Skip to main content

Prayer Column - November 2020

Image
By

Of teacups and water meters

I’m quite good at facing life’s storms, until they actually happen! The latest was the water bill. It showed our usage was up when we were confidently expecting it to be less. Once I probably wouldn’t have noticed, but now they highlight such things, pointing to possible reasons, none of which applied except the possibility of a leak in the pipe on our side of the meter. Oh dear! Could we have a leak? How could we find out? And if we had, who could we get to fix it?

A day and a night of worry before sheltering sense came to our rescue. I looked at past bills to compare usage, and that revealed that our current bill was not unusually high after all, especially as we haven’t been away on holiday recently – so, no leak, much relief, calm restored, silly me! Oh, but I was thankful.

But can that really rather trivial storm in a water meter be applied to more important worries? I think so.

  1. We live in a world of upsets. It just is. Jesus told us to expect them, even after we follow him (it may even get worse).
  2. We have an enemy who will use any opportunity to unsettle us. It’s a form of temptation not to trust Jesus.
  3. Our Lord is Lord of all. No storm is beyond his power to calm, and he provides a way out of every temptation (Mt 8:24ff; 1 Cor 10:13).
  4. And when calm is restored, grateful praise is our proper response.
Roy Lorrain-Smith

A prayer for each week

Almighty God, great beyond measure, above and beyond all storms that unsettle us, please help me trust you in all life’s reverses and upsets. Amen.

Invincible Lord, whose command and control is complete, as one day will be acknowledged by all, please help me to live under your rule every day. Amen.

Foreseeing God, whom nothing can surprise but who surprises us every day with your love and mercy, please grant me inner peace here and now. Amen.

Unshakeable Lord, whose word is more stable and sure than this earth with its tumults and shudders, please help me trust all your promises. Amen.

Ever-present Lord, with us in Spirit always, and accessible 24/7, please give us faith to Pause and Reflect, and then Ask for help and Yield to you. Amen.

Your own prayers
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Virtual Worship - 3 April 2022

By
A Methodist Way of Life - April 2022 - Praying Daily Service sheet (pdf) Start by listening to ‘Lead me Lord’:  Hello and welcome to the Bradford North worship video for April, the first of 12 services focusing on the commitments contained within the Methodist Way of Life and introduced by Rev David Goodall in last month’s video. My name is Claire Nott: I’m a local preacher on trial in the circuit and one of the lay pastors at Baildon Methodist Church. The anthem you heard at the start was Samuel Wesley’s ‘Lead me Lord’, based on Psalm 5 verse 8. Our call to worship is a selection of other verses taken from the same psalm: I pray to you, O  Lord ; 3      you hear my voice in the morning; at sunrise I offer my prayer [ b ]     and wait for your answer. all who find safety in you will rejoice;     they can always sing for joy. Protect those who love you;     because of you they are truly happy ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sunday 6 July - what a great day!

By
Sunday July 6th - what a great day! 17 new members welcomed at Baildon MC in the morning - I pray that they will continue to sparkle as God's lovely people! Tea with the folk at Crag Road Methodist Church a happy time, around the table in the 'back room', where on Fridays hospitality is extended at the Drop In. Two inspiring memories to take with me! Rev Sarah 
Post a Comment
Read more

Goodbyeeee!

By
A secret farewell service! What a surprise! Actually I probably had to be told as (and this will come as no surprise) I was all on for organising my own “DO” Ha Ha! But what a “Do” it turned out to be! I can’t begin to thank everyone who came and made it such a wonderful experience, and for those of you who have taken the time to write to me. When I started the job, I had never been so welcomed and as I leave I have to say I’ve never been so thanked!!! So many years of fun, laughter, prayers and tears (both of joy and frustration!) Hundreds of children have been told the Good News in oh so many strange ways – a giant Christingle and noisy wacky nativities, puppets and action songs, wet fish and 5000 salt people , Noah activity days , Pirate holiday clubs, services and assemblies with pizzas or bread or chips and even ice cream, the many manifestations of Friends and Heroes sessions and pretzels, hot cross buns and lit up tombs, the list goes on. You will all have your own mem...
Post a Comment
Read more