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 12.25

Amen to that, is my first reaction!

Some of you I know are not natural worriers – other of us are. It comes from a good place: being prepared, planning and thinking through options. But it can easily and quickly spiral into something wholly negative, ‘weighing down’ your heart – or more simply, ‘robbing you of happiness’.

Jesus said much the same, no doubt thinking of this proverb when he said, ‘Do not worry about tomorrow.’ It’s not about shoving your head in the sand, but rather not letting things that haven’t happened yet get you down. Easier said than done!

Now to the other half of the proverb; kind words are not (for example), ‘Oh don’t worry about that; it’ll be fine.’ Those of us who are prone to anxiety will think, a) you can’t possibly know that and b) it probably won’t be (!) – even if we nod and smile thinly.

To be honest, with me at least, kind words of distraction and humour are the best way to jolt me out of an anxiety spiral. Encouragement, and a reassurance of your presence and care – no matter what – is also helpful (this is probably why so often I will say that ‘God is with us’ is right at the heart of the Good News).

What truly ‘kind word’ can you share with someone today?

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:

Wayne, Claire & Jude Pinner-Rosenbach

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.