14th. September. 2022.Daily Devotions.

 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14

“Why should I hope?” asked the king of Israel in Elisha’s day (see 2 Kings 6:33). Why? Because God can make an army run away in fright. God can use unseen things to overcome the things that we can see (see 2 Kings 7:5-7).

God can rescue us and can turn away evil. God can spread a lavish banquet even in the presence of our enemies. God can bring salvation—light in darkness, comfort in grief, peace in bitterness, healing in brokenness, and strength in weakness.

Why should we hope? Because we have a shepherd who will lay down his life for his sheep to protect us. Because we have a Saviour who can travel down into the deepest, darkest hell any of us can imagine and come out alive. Because there isn’t a single valley in the shadow of death that our shepherd cannot walk us through. Because he claims us as his own and will never let us go. That is why we can hope.

That is why we are prophets. We have been given the message of hope and are told to share it. How will others believe the good news unless they hear it, and how will they hear it unless they are told?

We have our assignment—go and bring the good news of Jesus Christ so that others too can have this hope.

Lord, our shepherd, thank you for your loving care. Help me to share the good news of your love with those who need to hear it. Amen.

O God, you are the light of the minds that know you, the life of the souls that love you and the strength of the hearts that serve you. Help us to know you, that we may truly love you, so to love you, that we may fully serve you whom to serve is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen. From Canter-bury Cathedral.

Dear Father God, Your endless love flows over all the world. Open hearts and minds to receive the blessings of your grace, and lead us through the light to everlasting life, when we accept salvation through the death of your only son Jesus Christ. May our love for you be reflected in the way we live our lives,
ever following in his way. May all your people be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, to seek to live in harmony and service, through a knowledge of your love. Focus our lives to look outwards, that your Church may continue to grow your mission of love, ever trusting in your strength. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

Prayers for Those Torn by Alcohol and Drugs

I pray, O God of hope, for all persons and families whose lives are torn and disrupted by drugs and alcohol. Enable them to identify the illness. Strengthen them to seek help. Bless them with the power of your love, which imparts transformation and wholeness to those who trust in your name. Grant that as they walk this tortured road, they may journey together, bound close together in the bond of love. Shine your light upon them, Lord Christ, that they may see the path out of their misery and give them the strength to follow it. Amen.

May God the Father bless us; may Christ take care of us, and the Holy Spirit enlighten us, all the days of our life. Amen.