Daily Prayer & Hymn Suggestion
Sunday 5th October
Hymn: Jesus, the name high over all (StF 357/H&P 265/SofF 307/MP 385)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are the One who changes lives, who speaks words of love, of hope and promise into our minds and hearts, who changes us through your Holy Spirit from the inside out. Yours is the Name that brings comfort to grieving souls, that brings peace to anxious thoughts, that brings encouragement to those who are flagging on life’s path. And you are the One who we worship today, Lord, bringing our songs of praise, our petitions and our confession, for in your great love you have reached out, and continue to reach out to all who seek the fullness of life that can only be found in you. As we come before you today may we do so with open hands, ready to receive all that you so freely offer us, and so become more like you in our living and our loving.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 4th October
Hymn: Calm me, Lord, as you calmed the storm (StF 624)
Prayer:
Just being in your presence, Lord Jesus, stepping aside from the daily routine to spend time and to touch base with you, can make all the difference to our day, and put those things that are getting us down, frustrating or troubling us into a new perspective. The problem is, when we’re in a rush, it’s usually our ‘Quiet time’ with you, Lord, that’s gets neglected, and though we intend to fit it in elsewhere in the day, everything else takes over – and then it’s late and we’re tired and there’s always tomorrow…. But when this happens it’s often at the cost of our peace, that sense of well-being that helps us to view things in a more positive and hopeful light, affecting our conversations, our relationships and our decisions. So let’s get today off to a good start, Lord, because together we can face anything that comes our way.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 3rd October
Hymn: Jesus, all for Jesus (StF 555/SofF 1376)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, it’s only when we give you our ‘all’ that we can find the complete freedom of new life in you, but that sometimes means we will have to surrender the hopes and dreams and decisions we have already made for our lives. But that’s not necessarily because there is anything wrong with our plans, Lord –more that your plans for us are so much greater, more able to develop the gifts you have given us and to bring out the best in us – and often to reveal those hidden talents or attributes that otherwise may have remained undiscovered. And because they are rooted in love, and because you are always working for our good, we know that we can fully trust the plans that you have for us. So today, Lord, help us to listen out for your guidance in the situations we find ourselves, that in all we say and do we may give you glory.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 2nd October
Hymn: Everyday God (StF 45)
Prayer:
Sometimes we might be tempted to put you in a box, Lord God, a box labelled ‘Sundays’ as if it’s only on this day that we can really draw close to you, and yet, when we look around us and within ourselves, we soon discover that you are indeed our ‘everyday’ God! We see evidence of you at work in the world around us, in the beauty of your Creation; we can experience your presence in the workplace, whether that’s in our kitchen or in an office or on the supermarket floor. We can know your love surrounding us when, perhaps especially when, we don’t feel ‘holy’, when we are not on our best behaviour, and in the difficult situations in which we sometimes find ourselves we are often made aware of the guidance of your Holy Spirit. So on this ordinary, everyday day, help us to look out for you in unexpected places and in heavenly surprises!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 1st October
Hymn: If I got Jesus
Prayer:
There are so many attractions that the world offers us, Lord Jesus, or perhaps distractions would be a better word, because the one thing they have in common is their attempt to draw us away from you – to use our time, our gifts, our abilities, our resources in ways that please ourselves but can never satisfy our deepest longings or do honour to you. In fact we will often find ourselves left feeling disappointed and let down because, in taking our eyes off you, we are losing contact with the one Person who can make us complete, who offers us wholeness, peace and hope. So today help us to stay focussed on you and rely on your strength to see us through whatever challenges this day brings, for with you, Jesus, in your love and in your keeping, we have all we need.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 30th September
Hymn: Your hand, O God, has guided (StF 692/H&P 784/SofF 1065/MP 705)
Prayer:
When we put our trust in you, Lord God, we are not simply relying on our own experience of your faithfulness in our own lives, vitally important though that is, for we have the whole history of how you have guided your people over hundreds and thousands of years. We can read their stories, learn from their example, be uplifted and encouraged by their lives, and be certain that just as you were there with those who have gone before us, so you will always be there for us. We may be living very different lives, in a very different culture, but what unites us with them is our faith in you, Lord, and the knowledge that you are the same yesterday, today and forever, our God who never changes and whose love for us remains constant and strong. May we set out today with this confidence and joyful courage in our hearts.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 29th September
Hymn: You do not walk alone
Prayer:
We set out on a new ‘working week’, Lord God, and some of us are looking forward to celebrations, a special event, perhaps one we’ve been planning for months, but for others there will be challenges, disappointments, difficulties, things about which we are anxious or fearful, things we have been dreading. The one certainty in it all though, Lord, is that we do not face any of it alone, for you are just as much there with us giving us the support and the strength we need as you are there making our joy complete. So, Lord, we’re going to enter into whatever this week holds with our heads held high, asking that we will not only be aware of your presence but that we will use each opportunity that greets us to show whose we are and to share your love.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 28th September
Hymn: Fill your hearts with joy and gladness (SofF 717/MP 147)
Prayer:
It is such a joy, Lord God, to join together in our local church, and with our brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere, to worship you, to lift our hearts and our voices in words and songs of praise, and to bring our prayers for the world, for our neighbours and for ourselves, knowing we are bringing all of this to the very throne of grace. But sometimes we can feel a bit dispirited, Lord, because our congregations are not what they used to be, and we long for the ‘old days’ when the seats were full and when our young people’s groups were thriving. And then we remember that you are the God who rejoices when one lost sheep is found, and that, however weak we feel our efforts are, you are always ready to accept all we offer. So may our worship today be a source of blessing to all, and give delight to you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 27th September
Hymn: I heard the voice of Jesus say (StF 248/H&P 136/SofF 215/MP 275)
Prayer:
We come to you, Lord Jesus, some of us weary from all this last week has brought, from all we’ve been carrying, both ourselves and for other people, and thankful that we can lay all this before you and find rest in you. Not that you don’t already know all this, Lord, because you have travelled these days with us and given us glimpses of your presence in moments of insight, in words from Scripture or from a hymn that have encouraged us, sometimes in people who have been there just at the right time to offer the help we needed, maybe in a phone call that has given us that necessary boost. And now, Lord, you invite us to rest, to recoup our strength, and to remind ourselves that you are always there bringing your light and hope into even our darkest moments and assuring us of your love. So may we know your peace enfolding us today.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 26th September
Hymn: I’ve found a friend. O such a friend (MHB 423/MP 352)
Prayer:
Friends are so important in our lives, Lord God, those people we can turn to for advice and support, those who have encouraged us and sometimes challenged us because they care about us. But friends can’t be with us all the time, Lord, and sometimes there are things that we keep hidden even from those who are closest to us. And that’s why having you as a friend, dear Lord, is so essential, for you know us more intimately than any human friend, better, in fact, than we often understand ourselves – and you are there for us in those long, small hours of the night when fears and aloneness tend to overwhelm us, offering us your peace. Thank you, Lord, for your friendship and your faithfulness, and for being with us as we face all that today will bring.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 25th September
Hymn: River, wash over me (SofF 487/MP 581)
Prayer:
We’re not through the week yet, Lord, but already many of us may be feeling tired, stressed or struggling to get all the tasks we’ve set ourselves done. Maybe it was an effort to get up this morning because we felt so weary and we just long for that break in routine. Or perhaps it’s the opposite, and we’re facing another long day on our own, wondering whether anyone will call, another day of looking at the phone and hoping someone will ring and we won’t feel so alone. Whichever it is, Lord God, we all need the refreshing of your Holy Spirit and a new infilling of the abundant life only you can bring, life in which we know ourselves truly loved and never forgotten for you promise to be with us always. And, if we can, maybe we could lift the phone or knock on a door!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 24th September
Hymn: The Father’s song (SofF 1321)
Prayer:
What a beautiful, wonderful thought, Lord God, that ever since, and surely even before our birth, you have been singing a love song over us, a song unique to us that you have placed deep within us and which you long for us to sing back to you. A song that tells us how much you care for us, Lord, how precious we are to you, and that even when we don’t realise it, and, let’s be honest, when we don’t deserve it, we never cease to be your children, held safe in our Father’s arms. Lord, whatever we are going through, whatever anxieties or troubles we face, may we hear echoes of your song today. Let the melody of your love bringing harmony to our minds and hearts, reminding us that you are watching over us and filling us with your peace.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 23rd September
Hymn: Praise to the holiest in the height (StF 334/ H&P 231/SofF 469/ MP 563)
Prayer:
Lord God, when you created the world and set all things in motion you didn’t just abandon all you had made, and you didn’t abandon us. From the very beginning of time you have always looked out for us, through prophetic voices challenging us to live in your way, and, when this was not enough, sending Jesus to live among us, showing us through his life, death and Resurrection what it means to be a human being. Such love and such sacrifice, Lord, and yet, though we continue to let you down, you still reach out to us through your Holy Spirit, forgiving us, reclaiming us and always seeking to renew our relationship with you. Your goodness and your generosity amaze us, Lord, and we thank you. May we know your strength and guidance today as we seek to live more nearly in the way of Jesus.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 22nd September
Hymn: We’ve a story to tell to the nations MP 744
Prayer:
Most of us love stories, Lord God. We can become immersed in them, so involved in them that it’s almost as if we are living the lives of the characters, completely held in the plot and oblivious to what is going on around us! But what about your story and our story, Lord? Do we always give these the same attention, particularly where those two stories meet and intertwine, to the extent that we become so involved in your story that it becomes our story too? And yet this is the story people so need and long to hear, and the story we experience day by day, the story of your love, and the only story that can bring real hope and lasting peace. Lord, help us to live out your story today, that in and through our words and actions this story will come to life.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 21st September
Hymn: Give me the faith (StF 661/H&P 767/MP 168)
Prayer:
Lord God, we come to worship you because there is so much that we want to praise and thank you for, and whether that is in a vast cathedral or in a tiny chapel or even on our own, joining with others through the media, we find our hearts uplifted and receive strength for our life journey from being together. But alongside this, we come because we are struggling and we want to be grow in our faith, to find the assurance that we lack, and the courage to live out our faith in the nitty gritty of the world. And it is so often as we open ourselves to you, Lord, and as we rededicate ourselves and the gifts and abilities with which you have entrusted us, that we find ourselves built up, renewed and re-energised by your Holy Spirit. Help us to do this today, Lord, and discover new depths to your love and the new life you want each of us to receive and enjoy.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 20th September
Hymn: Be still and know
Prayer:
It sounds so easy, Lord! You ask us to ‘be still’, but, while we may not be doing anything physically, our minds are racing, raking over the past, agitating to get on with things we have to get done, worrying about things that are coming up next week, sometimes trying to make contingency plans for situations over which we have little control. However much we try, real stillness seems so hard to achieve! Lord, help us to be patient and to ask your Holy Spirit to quieten our minds, our thoughts, our hearts, our souls. To slowly and deliberately let go and hand over all our cares and concerns to you. And then to allow that empty space to be filled with the peace of your presence, as we are held in your love.
Liz Stuart
Friday 19th September
Hymn: I, the Lord of sea and sky (StF 663/SofF 830/CMP 857)
Prayer:
Dear Lord God, there is so much suffering in the world, so many displaced people with nowhere to call home and nowhere to go, so many living in places of conflict, with daily news of death and destruction, so many seeking to combat the ravages of climate change – and sometimes, Lord, we wonder how loudly and how long they have to cry before things change! And yet we know, Lord that you are there in the midst of it all, working in so many ways and through so many people and organisations to bring aid and comfort, to find new solutions and ways forward, often risking their own lives. We may not be able to help ‘on the ground’, Lord, but may we never cease to uphold all these situations in our prayers and to offer support in whatever ways we can – and to begin where we are to share your love and the hope we have found in you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 18th September
Hymn: Count your blessings
Prayer:
Sometimes, Lord God, we allow ourselves to get so caught up, so focussed on what has gone wrong in our lives, the hurts, the disappointments, the ‘if onlys’, from the past that we lose sight of all the opportunities and the positives we have received and enjoyed in the present! It’s all too easy to take these for granted, and it’s only when we actually count our blessings that we get things in the right perspective, and realise how good you have been and continue to be to us. So before the week is too far on and we forget, let’s look back over the last few days and remember those times when we have been lifted up, maybe by an encouraging word, an unexpected kindness, a greeting or a smile from a stranger, and say ‘thank you, Lord’ and then pass on the same to others that they might be blessed too!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 17th September
Hymn: Will your anchor hold? (StF 645/H&P 689/MP 770)
Prayer:
You know us so well, Lord God, you know what we are going through at this moment, the things that are troubling us, that we are anxious about, perhaps fears for the future for ourselves or those we love, and, however strong we are, we know deep down that our ‘anchor’, what we can cope with on our own, is not enough to hold us steady. But it’s so great to know that we don’t have to rely on ourselves because we have you, Lord, as an anchor for our souls, an anchor that doesn’t shift and drift but remains constant, firmly embedded in the rock of your unfailing love. Whatever ‘storms of life’ are tossing us about today, Lord, help us to remember you are there, and that we can put our trust and our confidence in you to see us through.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 16th September
Hymn: Just as I am (StF 556/H&P 697/SofF 316/MP 396)
Prayer:
Not one of us is perfect, Lord God, we make mistakes all the time, say and do things which hurt or upset other people, and generally fail to live and speak and act as you have shown us in Jesus, however much we are sorry and however much we try. And the great thing is, Lord, that not only do you forgive us but you accept us as we are, with all our weaknesses, all our faults, all our excuses and good intentions that don’t quite come off. But you don’t want to leave us as we are, Lord, so you are constantly and lovingly working in us through your Holy Spirit, seeking to guide us into making the right choices, sometimes challenging us, as you gently mould us more into the likeness of Jesus. So, Lord, we come to you now just as we are, and ask you to do your work in us today, so that we might be changed into the people you created us to be.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 15th September
Hymn: Father, I place into your hands (StF 519/SofF 97/MP 133)
Prayer:
Life is a journey of discovery, Lord God, where we are constantly learning, a lot of it about ourselves, our skills and abilities, our strengths and weaknesses, the things that give us joy and those that sap our energy and sense of well-being and so on. But alongside this, and more important, is discovering your place in our lives, Lord, what you are calling us to be and to do, and how you want to use and to develop those gifts with which you have entrusted us. And it is when these two journeys come together that our faith in you matures and grows, and we experience life in all its fullness. But sometimes, Lord, we struggle, perhaps because we are not on the path of your choosing, or maybe because we are taking too much on. Father God, in your great love help us to discern the way you are leading us, and to hand over to you all that may be holding us back.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 14th September
Hymn: Thine be the glory (StF 313/H&P 212/SofF 551/MP689)
Prayer:
We may sometimes forget, Lord Jesus, that every Sunday is a celebration of your Resurrection, and that while it is essential that we remember all you have done for us through your suffering and death, it is your risen glory that proves that love and life and light have overcome the power of evil and death and darkness. And so as we worship today, Lord, and as in our churches and perhaps also in our homes we gaze on an empty Cross, may our hearts be full of joy at the new life and hope we have received right now through your Holy Spirit living in us, and the assurance of eternal life with you as our future promise. Yes, Lord, endless is the victory you have won for us!
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 13th September
Hymn: He never sleeps
Prayer:
For some of us this may well have been a worrying week – things that have troubled us, unwelcome news, problems at work – all sorts of unforeseen difficulties that have crossed our path, and perhaps caused us to lie awake at night, tossing and turning as we have lived out the scenario or sought solutions or tried to map a way forward. But you, Lord God, have been there in the midst of the turmoil because you never sleep. You are always there watching over us, surrounding us with your love, seeking to bring your peace to our anxious minds, and assuring us of your protection and your presence. Lord, help us in these times of struggle, when their weight lies heavy on us, to remember that you are longing to bear these burdens for us. Strengthen our trust in you, we pray, and fill us with hope, knowing that our future is safe in your hands.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 12th September
Hymn: All the way my Saviour leads me (SofF 1162/MP 22)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when we allow you to have first place in our lives, and follow the guidance of your Holy Spirit, we know that whatever difficulties we face you will always work in and through them for our good. More than this, that because you have always been faithful in the past, we are able to live in the present in confidence and face the future with hope. We thank you, Lord, for the joy and reassurance this gives us, knowing that through your perfect love we have nothing to fear, neither in this life nor in the life to come, for we are safe in your loving care, our hearts and minds held in your peace. And so today, Lord, whatever we are on our life journey, whatever challenges we may be facing, we place our trust in you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 11th September
Hymn: Draw me close to you SofF 1217/CMP 980
Prayer:
Sometimes, Lord God, we become aware of a ‘hollowness’ in our lives, a sense that something is missing which we can’t quite put a finger on – and then we realise it is not ‘something’ but ‘someone’, and that person is you, Lord. This is not because you have abandoned us, Lord, but because we have drifted away from you, allowing other things to take over, filling our time, and, without meaning to, changing our priorities so that you haven’t been uppermost in thoughts and plans. Lord, we are sorry and we ask you to draw us back to you, to that place of intimacy where we become aware of your love surrounding us and your Holy Spirit guiding us. For only in your presence can we find the peace and fullness of life we long for.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 10th September
Hymn: My life in in your hands
Prayer:
So often advertising and social media platforms seek to persuade us that if only we try certain products or various therapies or fitness programmes our lives will be so much better, happier and more fulfilling, and yet, if we follow their advice, we will soon discover how untrue these promises turn out to be! For you call us not to invest in a product but in a person, not in a new routine but in a relationship, in One who will never disappoint us or let us down. Life is unpredictable, full of ups and downs, but when we put our trust in you, Lord, we are placing our lives in the hands of the One who holds the future, a future which is full of hope and certainty where we receive the strength and the love we need to live each day. So today, Lord, we entrust ourselves to you, and know ourselves truly safe in your loving care.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 9th September
Hymn: How long? (As we bring our songs of worship) SofF 1177
Prayer:
Lord God, we long for your reign of justice and peace, for that time when all conflict, evil and suffering will cease, and all people will be lost in wonder love and praise as your glory is revealed. But we live in the in-between times, Lord, knowing that the power of sin and death has been broken once and for all through the Cross, and yet still seeing the results of war, of inhumanity, inequality and abuse played out on the stage of the world, and sometimes in our own communities. But we should not and will not give up hope, Lord, for in your perfect timing your Kingdom will come, and while we may not see it in our lifetime, we can do our part in working towards it as we seek to share your love and light in those places and among the people where you have put us. Lord, help us to have the courage to do this today.
Liz Stuart
Monday 8th September
Hymn: Whom shall I fear? (The God of angel armies)
Prayer:
Lord God, we don’t know what this week will hold. We have made our plans, dates in our diaries, some of them social, some of them to do with work or family commitments, maybe some of them appointments that we are anxious about, but in reality we realise that actually all of our life is in your hands, Lord, and that your plans don’t always coincide with ours! What we have learned, though, is that you are always working in every situation for our well-being, and that even when things, in our eyes, go wrong, you are always by our side. Even more than this, that whatever we face, you both go before us and behind us encircling us with your love, guarding us from all that would seek to undermine our trust in you, and guiding us in the direction you would have us take. We thank you, Lord, and we step out in faith today.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Sunday 7th September
Hymn: All praise to our redeeming Lord (StF 608/H&P 753/MP 19)
Prayer:
Lord God, when we come to worship you we are entering into a relationship not only with you, one to one, important and vital though this is. We also come as part of a great fellowship of all those who have put their trust in you, and into a church family where each one of us has a part to play in supporting one another and building up the whole Body of Christ, a community where all are loved, respected and valued. And if some are not able to be physically present, and if some of us are less able than we once were, we all still have that important role of lifting up one another in prayer, which is the powerhouse of the church, and without which a church cannot flourish and grow. So today as we worship you, Lord, in whatever place or capacity we come, may we all sense your presence, and be in-filled with your love and uplifted by your Holy Spirit.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Saturday 6th September
Hymn: One day (No more tears)
Prayer:
For many people life is a struggle, Lord, a struggle to make ends meet, a struggle with addiction, a struggle with health issues, relationships and so much more. The world can be a very confusing place, whether we are looking on a global scale with its conflicts and inequalities, or at a national level with conflicting messages from those in power, or on a personal level with it’s daily mixture of highs and lows. There is a real need and a searching for lasting values, for guidance and for hope, in reality for you, Lord, for when we put our trust in you we see everything with a different perspective, in the light of eternity. When life is getting us down help us to hold onto this, Lord. To remember that you are in control, and that one day all our questions will be answered and all our confusions ended, on that day when we see you face to face and know as we are known.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Friday 5th September
Hymn: Who is there like you? (SofF 1117/CMP 1017)
Prayer:
You have done so much for us, Lord God, and there is no way we could ever repay you. In Jesus you have shown us a love that far exceeds any love we have ever or will ever know, for in His suffering and death He gave up everything for us. And this was not because we had or ever could do anything to deserve or merit such a sacrifice but solely for our benefit, so that we can be and, indeed, can know ourselves free from the power of sin and the finality of death. And there is nothing we can do to repay you, Lord, for the new life we have received is in itself a gift, a gift which we can only accept and seek to honour by the way we live. So, Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit will give us the courage and the strength to live out our faith, and by our words and actions and attitudes to give glory and praise to you.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Thursday 4th September
Hymn: What shall we offer our good Lord? (StF 671/H&P 807)
Prayer:
As we have travelled through this week, let us stop and reflect just for a moment on what has happened so far. The people we have met, some of them new faces, and the conversations we have had. The places we have visited, perhaps for the first time, and the new experiences we have received, things that have surprised us or moved us, or maybe challenged us. For all that has been good, all that has given us joy, we thank you, Lord. And there may well have been times when we have felt anxious, or sad, or lonely, and we bring these to mind as well, and with them the awareness of how you have also shared these with us, and we thank you, Lord, for this too. And now, Lord, may we have the courage to share our story and your story with other people.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Wednesday 3rd September
Hymn: Lord, when the storms of life arise (MP 886)
Prayer:
None of us can avoid the ‘storms of life’, Lord God, however much we seek to take care of ourselves, make sure we don’t take unnecessary risks and lead a sensible lifestyle. Indeed, it’s often when everything is going really well that the unexpected hits us – illness, bereavement, redundancy, hardship and so on – and we feel totally unprepared, out of our depth, overwhelmed, struggling to find a way forward. And yet, Lord, when these things happen we are not alone, and sometimes we can look back and see how you have prepared us and supported us through some of the smaller ups and downs of life. And this reminds us that you are there for us now, today, not taking away the pain or the suffering, but enabling to find a peace and calm in the middle of the storm, through which new hope and trust are born.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Tuesday 2nd September
Hymn: I worship you, almighty God (SofF 282/CMP 864)
Prayer:
There is no-one like you, Lord God; no-one more glorious, more faithful, more holy, more loving, more anything! For you have created a world more wonderful, more full of beauty and diversity than anything we can imagine. Poets can write lyrics about it, musicians and artists try to compose and create images of it, but all of these fall short of the sounds and smells and sights of all you have made. And when it comes to your faithfulness and your love, no-one has ever been able to express this more perfectly than all we discover through Jesus and experience through your Holy Spirit. Holy and amazing God, open our eyes and ears and hearts today to all your gifts to us, so that we may be continually filled with wonder and worship at all your goodness to us.
Amen
Liz Stuart
Monday 1st September
Hymn: For this I have Jesus (For the joys) SofF 721/MP 829
Prayer:
Another new month, Lord Jesus, a month of new beginnings in the church, in academic life, and a new season of the year, so many changes, so many new opportunities, and so much that is unknown, some of it exciting, maybe some of it a bit scary! But, whatever the future holds, for all of it we have you, Jesus, for you are there in all our joys, all our sorrows, all our new adventures and experiences and relationships, going before us, travelling beside us, and through your Holy Spirit giving us the guidance and the strength and reassurance we need. And so we thank you for all the plans you have for us, as your church and in our own lives, plans for our good and for our growth. May we go forward in faith and trust, and in and through it all give you glory.
Amen
Liz Stuart