“Your pride and joy, O Israel, lies dead on the hills!
Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen!
20 Don’t announce the news in Gath,
don’t proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon,
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice
and the pagans will laugh in triumph.
21 O mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor fruitful fields producing offerings of grain.
For there the shield of the mighty heroes was defiled;
the shield of Saul will no longer be anointed with oil.
22 The bow of Jonathan was powerful,
and the sword of Saul did its mighty work.
They shed the blood of their enemies
and pierced the bodies of mighty heroes.” 2 Samuel 1:19-22 NLT
Our Lord and God,
David’s whole life went from being a hunted victim to freedom and yet he did not gloat. He found it in his heart to remember Saul had been chosen by You even if he had wandered from living Your way. Johnathon had stayed loyal to his father even though he was torn between seeing the future would not be victorious for him. David uses only words reflecting the good they had done. Not just for Jonathon because he was a close friend but for the man who had tried to kill him, but was an anointed king.
Sometimes You call us to be bigger than the situations we find ourselves in. We do not need to gloat and can afford be generous in our riches in Jesus. We do not need to put others down to be raised up as we are children of a King. We do not need to repeat what people already know. And we remember that we too make mistakes and are glad You do not publicise them but forgive them and remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12).
Thank you for Jesus.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Thursday 1st May 2025
Come, people of the Risen King
Who delight to bring Him praise
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in
Rejoice, Rejoice
Let every tongue rejoice
One heart, one voice
O Church of Christ, rejoice
Come, those whose joy is morning sun
And those weeping through the night
Come, those who tell of battles won
And those struggling in the fight
For His perfect love will never change
And His mercies never cease
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace
Chorus
Come, young and old from every land
Men and women of the faith
Come, those with full or empty hands
Find the riches of His grace
Over all the world, His people sing
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age
“Our God is all in all”
Lyrics: Keith Getty, Kristyn Lennox Getty,Stuart Townend