A reflective prayer.
Believing in God is at times difficult when we hear of the deaths of the people killed in a terrorist attacks. When people take a vacation or go out for a meal they do not expect it to end in tragedy. When it does, people rightly ask why?
We pray for all those who have lost loved ones in terrorist attacks.
The misguided people who carry out these acts do not understand that this is not the will of God but an act of evil. When you study the teachings of Jesus you can clearly see God wants a world where people care for one another, live together in peace, happiness, and love. We pray that there will soon be an end to all the wars and conflicts in our world that cause so much suffering.
The Trauma of Job
The Bible is the last place some people would look to help them when suffering from trauma, but the Book of Job provides us with an interesting case study. The book highlights the feelings of a person suffering severe trauma and shows that it is impossible to predict the future, only God knows what that is. People presume that because they are trying to lead a good life, they won’t have any problems or difficulties, but that is simply not the case. We can all suffer stressful problems and when we have health problems become depressed.
Job went through a very traumatic experience. He did not find out why it happened, but God helped him to rebuild his life. For the victims of trauma the Book of Job can play an important part in helping them to overcome their suffering. The author’s use of poetry and Job’s friends’ enables people to realise that suffering can affect all. Although the Book was written in a biblical setting, the feelings expressed and the attitudes it challenges are still relevant today.
Spring a time of renewal and hope.
Spring time brings flowers, many trees have new leaves, bird and animals have young. It is a time of hope and new beginnings. It is also a good time for people to reflect on their own lives. To think about our fellow human beginning and see how we can show love to our neighbour. Although many people are going through times of difficulty we can support them and others, by showing them love, care and understanding. We prayer for a world where all people will learn to love others, care for other people and the world we live in. Amen.
Let us all pray for world peace.
All most of us can do is pray for those who have suffered in the bombings, wars, conflicts and murders of innocent people by armies and state police around the world. In these challenging times we can find if hard to follow Jesus teaching to love one another, our neighbour and the more challenging instruction to love our enemy. In a world where there is religious conflict and preachers of hate and violence we all have a part to play in making the world a more caring place. Let us pray for a world where all people will learn to love and care for their fellow human beings and bring an end to wars.
Christmas comes but once a year spreading a message of love, joy and peace.
May the coming Year bring you peace and be one filled with joy.
Boundaries
It is important to know our boundaries, for a country people need to know where the borders are. A property owner needs to know their boundaries. In society people need to know their boundaries, for example the boundary between right and wrong, good and bad behaviour. For people who gamble, take drugs or drink alcohol they need to know that there is a thin line between occasional and addiction which harms health, families and peoples lives, plus their attitude to others. We pray from all those who suffer from an addiction. We pray that God will help them find a way out of their addictions. We should pray for their families and friends who are suffer because of someones addiction, may they be strengthen, support and protected from harm. Amen
Easter a time of sacrifice.
At Easter time we think of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us. He gave his life for human kind so we can free ourselves from sin and live a life in which we treat our neighbours as we wish to be treated. Easter Sunday has the Good News that God brought Jesus back to life. In today's world we see people risk their live to save or help others. The fireman who enters a burning building to rescue people. The police and medical services go into danger to help someone in difficulty. In a world when we see acts of barbarism by a person filled with hate, it is good to remember that there are people who are still prepared to risk their own lives to care for other. We prayer for a world where evil people will learn to love others and giving thanks for all the caring people who live in our world. Amen.
The real image of what Christmas is about.
Image from goggle.
Does our life reflect our faith?
It makes no sense to claim that God’s love is flowing through you, if you close yourself off to the needs of fellow human being, when they experience poverty or people need love and compassion.
To live according to the rules of the material world is to ignore the significance of Jesus. How we behave is important and showing love and compassion is important. Love must not be a matter of theory or talk; it must be true love which shows itself in action (literally: Children let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth). Those who allow themselves to be directed in this way by the Spirit of God are children of God.
The challenge for all Christian is to show God’s love through our action and the mission and outreach of the Church. I do not know what action you have taken to increase the number attending your fellowship, but I hope that you are taking some action to help more people to understand what Jesus’ life on earth meant to all of us.
Acknowledgement our weaknesses
In 1 Kings 3:5-12 there is the story of King Solomon acknowledging his weakness before God. He starts by recognising God’s past action, His kindness, steadfast love, and faithfulness asking for the continuance of God’s favour. It is an expression of humility as he confesses his lack of experience, his lack of leadership qualities or ability to manage the country.
An attitude of heart or mind which listens to and obeys God has the foundation of all true wisdom. This results in a mind with a skill to listen, able to distinguish right and wrong and to decide and govern. Wisdom is the right understanding of reality and is the basis of moral and ethical life. It is expressed in the conduct of a life of fear or reverence of the Lord.
Are we willing to do it God’s way which may mean accepting we may have got it wrong?
We all need to pray for wisdom as we carry out our duties, but far too often pride stands in our way. Sometime our greatest enemy is our self. If we can be strengthened and win the battle in our inner being then we will be able to stand firm against false ideas. We will also be able to preserve our unity, control our speech, live lives of purity in a corrupt world, and sacrifice ourselves in love for others as Jesus did for us
May those who are in power, have riches and live in big house see that they are in a position to help those in need, and our leaders will be willing to acknowledge their failings as Solomon did and seek God’s wisdom in serving the people not imposing their false ideologies.
Reflection:
When life gets difficult or presents us with unexpected challenges, it good to sit quietly and reflect; reflections or meditations are important in our personal development. Some faiths or philosophies encourage regular meditation. Christians who wish to develop their spiritual understanding are encouraged to study and reflect on the Bible and other Christian writings. Prayer is also an important part of many people’s lives. The Faith section pages contain various prayers and items to help people meditate with the aim of helping them to improve their ability to cope with modern life.
Scroll down the page to see the different reflection.
Where is Jesus at Christmas?
At Christmas, all I see in the shops is Santa Claus; a mythical character developed by big business to encourage people to spend loads of money. So where can we see Jesus. He is seen in the love and care shown to one another, in the generosity shown by those who give to Children in Need, to help tackle Refugee Crisis and in the Refugee Camps, through the support given to charities and those in need. Let us pray for all those who are in need and suffering.
Scroll down to read the various reflections, also take a look at the blogs.
Something to think about:
The TV news is full of wars, violence, poor treatment of the elderly, and pictures of children suffering, which can leave people wondering what is happening in our world. On the other hand the vast majority of people are caring; as seen in the recent support for Earthquake victims and during the Covid-19 epidemic where millions of people have volunteered to help in the fight to control this virus. So although there is evil in the world there are many people who care about their fellow human beings.
May the New Year bring you peace, hope for the future and love in your heart for others.
Let us start the New Year with a prayer, for peace to come to all the areas of the world where there is conflict and that the people in these areas will be able to return home and live peaceful and have prosperous lives.
David Rogers Ministries
David Rogers Ministries