To print off the latest prayer diary click here.
Dear Fellow Pray-er,
Prayer Diary for the period Thursday 15th January – Wednesday 4th March 2026.
Well, a belated Happy New Year, to YOU!
What a salutary place to start - Genesis 3 – the fall of man! And what a reminder of the times we all fail to follow God’s commands. I find the reply Adam gives to God’s question as to whether he has eaten of the fruit of the tree that he had been commanded not to eat, interesting. A clear answer would have been “yes”. However, he explains that the woman gave him some of the fruit to eat “and I ate it.” How often do we dodge the truth and try to lay the blame at someone else’s door? Can we commit this year to always straightforwardly answering such a question and not dodging the issue? However, having told them the consequences of their disobedience, he blesses them - how great is the love of the Lord! Also, notice, at this point they are vegetarians as are the creatures that move on the ground as well as the birds. It is not until God’s post flood covenant with Noah that God gives mankind the right to eat meat and fish. At the same time God told Noah, “The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea.”
We miss the introduction to Abram and his time in Egypt where he becomes wealthy, however we meet his nephew Lot. Both have large herds and flocks, and they agree to separate: Abram to Mamre near Hebron and Lot to the plain of Jordan near Sodom. Then Lot is captured, Abram goes off and rescues him and meets Melchizedek a priest. It is here that we first read of a tithe. Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything. Do we offer the Lord a tenth of everything? It is all His anyway – we get to keep 90%!
We continue to read of God’s covenant with Abram – the promise of his descendants too numerous to count. However, he accepts his wife Sarai’s encouragement to sleep with her maidservant Hagar, with the resulting birth of Ishmael. God renames Abram, Abraham, and his wife, Sarah. The covenant of circumcision and the promise of a son in his and Sarah’s old age and then Abraham pleading for Sodom. We continue with the account of the downfall of Sodom, the escape of Lot and his family and the disobedience of Lot’s wife who looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt!
Now on to the birth of Isaac, the promised son for Abraham and Sarah, then the testing of Abraham. Who does he love most – God or his son? This might call us all to wonder about the priorities in our lives. Where does God stand? First, somewhere in the middle, someone to be thought of once a week on a Sunday or perhaps only when we are at our wits end – or if it’s convenient?
Next Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, who is deceived by his uncle, Laban. Jacob ends up working 14 years for Laban in order to marry firstly his daughter Leah and then secondly Rachel, whom he loves. (Read Genesis 29:1-30 if you would like to read the full account of this.) Then the twelve sons and a daughter fathered by Jacob, his wrestling with God, something I guess we all do from time to time. God changing his name to Israel, “Because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome”, the death of Rachel as she gives birth to the last son of Jacob, Benjamin, and then Isaac’s death.
Our last readings in the OT start the story of Joseph, the jealousy of his brothers, his successes and the challenges he faced. R T Kendall wrote a book about him entitled ‘God Meant it For Good’ which traces the stages of Joseph's life as he matures from a young and impetuous young man to one who is prepared to leave his own vindication with God. I thoroughly recommend it. We read the rest of the story of Joseph next time.
The New Testament readings continue with the last 7 chapters of Matthew. The question of paying taxes is challenging for us even now – if we recognise that as creator, God “owns” everything! What are the all-encompassing claims of “ownership” and “right” that Jesus would challenge us with today?
There are also the dire warnings from Jesus about the end times and how we must be prepared – something that it is so easy to lose sight of. Are our lamps full of the oil of the Spirit? Are we sheep or goats? Do we reach out to others with love or walk on by? We do need to keep on asking Him to guide us day by day. Then the plot against him, the Last Supper, arrest, trial, mocking, crucifixion and death – all this for each one of us – for you – for me.
And then – RESURRECTION! And the Great Commission - do we take his words seriously?
It seems to me apt that we then immediately go on to 2 Timothy 4 and Paul writing “I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season.” We need to keep on gossiping the Gospel to those around us!! Turn the page and we arrive at Paul’s letter to Titus which reminds us that our beliefs about God impact every decision we make, and how we should live our lives. Paul makes clear that a church that teaches and preaches sound doctrine will see results in the lives of its people. Not only will people be saved from their sins, but God’s grace will also motivate them to live out that saving faith with renewed and purified lives. Next Philemon. I do love the way Paul opens this letter with his thanks and encouragement for Philemon. We would encourage others if our emails to them contained more of this type of greeting. It is Paul’s shortest New Testament letter. Although he could have been apprehensive about his own well-being (he was writing from prison), Paul is concerned about Onesimus, a runaway slave. Paul’s humble, gentle, and loving demeanour in his letter to Philemon should also remind us to behave likewise in our own relationships. Now to Galatians, the fourth of Paul’s letters. In it he remonstrates against those who advocate salvation through the law and urges the church to lean on the true gospel of grace in Jesus. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5.1) We too need to remember those words when we consider the ways in which we have become enslaved to the latest technology and thinking of the world!
Finally, the Epistle to the Hebrews. It has been described as a complex homily (or sermon) which ends like a letter. I would draw to your attention to 2:1 “We must pay more careful attention, therefore to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” With all that is going on in the world today I encourage you to keep your eyes upon Jesus!
Our blessings to you and all those you love this new year!
Peter & Sylvia