Daily Devotions for Wednesday 1st May, 2024

Morning
Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from God, the Three in One

Reading : ESTHER chapter 4

Meditation : prayerfully consider these words and events this morning
Mordecai asks for help

Who do you identify with most in this chapter?
Who has asked you for help recently?

Then turn to pray to this God in response

O LORD our God
Thank you for these words
And all they teach us
Receive my sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving
For all Your help given
Even to me
In Jesus’ name
Amen

Midday
Pray God’s blessing on the members of the Royal Family
O LORD, give wisdom and help and hear our prayers we ask this day.

Evening
Reading : read this passage again from ESTHER chapter 4
Reflect on the words you have read and then pray in response – to this God, our God

LORD God, our God,
Our Great Helper
God who deserves our thanks
Hear the evening prayers of your people
For we are indeed in need of rescue from this world
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Midday Prayer with Others

On this last Tuesday in April – you are invited to pause and pray where you are with those gathered in the Upper Room today……

P-ause with God
R-ejoice in His blessings given
A-sk for the particular needs of our church family, the SEECOS church family, our nation and our world at this time – especially the people and leaders of Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Yemen and other countries in need
Y-ield to His Kingdom ways

Daily Devotions for Tuesday 30th April, 2024

Upper Room day and Gathering for Prayer in the evening

Morning
Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from Jesus, Saviour and Lord

Reading : ESTHER chapter 2 v19 – chapter 3
Meditation : take time and consider this passage this Tuesday morning
Mordecai
Haman

What words or images stay with you?
What is God teaching/reminding you today?

Pray in response to what you have read
Taking time to pause and listen for God’s answer to you

I call to the LORD for help;
I plead with him.
I bring him all my complaints;
I tell him all my troubles.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Midday
Take time to listen for God to speak with you at this time of day
Ask, seek, knock….hear!
Father God…thank you.

Evening
Reading : ESTHER chapter 2 v19 – chapter 3
read these words again – reflect and then pray in response to our God
naming others in a hard place at this time

I call to the LORD for help;
I plead with him.
I bring him all my complaints;
I tell him all my troubles.

In Jesus’ name.
Amen and Amen.

Tuesday Tuesday

As we journey through these closing days of April 2024….

At Liberton Kirk we usually set aside a Tuesday each week and provide a place with space – the UPPER ROOM – a place for time-out in our busy days above the Kirkgate Cafe. This is a safe place for you to be.

The Upper Room will be open this Tuesday and you are encouraged to take time-out with God…..to find a quiet place with space at this busy time of year…..7.30am-7.00pm……with opportunities to pray with John and others at 8am… Midday and 7pm.

* A space for you to be still in your busy needy world
** To pause and pray with God at this time – the God of all comfort, wisdom, mercy and hope.
* To listen to God – Father Son and Holy Spirit – in these times

You are encouraged to visit the Offering House – beside the gates – 8am-5pm each day – where you can find more information and helpful leaflets and booklets about our faith and our Kirk. There is also a Prayer Request Box situated here for you to leave your own personal requests – our Prayer Team will prayerfully support those you name. Have you walked the Word for Today round the church building? It takes about 20-30 minutes and is focussed on words from Matthew 14 verses 22-33….

You are also encouraged to use the bench at the top left of the Kirkyard (under the large tree – weather permitting!) to pause and pray – to be still with God – to ask, seek, knock, wait and receive.

In the evening, we come together in the Kirk for our monthly Gathering for Prayer…..7.30-8.30……to give thanks, to wait and listen with God, and to pray for those in our Church Family at this time, as well as each other around the Cross. All are welcome.

The Daily Devotions have been taking us to a daily time of considering God’s Good News with God’s written Word – and you may want to pause to pray with others at the start of each day as we consider the truths behind the words of this part of the Bible. During April our focus is on the words and events from the books of Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. This is available on the Kirk website blog and our social media pages on Facebook and Twitter from 7am- and in the church magazine.

And – don’t forget the brief Sunday morning Reflection at 8am…….and the Thy Kingdom Come global prayer venture daily reflections on our YouTube channel….from members of our Church Family providing a reflection over the 11 days period. This year the venture will run 9-19 May. Will you still be praying for 5??

May we each and all experience time-out with the Living and True God – whenever – wherever – as we continue to journey through 2024.

Daily Devotions for MAY 2024

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6 verse 33

During 2023 we were looking daily at the theme of TELLING OTHERS THE GOOD NEWS as we journeyed with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John through their gospels.

In 2024 we consider BEFORE THE GOOD NEWS – GOD’S PLAN BEGINS – as we step back into the Old Testament and pausing at our times of Midday Devotion to pray for others in our church family, our city and our world.

In May we conclude our journey with Esther and enter into the global prayer venture Thy Kingdom Come 2024.

We are all invited to listen for God’s voice and make our response as we journey together in our ‘rhythm of devotion’ in 2024.

These Devotions are but one way to feed on God’s Word in the morning, at midday, in the evening… to pray with Him continually through the day and even to share with others the treasures or hurdles you discover.
The Church website and Facebook page (even on a handy mobile) provide a fuller daily devotional page. However it all follows the pattern below which the information provided fits into, based on the Kirk’s origins of the Celtic and Northumbrian traditions which we started as a church family in 2015.

Morning
Reading and Meditation on the content and Prayer of response
Midday
Prayer – mostly for others
Evening
Verse(s) from the morning reading
Reflection and Prayer at the end of the day

Prayer for the Month of MAY

O Sovereign God
Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Will be done
In our world

O Almighty LORD
Thy Kingdom Come
Thy will be done
In our Church life and work

O Father God
Thy Kingdom Come
Thy will be done
In our lives
In my life

In Jesus’ name
Amen and Amen!

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory.
Now and for ever
Amen

Daily Devotions for Monday 29th April, 2024

Morning
Look Upward and Pray to hear and receive from God, the Holy Spirit

Reading : ESTHER 2 vs 1-18
Meditation : take time and consider this passage this Monday morning.
Esther is made Queen

What words stay with you?

Then Pray with your own words in response

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Midday

Pray God’s blessing on our World Mission Team
God of grace and mercy and rich blessing, hear our prayers we ask.

Evening
Reading : read these verses again from ESTHER 2 vs 1-18
Reflect on what you read and then pause to pray to our God in response

The LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he honours the humble with victory.
Let God’s people rejoice in their triumph
and sing joyfully all night long.

And so to you, O God, we bring our evening words of prayer
In Jesus’ name, Amen!