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.

Proverbs 12.17

Two days ago we thought about the importance of telling the truth – how did you get on? Proverbs doesn’t give you much let-up though; here we are, four verses later.

Here the context seems to be law courts – as per the ninth commandment. And I’d like us to think about the word ‘the’. Law courts depend on ‘the’. Without it, there can be no justice. Without it, judgements – choosing between right and wrong – cannot be made.

Pilate asked Jesus, ‘What is truth?’ (John 18.38). And in a sense that question defines the central human quest. Having largely rejected religion in favour of science, we are discovering that science doesn’t know ‘the’ truth: look at how different countries have responded so differently to COVID19 – all based on ‘science’.

Perhaps love is ‘the’ truth – by which our age means what we feel deeply inside us, our desires and longings (whether for people or things) – and that ultimately ‘truth’ means ‘being true to yourself’. But what if ‘yourself’ is deceitful? Jeremiah says, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things’ (17.9).

What can we trust then? It isn’t a what, it’s a who. Someone once said, ‘I am the truth’. There is no room for ‘that’s true for you’. Something – someone – is truth. For everyone. And that someone is Jesus. He alone is the answer that meets the longing in all our hearts, for he alone is the truth.

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:

Don & Jean Sands, Helen Slim, Gill Knight

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.