“5I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. 8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 12 They surrounded me like bees; they were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.” Psalm 118:5-12 NKJV
Lord our Lord,
Yesterday Lord we agreed with the Psalmist, we will give thanks to You Lord, for You are good and Your mercy endures forever (Psalm 118 verses 1,2,3 and 4). But life is not always good however and we thank You that we do not remember every detail of times that were hard, painful or frightening. If David did pen this Psalm it was a personal testimony of personal failure, treachery and attack.
David learned that it was better to trust You first, then in his men (army), and lastly princes (those who had power, clout and ability to sort things!) Proverbs tells us that plans can succeed when we take the counsel of others (Proverbs 15:22). Yes, sometimes others can give good advice . . . But David sought You first. His family was taken captive (1 Samuel 30:1-2). He sought You, Lord first (1 Samuel 30:8) and all were saved. Saul sought to kill him regularly and Johnathon his soul mate was killed. David’s own son Absalom sought to take his throne and kill him (2 Samuel 15:14). Trouble not always of his own making.
Our life is a challenge sometimes. I love that the Psalmist says it can be like being in the midst of a swarm of angry bees. A numberless swarm or a few loud and seemingly threatening? Or are they just frightening? We trust You to help us swat, dispel and silence those threats and fears. Remove their sting and take away our fear. Help us call upon You and trust You first. And then remember to ask for others help when we need to.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Lord, our Lord,
For our family, extended family, friends, neighbours.
For our Ministers, lay leaders, church members. Sunday school teachers.
For our king and all those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2).
For Gaza, Middle East, solutions for peace for all.
For Ukraine. Send a miracle, an end to war.
For Myanmar cut off by the military, no contact with the outside world.
For Bee Keepers and bees in our nation.
For bees and hives being provided by overseas charities to give struggling families an income.
For bees and beekeepers, wild bees and butterflies.
For our emergency services, NHS, doctors surgeries, chemist’s following IT outages..
For prayer lines, good Samaritans and wise counsel.
For a day to know restorative pauses in our busyness, Your solutions to problems and a good day.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Monday 22nd July 2024
When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favour he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
Chorus
Lord I love you, please help me to trust and obey
Lord I love you, please help me to trust and obey
Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey.
Chorus
Lord I love you, please help me to trust and obey
Lord I love you, please help me to trust and obey
Lyrics: John H Sammis 1887
Added Chorus: Big Daddy Weave.