Thursday, September 24, 2020

WEAKEND ASSIGNMENT - LOVED ONES

Click on the picture or the link or

Copy and paste the link into your browser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7pQpAAQKY

Or search YouTube for

Psalm 141 Song - Delicacies by Jason Silver

 

“O Lord, I call upon Thee; hasten to me!  Give ear to my voice when I call to Thee!  May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. 

 

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.  Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who do iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies. 

 

“Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head; do not let my head refuse it, for still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.  Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock, and they hear my words, for they are pleasant.  As when one plows and breaks open the earth, our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol. 

 

“For my eyes are toward Thee, O God, my Lord; in Thee I take refuge; do not leave me defenceless.  Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, and from the snares of those who do iniquity.  Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.”  Psalm 141

 

As the Old Testament ends we feel the exhaustion, the disappointment, despair, confusion, even bitterness of a ‘chosen people’ who had -- not only lost their way -- but were disappointed and arrogantly angry that God would not rescue them out of their lostness. 

 

The promise of some ‘pie in the sky’ Messiah – well for some reason, every Israelite kept the unlikeliness of it still close to their heart.  Someday, somehow, God WOULD rescue them. 

 

Perhaps this is why the Jewish nation became the hair-splitting, argumentative bunch they were when Jesus arrived on the scene.  They had majored on parsing and squeezing every word of Scripture to give them something more!  They had become so blinded by their study that they could not see Jesus for what He was or comprehend the wonder and perfection of God’s promise to save His people. 

 

We can all be a bit like that, sometimes can’t we?  When in the midst of difficulties we to focus more on the difficulty, pain or disappointment than the Truth.  It takes a friend to lift our eyes to Jesus so we can focus, once more on Him and God’s perfect plan for our good and His glory! 

 

This WeakEnd Assignment is about loved ones.  Set aside an hour, find your Bible, your spiritual notebook, a writing element, a refreshment and a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for at least an hour.  Read the Psalm above and pray.  Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see your loved ones as He sees them. 

 

Write down four names of those most dear who you may not spend much time with now with this ‘lockdown’.  Write down some specific uniqueness of each of them, the last time you saw or spoke with them, where they live, what their relationship is to you, how you imagine they are handling the social distancing.  

 

Pray over each individual.  During the next week make an effort to speak with them in person or by phone.  Ask about their needs.  Encourage them and discover what’s on their hearts and what their specific needs are right now.  Make a note of it for future WeakEnd Assignments.

 

Take care, your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene (who prays for you each morning).

 

PPS:  My statement of faith:  https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com  (also you will find a series of beginner Bible studies there.). Also, you can find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.  (Also, there is an android ‘Goggle Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone.)

 

COVID-19

Please pray for all those involved in making critical decisions during this time of pandemic.  Pray for those who have lost loved ones, those who contract the virus, the healthcare workers, those on the front line and for all those feeling afraid, lonely or confused.  Pray all are wise, patient and take precautions to contain the effects.  For practical information, please visit https://newsaboutcovid19.blogspot.com/

 

Latest Statistics

·        32,252,488 reported cases

·        63,287 in serious condition

·        986,099 reported deaths (94% related to pre-existing conditions)

 

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS

·        USA – Pray the Lord will demonstrate His power in unexpected and uniting ways during these times of unrest and confusion.  Help hearts settle and rest in Him alone.  Let the truth of God’s Word and ways overcome the drive to destroy our founding, Bible-based values.  For Christ-centre, Bible-based revival in the USA and religious freedom for Christians wherever they may be.

·        John McArthur – has taken a stand to open his Bible-based church in California amid the Covid-19 virus lock down.  God seems to be using this crisis to focus on His Truth in an unexpected way.  Please pray for Pastor McArthur and those who support him through this world and pray protection from all who would do him harm.

·        Bob –a friend of my brother and sister-in-law who has just had a tragedy in his life, that the Lord would use these recent experiences to help him realise his need for the Lord Jesus Christ. 

·        Peyton - eldest granddaughter of Jeff and Rachael.  Pray for this lovely woman of God as she goes off to college, that she remains safe and strong in her beliefs and convictions and continues to encourage many with her loving faithfulness to the Lord.

·        Tracey’s Mom – home now.  Her ability to think clearly and care for herself is weakening.  Pray for a home health carer to be found and that her loved ones will make time to help her through this time. 

·        Tracey – as she deals with the difficulties of her Mom growing less able to care for herself.  Pray Tracey will pace herself and cherish every moment with her Mom.

·        Hans – a dear friend in Germany, responding well to immunotherapy for lung cancer.  Thank you for continuing to pray for his healthcare providers, his patience and wisdom.  Pray he is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will support him through this journey.  Pray for his Mom (age 83) is unwell herself, that their time together will be filled with extraordinary good memories and lots of love.

·        USA President Donald Trump – As Christians it is our responsibility to pray for our leaders and trust that God has a plan for the USA through this man.  If you doubt the importance of his appointment, just look at the baseless antagonism against him. Surely Satan is NOT happy and means to thwart God’s plan.  Pray someone helps President Trump and Melania to understand the true meaning of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Pray they will both have an insatiable hunger to read God’s Word for themselves.  Pray God sends a Bible-Believing Christian to regularly disciple them in the Truth.  Pray God shuts the mouths of the false prophets who regularly circle around them.

 

Pray for those in full-time service

During this time, when the entire world is struggling to understand this new ‘plague’, it is critical for us to uphold our Christian leaders.  They will be needed everywhere.  Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.

Pray for those with ongoing health concerns

Many of us have family, friends and loved ones who are fragile health wise.  It is important to protect them in practical ways and most important we must pray even more for them that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.

Pray for the World

No comments: