Nehemiah, an example of prayer

Nehemiah 1:1-11

"Dear Father, thank you for today and everything that you have given us. Forgive us our sins, those we know about and we are ignorant of." Thus starts my daily prayer. Then I launch into a shopping list of please keep my friends and family safe, healthy and loving you- as appropriate for each person named. The list is far more lengthy than the initial sentence which incorporates my praise and thankfulness and the next which checks off sin.

Yes I am sometimes very distressed about a circumstance or too but even then my concentration is on that situation, not on God himself and his previous record of helpfulness and the content of his words.


Lord guide my prayer today because you are holy, you have been my companion in the past, you have ordained my circumstances and by my age I should know that I can trust you for today.

God IS

Matthew 13:10-17

What did I see today?
Multi-coloured leaves floating earthwards.
A friend
Made a new friend.
A famous historical site (The Battle of Waterloo is on my daily route)

What did I hear today?
Dogs barking
An offer of help from a caring person
The wind in the trees

These may not be special messages on how to live or prophecies but laughing with friends, being the object of caring, enjoying creation are all ways that I know that God IS.

Words for today

Revelation 4:1-11

Holy, Holy, Holy
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.

You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.

My intention is to get as far as the Holy, Holy, Holy whenever my brain has an idle moment today. But maybe I can be more proactive and really try to concentrate on God's might and holiness.
Unlike the chaps in heaven I do have other things to do today, teach a student or two, cook a dinner, drive a car, walk some dogs but I pray that  God's holiness will be towards the forefront of my thoughts.

God's snooping

Zechariah 1:1-17

I read H G Wells' 1984 well before 1984. I sometimes thin that members of my family might watch to see if specks of dust have moved! Big Brother is watching you sometimes a real fear. maybe not me, maybe we have not reached each potentially insignificant individual being continually monitored but some nations do seem to be particularly watchful.

Over the weekend it was revealed that Angela Merkel's gsm has been followed by the USA. Today in the UK, press snooping court case against Rebekah Brooks starts. Is Edward Snowden a friend of the real friend of the people or an enemy of the state by his revelations?

I find it comforting to learn that unbeknown to me God, our Creator and Father, has his horsemen patrolling the world.

The weather

Psalm 98

It seems a good day for this psalm. A hurricane forecast for the UK, Trees that I can see are blown by strong winds, tops swaying left then right. It is comforting to be inside.
The weather is beyond our control. It helps me to remember that God is indeed in control.

Firm faith

1 Corinthians 16:10-24

Verses 14 and 13, yes in that order


Let all that you do be done in love.

Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.


What can I add?  Maybe-

Help me to see in the stranger on the street as you see them, to look and smile, not to be pre-occupied with my concerns.
Help me not to get lost in my daydreams and what-ifs, my plans for your time.
Help me to remember that to you sins of the heart are as heinous as those of the body which I see other people committing.
Help me to be your true ambassador.

Something Wonderful

Psalm 37

I was just looking at the "News" on Facebook, seeing what friends far away are up to, what is their current beef or getting their goat. One friend had posted a picture from "Soulful Healing", thus it is difficult for me to show you the picture. But here is the text

Always beleive that something WONDERFUL is about to happen.

Psalm 37 tells me to trust God, to delight in Him, not to fret. Yes it goes on to promise a wonderful future but it talks about my current, not my future behaviour. The future starts in the here and now.

It is Now that something wonderful is happening and we are part if it. We view the picture from a different angle than God. From His side the Now is wonderful, that is where the trust comes in.

Yokes

Matthew 11:25-30

Twice we went to the same field near Picton Cadtle for Girl Guide camp. It was a peaceful field right next to the Eastern Cleddau river. I hope the link to the map works. It is the field just to the right of the end of the road. The one with a house behind it.

In those days the house was a derelict cottage and thus insignificant as a place to provide our water. We had to walk to the farmyard further down the lane, just behind the cottage. It was quite a long way with two full buckets of water. As my arms seemed to be pulled out of their sockets taking leave of  my shoulders  I can remember thinking how useful it would be to have yoke. The buckets would not have lost any weight but it would have been more evenly distributed.

How willing am I to let Jesus to take control of the distribution of the weight of my current burdens?

My Gods

Jeremiah 14: 1-14


"What is it that prevents you from thinking about God?" was a question posed during one of the sermons which I heard yesterday. Of course it is a minor miracle that I remember this or any sentence from either sermon. At the time I gave it a cursory thought and that was that. Nothing came immediately to mind. Life continued.

This morning whilst we were praying my mind took a little wander. What food did I have in the house, what did I need to buy, what is my timetable for the week? This led me to remember the question from the sermon and passage from Jeremiah which I had read just a few minutes earlier.

How am I going to address these fixations? Maybe the greater one is one of organization, the planning of food and other activities come under this umbrella. Yet I pride myself on being able 'to go with the flow'. Perhaps therein lies another God.

Praise

Psalm 150

It's a Psalm 150 day so Praise, Praise, Praise.

Today the weather is sunny and warm, a good day for a country walk. Maybe I will find some blackberries and then I can make summer pudding to keep the weather company.

Changing Body- Joseph Butler

1 Corinthians 15:12-29

I first introduced to Joseph Butler last Tuesday. I am following a course on Anglicanism. Our enthusiastic for Anglicanism leader listed Joseph Butler as one the great 18th century church thinkers giving us the analogy of the transformation of a hairy, creeping, leaf munching caterpillar into an exotically coloured, flying nectar sucking butterfly as a way of viewing our transformation from the body of this life into the body of  life after death.

The Corinthian passage today reminded me of this and set me thinking again about the indescribable improbable changes that are totally impossible to our mortal minds but as easy as blinking an eye to our God.

Graphics via Wikimedia 

My uniform.

Jeremiah 38:1-13

Ebed-melech must have been a loving and caring man. He probably risked his life in speaking to the king in such a familiar manner. He obtained permission to rescue Jeremiah after the king had allowed the officials to be as cruel as they wished to Jeremiah. Ebed-melech went to great trouble in his rescue, he found just the right materials, ensuring that Jeremiah suffered the least amount of discomfort possible when being hoisted from his slimy prison.

Ebed-melech was an Ethiopian yet he was the one who had sympathy for Jeremiah.

We are all God's children, whatever our nationality. We show our true allegiance by our actions. I pray that my actions are those of loving kindness, that love is my uniform.

The WOW Factor

1 Corinthians 14:13-25

Bling, bling, the sight of emeralds and diamonds and our eyes almost automatically pop out of our head. The WOW is a very important factor in advertising. It makes us sit up and pay attention. Yesterday who is studying marketing brought in an article for us to read on internet advertising.
The introductory paragraph mentioned both the WOW factor and the term eye-popping. Even the use of the terms worked. Our attention was caught.
If you, a stranger walked into a room and your host, or another guest told you what you were thinking I bet you would say "Wow" and be amazed at the insight, wondering what supernatural power was at work.
Those of us in the room need to keep our ears open for the little hints and thoughts that occur, "Ah I must say hello to Mary or write an email to Joe or suggest a step to Richard." They might be the needed WOW.

Building up the Church

1Corinthians 14:1-12

I used to go to spiritual direction. I have thought about going again but still have not organized myself to do so, even though I have found somebody who I think would be a good guide in my walk with God.

I sometimes think that the reason I do not go is that I might be told things about myself that I do not want to hear. Theoretically I want to know God more closely but do I in practice want to alter my lifestyle in any way?

The last phrase of this reading brought me up short today. The reason as I stated above for me desiring spiritual gifts and a closer walk with God is to improve my own spiritual life. No thought of enriching the community of my church has previously entered my head.

Now it seems almost imperative to be the best that I can be, whatever it takes, for the good of the church which is Christ's body.

The Contract

Jeremiah 36:11-26

This passage always reminds me of the Marx Brothers' Contract Scene. Take out and destroy what does not suit you, pretend it does not exist. Procrastinate, avoid and evade issues.
Be like Jesus, start with a little praise, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."... Feed me and prepare me for your service, hold my hand and guide me. You are supreme. Even though I do not want to do this, I can with your help because you reign. I do not want to drink this cup but with your help I can.

The Crowd

Acts 14:8-18

The FI race is on in our house. I find this sport even more distasteful than ones with men running around a field. I dislike the anti environmental effect of motor racing. An element of the pre-race entertainment was a scene at a meet the fans session for Sebastian Vettel. It included a brief interview with the man who is expected to retain the title 'World Champion'. He was asked what he thought of his adoring followers and if after his years as World Champion he was now used to the gifts and adoration of the crowd. His response was along the lines of 'No, and I do not think one should ever get used to it'.
A normal person does something special and we think they are fantastic. We forget how they achieved the status. We forget the Creator who is control and the one worthy of praise.

Training

Psalm144

Sometimes when we read the lectionary early in the morning one or two words jump out at me. On other days there seems to be nothing special, even on third and fourth readings. Today the concept of God training my hands seemed to be important as soon as we started the psalm.
Maybe God does not train my hands for war but I do believe that he does train them, that he has a path for me and that each step is a preparation for the next.

All day.

Psalm 119:145-176


Dear Lord, thank you for today and the knowledge of the fact that you are with me every second. Help me to be with every second too and not wander off into my own thoughts and ways.

Pleasing God

2 Kings 22: 1-13

I sometimes think that in reading the books of Kings and Chronicles I concentrate too much on good king, bad king. Maybe even concentrating on the evil rather than the good.
Josiah insisted on honest dealing. He reintroduced the people to God's way of living. He wanted to please God and live according to his ways.
How much do I actually want to PLEASE God?

Worship and praise.

Psalm 106:1-18

Yesterday we worshiped in Canterbury Cathedral. It was the Harvest Festival. The focus of the worship of the service was praise and thanks for the provisions that God has given us. How many more hundreds and thousands have praised God over the centuries in that church. Some people have been whole-heartedly for God and others may have misplaced their faith. Over the generations much evil has been done in the name of the church.
But we were there, with a few hundred other people worshiping and praising God. Our hearts may not be pure but they are all that we have to offer.

Take it to the Lord in Prayer

2 Kings 19:1-20

Hezekiah had a problem. he took it to the Lord in prayer. What do I have to take to our Father today?

What a friend we have in Jesus, 
 all our sins and griefs to bear! 
 What a privilege to carry 
 everything to God in prayer! 
 O what peace we often forfeit,
 O what needless pain we bear, 
 all because we do not carry 
 everything to God in prayer. 

2. Have we trials and temptations? 
 Is there trouble anywhere? 
 We should never be discouraged; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 
 Can we find a friend so faithful 
 who will all our sorrows share? 
 Jesus knows our every weakness; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 

3. Are we weak and heavy laden, 
 cumbered with a load of care? 
 Precious Savior, still our refuge; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 
 Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? 
 Take it to the Lord in prayer! 
 In his arms he'll take and shield thee; 
 thou wilt find a solace there.

Joseph M Scriven

Routes

Matthew 7:13-21

Today I attempted to ride to work. I got there eventually. Yes I took a wrong turn because I could not remember the whole map. I ended up joining the route I would drive as that way the way I knew. Coming home I went slowly, stopping frequently to check my map and having the patience to wait for my telephone to locate me. Some of the roads were definitely one track footpaths, only just wide enough for my tyre. One turn was off a busy town road into a little footpath beside a brook, it could easily have been overlooked. Many of the wider roads, that is those widen enough for one car were rough stones, not an inviting surface for a cyclist. But I did not meet much traffic on my way home whereas this morning on the smooth wider roads there were continually cars. I have developed a new dislike in cars- those that carefully park so that their wheels are avoiding the cycle lane but overlooking the fact that their wing mirrors are hanging in my space. Yet another danger to take into account on a busy road, albeit an officially bike-friendly road.

My metaphor of the day is that the wide and inviting road is fraught with danger. It is better to go slowly frequently checking on the directions which the Lord is ready to give

God's Indwelling Word

Psalm 100

I have told you before but I will recount my dislike of rote learning again. I find learn by heart very difficult. This is my excuse for having problems learning a foreign language, or even the native language of the village where I live. Lists of words do not stick in my brain. I am very thankful that English is my mother tongue because I am sure I would find it more impossible, if there were such a category of difficulty,  to learn than French which I am attempting.

We had to learn Psalm 100 when I was in Infant School. It was a very small school so some lessons were everybody together. The whole school was told to learn Psalm 100. I think I did it. I certainly remember trying. I may not have remembered it then but now every time Psalm 100 is the Psalm of the day the words flow easily from my lips, well at least the first verse.

Yesterday I read a page or two of Andrew Murray's With Christ in the School of prayer. His text for the chapter entitled Word and Prayer was "If ye abide in me, and my words in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" John 15:7

Psalm 100 dwells in me. Perhaps my prayers would be answered if I prayed God's own words rather than issuing my shopping list.