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PRAY NOW: TODAY'S PRAYER
Dead-ends
But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah 1:3a
Prayer
I find it difficult to accept dead-ends.
I have grown to believe that with faith
I can get through any situation,
that every path will lead me somewhere.
And so when I come up against a wall
and can move no further
I waste time searching for an opening.
Then I try to climb over
and when all else fails
I stand and hammer it with childish fists
in case it will come tumbling down
like the walls of Jericho!
I cannot bear to hit the wall
in my relationships or in my work.
I feel a failure.
Teach me Lord,
when I find myself in a cul-de-sac
to reflect on how I got there.
Occasionally relationships are best severed
for the creative good of both parties.
So hard!
Sometimes you call us away from one kind of work to another.
Some things are meant to be stopped!
Any path forged out of vengeance, deceit or betrayal,
or littered with greed and sinful self-indulgence
is bound to lead to a dead-end.
And having reflected as Jonah did,
I will turn to You, God,
and pray that You will deliver me
from the belly of the whale
to once again journey towards life.
Readings
Jonah 1, 2, 3:1–3 Jonah flees from God to the dead-end of a whale's belly
Luke 15:11–20 The prodigal son journeys to the hell of his own making
Matthew 26:14–16, 47–50
& 27:3–5 Judas cannot undo what he has done.
Acts 5:1–10 Ananias and Sapphira discover the deadliness of deceit
Prayer activity
Have you ever found yourself in a 'cul-de-sac'? Did it feel like a dead-end, or
more like a holding place, or a turning place, or a growing place? Pray for those
who believe themselves to have reached a dead-end. Remember that wherever you
are, God is. God's intention is that none should be left at a dead-end.
Prayer for the Church
Those who guide the Church in matters of law and justice and ensure all that we do is
in accordance with the law and best practice
especially the Church's Law department, Safeguarding Unit and Health & Safety
office.
Blessing
God bless our advancing,
God bless our retreating
God bless our traversing
God bless our homecoming.
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