Lord, I must confess that some days I can feel you very close but other days you seem so far away. Help me to know that you are never far away but simply letting me discover that I can put into practice all I have learnt from you, and that whenever I meet an obstacle that is too big for me, you are there already, waiting to guide me in your way of dealing with it. And Lord, may I see the beauty of your touch everyday so that my heart may truly be at peace, and others see you in me.

Jesus told many stories about daily life. After all, it is

through daily living that we experience God. Jesus

was concerned that we should understand that God is

in amongst the detail as well as the grand scheme.

He is the reason for life - He is its purpose and its end.

To try and organize life without God would be sillier

than trying to organize a trip round America without

any means of getting there.

Jesus made it clear that God wants to be involved in

the detail. He enjoys caring for us. What loving parent doesn’t enjoy helping their children to get the very best out of life every day?

The parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20) and the feeding of the 5000 was to show that everyone is cared for. Work is

for life, but life lived for God becomes something more than work.

Working with God is about doing the daily things of life with an entirely new focus. It is discovering His strength in the tough bits;

His joy in the good bits; His words when we speak to others; His actions when we set about any task. We can live each day with God.

If you had a choice of working with one of two gardeners - one morose, always complaining about the weeds, the weather and the soil - and the other delighting to show the wonders of God’s creation to anyone who was nearby - who would you choose to work with?

When we look for God in our work, life becomes quite different.

A New Day

Lord, the very first book of the Bible tells me that everything you created was good. As I wake each day, may I focus my first thoughts on you and on your love for me. And then Lord, may I rise, rejoicing that, whatever the day holds, it is your day - a day of grace because you are with me. May I know your peace in all that I face, and may I see those with whom I shall share the day as part of your loving creation. Thank you, Lord.

The Past

Our life has a past, a present and a future, but our past can easily distort our view of the future, preventing us from running the race before us and achieving all that God has planned.

Lord, you know my past. I cannot change it, but I give it wholly to you. You gave your life to free me from sin and death. So Lord, if there is anything in my past that needs dealing with, show me, help me, and let me rejoice in your love.

Decisions

How easily we make decisions in life without talking to God first. “I didn’t want to bother him,” we say. Would we feel ‘bothered’ if someone we loved asked us advice?

Lord, I’m sorry for the way I often wander about through life without you. Let me know your presence with me so that I can share with you in my mind and everything I face today. May my thoughts be your gift to me. Thank you.

The Good and the Bad

There is hardly a day passes without some good and some bad. Jesus faced it daily too, but because he was focused on his Father, he was always in control - whether it was bringing someone healing or facing his enemies - and even on the cross.  

Lord, as I learn to walk with you more closely, I begin to discover that your life is at work in me. And that is wonderful! Help me not to forget it.

The Future

        ‘Two men looked through prison bars,

           One saw mud, the other saw stars.’

Lord, when I look only to the things I can see, I lose sight of you. Teach me Lord to learn to trust you for today, tomorrow and all the days you have planned for me in a way that always remembers that this life is merely a journey - my destination is to be with you. May my plans for the future be always with that in mind.

Sleeping

Sleep is a body’s way of healing - physically and mentally. Sometimes sleep comes easily and sometimes it is withheld - just as it was with Jesus. He knows what it means - and he cares.

Lord, may I always rest at peace with you, and in my heart at peace with others so that you are always in my thoughts as I go to sleep; there in my dreams, and in my mind as I wake. And Lord, may your word grow in me ready for the new day.

Give thanks for the many ways God is at work, through:

- doctors

- counsellors

- Christians

- neighbours

- family

- prayer

Remember today, those who carry around in life:

- hurts

- jealousy

- selfishness

- greed

- mental stress

- despair

and who do not  

 know God’s love.