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Your Personal Prayer page

All prayers that are placed on this page will be prayed for in Church,
telephone your prayers for inclusion to the Vicar
 telephone 020 8894 1932  
or  email to Dennis at  dcblackshire@yahoo.co.uk
telephone 020 8894 6449
Prayers will remain displayed for a month unless otherwise requested

Click here  to read the 'NICENE CREED'

Click here  for today's Bible reading

Gracious Father,
revive your Church in our day,
and make her holy, strong and faithful; for your glory's sake
in Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
 

For your prayers this week: Please remember those who are ill, recovering from surgery or undergoing treatment at this time including Revd Murray Thompsett, Neil, Ken Riley, Dorothy Pring, Pauline Tomlinson, Teresa Gowland, Eve Whiter, Agnes, David Loftus, John Spratley, Victoria Kibble, Mary Frank, Reg Bailey, Bethany, Christopher & Clifford, Jill's mum Eileen, Peter Mower, Mike Pannett. Give thanks for those who have recovered from illness or surgery and been restored to fullness of health.

Prayer Focus: We include names from our electoral roll on each week's sheet. Please try to remember these people in your private prayers. If we don't know everyone, we may all be encouraged by this prayer focus to enquire after and get to know others. We hope you will be strengthened by our prayers.  

Those in our church community who are in our prayer focus this week: Fiona, Abigail & Jade Mills, Jean Morley, Chris & Jeffrey Morris, Jane & Lydia Morton.
Please continue to remember in prayer: Evelyn Nero, Dora Savage, Phil & Kathleen Senior, Jim Williams, Rose Cole, and Alex Hodi.

Please pray for bereaved families, & those who have died, and the families and friends of those whose anniversary of death occurs at this time. 

 Bible reading for today

Morning—July 24

“Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”  Exodus 14:13

These words contain God’s command to the believer when he is reduced to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties. He cannot retreat; he cannot go forward; he is shut up on the right hand and on the left; what is he now to do? The Master’s word to him is, “Stand still.” It will be well for him if at such times he listens only to his Master’s word, for other and evil advisers come with their suggestions. Despair whispers, “Lie down and die; give it all up.” But God would have us put on a cheerful courage, and even in our worst times, rejoice in His love and faithfulness. Cowardice says, “Retreat; go back to the worldling’s way of action; you cannot play the Christian’s part, it is too difficult. Relinquish your principles.” But, however much Satan may urge this course upon you, you cannot follow it if you are a child of God. His divine fiat has bid thee go from strength to strength, and so thou shalt, and neither death nor hell shall turn thee from thy course. What, if for a while thou art called to stand still, yet this is but to renew thy strength for some greater advance in due time. Precipitancy cries, “do something. Stir yourself; to stand still and wait, is sheer idleness.” We must be doing something at once—we must do it so we think—instead of looking to the Lord, who will not only do something but will do everything. Presumption boasts, “If the sea be before you, march into it and expect a miracle.” But Faith listens neither to Presumption, nor to Despair, nor to Cowardice, nor to Precipitancy, but it hears God say, “Stand still,” and immovable as a rock it stands. “Stand still”;—keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, “Go forward.”

Evening—July 24

“His camp is very great.”  Joel 2:11

Consider, my soul, the mightiness of the Lord who is thy glory and defence. He is a man of war, Jehovah is His name. All the forces of heaven are at His beck, legions wait at His door, cherubim and seraphim;, watchers and holy ones, principalities and powers, are all attentive to His will. If our eyes were not blinded by the ophthalmia of the flesh, we should see horses of fire and chariots of fire round about the Lord’s beloved. The powers of nature are all subject to the absolute control of the Creator: stormy wind and tempest, lightning and rain, and snow, and hail, and the soft dews and cheering sunshine, come and go at His decree. The bands of Orion He looseth, and bindeth the sweet influences of the Pleiades. Earth, sea, and air, and the places under the earth, are the barracks for Jehovah’s great armies; space is His camping ground, light is His banner, and flame is His sword. When He goeth forth to war, famine ravages the land, pestilence smites the nations, hurricane sweeps the sea, tornado shakes the mountains, and earthquake makes the solid world to tremble. As for animate creatures, they all own His dominion, and from the great fish which swallowed the prophet, down to “all manner of flies,” which plagued the field of Zoan, all are His servants, and like the palmer-worm, the caterpillar, and the cankerworm, are squadrons of His great army, for His camp is very great. My soul, see to it that thou be at peace with this mighty King, yea, more, be sure to enlist under His banner, for to war against Him is madness, and to serve Him is glory. Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, is ready to receive recruits for the army of the Lord: if I am not already enlisted let me go to Him ere I sleep, and beg to be accepted through His merits; and if I be already, as I hope I am, a soldier of the cross, let me be of good courage; for the enemy is powerless compared with my Lord, whose camp is very great.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

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