Start the Day – Page 2 – Start The Day

Thursday 23rd July 2026

“Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.” ¹⁰For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. ¹¹But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,’ says the Lord, ‘and they shall till it and dwell in it.’ ” ” ¹²I also spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live! ¹³Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you; ¹⁵for I have not sent them,” says the Lord, “yet they prophesy a lie in My name, that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.” Jeremiah 27:9-15 NKJV

Father God,

Meanwhile leaving Daniel and his friends in Babylon we come back to Jeremiah still speaking out Your message to those left behind in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas of Judah. The lone voice speaking against the united prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers and sorcerers (Jeremiah 4:9). They were saying what people wanted to hear that everything would be OK again. Were they convinced it was true by general consensus? Did they feel they had to say something and went with the easiest? Where they afraid to stand with Jeremiah and also get punished?

It is not always easy to stand alone or to speak the truth when it will be costly. You God said we should not lie (Exodus 20:16). Jesus told us the Satan is called the father of lies and he can make them seem very convincing! (John 8:44). Your Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and will guide us in all truth (John 16:13). With You when we know the truth there is no going back to the lie.

Jeremiah could not stay silent even though he was a lone voice ( and you did provide him with the support of Baruch his secretary). Help us to not stay silent when we have the opportunity to share something of Your goodness, kindness and love. They may not listen – but that is not our problem. But they may.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Thursday 23rd July 2026

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

3esus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.

He speaks and, listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.

Hear him, you deaf! his praise, you dumb
your loosened tongues employ;
you blind, now see your saviour come,
and leap, you lame, for joy!

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim
and spread through all the earth abroad
the honours of your name.

Lyrics: Charles Wesley

Wednesday 22nd July 2026

“Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. ²I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. ³How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.” ⁴I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. ⁵I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. ⁶Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.” Daniel 4:1-6 NKJV

“This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: ²⁵They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven ^[f]times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” Daniel 4:24-25 NKJV

“At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”” Daniel 4:28-31 NKJV

Father, God and Almighty King,

This time it is a year before the King forgets what You God have done and sees everything as his own creation for his own glory. So he has to learn to eat grass!

How kind You are God to limit his time and to provide for when the king would repent. No-one usurped him while he was in his madness! How kind to provide Daniel with the interpretation that contained not just the judgement but a call to put things right (Daniel 4:27) and also who cared enough to hope that the king would again turn back to God.

The writer to the Romans reminds us that Your kindness God leads us to repentance. (Romans 2:4 NIV). The NKJV says the goodness of God leads to forgiveness. Goodness and kindness. Looking as we do, to You through Jesus, we see Your goodness and kindness in everything You do. Help us to remain steadfast in or faith and remember how good and kind You are to forgive our sin.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Wednesday 22nd July 2026
We just had this in June . . . but it is such mellow heartfelt worship it is well worth the repeat.

It’s so good I almost can’t believe it
Far beyond what hearts could ever dream
The God who set the galaxies in motion
Would descend to give His life for me

For what could make perfection bleed for sinners
What leads a King to pay so great a cost
All my life, my heart will sing the answer
Only the love of God

Singing oh, how great is the love of God
He paid our debt on that rugged cross
For all our days, we will sing our Savior’s praise
How great is the love of God

It’s so kind, it leads us to repentance
And it’s so bright, the darkness has to flee
Hallelujah, it cleared my guilty sentence
For I was bound but now I stand redeemed

For what could break the chains of any prison?
What force could rob the power from the grave?
What would trade my rags for heaven’s riches?
Only the love of God

Chorus

Though I try, my mind can’t comprehend it
It’s so high, too marvelous for words
I could sing a million songs about it
And barely scratch the surface of Your worth

This all my life, the banner I’ll be waving
My anthem cry no matter what may come
And when I rise to walk the streets of heaven
I’ll still be singing this song (oh, my song)
For everything that You’ve done
How great the love of God (hey)

Chorus Twice

How great is the love of God
Thank You Jesus

Lyrics: Phil Wickham, Cody Carnes, Benjamin William Hastings, Michael Brandon Lake

Tuesday 21st July 2026

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. ⁴⁷The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” ⁴⁸Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.” Daniel 2:46-49 NKJV

“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon . . . ⁴Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; ⁶and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” Daniel 3:1,4-6 NKJV

God who only is worthy of worship,

The end of Daniel chapter two we see Nebuchadnezzar bowing in worship to You God. He calls You, “the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets”. The very next verse Daniel 3:1 he is making a huge gold image of himself to be worshipped. Not lifesize but approximately 90 ft x 9 ft or 27.4 x 2.75 meters give or take a bit. St Mary’s church Brecon steeple is 90 feet high to put it into perspective.

There are not many verses between Nebuchadnezzar promoting Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, to having them thrown into the fiery furnace for not worshipping his image. Killing his own guards in the process (Daniel 3:22). A fourth man in the furnace (Daniel 3:25) and again Nebuchadnezzar is forced to acknowledge You God.

Many of us do not have such vivid proof of You, God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found that keeping the first commandment can put You in mortal danger, but You were worthy of their trust! Nebuchadnezzars faith is like a pendulum Swinging from from You, God to his own vainglory. My faith is nowhere near perfect but like Daniel and his friends I choose You as my God. I pray I will not be put to the test as they were. And Lord, keep safe those who must worship in secret or who stand up and lose their lives today.*

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

*North Korea, Pakistan, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan . . .

Worship Tuesday 21st July 2026

Surely our God is the God of gods
And the Lord of kings
The revealer of mysteries
Surely our God is the God of gods
And the Lord of kings

He changes the times and the seasons
He gives rhythm to the tides
He knows what is hidden
In the darkest of places
Brings the shadows in to His light

Chorus

I will praise You always my Father
You are Lord of heaven and earth
You hide Your secrets
From the wise and the learned
And reveal them to this Your child

Chorus

Thank You for sending Your only Son
We may know the mystery of God –
He opens the treasures
Of wisdom and knowledge
To the humble not to the proud

Lyrics: David L and Liz Morris