Week beginning 27th February
Song: O for a thousand tongues to sing
O for a thousand tongues to sing - YouTube
Prayer:
Praying for peace
Almighty
God we pray for the situation on the border of Ukraine.
We pray
for those who live in fear, that you may grant them peace.
We
pray that the voices for discernment and peaceful solutions may
prosper.
Lord, we ask that you raise up peacemakers on all
sides, that war and violence might be averted.
Give diplomats
wisdom, understanding and build trust.
We ask for the church in
the nations involved, may they be salt and light in a dark
situation.
Lord we lift this dangerous situation to you.
May
your kingdom come,
Amen.
Prayer by Fred Drummond,
Evangelical Alliance Scotland and prayer director
Song: Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart - YouTube
Reading: Psalm 107
Song: My God, I thank Thee, who hast made
My God, I Thank Thee - YouTube
Psalm 107 is a prayer of thanks for deliverance from several different perils faced by the people, “The redeemed”. These people considered that they were redeemed by the regular offering of sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, but it was necessary for this to be repeated regularly. As Christians we believe that we are redeemed by the sacrificial offering of Jesus on the cross. This is a once for all sacrifice, which does not need repeating.
Whilst the psalm was written over 2000 years ago, the perils faced by the people are not exclusive to a bygone era. Over the last couple of years, many of us have experienced these, and similar situations. But people can now say, as the psalmist said, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love, and his wonderful deeds for mankind”
Verse
4:
Some
wandered in desert wastelands,
finding
no way to a city where they could settle.
Verse
10:
Some
sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners
suffering in iron chains,
Verse
17:
Some
became fools through their rebellious ways
and
suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
Verse
23:
Some
went out on the sea in ships;
they
were merchants on the mighty waters.
Few of us will have actually wandered in desert wastelands, but the experience of the disruption caused by the lockdowns and commercial difficulties have felt similar to this for many. People have lost jobs, and had to make difficult decisions about the continuing employment of others. Businesses have foundered, and suffered setbacks which could take years to rebuild.
At the moment, with war in the Ukraine, thousands of the citizens are experiencing disruption not seen in Europe for many years. They are truly wandering in a desert wasteland. They will be “crying out to the Lord in their trouble”, and will be led to a “city where they can settle”. We must remember them in our prayers, and if opportunity exists for practical assistance, we should prayerfully consider what to do.
Most of us are fortunate in that we have never sat in darkness and been chained. But for millions of people, the lockdowns where they were denied the opportunity to meet with friends, family, and loved ones was a similar experience. Humans are by nature social, and not to have regular contact with others was a very real problem. I remember commenting to my wife that I hoped that the government was prepared to invest heavily in mental health care after all this was over. Eventually, the restrictions eased, and people could see one another, and meet up in various ways. Much better than the electronic contact which had been all that was permissible. A true release.
Rebellion will always produce distress, and yet it is many people’s nature to rebel, we don’t like being told what to do, and yet, the psalmist tells us that people make fools out of themselves by rebelling, especially when rebelling against God. And yet, when people cry out to the Lord, he will respond, and heal them of their suffering. There are many examples in the modern world of where people are rebelling, and suffering as a consequence. We need to be alert to opportunities to remind such people of God’s healing love for them.
I understand the people of Israel were not one of the world’s great seafaring nations. The oceans held many terrors for them. In our lives, whilst we may not actually be on storm tossed ships, we may nonetheless experience storms and terrors in our lives. We are told that God stilled the storm and guided the people to their desired harbour. Very reminiscent of Jesus calming the storm in the gospels. What ever we are experiencing, God is there alongside us, and will calm the storm for us so that we can complete our journey with Him.
Let
us give thanks to the Lord for
his unfailing love
and his wonderful
deeds for mankind.
Song: Now thank we all our God,
No comments:
Post a Comment