Tag Archives: romans 8

Thought for the Week: Choices

In the prayer time last week, I pointed to Romans 8. V.28 where Paul said, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him”. This week I want to say a little more about that sentence. I don’t need to tell you that we are going through tragic circumstances which are not made by God but by evil that is prevalent in the world. At the beginning of Paul’s statement, it says, “we know”, so if we know what is good, we also know what is bad and are therefore led to make choices. In order to make the right choices we need the help of the Holy Spirit who deals with what is true and good for us. We had all hoped that by now we would be out of Lockdown but sadly that has not happened and I feel strongly that our prayers must be for what that means for us now and also what we are afraid of what we think the future will be.
As a lover of wildflowers, I move now to share with you something that has uplifted my recent days. On the day before Lockdown my daughter Lisa went to a funeral of the sister of her friend from Plymouth. When she came back home, she gave me six packets of seeds and on the packet were these words: “Let wildflowers grow in all the places I could not and every time you see them flower think of me.” Then it added, “Please scatter these seeds in memory of Del.”

I planted them in twenty small pots and spread the others in a part of the ground which needed weeding. I then watered the pots and after a week or two some little green shoots were seen and gradually, we saw some strong green plants but no flowers. They were overgrowing the small pots so then I transplanted them into the old plastic dog basket with a prayer that they would survive. Then, about ten days ago, there were signs of small white flowers and following, day by day, different flowers popped up and we now have corn flowers, lesser spear wort, fox and cubs, sand wort, ox eye daisies, willow herb, dog rose and others.
What a lovely way for the family and friends to remember their loved one.

PRAYER TIME

AMAZING GOD we praise You for all the ways You help us to cope with sadness. As it says in Psalm 30 v. 11 “You turned my sorrow into joy!”
Today Lord we are facing more sadness as thousands of people are losing their jobs and are afraid of the future because they will be unable to feed their children and some families are already in that situation.
Lord, You know that many people have died because of the pandemic and are distraught because they have not been able to be with their loved ones as they died. FATHER GOD, we place all of those people into Your hands.
LOVING GOD, we have heard that You overturn the bad to make it good. When Mary was told that she would give birth to Jesus, the Angel Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid, for nothing is impossible with God.”
FORGIVING GOD, during recent days people have made choices which were against the law and in doing so have made danger for other people. We all at times fail to follow the way Jesus Christ showed us how to live and how to show our love for one another. Lord we ask for forgiveness for our wrong choices in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
CREATING GOD, we thank You for the abundance of wildflowers in the countryside as well as the varieties of beautiful flowers in our gardens and in hanging pots in our cities and towns.
CARING GOD, we ask help for the problems made by COVID-19. For instance, that the children can return to school safely and that the teachers will be ready to restart lessons for them. We pray too that if another spike occurs, the NHS will be able to cope with those who are ill and have all that is necessary to keep the doctors, nurses and carers safe.
FATHER GOD all our prayers are in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave us the Holy Spirit to intercede in our weaknesses and our choices. We reach out for the hands of God to hold us in safety. AMEN

Thought for the Week: Lifted High

It was very early on Thursday morning, time to prepare for this week’s THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK. I was about to close the computer down, prayerfully asking for inspiration, and there it was before me! A thank you for the “SO GOOD” thought from a reader who had tried but failed, she said, to say something profound about ‘be strong, keep calm and have faith’ and then asked, could I help?
You Raise Me Up
You will recall that a previous THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK included words from a song which was sung by Michael Ball with Captain Tom who raised over 30 million pounds for the NHS. Soon throughout the world people were singing the song and getting help through the words, “When you walk through a storm… you will never walk alone”. As I recalled that happening, another song popped into my mind – one that has always lifted me when I’ve struggled. It was written by the band Secret Garden, with music from Norwegian Ralph Lovlaid and lyrics by Irish writer Brendon Graham. Many have interpreted “You Raise Me Up” as a song to God, part of which is “When I am down and oh my soul so weary, You raise me up,” and another line is “I am strong when I am on Your shoulders… You raise me up to more than I can be…”
Please let me know if you can’t find the complete song for in that raising up there is calmness and faith.
Now I take you back to those two short words ‘calm’ and ‘faith’, neither of which need to be intense or deep in knowledge. We might remember the day when Jesus calmed the storm – Luke 8.v.22-25. Jesus did not calm the storm for Himself but for His frightened disciples as He does it for us.
Then we go to St. Paul writing to the people of the Roman church (Romans 8 v.26 & 27) and saying, “The Spirit (Holy Spirit) helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us by searching in our hearts.” Our simplicity is loved by God and answered by Him.
I have spoken to Revd Michael and Barbara Haighton and they thank us for the prayers. Thinking about those who have not got access to the internet, they suggested turning to Premier Christian Radio, which can be found on channel 725 on Freeview (also available on digital radio).

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Almighty and ever hearing God, we pray that we might find stillness, for in stillness we can know your nearness and as we are still Lord you show us how to be calm.
Lord God, as we are quiet, we find once more the depth of love which comes to us from your Son Jesus who gave His life that we might live.
As we are still and quiet we remember how Jesus calmed the storms and as, at the present time, we are going through the storm of COVID-19 the prayer is that Jesus might calm our fears, that our children will be safe as well as the teachers and other workers, as the decision has been made for the schools to be opened again soon.
We pray too that the Holy Spirit will be interceding in all our prayers as was promised by St Paul. and as we pray as always in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. AMEN

Thought for the Week: So Good So Good So Good

Strange words to begin with when we watch the news and hear so many negative statistics about past, present and future. Our word for today is ADOPTION. This week 75 years ago the war against Europe was over. There was celebration, people smiled again and got together in London and in street parties and even though the war had changed lives there was an air of SO GOOD. The people adopted the future and sang, not for the first time ‘We’ll meet again’.
ADOPTION for a child can mean a change of life, both for the children and for the families who have ADOPTED them with hope for all; SO GOOD.
Nala
A few months ago, my daughter saw an advertisement for a cat, free to a good home. When I returned from a short break, I discovered we had ADOPTED a beautiful cat, and our lives changed. Nala, the cat, without words shows us what she doesn’t like and what she likes. She rules our lives. Not always SO GOOD but even better!
Recently I was given a book in which the author, a Christian with a family, had hit a time of darkness and was ill for a while. Later with his family he ADOPTED a small child and through the ADOPTION he realised what it meant in ROMANS 8. V. 22-24 about wanting to be ADOPTED by God. People of faith need help in their lives to have hope. The HOLY SPIRIT is the first gift and it says that from that gift and even through suffering we know that there is still better to come, and we seek it eagerly.
ADOPTION by God, given through Jesus changes our lives, takes us with our problems and loves us completely.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK


Heavenly and giving Lord,
As our thoughts go to the past when people of our country gave their lives to save others and sang, ‘We’ll meet again’, we thank you Father that you gave your Son’s life that we could be free. We bring to You our memories and the memories of those who were there when the war ended. Our thoughts go to the present, when through the necessity of lockdown we are apart from our loved ones, so that others loved by their families working in caring will be safe and their lives will be saved as they will be singing, ‘We’ll meet again’. Our thoughts go to the future and our prayers are that we will be together, ADOPTED children of God, drawn together in His love. We pray thanks and hope that those words we began with will be used: SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD. AMEN