for us shown by Jesus
Amen
Songs for today:
Before the throne of God above
Holy Forever
You rescued me
Friday 3rd January
Heavenly Father, I mentioned yesterday that some internet preachers ask for donations, and thereby become very rich, owning palatial homes, expensive cars and even jet aeroplanes! Every Sunday our church takes an offering, but no one gets rich as the money is used entirely for the ministry of the Gospel
Your Word does speak about money: "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs"
Here is the worrying point, that eagerness for money can lead people away from the faith and they end up hurting themselves. They may appear happy, even content, but eventually the Word will catch up with them. As the Bible says, they "fall into temptation and a trap". The enemy will try to convince us that what we are doing is good, and that we will be OK, even that God is pleased with us, but we must always measure what we are thinking against Your Word
We must search our heart against the Light of Scripture, remembering: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Only You can understand our heart! King David knew this, so asked You: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the Way everlasting"
The love of money leads us away from You. Jesus warns us: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money"
Lord, keep me free from the love of money and content with what I have, knowing You have said: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Search me O God
Lord I offer my life to You
All that I am I lay before You
All that I am all that I do
Thursday 2nd January
Heavenly Father, I see quite a lot of posts on the internet telling me not to listen to certain songs as they are not scriptural. I also see posts telling me not to listen to certain preachers because they are not Godly and often they are asking for donations. Father I know I have to leave their judgement to Jesus
Lord Jesus, You said: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven". At another time You said: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you"
If I judge others by their actions I can end up in a very bad place. If I judged King David, a confessed adulterer and murderer, I would have to ignore his Psalms! If I judged John Newton, a slave trader, I could not sing "Amazing Grace"
Your Word tells me: "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil". I hold on to what is good. Do the words glorify You? If so I can sing them with all my heart
The disciple John said to You: "Master, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us". You said to him: "Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you". How do I test to find what is good? You started by saying: "Do not quench the Spirit". The Spirit gives discernment, enabling us to see good and evil
Help me Lord not to judge people, but to be guided by Your Spirit to keep what is good from them, reject the rest, and forgive, just as You forgave King David and John Newton. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Amazing Grace
Piano Prelude - Create in me a clean heart
Do not judge
Wednesday 1st January
Heavenly Father, here we are at the start of another new year. For the next few days, perhaps a few weeks, people will be saying "Happy New Year" when they meet for the first time, along with another oft repeated common phrase, "All the best!"
I guess it is what most of us would hope for, happiness and all the best that life can offer. I'm quite sure that is what You wanted for us in the first place; the first place being Eden of course. I'm also quite sure that is what You want for us now
Lord Jesus, You said: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full". The first part of what You said gives us a clue as to why we don't live happy contented lives. There is a thief intent on stealing every good thing from us, an enemy who hates us, who wants to kill us and destroy every good thing
The enemy, satan, will lie to us, cheat us, set traps for us, tempt us, promise everything but deliver nothing, in order to ruin our lives; he even tried it with You, but You did not give in to him; he even thought he had defeated You when he conned us into putting You on the cross. No doubt when You were dead and buried, he rejoiced, claiming the world as his
But You knew better, You had a different plan in mind. Your death was unlike any other. You are the Lamb of God, given so that justice was, and is, done! Given so that the guilt and shame of sin was dealt with, paid for, once and for all!
Thank You Jesus that I can look forward to the future, a life with 'all the best' yet to come. No matter what 2025 brings I have the joy of the Lord! As the prophet Nehemiah said: "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength"
Thank You Jesus; the best is yet to come!
Amen
Songs for today:
The day You found me
The heavens they preach
Hope for everyone
There will be a day
No more tears
https://youtu.be/V6TDFVzawFA?si=kS1L6ZU9NkX7ymzx
Tuesday 31st December
Heavenly Father, the sermon at our church on Sunday mentioned a famous poem written by Minnie Louise Haskins. The poem is best known for being quoted by King George VI in his Royal Christmas Message of 1939. It begins: "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown'. And he replied: 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be better than light and safer than a known way'"
What great advice from this woman, little known at the time. She didn't know the poem was going to be read and didn't hear the broadcast. When she heard the quotation read in a summary of the speech she thought the words sounded familiar and it dawned on her that that they were out of her "little book"
This made me think two things; one, that no matter who we are, our words matter and can travel much further than we may ever know or realise; two, the actual words of the poem lead us to You, to Jesus. Your Word tells me: "Words can be used to build up or destroy"
Minnie's words build me up. "The tongue has the power of life and death" Minnie's words lead me to Jesus, to Life. No matter how dark the days ahead may be, we know we are safe if we are holding Your hand. Just as Abraham did not know where You were leading him, but trusted You to take him to the Promised Land, so we too can trust You to lead us to the Promised Land, where we live forever in Your presence and there will be no darkness
”The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there". Thank You
Amen
Poem & Songs for today:
Poem: The Gate of the Year excerpt (full text beneath)
Trusting in Your promises - playlist
Monday 30th December
Heavenly Father, there are certain days in the year that are marked out as special. There were days You ordained that Your people should remember, perhaps the most obvious being the Sabbath: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work..."
Some days were to remembered yearly: 'The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread; Offering the Firstfruits; The Festival of Weeks; The Festival of Trumpets; The Day of Atonement; The Festival of Tabernacles' are also listed in Your Word. We now have days, or periods of time, marked in our calendar, some Holy and some not so! 'Advent, Christmas, Holy Week, Good Friday, Easter, Halloween, Guy Fawkes, New Year, Bank Holidays' for example
And there are days marked in calendars which apply to individuals as reminders of events peculiar to them: birthdays in particular and anniversaries. One of my granddaughters had a birthday celebration a couple of days ago and my daughter and her husband have birthdays in a couple of days’ time. Each is celebrated with cards and gifts. Today is my 46th wedding anniversary. Thank You Lord for the gift of my loving wife and the life we share
Thank You Lord for these great days of celebration! There are also days marked in my diary for remembering and reflection, the dates on which my parents died always cause me to look back with some sadness, but mostly remembering the best of times, the joy and the laughter. As we approach a new year, and the cycle of days starts again, help me to remember You in all things, great and small, and to give thanks every day for all You have done through Jesus
Amen
Songs for today:
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Thank You for everything that I have
Thank You Lord
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
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