Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Eph 6:10 NIV

Burrowing deep into eternal foundations,
Secured, supported, sustained.
Stretching onwards and outwards,
Reaching up to lofty skies,
The mighty oak stands,
Nourished with light, goodness and love,
Protected from all harm.
Displaying it’s strength and beauty,
For all the world to see.

Almighty, sustaining God, You are our God and we praise You. We thank You for your goodness and provision in our daily lives.  As we reflect, we draw on the nourishment of your love, your strength and protection in all we do today….

Almighty, sustaining God, may we sink our roots deeply into Jesus; may we be grounded in his words and teaching; may we open our arms more fully to receive his gracious love.

May we stand firm in his strength, in days of sunshine and storms; and may we offer a strong and secure shelter that others may be attracted to your love in Jesus. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

Open my eyes, to see the wonderful truths in your law. 
Ps 119:18 NLT

Open our eyes to your truth
Enlighten our mind to your Will
Lift our spirit to your Holy Spirit
Bear our load in your strength
Confirm our purpose in your plan
Renew our strength in your love

Loving God, we thank you for the power of your love in our lives, we thank you for your words of love, truth, wisdom and grace in the Bible, we thank you for the wise counsel of others and we thank you for your love, your goodness and your presence with us today and every day.

Loving God, as we consider the day ahead and all that it holds, we open our hearts and commit our day to You…..
May we see situations from your perspective, speak a timely word, act in love and kindness and bring all things to You in prayer. May we walk in step with the enabling power of your Holy Spirit and the saving grace of Jesus. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Ps 100 NIV

Jesus, Our Lord, our Saviour and King,
You created our beautiful world,
You spoke; and it came into being.

You adorned the heavens with starry skies
The fullness of the sun brings life, light and colour to our eyes.

Mountains high, valleys low, majestic peaks and rivers that flow, all point to a love that we may know.

The mighty oceans vast and deep, brim with creatures and fish, too numerous to assimilate.

Animals, birds, plants and trees, leave us gasping in awe, as we care for so many species.

A world of wonder, a world of might, a world of beauty….. yet in a plight!

Gracious God, we praise you for the gift of our wonderful world and your generous, plentiful provision. We thank you for love, life, light and colour, for the beauty and sounds of nature, for the very air we breath……..

Loving God, You ask us to be good stewards and care for our world and each other. Forgive us when we have misused and depleted resources, and caused harm to our environment and our neighbours. Forgive us when we have not shared what we have with others, for You have provided enough for all.

Loving God, You make all things new, show us how to repair and take care of our world and relationships. Encourage us, that we may have the heart, the mind and will to embrace the changes we need to make. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Image M.P. McKellar -used with permission

I have stilled and quieted my soul

Ps131:2 NIV

In the stillness of the moment
In the calm in the peace
Here I meet with Jesus my saviour
To receive his love and grace

To thank him for his wondrous love
His good and perfect ways
To offer myself and my day to him
In love, service and praise.

Gracious God, we take time to put aside the thoughts, distractions and interruptions of the moment, to come before You, our God, our Creator, our Guide, our Sustainer.

You are our hope, our joy, our song, and we praise you for your love and life.  We lift our hearts to you in praise and thankfulness, for  your many blessings in our lives…..  May we pass your blessings on to others as we abide in Jesus. Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

(Jesus said) I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…..they will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 

John 10: 14: 16 NIV 

As the tides ebb and flow.
We follow Jesus, wherever he may go.

To be his hands; to heal, to hold,
To be his feet; to walk the narrow road.

To be his ears; to listen, to hear,
To be his eyes; to see what is clear.

To be his mouth; to whisper to speak,
To be his heart, never missing a beat.

To be his mind; to understand,
To share the love of God, throughout the land.

God of love, we thank You that You have spoken to us through Jesus.  May we hear and respond to his voice; the voice that said, “love one another, as I have loved you” and “go and make disciples of all the nations.”  The voice that promised, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” *

God of grace, in this world we see needs close to home and far away. May we we respond with the compassionate and steadfast love of Jesus, as you show us.

God of peace, we ask that your Holy Spirit will be with us and help us to pray for any person or situation You have placed on our hearts…..in Jesus’ name.  Amen

Ruth Rushworth

*John 13:34 NIV
Matt 28: 19-20 NIV

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them.
1 John 4:16

We thank You Lord for special friends
Faithful, sure and true
Who bring out the best in us
And point the way to You.

Friends who believe in us
Who listen and care
Friends who trust and shows us
That God is truly there.

Friends who walk alongside us
Help us up a steep slope
Hold our hand quite firmly
Plant seeds of love and hope.

Friends who loves us just as we are
And will never turn away
Who reveal the love of Jesus
Who reflect, share and pray.

We thank you loving God for the gift of friendship.  We thank you for friends and family and all those who have encouraged us along life's way.  We thank you for those who have guided us along the right path, helped us discover our skills and talents, corrected us and shown the kindness and compassion of Jesus.  We thank you for those who have listened, kept in touch and given generously of their time.  We thank you for those who have shared their faith and prayed with and for us and encouraged us in our walk with Jesus.

Loving God, we thank you for Jesus, our wonderful counsellor, our greatest and most faithful friend, who loves and accepts us just as we are, who guides us and will never turn us away. May we open our lives more fully to his love.

Loving God, we pray for anyone in need of a friend today, that someone may draw alongside them in love. May we be ready and willing to be a good friend to others, in Jesus' name. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night…. The Lord watches over your life…. He will watch over your coming and going both now and evermore.

Ps 121 5-8 NIVUK

May our hearts share your love
May our lives reflect your grace
May our minds reveal your wisdom
May our tongues sing your praise

Loving God, wherever we are and in all of our circumstances, we thank you for the assurance of your love and protection. Thank You that You watch over our lives and protect and guide us by night and by day.

Gracious God, as the summer months continue and schools take a break, some will stay at home, while others take off on holidays and adventures. We pray for opportunities for reflection, refreshment and relaxation; for times of wonder and joy; for times for family, friendship, fun and laughter; for times to strengthen relationships with each other and with You.

Loving God, help us to remember to spend time in prayer; to bring our thanks and our praise, our worries and our anxieties and our concerns for others to You. And may our lives reflect the light and love of Jesus our Saviour. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds

Ps 147:3 NIV

We come to You, almighty God,
With our wounds beyond repair,
To your healing, restoring, perfect love,
To your gentleness, strength and care.

You gather the pieces of our heart,
Hold them closely to your breast,
You bind them with precious, heavenly gold,
In the way that You know is best.

You bring our mended hearts together,
Wrapped, in your loving embrace,
Our lives, our loves, our hopes to share,
In the presence of your grace.

Gracious God, we thank you for Jesus who willingly suffered and allowed his body to be broken, that we might know the extent of his amazing love and find new life, wholeness, purpose, hope and peace in Him….

We thank you for those people who walk alongside us in times of difficulty, in love, acceptance and prayer……

We pray for people around the world whose lives are shattered and broken…..

May we pray for and offer comfort to others, with the comfort we ourselves have received…..

We offer these and all the prayers of our hearts to You, loving God, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

(May you) know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Eph 3:19 ESV

Blessed by your love
Welcomed and accepted
Loved beyond measure
For all eternity treasured

Our hearts cannot contain
The fullness of your love
Form everlasting to everlasting
In your grace and mercy we trust

Gracious, eternal God, you love us wholly, dearly and completely. You created us, You know us individually by name, You rejoice and delight in us. Thank you for Jesus who gave his life, his all, out of love for us. Thank you for the wonderful gift of your Holy Spirit to guide us always.  We praise You, we worship You and we thank You for the fullness of your amazing love.

Loving God, in You we trust. Draw us closer to You.  May we know your love more fully in our hearts and take it out into the world, in the ways we value and care for others.  May we know the the peace of your presence and may we hold on to your guiding hand as we walk every day with you.  Amen.

Ruth Rushworth

Be still and know that I am God

Ps 46:10 NIV

Father, I praise,
Father, I adore,
Bless my soul,
My life, my all.

Jesus, I praise,
Jesus, I adore,
Come into my heart,
Stay with me evermore.

Holy Spirit, I praise,
Holy Spirit, I adore,
Lead me in the ways
Of Jesus, my Lord.

Father, Son and Spirit, we worship You. In the stillness of this moment, we breathe in your breath of life, your breath of love and peace.  We open our lives to your transforming love. Place your name on our lips, in our minds and in our hearts.

Breath of life and love, breathe your goodness and peace on us today, that we might reflect You in our thoughts, our words and actions. May we breathe the breath of the love of Jesus into the lives of others. Amen

Ruth Rushworth

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Phil 4:13 NKJV

Life on the edge
Living by faith
Relying fully
On saving grace.
Raised to the sun
In glory and praise
Responding to the light
In colour ablaze.
Thanks be to God
For Jesus his Son
For his life and love
And the victory He has won.

Gracious God, at times, circumstances, or challenges we wish to undertake, leave us feeling that we are living life on the edge.  We thank you for the strengthening love and grace of Jesus, available to us in every situation, through the power of your Holy Spirit.

Gracious God, help us to keep our gaze firmly fixed on Jesus. May we know his presence and enabling in our lives, as we seek to follow your will and direction in all things.
As we reflect, we pray for those you have placed on our hearts …… may they know the strength and support of the love of Jesus.  Amen.

Ruth Rushworth