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.”
“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.” Daniel 12:1 NKJV
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. 8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”” Daniel 12:4-13 NKJV
Lord God of time and eternity,
Michael appears here and it seems he is always deployed when there are times of spiritual warfare. But even though You God hint of worse to come You tell Daniel it is not his worry. He is to seal the book and go on his way. And he is promised an inheritance: that he will rise to live after death itself at the end of days.
A glimpse of heaven when there will be no need of day and light because You will be our light (Revelation 22:5). We have seen many being purified and many wicked refusing to change their ways. But we are not to know the times or the dates. Like Daniel we must wait. Daniel believed in the faith of his fathers and the Law of Moses and the Covenant for his future – and in You God. Because You spoke of a future to him in visions. We also know because You spoke to us in Jesus about the future. But for now with Daniel we are about to close the Old Testament book, not seal it up, but look to some its fulfilment and to You God who keeps Your promises and the future. And while we linger on this earth we follow Your lead.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Friday 9th October 2026
Not heard so much these days but I love the words – particularly verse three, Please read Fanny’s story, in her own words, of why and how she wrote the hymn.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.
Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting, waiting the penitent child to receive; plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently; He will forgive if they only believe.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore; touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, cords that are broken will vibrate once more.
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it— strength for your labor the Lord will provide; back to the narrow way patiently win them, tell the poor wanderer a Saviour has died.
Lyrics: Fanny Crosby
“As I was addressing a large company of working men one hot August evening, the thought kept forcing itself upon my mind that some mother’s boy must be rescued that very night or perhaps not at all. So I requested that, if there was any boy present, who had wandered away from mother’s teaching, he would come to the platform at the conclusion of the service. A young man of eighteen came forward and said, “Did you mean me? I have promised my mother to meet her in heaven; but as I am now living that will be impossible.” We prayed for him; he finally arose with a new light in his eyes; and exclaimed triumphantly, “Now, I can meet mother in heaven; for I have found her God.” A few days before, Mr. Doane had sent me the subject “Rescue the Perishing,” and while I sat there that evening the line came to me, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.”I could think of nothing else that night. When I arrived at my home I went to work on it at once; and before I retired the entire hymn was ready for a melody. The next day my words were written and forwarded to Mr. Doane, who wrote the beautiful and touching music as it now stands.”
“O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” 15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.” 18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Daniel 10:11-19 NKJV
Heavenly Father,
Sometimes we can be distracted by the scholars disagreements on a chapter. I am not going to make a decision whether this was a pre incarnate appearance of Jesus or a heavenly being! The truth for me is the message was YOURS Lord!
Like many Christians I am not confident in prayer warfare as some others are. I am not a great prayer warrior -I pray best when there is a need. But I know we are in a battle and most clearly on the days when I question my own faith and questions and doubts rise up in my own mind. Paul cleary tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). And I do not want to give the enemy any attention.
Daniel here, in this passage, reassures me that You, even when we don’t understand, touch us with peace and strength. You know and hear us. You let us know what we need to understand and we can trust You with the rest. We just need to be honest when we feel weak and tremble. Not worry about having the right words. Just pray.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Thursday 8th October 2026
Shawna experienced a sudden thought that she needed to write a song on prayer. She had a studio recording session scheduled three days later, so she called her son, Gary Edwards, who worked with her through the night to write the majority of the song. It was released for the National Day of Prayer 2004.
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 Your His child and His love will never fail You He is with You He will hear You He will stay Just Pray
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 14:16-21 NKJV
Lord of Hosts,
I find the end of Zechariah and the apocalyptic and symbolic writing difficult to follow and understand. And I am not the only one. He sees a future where there has been war and You have stood at Jerusalem (14:4) and the land has split open and water poured forth (14:8). Ezekiel speaks of water pouring forth from Jerusalem (Ezekiel 47). But he says it comes from the Temple.
Zechariah seems to be saying it comes from You it is no longer dependant on a Temple. Your Holiness will be there along with all nations and people who choose to worship You. We know that we are not dependant on a place or a building and we can come and find living water from You. So there will be a day when the children of Israel will be released from ritual worship to join with Your children in Christ. Together with Your holiness as our guide and all we do will be for You.
That day has not come yet but we know Jesus stood in the Temple and likening Himself to the water of life flowing from His heart (John 7:37-39). And we know that His Spirit pours into us refreshing us and bringing life. Zechariah also saw trouble and plague and war, and we look around and see the same trouble in the world today. So I leave what I don’t fully understand and like Zechariah look to the future when all will be drawn to You and Your holiness and we will worship together in peace.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Wednesday 7th October 2026
Holy Spirit, living breath of God Breathe new life into my willing soul Bring the presence of the risen Lord To renew my heart and make me whole Cause Your Word to come alive in me Give me faith for what I cannot see Give me passion for Your purity Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me
Holy Spirit, come abide within May Your joy be seen in all I do Love enough to cover every sin In each thought and deed and attitude Kindness to the greatest and the least Gentleness that sows the path of peace Turn my strivings into works of grace Breath of God, show Christ in all I do
Holy Spirit, from creation’s birth Giving life to all that God has made Show Your power once again on earth Cause Your church to hunger for your ways Let the fragrance of our prayers arise Lead us on the road of sacrifice That in unity the face of Christ Will be clear for all the world to see
