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:
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6.9 (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.
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. (NIV)
We honour God for what he conceals; we honour kings for what they explain. You never know what a king is thinking; his thoughts are beyond us, like the heights of the sky or the depths of the ocean. (GNB)
Proverbs 25.2-3
Often the Bible focuses on what God reveals / tells / shows us, particularly through Jesus. We often talk about God’s presence amongst us, and when we pray ‘Come, Holy Spirit’, we are actually asking for more of what we already have.
But it’s surprising how frequently that Bible also talks about God’s absence, and what he doesn’t tell us but keeps hidden. This is important because it helps guard against our tendency to domesticate God, to bring him down to our level, to reduce him so we can understand him… except when we do that, we are doing little more than talking about ourselves in a loud voice!
That, I think, is what this Proverb is about, and why ‘to conceal a matter’ is ‘the glory of God’. It maintains his mystery, reminds us that although his our God and we are his people, he is still God: Almighty, Eternal, Unchanging, Faithful, True, and more besides.
Why not this morning thank God for all you don’t know, and ask him to help you grow in trust and faith – you don’t need to know it all, if you know and trust the one who does…
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:
Peter & Jane Sheppard, John & Cathy Ward
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: Tamworth Christian Churches (TCC)
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.