Thursday 30th April
Hymn: O God, you search me and you know me (StF 728)
Prayer:
Lord God, sometimes it’s hard to stay positive. We get fed up with our own company – we miss seeing our family and friends. What’s so amazing is that you know us so well, including our faults, foibles and hang ups, and yet you never tire of us! You love us completely and unconditionally, and are constantly reaching out to us through your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, and please put your spark of joy into our lives right now!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 29th April
Hymn: Dear Lord and Father of mankind (StF 495/H&P 673)
Prayer:
Loving God, this time of lockdown has changed the world as we know it. But alongside the loss, the grief, the isolation, it is as though creation has burst into song, as skies have cleared of pollution, the joyful chorus of birds has replaced the drone of aeroplanes, and communities have come together in amazing ways. God of second chances, help us to learn from these new experiences of being, and to strive to build a better, brighter, kinder world, where the voice of creation, and above all your voice, are heard and heeded.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 28th April
Hymn: Men of faith, rise up and sing (SofF 921)
Prayer:
In the unpredictability of our everyday lives, how good it is to have Jesus, ‘Lord of heaven and earth’ as our Saviour. Thank you, Jesus, for the confidence and security this gives us now, and the promise of a future bright with hope.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 27th April
Hymn: The splendour of the King (StF15/SofF 2065)
Prayer:
Almighty and glorious God, you are Alpha and Omega – you see the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. We praise you that you hold all things and all time in your hands – and you hold us, so tenderly and with such understanding that we can be certain that nothing will ever separate us from your loving care. How great is our God!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 26th April
Hymn: Be still my soul
Prayer:
As we enter a new week, it’s so good to know you are with us, Lord, the One constant in a sea of uncertainty. And therefore we can be still, for you are not ‘locked down’ – your Holy Spirit roams free, unimpeded by human constraints, reaching out, pouring your love into our hearts and lives and giving us hope, a hope that will never disappoint us, a security upon which we can depend.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 25th April
Hymn: Lord, for the years (StF 470/CMP 428)
Prayer:
Gracious God, all of history is your story – your story of loving us to death, even the death of your Son Jesus, and proving through his resurrection that nothing can separate us from you. As we look back at our own lives and trace your faithfulness to us, we can be confident that you are with us now, giving us the strength to face both today and all our tomorrows, knowing that you will more than meet our every need. Thank you, Lord!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 24th April
Hymn: Father, I place into your hands (StF 519/CMP 133)
Prayer:
There’s a lot we can’t do at the moment, Lord! It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing, and sometimes it gets us down. So we ask you to take this from us, together with the anxiety and the helplessness we often experience, and to hold it and us in your loving hands. And know ourselves safe and secure in you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 23rd April
Hymn: Bless the Lord, O my soul (SofF 2231)
Prayer:
Lord God, you have blessed us in so many ways and we have so much to be thankful for: the promise of each new day, the care of friends and neighbours, for your love surrounding us every moment, and, ‘whatever lies before us’ the hope we have in Jesus Christ. ‘10,000 reasons for our heart to find’ – so let’s start counting!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 22nd April
Hymn: In heavenly love abiding (StF-736)
Prayer:
We’re not too keen on ‘change’, Lord – it can be scary, challenging, uncomfortable. And now, in this constantly changing landscape, where nothing feels secure and the future is unclear, it’s difficult to find a firm footing for our lives. But if we think about it, we know that ‘perfect love casts out fear’ – and you, Jesus, love us perfectly, completely, with an inexhaustible and unchanging love. Thank you that this is something we can hold onto, something we can rely on always.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 21st April
Hymn: Be still, for the presence of the Lord (StF 20/CMP 50)
Prayer:
You bid us ‘be still’, Lord, and yet how can we be when we are in the midst of such unsettling and anxious times? How can we ‘be still’ when loved ones are suffering, others are grieving and the future is so full of questions? But then you remind us that you are God, here with us, ministering your grace and your healing peace, reassuring us that nothing is beyond your power or your loving care. And through this we can be still – in this we can put our trust.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 20th April
Hymn: He will hold me fast
Prayer:
Though we may be physically separated from one another, when we long for a hug, we have that assurance that you are with us, Lord Jesus, holding us safe in your loving arms. Whatever we may be going through, when we reach our lowest point of aloneness or anxiety or grieving, we can be certain that you will never let us go. That’s so special, Lord, thank you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 19th April
Hymn: And can it be that I should gain (StF345/H&P 216)
Prayer:
And can it be? The answer is an amazing, transforming, resounding ‘Yes!’ Because of you, Lord Jesus, because of all you have won for us through your Cross and Resurrection, we have freedom, forgiveness and new life in you. Thank you for loving us so much!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 18th April
Hymn: Jesus what a beautiful name CMP 998/SofF 877
Prayer:
‘Grace that blows all fear away’ – what a wonderful encouragement and hope in these unsettled and anxious times, Jesus, as we allow your Holy Spirit to breathe into our lives your love, your power and your peace. Jesus, what a beautiful name!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 17th April
Hymn: Lord, I come before your throne of grace (StF 58/SofF 894)
Prayer:
The news is disturbing, frightening, there seems to be no end in sight, so much suffering, so much grief. Yet, Lord God, you are sovereign and you are faithful, and you are here among us, and in this confidence, and through the presence of your Holy Spirit, we can find comfort, a sense of peace, and hope for the future.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 16th April
Hymn: God sent his Son, they called him Jesus (CMP 52/SofF 736)
Prayer:
Because you live, Lord Jesus, the whole of life has meaning and purpose; because you live we know our sins forgiven; because you live our hope is not only for now but for the future; because you live you are always with us, guiding, strengthening and encouraging us through your Holy Spirit. Because you live there is nothing we have to face alone. Thank you, Lord
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 15th April
Hymn: Jesus is Lord, the cry that echoes through creation (SofF 1387)
Prayer:
So much of the Easter story is about emptiness – the empty Cross, because Jesus is risen! A ‘gloriously empty’ tomb because nothing, not even death itself, could contain the Lord of Life! Lord Jesus, at those times when we feel bereft, alone, cast down, desperately trying to cling to hope, come, fill to overflowing those empty places with your love, your peace and the joy of your risen life.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 14th April
Hymn: I serve a risen Saviour (CMP 295)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in this time of isolation and separation it is so wonderful to know that you are with us, alongside us, as we go about our daily lives; indeed more than this, that you go ahead of us in all the trials and anxieties that we face. Thank you for your promise that nothing can ever separate us from your love.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 13th April
Hymn: See what a morning (StF 309)
Prayer:
‘And we are raised with him’ – what words of comfort and hope! In the midst of these uncertain and confusing times, we thank you, Lord, for the security and assurance our faith gives us, that ‘death IS dead, love HAS won and Christ HAS conquered’. Whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, this is your promise, and this is our song!
Amen
Liz Stuart
