Daily Prayers Wednesday, 9 February 2022

Good morning, Cornerstone Friends.

Let us start by coming close to God as we read the words of Psalm 34.

I shall bless the Lord at all times; his praise will be ever on my lips.
In the Lord I shall glory; the humble will hear and be glad.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord’s help; he answered me and set me free from all my fears.
They who look to him are radiant with joy; they will never be put out of countenance.
Here is one who cried out in his affliction; the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord is on guard round those who fear him, and he rescues them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Happy are they who find refuge in him!
Fear the Lord, you his holy people;
those who fear him lack for nothing.
Princes may suffer want and go hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come children, listen to me;
I shall teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you delights in life and desires a long life to enjoy prosperity?
Then keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies; shun evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous; his ears are open to their cry.
The Lord sets his face against wrongdoers to cut off all memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and sets them free from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to those whose courage is broken; he saves those whose spirit is crushed.
Though the misfortunes of one who is righteous be many, the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He guards every bone of his body,
and not one of them will be broken.
Misfortune will bring death to the wicked, and punishment befalls those who hate the righteous.
The Lord delivers the lives of his servants, and no punishment befalls those who seek refuge in him.

Let us pray

We praise you, Heavenly Father, that you are a God of compassion. You understand our every need and are there to hear us and respond when we cry out to you. You are our refuge and help at all times. We ask you to be with us today to guide us to think before we speak, to love all those we come into contact with as ourselves, to resist evil and to be strong against temptation. As the psalm says” those who seek the Lord lack no good thing”
Amen

We are now well into February, the days are lengthening, bulbs are poking their heads through the dark earth and some buds are even opening to reveal beautiful flowers. I feel so blessed to live in Milton Keynes with all its green spaces, parks, canalside walks, millions of lofty trees, bulbs and blossom and flowers. We know how important greenery and outside spaces are for both our physical and mental health.

We thank you, Father, for all those who have designed and landscaped Milton Keynes over the years so that in it we can truly appreciate your creation and feel refreshed by it.
Amen

But we know that we don’t always care for the environment as we should. So now a couple of prayers from environment Sunday.

Lord God, you call us to be good stewards of this earthly home, strengthen us to care for your creation; forgive us when, through our greed and indifference we abuse its beauty and damage its potential. Empower us through your Spirit to so nurture and love the world that all creation sings to your glory.

God of creation and Lord of life, you entrusted us to care for our environment, but in many parts of the world we have failed. Help us to realise how fragile and unstable our surroundings are, because we are not looking after creation. We need to be true stewards and to understand how the most insignificant little flowers, and the tiniest insects, each creature and individual people are all part of a wondrous whole.

Amen

Now let us finish with an Iona song for the start of the day.

Today I awake
and God is before me.
At night as I dreamt,
he summoned the day;
for God never sleeps
but patterns the morning
with slivers of gold
or glory in grey.

Today I arise
and Christ is beside me.
He walked through the dark
to scatter new light.
Yes, Christ is alive,
and beckons his people
to hope and to heal,
resist and invite.

Today I affirm
the Spirit within me
at worship and work,
in struggle and rest.
The Spirit inspires
all life which is changing
from fearing to faith,
from broken to blest.

Today I enjoy
the Trinity round me,
above and beneath,
before and behind;
the Maker, the Son,
the Spirit together
they called me to life
and call me their friend.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Rosemary Goldie