Morning Prayer Meeting – Thursday 30th January 9.00 -10.00 am at Christ Church Parbold
A weekly time of prayer for God’s renewing work in All Saints’ and in Christ Church. All welcome. Come when you can.
Wendy’s Prayer Thought for for January 2020
It’s 2020, and we have entered a New Year! How different will it be? None of us can tell, so there is no point in surmising. When we tread the Christian way, walking in company with Jesus who is The Way, we do not need to know in advance, because He urges us to live one day at a time. He so wisely reminds us,
“Take no thought about tomorrow for tomorrow will take thought about the things of itself. Sufficient to the day is the trouble thereof.” Matthew 6:34 MEV.
Jesus is able to point out the course we should take, no matter what situation we may find ourselves in, be it confusion, weakness, sickness, loneliness. We are confident of this because He knows all things, including the past, the present and the future.
Whenever we turn to God in prayer we exercise our faith. As we do, we are able to find great encouragement from the promises we in His Word. They help us to draw closer to Him, to seek His grace and strength, to listen to Him and to be open to accept His wisdom and guidance they lead us into a deeper trust, to thanksgiving and to praise.
In Deuteronomy 31:8 we read how God spoke to Moses telling him that his leadership of the children of Israel, and his own life, were nearing the end. He would not cross over the River Jordan into the Promised Land, but Joshua would be his successor, leading the people into unknown territory. Moses made this known to Joshua and the assembly of the people. We have no idea of Joshua’s reaction at that moment. He may well have felt daunted, querying his ability to take over such responsibility, afraid of what might lay ahead. Moses charged him to “Be strong and of good courage.” Immediately, however, he was given assurance through a mighty and sustaining promise:
“The Lord, He goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed”
God had promised that He would be with Joshua to guide and direct, to assist and strengthen. And He will be with us on our journey, giving us peace as we face the changes, and brave the storms. He is with us every new day! Draw strength from God’s promise and His Presence
There are many different types of prayer. There are some websites and apps below which you may wish to try to develop your prayer life.
Three Minute Retreat
Do you feel that it’s hard to find time for prayer?
Even a short time spent in prayer can help you to refocus and to connect with God. Rev’d Sue and Reader Diane recommend this website which offers a guided 3 minute retreat. There’s a time to pause, a short reading, two questions to get you thinking and a little prayer. You can get it as an app for different types of mobile phone too.
https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/simple-rules-start-retreat
The Prayer Course
In autumn 2019 our sermon series followed the prayer course which is presented by Pete Grieg of the 24/7 payer movement. It is a great general guide to different types of prayer.
Ignatian Prayer
Ignatian prayer is a way of praying which sometimes involves imagining yourself in a Bible story and having an encounter with Jesus.
The take time website has some excellent meditations of different lengths which you may like to try. There is a charge on this website after an initial free trial.
United Christian Broadcasters (UCB)
UCB produce a great daily devotional which is recommend by our church. It is a helpful reflection on a very short daily Bible reading which helps readers to apply Biblical truths to their everyday lives. Click on the link below to read or listen to the UCB ‘Word for Today’ They are free to use.
https://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today
Pause/Pray
Pause/Pray is a free series of Bible reflections, available as a podcast or download. They include original music, guided prayers and themes related to daily life. A new one is available each fortnight. To stream or download the episodes or subscribe to the podcast go to iTunes or your regular podcast app.https://www.engageworship.org/pausepray
Our Diocesan Prayer.
Heavenly Father, we embrace Your call for us to make disciples, to be witnesses and to grow leaders. Give us the eyes to see Your vision, ears to hear the prompting of Your Spirit and courage to follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. AMEN
This Prayer Page
At All Saints’ Appley Bridge, we believe that earnest, thoughtful, regular and honest prayer is the key to our individual and collective relationship with our wonderful Creator, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you want to share a prayer or prayers on this page, do not hesitate to contact us with your thoughts. If there is a situation that you wish to bring before God and would like us to be mindful of as a Church family, share it with us. We want to share together what we want to say to Him.