Call to worship:
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.Psalm 34:4-7
Gathering Video
Questions for reflection:
How do our prayers and God’s purposes interact?
Spurgeon said ““God is too wise to be mistaken. Too good to be unkind. And, when you can’t trace His hand, you can always trust His heart.” Where do you need to apply that today?
What comes to mind hearing the Mary Oliver poem?
Corporate Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
We are in awe of Your work. We see how the gospel of Jesus brings life, beauty, grace and freedom. May Your glorious truth be the center of our lives. Empower us by Your Spirit to remain connected to You and one another in everything we say and do.
In the name of Christ we pray,
Amen
Notes//Quotes//Slides:
Acts 25:1-27 - Faith
Title: Political Purgatory
“…He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”
(Acts 9:15)
“The soul that is not united solely to the will of God will find neither rest nor sanctification in any self-chosen means — not even in the most excellent exercises of piety. If that which God Himself chooses for you does not suffice, what other hand can minister to your desires? If you turn from the food the divine will itself has prepared for you, what viands (archaic for food) will not prove insipid to a taste so depraved? A soul cannot be truly nourished, strengthened, purified, enriched, or sanctified, except by the fullness of the present moment.”
- Jean Pierre de Caussade
“This is an important point about the interaction between God's purposes and our praying. Sometimes when we pray and wait for God to act, part of the answer is that God is indeed going to act but that he will do so through our taking proper human responsibility in the matter. It's hard to tell in advance, what the answer will be. There are times when it is “the Lord will fight for you and you've only to keep still” (Ex. 14:14) and other times when it is “be strong and very courageous for you shall put this people in possession of the land I swore to give them” (Josh. 1:6). Discerning and discovering which applies in which case, a note that even in the latter case God is giving the people the land which Joshua is giving them is a major element in the discernment to which all Christians and especially all Christian leaders are called.”
- N.T. Wright
“God is too wise to be mistaken. Too good to be unkind. And, when you can’t trace His hand, you can always trust His heart.”
- Charles Spurgeon
“Lord, I would run for you, Loving the miles for your sake.
I would climb the highest tree to be that much closer.
Lord, I will learn also to kneel down into the world of the invisible, the inscrutable and the everlasting.
Then I will move no more than the leaves of a tree on a day of no wind, bathed in light, like the wanderer who has come home at last and kneels in peace, done with all unnecessary things; every motion; even words.”
- Mary Oliver