2026 will again be through the Bible chronologically selecting verses which attract my attention or questions or encourage me on the day. I pray it blesses whoever reads . . . My theological background is Salvation Army College and now Church of England. I love all Christian denominations.
Lord Jesus, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Forgive me and help me turn from everything I know is wrong. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay the price and set me free from my sin. Please come into my life, fill me with your Holy Spirit and be with me forever. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.”
“Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: 17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 18 You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts. 19 You are great in counsel and mighty inwork, for Your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. 20 You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day. 21 You have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22 You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—“a land flowing with milk and honey.” 23 And they came in and took possession of it, but they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them.” Jeremiah 32:16-19 NKJV
Lord God,
An honest man’s prayer. Jeremiah states that nothing is too difficult for You, God For You are Sovereign, Lord, all powerful and yet mercifully kind. You know every minor detail of everything every person does and you have revealed Yourself through miracles and signs. Yet Your people still have turned away from You, and You God are exiling them. Meanwhile You tell him to buy land and so his prayer is first remembering who You are and then seeking clarification, some way he can understand all this calamity.
He goes on to point out the siege mounds around Jerusalem, the inevitable defeat, so even he wonders why You God told him to buy the field (Jeremiah 32:24-25). I love Your answer Lord to Jeremiah, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3). The field was the future, hope and restoration.
It is encouraging, even though it is doubt raised. We can come to You with situations bigger than we can understand, We can give You all our concerns and doubts. No pretending. Lord in our world, our nation and even our own lives we have questions and doubts and confusion. So we can bring it all to You and trust You to work out the answers in Your way and Your time. You will show us what we need to see and wait for those mighty things You will do in Your time.
In Jesus name we pry, Amen.
Worship Sunday 2nd August 2026 This is one for listening worship – just 6 minutes.
“And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 7 ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.”’ 8 Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9 So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money—seventeen shekels of silver. 10 And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. 11 So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; 12 and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison. 13 “Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, 14 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.” 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” ’” Jeremiah 32:6-15 NKJV
God who leads,
Jeremiah is in prison but still finding ways to prove he believes what You God are saying to him and Jerusalem. He is acting out his faith even wile in prison, the enemy breathing upon them and God not saving them on this occasion. . . . so why throw money away for land which will never be yours? But Jeremiah needs them to see that now is not forever. He knows You, God have sent his cousin Hanamel to sell him this land. They just want to liquidise their assets.
The answers from God sometimes can take many years. Our prayers are not like purchase requests on the promise of immediate postage. You God, know the timing for the right fulfillment. Jeremiah asks Baruch to keep the deeds in an earthen pot ensuring survival for some time, symbolic for those listening. The exile would not be ended or solved overnight! We do not know if Jeremiah ever got to live on his purchased land – as he was eventually taken to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:6,7.
Help us to see the things before us that we need to do. Help us to see when You show us what to do when things do not change. Help us to see that You are always with us, always listening and answering prayer, even if not as quickly or as we would want, right now.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Saturday 1st August 2026 Shawna wrote about this song, “One night I had an out-of-the-blue thought that I should write a song on prayer. I had a studio session scheduled in 3 days and wanted to record it then. I called my son Gary, he came over and stayed with me most of the night while we wrote this song together.”
If you need a steady hand to guide you If it seems you’ve somehow lost your way If you feel there’s no one you can turn to Just look to God and pray
On your knees or standing at a crossroads Late at night or in the light of day In a crowd, a closet, or a chapel Just look to God and pray
He is there when you’re searching for the answers He is there when you need a little grace Any time, anywhere you have a chance to Seek the One who knows the way Just pray
When His love continues to amaze you When you feel your heart begin to change When you know He gave his Son to save you Just look to God and pray
Chorus
Bring your doubts, your worries and your faith Share your hopes and dreams He is listening There’s no time or distance in the way The moment you begin, it’s just you and Him
He is there when you’re searching for the answers He is there when you need a little grace You’re His child and His love will never fail you He is with you He will hear you He will stay Just pray Just pray
““Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:27-31 NKJV
God our Covenant maker,
The people of Judah and Jerusalem would have knowledge of the covenants made between You God and them. Unless the younger generation did not listen to their family and national history passed down in traditions and law.
Here in the midst of doom and gloom and judgement is the presentation by Jeremiah of a new covenant to come. It will be very different from the present and past ones. It will not be laws written on tablets of stone but they will know it in their hearts and minds. It will be for all nations. And iniquity and sin? Will be totally forgiven and not remembered.
And some 500 to 600 years later You came as a baby, and we saw You in human flesh and called You Jesus the Christ. Some 30 years later You, Jesus took our punishment so our sin could be forgiven and forgotten. And so Jeremiah was telling future truth. But even with Your gift of forgiveness we still struggle with the challenge of sin. And we still need to keep on partaking of that forgiveness over and over again.
So did Jeremiah receive a glimpse of Your new Covenant in Jesus when the day He will return and bring an end to sin, death, sorrow, crying and pain? We hold fast to that promise and await for it.(Revelation 21:1-4).
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Friday 31st July 2026 The story of this hymn is below the video and lyrics.
There’s coming a day when no heartaches shall come No more clouds in the sky No more tears to dim the eye All is peace forever more On that happy golden shore What a day, glorious day that will be
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see When I look upon His face the one who saved my by His grace When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land What a day, glorious day that will be
There will be no sorrows there And no more burdens to bear No more sickness and, no more pain No more parting over there And forever I will be with the one who died for me What a day, glorious day that will be
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see When I look upon His face the one who saved my by His grace When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land What a day, glorious day that will be
Repeat chorus
Lyrics: Jim Hill
The seed for this beloved hymn was planted years earlier when an orphan girl sang at Hill’s Baptist church. She concluded her song with the words, “What a day that will be,” a phrase that resonated deeply with Hill and stayed with him over the years.
However, the immediate catalyst for writing the hymn came from a personal family tragedy. Hill’s mother-in-law suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of 50, leaving her paralyzed. As a new Christian, Hill struggled to comprehend why such a terrible thing would happen to such a kind and devout woman. One day, while reflecting on his mother-in-law’s suffering and the trials she faced, Hill found himself on his porch, and the words to the hymn began to flow into his mind.
Despite having never written a song before, Hill felt compelled to put his thoughts and feelings into words. Unsure of its quality, he decided to share it with his family. On their next visit to his mother-in-law, Hill, his wife, and his sister-in-law sang the new hymn all the way to her home. When they arrived, they sang it again, and miraculously, for the first time in three years, Hill’s mother-in-law smiled and showed signs of joy and excitement.
