Lord, sometimes, we feel like we’re stuck in a rut.

Lord, sometimes, we feel like we’re stuck in a rut.

When we feel like this, help us to see that You’ve moved on ahead of us. You’re calling us on – into Your future!

Do we need to see exactly where You’re leading us? – No! We don’t! We just need to keep on following You.

The future may be unknown to us – but it’s never unknown to You!

“Face the sun and the shadows will fall behind you. Look to the One who can put your past behind you. Be the one you were born to be – Don’t you want to be free? … There ‘ll be brighter days ahead” (Garry Brotherston).

Lord, let there be no more fear of an unknown future. Help us to look to the Son. Help us to know that, with Him, we can never be stuck in a rut! Help us to move forward with Him and for Him.

We all make mistakes ...

"We all make mistakes. If any one makes no mistakes ... he is a perfect man" (James 3:2). Lord, there is only one perfect Man - Jesus. When we get it wrong, help us to look to Him - to put it right, to make us right. Our difficulties may not disappear, but, with Jesus on our side, we will rise above them.

We thank You, Lord, that Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, "died for our sins" and was "raised" from death for us.

We thank You, Lord, that Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, "died for our sins" and was "raised" from death for us (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Help us to rejoice in "the Good News" (1 Corinthians 15:1) of our Saviour. Help us to hear Your great declaration concerning Jesus - "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Help each of us to say of Jesus - "This is my beloved Saviour with whom I am well pleased."

We thank You, Lord, for Your Word. It's " a lamp to our feet and a light to our path."

We thank You, Lord, for Your Word. It's " a lamp to our feet and a light to our path" (Psalm 119:105). As we read Your written Word, we hear the voice of Jesus, Your living Word. Jesus speaks to us. He calls us out of our darkness. He calls us into Your light. It's the light of Your salvation. It's the light that changes everything. It's the light of Your love.

Lord, help us to put first things first.

Lord, help us to put first things first. Giving glory to You is more important than anything else. You must come first in our life. Help us to "seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

Without Your blessing, Lord, our worship is empty.

Without Your blessing, Lord, our worship is empty. We need Your blessing. We pray for Your blessing. May “the glory of the Lord fill the House of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14). This is our prayer. We pray for the preachers. We pray for the people. May each and every one of us be blessed by You. May we be “clothed with Your salvation.” May we “rejoice in Your goodness” (2 Chronicles 6:41)

Lord, we thank You for Your Son, Jesus.

Lord, we thank You for Your Son, Jesus. What a wonderful Saviour He is. There is no-one like Him. None can compare with Jesus. He is greater than all the prophets. He is greater than all the apostles. The prophets cannot save us. The apostles cannot save us. They can only point away from themselves. They point us to Jesus. They are only servants. Jesus is the Saviour. We thank You that He was able to do what the prophets and apostles could never do for us - He "came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15).

Lord, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit. He leads us to Jesus, our Saviour.

Lord, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit. He leads us to Jesus, our Saviour (John 15:26). Help us, Lord, to "hear what the Spirit is saying" to us (Revelation 3:22). He calls us to hear the voice of Jesus - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him ... "(Revelation 3:20). He calls us to receive us the new life which begins, for each one of us, when we say, "Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus."

Living for You, Lord, is not easy.

Living for You, Lord, is not easy. We face determined opposition from Satan. He keeps coming back at us, again and again. We thank You, Lord, that we do not stand against him in our own strength. We stand in Your strength, in the victory of our risen Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, we see division among Your people ...

Lord, we see division among Your people: "Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day" (2 Chronicles 10:19). You are not pleased. You say, "Do not go up to fight against your brothers" (2 Chronicles 11:4). This is not just ancient history. It's our problem. It's a big problem. We still need to hear the words of Jesus - "a house ... divided against itself cannot stand" (Mark 3:25). There are to be "no divisions" among us (1 Corinthians 1:10). We are "all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Lord, help us, in our praying and our living, to echo the prayer of Jesus: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me" (John 17:21,23).

Lord, You're calling us to make our choice - What kind of life will we live?

Lord, You're calling us to make our choice - What kind of life will we live? Will it be "He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord" (2 Chronicles 12:14)? or Will it be "As for us, the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken Him" (2 Chronicles 13:10)? When, Lord, unbelief and disobedience are threatening to take over our lives, help us to hear Your Word of warning: "Do not fight against the Lord ... you will not succeed" - and help us to speak the words of faith: "God is with us; He is our Leader" (2 Chronicles 13:12).

Help us, Lord, to "go on" with You and for You.

Lord, we see so much of ourselves in Asa. He started well - "Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God" (2 Chronicles 14:2). He ended badly - "He did not rely on the Lord his God ... even in his disease he did not seek the Lord" (2 Chronicles 16:7-9,12). Help us, Lord, to hear and heed the words of Jesus: "No-one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62); "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13). Help us to "go on" with You and for You (Hebrews 6:1).

Help us, Lord, to make less of Your servants and more of our Saviour.

The closer we get to Your servants, the smaller they become. Jesus is different - very different. The closer we get to Him, the bigger He becomes. Help us, Lord, to make less of Your servants and more of our Saviour. We speak about this one, and that one. Sometimes, we say good things. Often, we say bad things. Help us to speak more of our Saviour. Help us to say nothing but good things about Him.

Often, we wish we could look into the future, and see what's going to happen to us.

Often, we wish we could look into the future, and see what's going to happen to us. We can't. the future belongs to You, Lord - not to us. Help us to wait on You, Lord - to wait patiently for the time when Your future becomes our present. Our 'tomorrow' can never become our 'today' - until our 'today' becomes our 'yesterday.' Help us, Lord, to forget about gazing into some kind of 'crystal ball.' Give us the grace to walk with You in faith - one day at a time.

Change us, Lord ...

“Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord … The heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days” (1 Kings 15:11,14). Lord, help us to be more like Asa – to put You first in our lives. You want to take control of our attitudes and our actions. Change us, Lord. Change the way we think. Change the way we live. May pleasing You be our top priority – the thing that matters most to us.

Lord, help us to rise to the challenge ...

We read about Elijah: “The Word of the Lord came to Elijah”; “You are a man of God and the Word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth” (1 Kings 18:1; 1 Kings 17:24). You’re challenging us to be all that You’re calling us to be – people who love You, people who are listening to You and speaking for You, people who are living for You. Lord, help us to rise to the challenge: to live as Your people, people who know You, love You and serve You.

Praying Through God's Word: Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:1-2:18

When we have big problems, help us to remember that You are bigger than all of our problems. Where do our problems come from? They come from our sin. That’s our biggest problem. That’s no problem to You, Lord – “Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). Thank You, Lord, for Jesus. What a great Saviour He is!

Nehemiah 2:19-4:9

What are we to do when we encounter opposition? We’re seeking to serve You – and the enemies of Christ and His Gospel are making life difficult for us. Help us, Lord, to look to You. May we know, in our hearts and lives, the truth of Your Word: “The people who know their God will be strong” (Daniel 11:32).

Nehemiah 4:10-5:13

“Our God will fight for us” (Nehemiah 4:20). What tremendous encouragement there is in these wonderful words! We are not alone in our battle against Satan. You are with us – and You are stronger than Satan! When Satan attacks us, teach us, Lord, to take our stand on Your Word: “The Lord your God will go with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory” (Deuteronomy 20:4).

Nehemiah 5:14:6:19

What are we to do when we face those who are “scheming to harm” Your servants and Your work? We are to devote ourselves to Your work – and we are to pray for your strength (Nehemiah 6:2; Nehemiah 5:16; Nehemiah 6:9). When Satan, our great enemy, tries to pick an argument with us, help us to give him this answer: “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you” (Nehemiah 6:3). Help us, Lord, to keep on working for You – and to pray that “many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:3).

Nehemiah 7:1-73

What kind of people are we? Are we “faithful and God-fearing” people? Lord, it is so easy to lose our way. We forget You – and we wander away from You. Draw us back to Yourself. Speak to us in love. Assure us that You haven’t given up on us. Let us know that “There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin.” Bring us to “Calvary’s Cross” – and let us begin again with You.

Nehemiah 8:1-9:5

What happens when Your people “gather together” (Nehemiah 8:1)? We hear Your Word (Nehemiah 8:2-3,8). We thank You for Your Son (Nehemiah 8:13-18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We dedicate our lives to You (Nehemiah 9:2). We worship You (Nehemiah 9:5). Lord, help us to enter in, with all our hearts, to all that You promise to bring into our lives when we respond to Your gracious call: “Let us worship God.”

Nehemiah 9:6-38

What a great God You are – “You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Nehemiah 9:17). Your love is greater than our sin. We look at ourselves – and everything seems to be hopeless. We look to You - and everything changes. We see Your grace and Your mercy. Your love fills us with hope. When everything seems to be getting too much for us, we remember that Jesus died for us – and we rejoice: “His blood cleanses us from all sin” (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 1:7).

Nehemiah 10:1-39

Lord, You’re calling us to commit our lives to You. At the heart of this commitment, there must be worship: “We will not neglect the House of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39). Help us to worship You. This is our reason for coming to Your House. We come to worship You. May our worship be more than words. Help us, Lord, to give ourselves to You.

Nehemiah 11:1-12:30

Our lives lay in ruins until You put us together again. You call us to build our lives on Christ (Matthew 7:24-27). Help us, Lord, to come to You, again and again – confessing our sin, receiving Your forgiveness, building on Christ, our Saviour. When we feel ourselves being pulled away from You, help us to choose Christ. May we choose to be holy. May we choose the way of blessing, the way that brings glory to You.

Nehemiah 12:31-13:31

“Songs of praise and thanksgiving to God” (Nehemiah 12:46) – Where does the song of praise come from? It comes from You: “God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). You look  at the way we are living – and what do You see? “Why is the House of God forsaken?” (Nehemiah 13:11). Does it have to be this way? Is there not a better way? Can we stop forgetting You – and start remembering You? Can we rise above our failure – and be lifted up into Your victory? Help us to keep on believing that You have not abandoned us. You have not turned Your back on us. You still love us. Let Your love come to us – and fill us with Your joy.

Lord, we look at ourselves ...

Lord, we look at ourselves, and we say, “This is my life. This is the way I’ve always been. I’ll never change. I’ll never be any different.” Is this all that we can say about ourselves? Is this what You’re saying about us? We’re always thinking about what we are. You’re always saying to us, “This is what you can become. This is what I am going to make you.” Help us to listen to what You’re saying to us. Help us to make a new “beginning” with You – as we believe and receive “the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).

Lord, You have made us - to praise You.

Lord, You have made us – to praise You. You call us to live for Your glory. Praise to God, glory to God – Where does this come from? We look into our hearts – and it is not there. We look at our lives – and we say, “Where is this praise to God?, Where is this glory to God?” Lord, we can only praise You when You give to us the song of praise. You alone can fill our hearts with praise to You. You alone can fill our lives with Your glory. Without You, Lord, our life is a spiritual wasteland. Come, O Lord, to this spiritual wasteland. Come – and make our life a song of praise to You. Come – and make our life a hymn that says, “Glory to God.”

Lord, we thank You that the blood of Your Son, Jesus, cleanses us from all sin.

Lord, we thank You that the blood of Your Son, Jesus, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). We come to the Cross of Christ in our failure. At the Cross of Christ, we receive Your forgiveness. We bring our sin to the Saviour. He gives to us His salvation. Bring us, Lord, out of the darkness of our sin and into the light of Your salvation.

We thank You, Lord, that “the vilest offender, who truly believes, that moment, from Jesus, a pardon receives.”

We thank You, Lord, that “the vilest offender , who truly believes, that moment, from Jesus, a pardon receives.” By faith, we receive Your forgiveness – but we never earn Your forgiveness. Forgiveness is always Your gift. It’s never a reward. By faith, we look away from ourselves. We look to Jesus, our Saviour. We do not say, “How great is my faith.” We say, “How great is my Saviour.”

Lord, help us to walk with You.

Lord, help us to walk with You. Sometimes, we wonder, “Where is our life leading us?” That depends, Lord, on who’s doing the leading. Are we being “led by the Spirit of God” (Romans 8:14)? or Have we allowed the devil to slip into the place where You alone should be? Lord, lead us to the place of blessing. Lead us by Your grace. Give us the faith which says, “Jesus is stronger than Satan and sin. Satan to Jesus must bow” (A.C.D.). When Satan – the intruder – tries to take Your place in our hearts, help us to give the answer of faith, “Satan has no authority here in this place. He has no authority here” (Debbye Graafsma). Help us to “leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul.” Help us “to keep our armour bright.” Help us to “attend with constant care, still walking in our Captain’s sight and watching unto prayer” (Charles Wesley).

Lord, sometimes, the things that happen to us don’t seem to make sense ...

Lord, sometimes, the things that happen to us don’t seem to make sense – to us!

We try to tell the story of our life. We try to make sense of it all. We try – but we fail.

Why? – We don’t know the full story.

Sometimes, we feel like we’re living on Dead End Street!

You say to us, “You’re missing the point! You don’t need to understand what it’s all about. You can leave that to Me.”

Help us, Lord, to know that we’re not alone – trying to make sense of our life. Help us to know that You’re with us. Help us to think of Jesus. He is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

When everything seems to be so confusing, help us to remember that

Jesus understands us. He knows what we’re like – and He hasn’t stopped loving us. He never will!

He loves us – and He’s praying for us: ”We praise You, our glorious Lord and Saviour, and are for ever glad that now there is in heaven One who understands and intercedes for us” (Common Order, Prayer for Ascension).

Teach us, Lord, that “every virtue we possess … every victory won … every thought of holiness are Yours alone.”

Teach us, Lord, that “every virtue we possess … every victory won … every thought of holiness are Yours alone.” Virtue, victory, holiness – Where do these things come from? They come from You, Lord. “In ourselves, there is no good thing” (Romans 7:18) – Our lives have been spoiled by our sin. We thank You, Lord, that You haven’t given up on us. You haven’t dismissed us as a lost cause. You keep on working in us, changing us, making us more like Jesus.

Lord, You call us to “worship You in spirit and in truth.”

Lord, You call us to “worship You in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Where does true worship come from? – It comes from You. It comes from Your Spirit. It comes from Your Truth. We read the Holy Scriptures – and we begin to worship You. We open our hearts to the Holy Spirit – and the spirit of praise grows stronger in us. We listen to the voice of our Holy Saviour – and He leads in the pathway of true worship. True worship comes from You: “Fill Thou our life, O Lord our God, in every part with praise.”

Lord, we hear the questions, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” and “Who shall stand in His holy place?” – and we say, ‘This is too much for us.'

Lord, we hear the questions, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” and “Who shall stand in His holy place?” – and we say, ‘This is too much for us.' We thank You, Lord, that there is Good News for us. There is One who has ascended the hill of the Lord. There is One who stand in Your holy place. Jesus has ascended the hill of the Lord. Jesus stands in Your holy place. He has ascended Your holy hill – for us. He stands in Your holy place – for us. He has “received blessing from You” – for us (Psalm 24:3-5). When , Lord, we come to worship You, help us to come in the Name of Jesus: Just as I am, without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me … ”

We come to You, Lord, with sadness ...

We come to You, Lord, with sadness. You give us gladness. How does this gladness come to us? It comes to us when we stand upon Your Word, when we believe Your promises. Our life is not controlled by our feelings - the feelings that drag us down, the feelings that pull us away from You. Your promises lift us out of these feelings. They lift us into Your presence. They assure us of Your love. They lead us into Your blessing. Thank You, Lord, for Your promises and Your presence, Your love and Your blessing.

What are the most important things in our lives?

What are the most important things in our lives? Why are they so important to us? Everything revolves around ourselves, Lord. We forget about You. Call us back, Lord - back from the brink, back from "the broad way that leads to destruction" (Matthew 7:13). Call us into "safety, certainty and enjoyment" (George Cutting) - saved by You, assured of Your salvation, enjoying Your salvation.

Lord, You call us to "be filled with Your Spirit" ...

Lord, You call us to "be filled with Your Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) - the Spirit of holiness, the Spirit of love. You are the holy God, the loving God - our holy Father, our loving Father. May there be, in us, the family likeness. Help us to become more like You - more holy, more loving.

Lord, You gave Your Son, Jesus - to be our Saviour.

Lord, You gave Your Son, Jesus - to be our Saviour. Help us to give ourselves to You - to be Your servants. Jesus died for us. Help us to live for Him. Help us never to forget His sacrifice - "Love so amazing, so divine." May we be challenged by His sacrifice - "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." Help us to respond to His sacrifice - "Love so amazing, so divine, shall have my soul, my life, my all."

Even when we get ourselves into a right mess ...

Even when we get ourselves into a right mess, You're still in control. You are Lord. Nothing changes that. we wonder, "Can things be turned around?" You say to us, "Yes. They can." You say to us, "It's not all about you. I am there with you. I have never left you. I'm not going to leave you now. Trust Me. Let My love give you the strength that you need to keep on going, when the going gets tough."

Help us, Lord, to "be still, and know that You are God."

Help us, Lord, to "be still, and know that You are God" (Psalm 46:10) - but help us not to remain silent when we should be speaking up for You: "If you confess with your mouth , 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Teach us, Lord, that it's not all about us.

Teach us, Lord, that it's not all about us. It's not about getting ourselves noticed. It's all about You. It's about giving all the glory to You.

Touch our hearts, Lord ...

Touch our hearts, Lord, with Your love. So often, our hearts are hard. How can this hardness be broken down? You must do it. We can't do this for ourselves. We can't do this by ourselves. It's Your love that changes us. It's Your love that makes us new. Open our hearts to Your love. Fill our hearts with Your love.

What do we do when everything seems to go wrong?

What do we do when everything seems to go wrong? Do we start complaining, blaming You for everything that's happening to us? or Do we start asking the question, 'Where is the Lord in all of this?' Help us to challenge our negative thinking - "Why are you discouraged, my soul?" (Psalm 43:5). Help us to rise above our negative thinking. Raise us up, Lord, for You alone can lift us out of our defeatism and into that special place with You where we know that we are truly blessed - because You love us, and will never stop loving us, even when our love for You is very weak.

We look back, Lord, to what You have done for us ...

We look back, Lord, to what You have done for us. We look forward to all that You will do for us. We remember our Saviour, crucified for us. We await our Saviour, coming for us. Fill our hearts, Lord, with thanksgiving for all that You have done for us. In Your great love for us, You have given to us Your great salvation. Fill our hearts with the faith that faces the future with the confidence that Your love will never fail us - You will lead us safely on to Your heavenly and eternal glory.

We thank You, Lord, for Your Holy Spirit.

We thank You, Lord, for Your Holy Spirit. He works in us to bring blessing to us. He works through us to bring blessing to others. Without the working of Your Spirit, there can be no blessing. May the "living waters" of Your Spirit flow in our hearts and out from our hearts to others to bring blessing to many (John 7:37-39).

Lord, we have begun to follow Jesus. ...

Lord, we have begun to follow Jesus. Help us to keep on following Him. Again and again, we are tempted to turn back, to return to the ways of this world. Help us to keep on saying, "I have decided to follow Jesus - No turning back. The world behind me, the Cross before me - No turning back. If no-one joins me, still I will follow - No turning back."

Lord, it's not easy to keep on praying, "Your will be done" ...

Lord, it's not easy to keep on praying, "Your will be done." Our will gets in the way. We start thinking about what we want - and we forget about what You want. We try to get the best of both worlds - pleasing You and pleasing ourselves. We become "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:4). Help us to become more like Jesus; "I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:30).

Lord, we need Your Word of encouragement.

Lord, we need Your Word of encouragement. Sometimes, our problems seem to be so big. Help us to see that Your power is always greater than our problems. When everything in us seems to be saying, "I can't", help us to hear - and speak - the Word of faith, " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

Sometimes, Lord, we wonder, "Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?"

Sometimes, Lord, we wonder, "Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?" Help us to hear Your answer - Yes. There is: "I will be with you. I will never leave you" (Joshua 1:5). Strengthened by Your wonderful promises, help us to rise up and face the future with the confidence that comes from knowing that You are leading us on into Your glorious future: "eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

We thank You, Lord, that You are our God - the God of our salvation.

We thank You, Lord, that You are our God - the God of our salvation. You have called us to be Your people. we have been saved by Your grace. Help us to live for Your glory. May we always be learning to walk with You. May we never forget to say of Jesus, Your Son: "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!"

Satan is a determined enemy - and a defeated enemy.

Lord, living for You is not easy. We have a fight on our hands. Satan is a determined enemy. Help us to remember that He's also a defeated enemy. When the battle seems to be getting too much for us, help us to remember that we are "kept by the power of God" (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Help us, Lord, to walk in Your way - and not in the way of the world.

Sometimes, Lord, You say to us, "This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21). Sometimes, You say to us, "This is not the way. Do not walk in it." Help us, Lord, to walk in Your way -  and not in the way of the world.

Because He Lives (Amen) | West Coast Choir

We thank You, Lord, that we do not fight against Satan in our own strength.

We thank You, Lord, that we do not fight against Satan in our own strength. You fight for us (Joshua 10:42). Victory is never our own achievement. It is always Your gift: "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Links to Rev James Philip's Bible reading notes

James Philip

God be with you through the night-time ...

A Benediction song (Noel Grant, tune: What a friend we have in Jesus)

God be with you through the night-time, God be with you through the day:
Angels guard and keep you always, as you journey on your way.
God be with you, ever bless you, as the days and years go by;
Till we meet at last in glory, in the mansions of the sky.

Link to "The Reformation Continues"

The Reformation Continues

Help us, Lord, to listen to You and live for You ...

Help us, Lord, to listen to You and live for You, to speak to You and speak for You. Help us to receive from You and respond to You. Help us not to get caught up in the "What do I get out of it?" way of thinking. Help us to ask the more important question: "How can I give myself more fully to You, Lord?"

Help us, Lord, to be obedient to Your Word.

Help us, Lord, to be obedient to Your Word. Help us, in our obedience, to remain humble. How can we possibly bring glory yo You if we're thinking about how obedient we are when we should be rejoicing in the great love by which You have saved us and the great power by which You keep us walking in the way of faith? Even when we're pressing on to a closer walk with You, help us never to forget this: "Who is a God like You, forgiving sin ... " (Micah 7:18-20).

Living Without Your Love

One More Song for You

I'm Forgiven