Words by David Hollows
Our Strong God
A time to prepare:
O Lord, the Scripture says; ‘There is a time for silence and a time for speech’ Saviour, teach me the silence of humility, of wisdom and of love, the silence of perfection, of faith and the silence that speaks without words. Lord, teach me to silence my own heart that I may listen to the gentle movement of your Spirit within me and sense the presence of you, my God.
Amen.
A time to be silent.
A prayer of confession:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness. In your great compassion, blot out my offences. Wash me through and through from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one, have mercy on me.
Amen
'O praise the lord, all you nations. Praise Him all you peoples. For His mercy and loving-kindness are great toward us and the truth and faithfulness of the Lord endure forever. Praise the Lord.'
- Psalm 117
Photo by Austin Ban via Unsplash
Now please spend as much time as you choose giving thanks to God in song. Perhaps you may use CDs or YouTube to assist your praises and you may wish to include the following hymn;
All people that on earth do dwell (Mission Praise 20)
As you continue in the presence of God, please now talk with Him with your prayers of praise and thanksgiving. You may wish to use the following prayer;
I praise you for the life that stirs within me. I praise you for the beautiful world in which I live; for the earth, sky and sea, for scudding cloud and singing bird, for plants and trees. I praise you for the work you give me to do in my home or place of employment and in your service. I praise you for the activities which fill my leisure hours; for music, books and exercise. I praise you for the luxury of my home and the area in which I live. I praise you for family, friends and neighbours, my brothers and sisters in Jesus. I praise you that Jesus is my Saviour and you are my God.
Amen
The Bible reading; The Gospel of Luke chapter 7 verses 11 to 17.
When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her.
(Luke chapter 7 verses 13)
Leon quit his job in finance wanting more a more meaningful life. One day Leon saw a man on the street with a placard which read; Kindness is the best medicine. Leon was instantly impacted by these few words so much so that he began an international organisation which promotes kindness. Leon travels the world and relies on the generosity of others for food, shelter and petrol. When he receives this, his organisation then provides a school or clinic in that area in response to the kindness of those people. Leon says; ‘Kindness is sometimes seen as being soft but kindness is a profound strength.’
(an extract from Our Daily Bread – July 4th 2020)
In the Bible kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galations chapter 5 verse 22) As well as goodness, faithfulness, joy, patience, peace, love, kindness is regarded as one of the characteristics of the Christian life, a strength which reflects the personality of our God. Certainly during the Covid-19 times, kindness was very evident in the way people supported and cared for each others in ways that had been sadly neglected. So, if kindness is a strength and one of the strong points of our God, let’s for a moment, consider some of the other strengths of our God.
We have a God who is physically strong. This is evidenced in the crucifixion when Jesus dies one of the most horrific deaths possible (Mark chapter 15).
Our God is emotionally strong; He heard the cries of His people in Egypt and had to intervene to set them free (Exodus chapter 3 verse 7) God loves His people so much that he made the promise that they would be His people and He would be their God (Leviticus chapter 26 verse 12). When presented with the woman caught in adultery (John chapter 8) Jesus does not judge her rather He sends her away made whole emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.
God is strong in purpose; ‘For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you, says the Lord. Thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, to give you a hope and a future’ (Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11) Also the famous words from John chapter 3 verse 16; For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’
Our God is strong in identity; when Moses asks God for His name, the reply is; I am (Exodus chapter 3 verse 14) God reveals His identity to the Egyptians and the Hebrews during the plagues and in the 10 Commandments given to Moses, God is very clear about His identity (Exodus chapter 20) The temple built by Solomon (1 Kings chapter 6) was a visible and tangible reminder of the identity of God and when John sees Jesus, he refers to Jesus as the Lamb and Son of God (John chapter 1 verse 29).
In the Bible reading we see the strength of the compassion of our God as Jesus see the widow, understands the critical nature of the situation and responds by restoring the dead son to her. The same strength of compassion is seen in the feeding of the multitudes (Mark chapter 8 ) and the healing of the man at the Bethesda pool (John chapter 5).
The many strengths of our God are for our benefit as evidenced in the words of Paul to the believers at Corinth; ‘My grace is enough for you for My strength and power are made perfect in your weakness’ ( 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9). Our God is strong enough to meet all your needs and to help you grow closer to Him. Why not call upon Him and ask for His strength today?
Photo by Miguel Bruna via Unsplash
A prayer of response; You have called us, O God, to be your people. You have loved us and chosen us for your own. Clothe us with your compassion, your kindness, your humility, your gentleness, your patience and your strength. Help us to accept all the spiritual gifts you have ready to give us the we might be good ambassadors for you, in the name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen
Prayers for others; please now use this time to talk with God about those people you know who are in need of His blessing and those you learn of in the media. You may wish to include the following prayer;
Father, we ask you to give to all peoples, serenity in times of anxiety, courage in times of hardship, patience in times of uncertainty and a quiet trust in your wisdom and love at all times. We ask that you will relieve the oppressed, support those who love with injustice, terror and death and strengthen those you will use this day to bring your blessings to those in need.
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Praise time; please now spend what time you have in praising God with your favourite songs/hymns. You may wish to include the following;
Hallelujah! Sing to Jesus (Mission Praise 621)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJDWFYIkBns (With lyrics)
Photo by Aziz Acharki via Unsplash
The Blessing; May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and show you His favour. May the Lord befriend you and prosper you.
Amen
Extra; if you have access to Youtube either on-line or TV, please try this new worship song;
Thank you for sharing your worship with us.
God bless you