Daily Devotion 30 April 2020

Ann Caffyn2020-04, 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.

Genesis 9:12-13, 16

12 God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’

On our occasional forays to buy food, it’s lovely to see how rainbows have appeared in windows around the town. It’s one of the ways we’ve invented to greet friends and strangers now that the coronavirus stops us going out and talking to them and it’s a phenomenon that is world-wide, not just in the UK. It’s saying, “We’re all in this together. We can support each other. We can hope with one another.” From time immemorial the rainbow has been a sign of hope.

The Bible tells us that when Noah came out of the Ark, with his family and all the animals he had saved from the flood, God made a covenant with him and used a rainbow as the sign of that covenant. It’s as if God was saying to Noah, “We’re all in this together, whatever happens in life I’m there with you to share and support, we can hope together.”

And later God sent his Son to live with us, to show us that we are indeed ‘in this together’. Jesus not only lived a human life, he loved us so much, and shared our lot so profoundly that he was prepared to die for us. We know that we are never alone, that however dark and difficult things get, God is always there alongside us, loving us, giving us strength and courage, and guiding us in the darkness.

“The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Prayer:

Loving Father God,
thank you for always being there for us
in times of joy or sorrow,
of certainty or doubt,
in good times and in bad.
Thank you for making us strong
when we need strength,
for giving us courage when we are fearful,
for holding us when we need love.

At this time of crisis round the globe
we pray for everyone affected by the pandemic.
We pray especially
for all the frontline workers,
who put their lives on the line to help others.
We ask that our leaders may be given wisdom
as they face impossibly difficult situations and decisions.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer
and let our cry come unto you
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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