Bradford
North Prayer Column: May 2013
The
non-slip walking stick
The ground
shifts under your feet. The old values
slip and you don’t know what to believe any more. What do you stand for? Or against?
Small comfort that previous generations also had their seismic shifts:
what about our dilemmas? Sabbath
observance; marriage and gender mores; rival religions; the truth of the Bible;
safeguarding and trust. Add your own items
to the list of uncertainties (or things you can’t talk about).
But
Jesus is the Rock of our salvation. His
words (his alone) are the solid foundations for us to build on. Begin with him and there is hope; end with
him for eternal security; continue with him day by day and find light for our
paths. So now is the time to rediscover his
words and find direction. He has sent
his Spirit to breathe new life into us, and part of that new life is having Him
within us as Helper in our hobbling walk.
To the
Spirit’s whisper we can listen: He explains the Word. Listening is part of prayer. And prayer includes responding. When by the Lakeside the risen Jesus told
Peter (and all of us), If you love me, follow me – that was how it was going to
work. Prayer is access to the great mind
who knows and creates.
Prayer is the walking
stick that doesn’t slip, because (or when) it’s grounded in the rock-solid
foundation of Christ’s words that endure unshakable for ever.
Roy Lorrain-Smith
A prayer for each week
Lord the Rock, whom we can trust with our lives, and upon
whom we can reliably build our opinions and actions, please draw us to
rediscover your words, and follow them.
Amen.
Lord, the ever-present safety handrail, there to clutch hold
of when we totter and would slip, please aid all our climbs: down with you to
humility; and up to you in worship.
Amen.
Lord of the stone steps, hewn from the Rock and laid for our
help, matching our abilities yet stretching our faith, please help us persevere
on the paths of your leading. Amen.
Lord, Helper, ever-present, ever able and enabling as we
grope in the half-light of our understanding, please may we hear and heed your
voice as we read and regard your Word.
Amen.
Your own prayers
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