Our church building may be closed, but God’s eyes are open and his ears are attentive to our prayers (2 Chronicles 7.15).
Welcome back to the daily proverb!
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Opening
Speak these words out loud:
The Spirit of God has made us;
the breath of the Almighty gives us life.
from Job 33.4
Today’s Proverb
Read the proverb through three or four times, slowly. Pause in-between, maybe write it out by hand – savour the words, let them speak deeply to you.
Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk, and so the innocent escape trouble. (NIV)
The wicked are trapped by their own words, but honest people get themselves out of trouble. (GNB)
Proverbs 12.13
One of the most common themes on TV shows and films is the one where the characters start out with a small lie – which then grows and grows until it becomes unmanageable, and has caused all sorts of problems. Often I find myself shouting at the TV: ‘Just tell them the truth!’
Mark Twain is supposed to have said, ‘If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.’ Whether he did or not, the point is that the more we lie the more we have to remember what we said and to whom we said it, so that we don’t get caught out.
Truth-telling is a tricky one. For example, when someone makes you (what to them is) a delicious meal – but is something you can’t stand. Fish pie, for example (if you’re me). How do you handle it? Pretending you love it… now there’s a recipe for being served fish pie every time you go round, compounding the lie. Are we brave enough to say, ‘I am so touched that you made me your favourite meal, and I really wish I could enjoy it, but I’m afraid I really dislike eating fish and seafood!’ (I wasn’t when that happened to me…)
I believe it is never right to lie, and that we should always tell the truth. The trick is learning how to tell the truth with kindness.
Today, why not ask God to help you notice when you lie – no matter how small – and ask him to help you find ways of being truthful and kind?
Prayers
Pray for Five – pray for your five friends / family from Thy Kingdom Come.
Our daily prayer sheet includes the names of everyone for whom we have a signed church family directory form – and local parishes and senior church leaders. Today we are praying for:
Rose Swaddle, Linda Dearne, Simon Dearne
Father, please bless them with your peace, and a deep awareness of your presence with them, every day and in every way.
Please pray for our leaders and healthcare workers, and all those working to keep us safe, well, and fed. Please pray that people would unselfishly put others before themselves, and buy only what they need.
Church Family Prayer
Come Holy Spirit,
and make us one in heart and action,
so that we can serve God faithfully:
abounding in love,
maturing in holiness,
and seeking out the lost.
Help us grow as disciples of Jesus –
in commitment, in depth, and in number –
that we may be a blessing to Amington;
to the glory and praise of God the Father.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
Closing Prayer
Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labour in vain.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
the only way to the Father.
Psalm 127.1, Hebrews 12.2 & John 14.6
May Christ our Saviour give us peace.
Amen.