Prayer for Today – Page 205

Wednesday 26th February 2025

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. ¹¹He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. ¹²And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹³Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. ¹⁴You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” Leviticus 23:9-14 NKJV

God of all,

You instigated a wave offering in celebration for the first sheaf of corn You saw after 40 years in the wilderness. The children of Israel constantly forgot Your provision and all You had done and moaned much. But then I know it is hard to be good 100% for 100% of the time! No its impossible. They were an agricultural nation and so having to bring the best lambs and best of the first harvest when they did reach the promised land would remind them and cost them. They would have to give the best and give it willingly. Giving was not as we sometimes think about today in church about money, it would be their livestock and food, the very stuff of their existence. Do we give of all we have?

What would I wave before You today as a witness to Your provision? Do I give You the first fruits of all You provide? Even the things I could not physically wave. My little car, my warm dry home, enough clothes to keep warm and dry. My supermarket shop. In fact everything I have I can give thanks for and use for Your service.

I can give lifts, give help, sponsorship and donations where it does not lead me to debt. My harvest sheaf wave does not need to be tied to food -unless perhaps to a food bank?

Help me wave my thanksgiving to You as I journey. It could bring a new meaning to raising my hands in worship. And an attitude of gratitude.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Wednesday 26th February 2025

Take my life and let it be consecrated to Thee
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love
at the impulse of Thy love

Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee
Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King
always, only for my King

Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee
Take my silver and my gold, not a might would I withhold
not a might would I withhold

Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee
Take my heart let it be dedicated Lord to Thee
dedicated Lord to Thee

Take my love, my Lord I pour at Your feet, it’s treasure store
Take myself and I will be ever, only, for my King
ever, only, for my King

Lyrics: Frances R. Havergal

Tuesday 25th February 2025

“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: ⁵The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. ⁶On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. ⁷On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. ⁸For seven days present a food offering to the Lord. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’” Leviticus 23:4-8 NIV

Holy Father,

The night after the angel passed over their houses and visited the Egyptians with the death of the firstborn, the children of Israel were safe, had to pack up and prepare to leave. Unleavened bread to eat on the way, no time to prove the dough. So what does this say to me today? Why celebrate with a sacred assembly and no regular work, a week of food offerings and a final sacred assembly and no regular work and again unleavened bread?

It certainly looks like You wanted their attention. When they left everything changed. They were called to a new journey and new way of life dependent on You. To live according to Your leading and behaving the way You instigated.

Perhaps we too need to take time after the joy of Easter and our celebrating the resurrection of Your first born Son. We too need to remember that from the moment we meet Jesus we are called to a journey with You. You are the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). Jesus says we should consider the cost in the illustration of the man building a tower in Luke 14:28-30.

Called to a journey following Jesus and living His way. Do we need to take time to sit with You and remember where we have come from and where we are going? Maybe set some time aside uncluttered by regular work. Bringing our thanks for Your provision, and commit to trusting to Your leading, Your way. So the enemy cannot push us off route or in too much of a hurry to be careful where we step.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Tuesday 25th February 2025
Actually this worship does not mention the name of God I had not noticed before. But for me me the “You” sung is our God. A tune you find yourself humming later.

One more step along the world I go,
one more step along the world I go,
from the old things to the new,
keep me traveling a long with you:
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.

Round the corner of the world I turn,
more and more about the world I learn;
all the new things that I see,
you’ll be looking at along with me:
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.

As I travel through the bad and good,
keep me traveling the way I should;
Where I see no way to go
you’ll be telling me the way I know:
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.

Give me courage when the world is rough,
keep me loving though the world is tough,
leap and sing in all I do,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.

You are older than the world can be,
you are younger than the life in me,
ever old and ever new,
keep me traveling along with you:
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me traveling along with you.

Lyrics: Sidney Carter

Monday 24th February 2025

“In addition to the Sabbath, these are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year.⁵“The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. ⁶On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. ⁷On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. ⁸For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.” Leviticus 23:4-8 NLT

Father God,

It is an eye opener for me this little verse at the beginning. “In addition to the sabbath these are the Lord’s appointed feasts.” Perhaps I should remember each Sabbath I should have the attitude of one going to a festival of the Lord. As a heart attitude.

Leviticus, in this the 23rd chapter, takes us through the remembrance festivals that must be celebrated every year. Beginning with the Passover (Exodus 12). Why? They could not nut we can see how they also showed what would come in the future.

Passover is of great importance and what we now call the last Supper was indeed a Passover meal (Matthew 26:17-27). He passed the bread to the disciples telling them that it was his body and that they should eat of it, Jesus presented himself as the Passover lamb. Did they see? He is called “our Passover lamb” in 1 Corinthians 5:7 and “the Lamb who was slain” in Revelation 5:12. John’s Gospel says that none of Jesus’ bones were broken in his crucifixion just as none of the Passover lamb’s bones were to be broken (John 19:33-37, Exodus 12:46).

Amazing Father God, that the Passover celebrates that You were the children of Israel’s deliverer, passed over their houses so no one died because of the sign of the blood of the Lamb. We celebrate because You are our deliverer and death passes over all those who belong to You because of the blood of the Lamb, Jesus. We celebrate every time we break bread . . .

Like the children of Israel we celebrate the last supper annually to keep the story of what You have done alive Lord God before the world. There is a promised land.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Worship Monday 24th February 2025
Yes I look forward to Heaven but how many of us pray but not yet please . . .

How I long to breathe the air of Heaven
Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets
To look upon the One who bled to save me
And walk with Him for all eternity

There will be a day when all will bow before Him
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with He who died and rose again
Holy, holy is the Lord

And every prayer we prayed in desperation
The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fear
In the end, we’ll see that it was worth it
When He returns to wipe away our tears

Chorus

And on that day, we join the resurrection
And stand beside the heroes of the faith
With one voice, a thousand generations
Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”
“Forever He shall reign”

So let it be today we shout the hymn of Heaven
With angels and the saints, we raise a mighty roar
Glory to our God who gave us life beyond the grave
Holy, holy is the Lord
Holy, holy is the Lord
Holy, holy is the Lord

Lyrics: Brian Johnson / Phil Wickham / Bill Johnson / Chris Davenport