Daily Share-a-Prayer w/e 06/04/2025
Derek Mill
Worship Leader, All Saints Church, Belton
Sunday 6th April
Heavenly Father, we often hear that 'Life is a journey'. In a journey there is a starting point and a destination and we pass through a number of places on the way
Some journeys are short, while others are much longer. Some journeys have a number of stops along the way, perhaps for times of refreshment or for rest. Sometimes there may be detours due to obstacles in the way. Sometimes we may even get lost. Sometimes we drive ourselves, but sometimes someone else is in charge, a bus driver, taxi driver, train driver, pilot, or a friend. On some journeys we need a map to show the way, and some we know the way as we have travelled the road before
Up to this point I can certainly see that life is a journey, but the last thing I said, "we have travelled the road before" can never be true; the day lies before us and has never been travelled. I will go to one or two places today, my starting point being my home. I won't travel far today, at least I have no plans to do so, but that could change. I will certainly stop for refreshment, and will probably take a nap, but I might find something comes up which means I don't stop all day
I can plan many things, including my day, but ultimately, I don't know what might happen. Which is why I need You, Jesus, because You know the Way, You know all about life because You have travelled the road already; from Your home in Heaven, through the days of Your life until You returned home to be at Your Father's side. You are Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end
Thank You that life begins and ends with You. Thank You that Your life did not end on the cross. Your Word reminds me: "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps". Lord Jesus, guide me through today
Amen
Songs for today:
Grace did much more
Lord I lift Your name on high
Jesus is the answer
Walk with Him
God of the impossible
From the stable to the cross
Saturday 5th April
Heavenly Father, I had a prayer text yesterday about influencers. It was very encouraging about Jesus. I replied: "Amen. One Author of Life. One Authority in Life. Jesus"
My friend asked some good questions about 'influencers'. "Different people spouting different things some good some not so good. What's their credentials? Where do they get their authority? Who really benefits from what they say? Does their life support their words?" For me, that last question really got me thinking about Jesus. And my friend gave me the scripture I needed: "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son whom He appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven"
Lord Jesus if it wasn't for your death, Your resurrection, Your ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and later the baptism in the Spirit of millions of others then You would be just another influencer, but, You are the Author of Life! You know what life can be and should be like. You know what we are meant to be, and because You visited the earth, became one of us, You know all about how it has all gone wrong; captured in the one three letter word: sin. In Your love for us You have given us the opportunity to be redeemed and delivered
I love being delivered, taken by the Post-Man Jesus, from one place, 'Lost' to another, 'Found', from mortal to immortal, from orphan to adopted. I am delivered. Thank You Jesus. May every aspect of my life be influenced by You
Amen
Songs for today:
Praise my soul the king of heaven - traditional
Praise my soul the king of heaven - Graham Kendrick
Song of deliverance
You unravel me (No longer a slave to fear)
Slave to nothing
Friday 4th April
Heavenly Father, in the video to accompany our Bible study on Romans last night a man was walking along a wall, talking about freedom. He said how on one side of the wall was the idea that we could easily think that because sin is forgiven would it matter if we sin. On the other side was the problem of legalism; thinking that we must obey the Law perfectly, which brings its own problems, and so freedom is unlikely; in fact we become bound
Paul asks: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" The problem is that temptation abounds, it refuses to lie down and die! So every day I must submit to You so the enemy flees
Then legalism rears its ugly head, saying, "You didn't do this, and you didn't do that, and you should do this, and you ought to do that, and you must do these things!" So guilt rises up. So I must refuse guilt and condemnation! As Paul writes: "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." And elsewhere he writes: "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." The letter of the Law!?
Lord Jesus, You came that we may have life in all fullness, in abundance. Help me to keep my eyes focused on You only, not looking to the left or the right, but on the narrow path before me where You walk. "Cast care aside, lean on thy Guide..." Help me to lean on You, and You alone. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
Fight the good fight
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Worthy is the Lamb
Thursday 3rd April
Heavenly Father, thank You for the facts. I have often prayed about facts and faith; how whether all the things about Jesus were a matter of fact or faith; how if I believe it, it makes it true and if I don't then it isn't; how it can't be both, it all either happened or it didn't
The course based on Paul's letter to the Romans our Life Group is studying, introduced a similar theme, "Facts - Faith - Feelings" proposing that if we follow the facts then faith will follow and feelings will follow after faith. The writer also proposes that if we try to turn this round and faith looks at feelings, ignoring the facts, we can end up lost and confused. Help me always to look at the facts and to put my faith in them, and not in my feelings
Lord Jesus, the fact is You are the Son of God. You were born of the virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit, just over two thousand years ago. You lived a miraculous life on earth, healing the sick, raising the dead and many other wonderful things. These things were witnessed by Your disciples and the historical events corroborated by many witnesses
Whether I believe this does not change the facts. How I feel about it does not change the facts, but how I feel can affect my faith... if I allow it! Lord, strengthen my faith by reminding me of the facts so my feelings follow. You tell us: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" But You are honest, the Truth and faithful
I can trust in the fact that You love me enough to die for me. I won't follow my heart, I will follow You, and my heart will come too. Thank You for Your Word
Amen
Songs for today:
This I believe (Creed song)
Creed
Jesus Son of God
Wednesday 2nd April
Heavenly Father, the most important thing I will do today is pray. John Wesley once said: "God does nothing but in answer to believing prayer. Prayer is therefore not an option for mankind but a necessity. If we don't pray, Heaven cannot interfere in earth's affairs. It is imperative that we take responsibility for the earth and determine what happens here by our prayer lives"
Now I am quite sure that You can do whatever You want, wherever You want, whenever You want. You are God and at any moment in time and in eternity You are Sovereign Lord, but it is true that You gave us the earth to rule over. When You made us You said: "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground"
So perhaps John Wesley was right? You act in response to our prayers; as You did when the Israelites repented and cried out to You. There is a cycle of idolatry and sin, followed by being conquered, then repentance and crying out to You, followed by deliverance told of at least seven times in the book of Judges. Judges like Gideon, Jephthah and Samson led Your people to victory and then disaster followed. I wonder if this cycle continues? And I wonder where we are within this cycle!?
Lord Jesus, You placed an emphasis on meeting together when You said. "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them". When we meet together, the more of us there are, the better we can hear You. Your voice is somehow amplified
Lord, raise up people to pray together, to hear from You more clearly, that we can pray according to Your will. Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
When we pray
Come Jesus come
True joy
Jesus is the answer
Tuesday 1st April
Heavenly Father, it's the first day of a new month, but that doesn't really make any difference because it will be a day just like any other. Well, that will be the case for most people. For some it will be a 'red letter day'. Diaries are sometimes marked with special days in red print, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, being often highlighted
In many Bibles the words spoken by Jesus are written in red. Every one of Your Son's words being worthy of special attention. I don't suppose 'it' or 'the' is interesting on its own, but the context within what He says makes it special. For some this day will be special because it will be remembered as 'the day when... happened'. A new friendship started for example, some news was received, treatment for an illness or an operation took place, may be noted and remembered
The day may be a day of celebration or a day of sadness. We will be heading towards four days in the coming month, Passover, Good Friday, Low Saturday and Easter Sunday. The least notable of these I guess is Low Saturday; the day between the crucifixion and the resurrection, when it seemed that all hope was lost. The darkest day in the history of the world, before the dawn of the greatest day
I have been writing a Psalm, a Lament, trying to imagine how the disciples must have felt. After all they had seen You do and heard You say, knowing You were dead and buried must have been devastating, to say the least. Perhaps it had hardly sunk in before they heard the news that You had risen from the dead
Lord Jesus, I pray that today will be a 'red letter day' for some, passing from the low life to a life of inexpressible joy as they learn and believe that You are alive today. As we read Your Word, as we realise the Truth of who You are and what You have done for us, every day can be a red letter day, a day of great celebration! Thank You
Amen
Songs for today:
First love
The more I seek You
Open the eyes of my heart Lord
The greatest day in history
Monday 31st March
Heavenly Father, where I live now, near Great Yarmouth, and the place where I was born, Sunderland, have some similarities. Both are near the coast so visiting the seaside is very easy, just a few minutes in a car. They both have two beaches, one a tourist resort with amusements and entertainment and the other much quieter
Both are out on a limb; no one passes through on their way to somewhere else. If you go to Sunderland, then you are going to Sunderland. The same is true of Belton and Great Yarmouth. One thing is different though, one is a big city with millions of people and the other is much smaller and with far fewer inhabitants. However, one more thing they have in common is that they have both seen days of revival in faith; Sunderland in 1907 and Great Yarmouth in 1921
Lord, visit these places again by Your Spirit. Stir up the hearts in people, not only in these places, but across the nation. We need You to do this! It seems as though there are only glowing embers, like the remains of a fire. Add fuel to the embers, breathe through us so the flames start to burn again. Bring about a great blaze in our hearts, so that everyone feels the heat and wonders where it is coming from
Only You can open the eyes of the blind. Only You can make the deaf hear. Only You can make the lame walk again. And most importantly, only You can bring the dead back to life. What you did in Ephesus two thousand years ago, what You did in 1907 and 1927, do again today. "Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." Lord, bring revival again. Please
Amen
Songs for today:
As sure as gold is precious (Revival)
Living Hope
Hymn of Heaven
Documentary video: Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
all songs (usually with lyrics) and talks courtesy of YouTube
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