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Listen while you read: "Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour"1 (Lyrics) |
As two weary years of COVID-19 restrictions and limitations on in-person worship for our churches have dragged on, how we groaned inwardly and longed for those heavy storms to pass! My own church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, sought to encourage the saints with online worship. The choir put together some great performances, quite amazingly done, I might add, as the members each sang their part in front of a home computer screen, and talented technicians mixed and balanced the recordings to make a lovely online performance. The Sunday school teachers gave creative online classes, seeking to engage and challenge our children to think about God things, but it was quite a task! As the prayer team coordinator, I gather prayer requests each month for our group's prayer letter. Praying doesn't require a group setting, but it means a great deal more to pray together. Like the Hebrew Christians of long ago, we could use some encouragement and assurance that God sees His church in action through difficult days.
Hebrews 6:9-12 – But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (NKJV)
We aren't the only ones in history who have battled depressing discouragement in life and worship! Yet, we are assured that God sees and remembers all that His beloved family do in His name.
How do we as Christians fight off the discouragement that makes us feel like giving up? I like the example of David, who lived through many disturbing circumstances.
1 Samuel 30:6 – Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. (NKJV)
Doesn't that sound like us? The soul of all our people is grieved by trouble, so concerned for our children, seeking some way, any way, to lift the pressure of constant anxiety. And how did David respond? He didn't just put on a happy face and fake a positive mental attitude! Instead, over a lifetime, he cultivated an unswerving trust in God's grace: in His continual provision, in the safety of the shadow of His wings, and in His power over every obstacle. I pray, too, that our church family will continue to cultivate this kind of steady faith in our God, knowing that we will come out on the other side a stronger, more faithful and united church of Christ.
Prayer: Thank You, dear Lord, for the words of encouragement from Your holy Word, as Your people seek Your guidance in anxious and uncertain times. We praise You that we can strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God, and know that Your victory awaits us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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Thank you.
Thanks for the encouraging words, Shirley.
Thank you for your words of encouragement.
Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement today, Shirley.
Amen. Thank you for your inspiring devotional Shirley.
Blessings.
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us! Blessings.
Thanks for the important reminder in these challenging times, Shirley. May God bless you and your church!
Good morning, Shirley,
I want to thank you for each and every uplifting submission you have made and are yet to be made to this daily reading. You have such a special way of reaching out to your readers.
Take care and have a wonderful, blessed day.
Dear Shirley,
Wow! Your church had a lot going on these past couple of years. It’s amazing what can be done when we all work together.
God is not finished with His people yet. There is still lots to be done for His Kingdom!
May God continue to bless you.
Good morning, Shirley,
I am sure we all need to reflect on these passages and be encouraged that God will strengthen us and guide us through the hard times. Your church did amazing things to help the congregation through this difficult period of worshiping from a distance.
Good devotionals help us to understand that many are going through the same feelings and remind us to seek strength in The Lord.
It is wonderful that people continue to share their feelings in devotionals so that many others will benefit. Thank you. May we all remember that God is walking with us in these tough times and to pray for others who are also struggling. Blessings.
Thank you, Shirley, for today’s devotion.
How hard our community of faith works to prepare our weekly worship online or otherwise.
A few of our young people have put their heads together and worked out how to make the best worship for those locked-in and those in the worship hall; and for those that don’t have internet, on a conference call.
Our bounds for worship reached wherever the participants were.
We have so much to thank God for bringing us into the new tech era way of worship.
We also managed all our meetings for each department on Zoom meetings.
And last two years we had our Sunday School classes on Zoom.
Last year, our pastor started Christian classes on Zoom; and we also started the Alpha course online.
We are in the third run of such these classes.
Fellowships were not forgotten, as each group made up their ways to meet and kept the spirit of sharing and giving everyone their love.
Because we were in ‘lock-down’ mode, that didn’t stop our desire to keep serving the Lord.
In fact it gave us more reasons to reach and serve.
Thank you again for sharing this with our devotion’s community.
(Quebec)
Thank you for the inspiration.
Sincere thanks for this!