Day 21

THIN SPACE

Psalm 13 

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? 

Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Have you ever felt like God is ignoring you? Are you tired of unanswered prayer? Do you feel God has abandoned you in your situation? When this happens you are in good company. David, the man whom God called "a man after my own heart" felt these things too.

In spite of David's repeated prayers, God seemed unavailable. Have you ever beed there? You desperately call out to God, but He seems to have disappeared. Psalm 13 reveals to us a pattern of what to do. 

David calls out to God. It is so easy to turn away from God when you feel ignored. In times like these the world seems to offer better solutions and quicker answers. The key is to be honest with God, and cry out to him. 

Finally after being very blunt with God, he ends with reaffirming his trust in God's Love. Although his situation has not changed, he goes on singing and remembering that God has been good to him even though he might not feel it right now. What has changed then? His focus and his mindset.

After you have cried out in honesty to God, remind yourself of his unfailing love. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
John 15:13 

“I asked for strength that I might achieve; He made me weak that I might obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things; I was given grace that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy; I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men; I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I received nothing that I asked for, all that I hoped for. My prayer was answered, I was most blessed.”

Pete Greig - God on Mute

Day 20

THIN SPACE

Let's read
Psalm 96

Still I WIll Praise - Lucy Grimble 

Sometimes a song feels so costly
And worship takes all that I have
In seasons of life where it's hard to see
And hard to understand
That you are still God in the wilderness
You are still God in the pain
You are the God that is with me
When all else is stripped away

Still I will praise, Still will praise
Even in this oh Lord, Still I will praise

So sweet is the song I can only sing
Here in the barren place
How tender the praise I can only give
Here in my earthly pain
When my heart is broken in pieces
And I don't have much to bring
With all I have left I will worship
Give you this offering

Still I will praise, Still will praise
Even in this oh Lord, Still I will praise

One day I'll see you in glory,
You'll wipe every tear away
I will no longer remember
The pain I feel today
And in the light of forever
Face to face with my God
There I will know I have always been
Held in the arms of love

Still I will praise, Still will praise
Even in this oh Lord, Still I will praise

Day 19

THIN SPACE

“Christian lament is not simply complaint. Yes, it stares clear-eyed at awfulness and even wonders if God has gone...Yet at its fullest, biblical lament expresses sorrow over losing a world that was once good alongside a belief that it can be made good again. Lament isn't giving up, it's giving over. When we lift up our sorrow and our pain, we turn it over to the only one who can meet it: our God.” (Josh Larsen)
 
“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.” Psalm 130: 1-2
 
“My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?” Psalm 6:3

Lament & Worship
 
Prayer Hour this week will focus on the book of Psalms – interlacing Psalms of Lament with Psalms of Worship.
 
Today is all about Lament
 
Read 
Psalm 44: 1-26

Lament in Worship
 
Sovereign Over Us - CLICK HERE
Weep With Me - CLICK HERE
How Long - CLICK HERE

 Lament in Prayer
 
161,015 dead
2,337,614 with the virus
Cry out to God, lament to God, plead with God concerning Covid-19
 
It’s not giving up, it’s giving over!

Day 18

THIN SPACE

Holy Week

This is Holy Week. We are going to wander to the cross and wander to the empty tomb with Jesus.


Read
John 19 v38-42

Prayer
For COVID 19 to disappear and for those affected by this.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8 v35-38

Dave
Dave suffered a major heart attack this week. Pray that his chest infection would disappear quickly and that his brain scan shows good signs of activity. Pray for his wife Jo who’s suffering from migraines and for the rest of the family for peace.

Pray for Boris 
That he would continue to progress in his recovery and come back to full health and lead the UK well with Godly wisdom.

Pray for all those with illnesses
Pray for our church family who are suffering with illnesses at this time, cancer, migraines etc. in particular Steph, Simon and Katie.

Pray for those in isolation alone.
That they would know the love of their friends and family at this time.

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 New King James Version

Praise God for the hope he brings and the protection he promises us.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 
Psalm 18

Pray for the right people to come on Alpha
Ask God, who could you invite?

Day 17

THIN SPACE

Holy Week

This is Holy Week. We are going to wander to the cross and wander to the empty tomb with Jesus.

Read
John 19:16b – 37

Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
It is ‘finished’ - the Greek word ‘tetelestai’ which means ‘paid in full’.   He declared it for all to hear.  He uttered a loud cry to His Father in heaven for the whole world to know, for His work on the cross was complete.  The work His Father gave Him to do was now finished.  Our relationship with the Father restored because of His love, His pain, His humiliation, His obedience, His sacrifice, He has paid our debt in full – freely surrendering to the Father’s will, freely laying down His life.

Worship
Songs to help you worship
How deep the Father’s love - CLICK HERE
At the cross – Chris Tomlin - CLICK HERE
O to see the dawn - CLICK HERE

This song speaks of the whole of Jesus’ work on the cross.
Man of sorrows - CLICK HERE

Prayer
Jesus gave His life on the cross that our relationship with the Father might be restored.  Let us ask God to show us if there are any relationships in our lives that are in need of restoration – with God, with a family member, with a friend or with one another.
 
DAVE - Please continue to pray for Dave who is still in ICU at this time, that He may know God’s healing and restoration and for his family that they might find comfort, strength and peace in the Father’s love.
 
EASTER - Let us pray that God would draw many to Himself this Easter.  If you have family or friends on your heart, then pray especially for them over the coming days.

Day 16

THIN SPACE

Holy Week

This is Holy Week. We are going to wander to the cross and wander to the empty tomb with Jesus.

Read
John 19:16b – 37

Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
It is ‘finished’ - the Greek word ‘tetelestai’ which means ‘paid in full’.   He declared it for all to hear.  He uttered a loud cry to His Father in heaven for the whole world to know, for His work on the cross was complete.  The work His Father gave Him to do was now finished.  Our relationship with the Father restored because of His love, His pain, His humiliation, His obedience, His sacrifice, He has paid our debt in full – freely surrendering to the Father’s will, freely laying down His life.

Worship
Songs to help you worship
How deep the Father’s love - CLICK HERE
At the cross – Chris Tomlin - CLICK HERE
O to see the dawn - CLICK HERE

This song speaks of the whole of Jesus’ work on the cross.
Man of sorrows - CLICK HERE

Prayer
Jesus gave His life on the cross that our relationship with the Father might be restored.  Let us ask God to show us if there are any relationships in our lives that are in need of restoration – with God, with a family member, with a friend or with one another.
 
DAVE - Please continue to pray for Dave who is still in ICU at this time, that He may know God’s healing and restoration and for his family that they might find comfort, strength and peace in the Father’s love.
 
EASTER - Let us pray that God would draw many to Himself this Easter.  If you have family or friends on your heart, then pray especially for them over the coming days.

Day 14

THIN SPACE

Holy Week

This is Holy Week. Over the next 7 days we’re going to wander to the cross and wander to the empty tomb with Jesus.
 
Read
John 17:1-26

Verses 2-3: "For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

A good reminder that eternal life starts NOW, in relationship with the only true God, we can be hopeful for the future. Knowing that Christ's Empty Cross proves that death in this world is not the final chapter! 

Dave
Zack, Lydia and his family are very grateful for everyone standing with them in prayer. Dave is still in the ICU and had a stable night. The hospital said they’ll start bringing his body temperature up and taking off venilator and sedation today. Please pray that his brain remembers how it was perfectly designed to work and kicks in for him with ease. We are praying this ‘The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still’. 

Pray for Boris
As many of you will have seen on the news, our Prime Minister has gone into the ICU due to Coronavirus. Forget politics we all need to stand with our leader and pray for his recovery. 

Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments. 

2 Timothy 2:1-3 MSG