Category: Daily Prayer

Sunday 20th July 2025

“Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises. 3 Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, ‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.” 4 The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever..5 I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. 6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon. 7 My people will again live under my shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon. 8 “O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me.” 9 Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.” Hosea 14:1-9 NLT

Lord Our God,

Last words, end of books, summaries. Here is Hosea’s. After all the judgement, rebellion and unfaithfulness he has clearly put before the Your people, he sums up with an opt out option. Even if they do not take it, which they do not at this time, it is there as a witness. Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever. (Hosea 14:4) What an option! God is forever open to embrace someone seeking His forgiveness.

Then when we read the end of the Bible, the last chapter of Revelation we find Lord Your promise, “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.  Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.” (Revelation 22:14,15) and “Come. Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17. What an option for us, for anyone!

I choose Christ, choose the robe of righteousness, choose life, choose to drink deeply of God’s love for all eternity. Thank You for Your written Word and thank You for speaking the Word into our history and for being unchangeable in Your commitment, love and faithfulness.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Sunday 20th July 2025
The words, nobody said it would be easy come to mind . . .

I will choose Christ
I will choose love
I choose to serve
I give my heart
I give my life
I give all to You

Some days are hard
And I fight to see the truth
But I’m gonna take a stand
In all I say and do

I will choose Christ
I will choose love
I choose to serve
I give my heart
I give my life
I give all to You

Some fall away
And some refuse to see
A willing and humble heart
I pray You’ll find in me

I will choose Christ
I will choose love
I choose to serve
I give my heart
I give my life
I give all to You

You are grace
You are peace
You are hope and healing
You are faith
You are joy
You are God revealing
Jesus
My Lord and King

I will choose Christ
I will choose love
I choose to serve
I give my heart
I give my life
I give all to You

Lyrics: Tom Booth & Kathy Triccoli

Saturday 19th July 2025

“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. 9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.” Hosea 11:8-9 NLT

God the Holy One,

Here in these two verses Hosea wrestles with the dilemma of a You, being a holy, righteous God and yet who overflows with compassion. It is as if he can read Your heart – but as You remind him – You God are not a mere mortal. We wither and die and You do not. We are not capable of being good and You demand righteousness. We are want to fail and doubt and waver and yet, You are faithful.

I wonder if Hosea saw the journey of Israel from Abraham to Moses to the Promised Land to the divided Kingdom with all the swings between faith and folly? Obedience and rebellion? Saw how much You loved the children of Israel and yet hated their rebellious and sinful behavior. Would Hosea see how You repeatedly held to Your promises. We know that Your dilemma Lord would not have a solution for over 700 years – in Jesus.

It gives me hope and a great respect for Your mercy. You still love us, Your creation, regardless of the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1) even Your family in Christ. And You are still calling out to those who would hear and find You.

Thank You, that You did not give up on Your chosen people, or on me. You will not give up on those yet to come. You never give up loving. We cannot fathom the depths of Your love but gratefully give thanks in Jesus

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Saturday 19th July 2025

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
 God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.

When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love, so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Repeat . . .

Lyrics: Frederick Martin Lehman

Friday 18th July 2025

“Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel! The Lord has brought charges against you, saying: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. 2 You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere—one murder after another. 3 That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing. 4 “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you. So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother. 6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.” Hosea 4:1-6 NLT

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. 2 But the more I called to him, the farther he moved from me, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. 3 I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn’t know or even care that it was I who took care of him. 4 I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.” Hosea 11:1-4

Father God,

Through these chapters 4 to 8 we read endlessly of Israel’s unfaithfulness, openly rejecting Your law, openly worshiping idols and Your Priests openly leading them astray. But them we catch snippets of the depth of Your compassion. How You loved him and led him and cared for him with kindness and love. You stooped from heaven to feed Israel.

You wait, You look, You hope and still love. Even in the face of such unfaithfulness You provide an opportunity. The writer of the letter to the Roams speaks of Your kindness, “4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Romans 2:4). In the face of our sin and God’s kindness we find forgiveness. How wonderful the message of Your love has never changed and You still grant us free will to choose. You are eternally kind and eternally merciful and patient. To those who would repent that is.

Help us to be kind and gracious.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Friday 19th July 2025
I could only remember snatches of this song and am so glad to have found it again. It is God’s kindness that led me to repentance.

Oh my Lord You are so kind
Oh my Lord You are so kind
Morning to morning day to day
You reveal Your righteous ways

It’s Your kindness that leads to repentance
It’s Your blood that brings forgiveness
It’s Your mercy that leads me here
To Your throne of grace

Lyrics: Charlie Hines