Saturday 16th May | Megan Hargreaves
Readings
Reflection
For a number of us there are promises which we believe God gave to us a long time ago. This period of lockdown and social distancing may be frustrating and disheartening at times because our hopes, dreams and plans seem far from fruition or have been completely disrupted. In times like these it is easy to disbelieve what God has said or promised us, similar to the Israelites loss of hope in God and the promises He made them, resulting in attitudes overcome by grumbling and complaining (Num 14:27). When reading over the number of times they turned from God, despite witnessing first-hand God rescuing them from slavery, many miracles such as the parting of the Red Sea, and God’s daily promise that He WOULD deliver them to the Promise Land, it is hard to understand how they could have lost hope. However, in this current period of waiting and stand-still, it becomes easier to understand their lack of faith and discouragement.
In the words of Mike Pilavachi ‘The promise giver is the promise keeper’. Although promises or God-given dreams may be fresh on our hearts, he very rarely fulfils His promises immediately, but we can rest with the assurance that He has given us eternal promises such as the ones Jesus mentions in Luke 6 (20-22) to his disciples: ‘Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now for you will be satisfied’. Don’t give up on your relationship with the Lord or let it become apathetic in this time because you have not seen God’s promises to you appear. He is working in the waiting. In the waiting he changes us, forms us and takes us deeper in our trust of him. In these moments, stay close to Jesus and praise him with everything (Psalm 150) so that you can recognise him in the quiet places and the small things. We have to wait by faith that his promises will be delivered for ‘He is the Maker of the heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- he remains faithful forever’ (Psalm 146: 6).
Prayers
Dear God,
Thank you that all your promises are Yes and Amen in Christ,
Thank you for delivering us out of darkness,
Thank you for the eternal promises you have placed over our lives,
Thank you that you are our father- maker of the universe,
Help us to find the perseverance in this time to wait with faith,
Help us to live with faith and not by sight,
Help us to go deeper with you so that we are able to use this time wisely,
recognising you in the small things and quiet places,
Help us to remember all of promises you have already delivered in our own lives and to acknowledge daily that you have already won.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Collect
Almighty God,
Who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
Have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
Grant that, as by your grace going before us
You put into our minds good desires,
So by your continual help
We may bring them to good effect;
Through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,
Who is alive and reigns with you,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever.
Amen.
