Listen to YouTube: ‘There is a king Lyrics’
Jesus is the name we honour Jesus is the name we praise.
Majestic Name above all other names,
the highest heaven and earth proclaim that Jesus is our God.
Jesus is the name we worship; Jesus is the name we trust.
He is the King above all other kings,
let all creation stand and sing that Jesus is our God.
(Philip Lawson Johnston © 1991 Kingsway's Thank You Music)
Tell God-the-Son what a difference knowing him has made to your life
Pray for all those families whose children come to Brigades
I am continuing Wednesday’s thoughts about disappointment, thinking particularly about the sadness and frustration which usually accompanies it.
There is just one occasion in the gospels where we read about someone meeting Jesus, and leaving the encounter disappointed. Read Mark 10: 17-22
Don’t get too focussed on what Jesus asked this person to do, he never asked anyone else to do this, even though Jesus had conversations with other wealthy people such as Nicodemus (John ch.3) where the conversation goes in a very different direction.
The man in our bible reading went away from Jesus feeling disappointed because he didn’t have the faith to trust that Jesus really cared about him, and that Father God would look after him like any perfect parent would care for their child. This man’s hope was in what he possessed, he had faith that these things would supply all that he needed in life. Do we ever come away from Jesus feeling disappointed because we don’t have the faith to trust that God always wants the best for us?
A short while after Pentecost we read about a beggar who must have fleetingly felt disappointed, because as he called out asking people for money, two people pause in front of him, but then tell him they haven’t any money. Read Acts 3: 1-10
Many of us know a children’s song based on this event,
Peter and John went to pray, they met a lame man on the way,
He asked for alms, and held out his palms…
This is where the lame man’s disappointment turns to unexpected happiness, unimagined pleasure when he holds out his hands – ready to receive what is offered. He didn’t get what he thought he wanted, instead he got something much, much better. This man’s life was then changed forever, but there were consequences for Peter and John for doing what God’s Spirit had prompted them to do. To discover what those are read Acts 3:11 - 4:31.
Have you ever been asked to ‘close your eyes and hold out your hands’? Usually the person asking has to then add ‘don’t worry, it not going to hurt you’ but some of us may have found out that the person wasn’t telling the truth! Our reaction to being asked to ‘close your eyes and hold out your hands’ depends on how well we know the person asking the question. Do we have enough faith and trust in God our heavenly Father, to hold out our hands to receive whatever God wants to give us? It will not necessarily be what we think we need, and so sometimes there is disappointment until we realise that God knows our needs better than we ourselves.
The prayer below is about hands – not hands open to receive whatever God wants to give us, but about hands becoming ready to do whatever God asks us to do. Perhaps after reading this prayer spend a few moments asking God to reveal to you what he wants to place into your hands – place into your life – right now, to help you with all you face today and in the days ahead.
Lord, our hands are dirty. they look clean, they smell clean, but they are not clean.
They have been shaped like fists when we have let anger get the better of us;
they have pointed and accused when we have gossiped or spoken ill of someone else;
they have been shoved in our pockets when we have refused to take responsibility;
they have covered our mouths when we have failed to speak out when we should have;
they have covered our ears when we have failed to listen to someone who needed to be heard;
they have pushed away when we should have been welcoming.
Lord, our hands are dirty. they look clean, they smell clean, but they are not clean.
Lord, forgive us, give us clean hands, and use them for the building of your kingdom. Amen.
Sing along to YouTube ‘My Jesus, my Saviour lyrics’
At 5pm today we are holding a Zoom meeting, to share with each other the verses of scripture or song lyrics which have been special to us during lock-down. If you haven’t received an email with a link to this meeting, send an email to turvesgreenbaptists@gmail.com
Two Prayer Requests:
Please pray for Lynn Wesbury's mum Mary who has been in hospital since having a fall last week. She has injured her hip; the plan is not to operate but to wait and see if it will heal without intervention. Mary has also tested positive for Covid19 but is displaying very few symptoms, this means Lynn and her sister Carol are not allowed to visit and along with Carl, Maria & David are having to self-isolate for 14 days.
Kevin Barton will be having his operation to remove prostate cancer at the end of July. The whole household will need to isolate for 2 weeks before the op, and then it’s an 8-week recovery. Please remember Kevin, Helen and their family in your prayers during this period of waiting.
I will write again on Wednesday - Stephen