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:

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, says:
‘In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength.’

from Isaiah 30.15

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 14.4

What’s the difference between oxen and cows? (It’s not a joke… I realised as I sat down to write this that I have no idea!) It turns out they’re actually the same species: oxen are bulls (male cattle) that have (usually) been castrated, and are used to pull; cows are female cattle, usually kept for dairy.

So there you have it.

With apologies to vegans, I have no problem with breeding working animals like this, as long as they are well looked after.

And that is what this proverb suggested to me. We humans are pretty much top of every food chain (though I wouldn’t like to meet an angry she-bear), so it’s easy to forget how much we rely on everything below us in the pyramid. Here, Solomon reminds his farmers how important oxen are: without them, the ‘manger is empty’. In other words, make sure you look after them!

This applies most obviously to the food chain, but what about other things (or people) that we rely on – do we look out for their welfare? Or simply use (or even abuse) them?

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:

Widdas Family (Mandy, Mark, Sam, Sophie)

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.