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:
‘Where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.’
from Matthew 6.21 (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount)
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.
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NIV)
Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers. (GNB)
Proverbs 18.24
Only a few days ago we thought about the importance of our relatives, how close they are (or can be), and I invited you to think about your family relationships, and the importance of forgiveness.
Today’s Proverb focuses on friends… those people we can choose (unlike our relatives!). Who is your closest friend? Picture them right now and give thanks to God for them.
If I asked you to describe your relationship with your closest / best friend, I imagine you would say things like, ‘we have such a laugh’, ‘we’re on the same wavelength’, ‘a brother with another mother’ (a personal favourite)… and most likely, ‘I’d trust her with my life’.
Such people are few and far between, and they are worth hanging on to. We have already said thank you to God for our closest friends – now let’s pray for them, and think about what we can do to encourage them 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:
Dennis & Dorothy Holland, Frank & Sue Joyce
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: Prayer Meetings
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.
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.