Daily Devotion 26 April 2020

Gillian Wood2020-04, Devotional
Create a peaceful space to pause, and allow yourself to feel God’s presence alongside you, as near to you as your own breath. In following the reflection below, as a church we will draw closer to God and to one another as we grow in faith and deepen our sense of belonging to God.

Psalm 121:1-2 ‘Assurance of God’s Protection’

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills –
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

These verses come from a ‘Psalm of Ascent’, one of the psalms the pilgrims sang as they travelled to Jerusalem to celebrate one of their feasts. On the way they could see the hills in the distance, once over them they would be in be in Jerusalem, but the hope of journey’s end was clouded because the hills were often where robbers hid; journeying through them could be dangerous. Help was needed and that came from God who is safe and secure and unchanging.

Here in Eastbourne hills – the Downs – are as much part of life as the sea. Many people can look out of their window or from their garden or whilst walking down the street and see the Downs high above the town. On a bright sunny day they glow green against a blue sky – a sign of hope which makes us smile. But when dark clouds are above they look grey and sombre – a sign of foreboding which makes us hurry inside, and when the cloud comes down or the mist is thick we cannot see them at all. The Downs, like our moods, can be changeable and so like the Israelites of old we need to turn to their God and ours, who made the heavens and earth, and even these Downs, but unlike them is always the same.

When life is dark and foreboding, God brings comfort, when the future is cloudy and hard to see God brings reassurance as our guide – our guide into the sunshine, the hope and joy which will come as we raise our eyes beyond the hills to the heavens and to our God.

Prayer:

Loving God, creator of the universe,
we look to you for comfort, reassurance and hope at this present time.

We bring before you our friends and families, our town, our country, our world
and ask you to guide and protect us.

Bring healing to all who are ill, bring protection to all who care for the elderly and sick, bring wisdom to those who govern and insight to all those who seek for a vaccine.

We bring before you all who are shut in:
families in confined spaces with harassed parents and restless children
and those on their own who yearn for companionship. Lord meet all their needs.
Encourage us to be neighbours who care for each other just as you care for us.

We are all part of your family. Together we can unite in saying the family prayer which Jesus taught us.
OUR FATHER…AMEN.

Image © 2020 Paul Tabraham.
Reflection and Prayer © 2020 Gillian Wood.
A printable version of this Daily Devotional can be downloaded from here
All material reproduced by permission under CCL 1226356