Our church building may be closed, but God’s eyes are open and his ears are attentive to our prayers (2 Chronicles 7.15).

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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 14.16

I’m sure it is partly my age (and sex), but mostly my personality, that means I have had to learn how to slow myself down. Believe that, or not! In a crisis or under pressure acting quickly and decisively can be a good thing – but there is also the risk of being careless, thoughtless, and making mistakes.

One of the main ways I’ve forced myself / learned to be more thoughtful is to be more deliberately prayerful about decisions. I click ‘save’ instead of ‘send’ on emails, shut my mouth and take a breath instead of speaking, (try to) push a decision out of my mind and ‘wait until tomorrow’ – and so on. (In Sesotho – the language they speak in Lesotho – there is a word for ‘never do today what you can do tomorrow’… it is both a recipe for laziness and a sensible way to slow down.)

As with so many proverbs – and wisdom itself – the key thing is learning to notice and be aware of ourselves and what’s actually going on, rather than living in blissful ignorance.

How can you learn to be more sensible, and act carefully (and prayerfully) instead of rashly?

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:

Hazel Lawson, Olive Carter, Julia Pinner

Father, please bless them with your peace, and a deep awareness of your presence with them, every day and in every way.

We also pray for: Overseas Mission Partners (Claude, Ruth & Caleb, and Sarah)

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.