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.
Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. (NIV)
A lie has a short life, but truth lives on forever. (GNB)
Proverbs 12.19
We’re back to truth and lies again! Do you know the phrase, ‘A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on’? It comes from a Baptist Pastor called CH Spurgeon – probably inspired by Jonathan Swift.
It’s true: lies move more quickly than the truth. Only last week I had a flurry of messages about Stephen Cottrell (soon to be Archbishop of York) planning to shut down half the churches in the country and reduce the number of diocese. Yet I received no such messages when it turned out that it isn’t true. I found that out by accident yesterday.
Lies spread quickly, like weeds. Some are easier to get rid of than others, but compared to the permanence of the truth, they last ‘only a moment’.
As Christians, we stand for the truth, which is found only in Jesus. It is up to us to fight the falsehood and deception of the world with the truth. Lies may be cunning, tempting, and delicious, but only the truth brings true nourishment.
It isn’t easy, but it starts here: getting to know Jesus better. The more we known him, the more time we spend with him in prayer, studying the Scriptures, praising him, the more we will spot the lie and be confident in 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:
Joshi Family (Alan, Jess, Paul), Jean Austin
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.