Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us (Psalm 96.2, GNB).

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Opening

Speak these words out loud:

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.

Jeremiah 17.7 (NIV)

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 20.25

Have you ever made a promise you later came to regret? Big or small, I’d be surprised if you haven’t! One of the key warnings about leadership is being careful not to ‘over-promise and under-deliver’.

The context of this Proverb is Israelite ritual: people would make a vow to God as a ‘sacrifice’, which is less about an animal and more about a costly offering. There are many stories in the Bible about people making rash vows, often in battle. Probably the most famous is the idiot Jephthah, who vowed that if he won a battle, he would sacrifice to God the first thing that greeted him when he returned home – which turned out to be his daughter. God did not want such a foolish vow, nor did he want such a sacrifice (for Jephthah actually followed through and sacrifice his daughter to God).

‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings,’ God said (Hosea 6.6). The prophet Micah said, ‘what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6.8). King David wrote, ‘My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise’ (Psalm 51.17).

God doesn’t want our vows; he wants us to do what he’s already told us he wants us to do! He wants us to turn away from sin, to follow Jesus, to live as he did, to be honest and faithful.

As for promises you make to other people… my advice is to be very careful in beginning a sentence with the words, ‘I promise…’ Words matter, and being unfaithful in little things makes it easier to be unfaithful in big things that really make a difference.

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:

Price Family (Ash, Elsie, Emilia, Matt)

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: Lonely & Bereaved People

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.