Springford Baptist Church

I wonder how aware we are of what is making those around us happy or sad. We make a point of wishing people, “Happy Birthday”; or congratulating a family on the arrival of a new baby; or wishing people well who are starting a new school adventure or a new job position. We find ways to extend love and support when people are sick or when there has been loss of loved ones. Some people will be more inclined to let those around them know what is making them happy or sad. Some people will openly share what is making them pleased and grateful or anxious and troubled and others will choose to keep this to themselves. It requires prayerful sensitivity to find appropriate ways to follow the guidance of Scripture where we read, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) In our desire to become more like Jesus, this is just what we need to do. And in order to be able to be happy with those who are happy and sad with those who are sad, we will need to see this possibility as both a gift and a responsibility. We can pray daily that God will give us eyes to see what is happening with others and hearts to care. If we are so caught up in our own concerns that we do not realize the concerns of others, then we can pray for God to change us. Sometimes when we do come to understand what someone else has been going through, we will exclaim, “I had no idea…” This week we are going to pray that we will want to know what is making others happy or sad. We will also pray that God will guide us in how to respond and to offer sincere “walking alongside” to people whatever they are facing. Please join in this week’s WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow September 6^th at 1 pm.

Praying for the compassion of Jesus as we respond lovingly to people however they are feeling, Pastor Lola

 Our loving God, we begin by thanking You for the assurance that You always know what is causing us to feel happy or sad. You understand all of our emotions and you enter into both our celebrations and our sorrows. We want to be more like You in doing the same for others. We are praying that you will deepen our sensitivity and awareness to know how others are being affected by their circumstances. When people have promising and hopeful things happening for themselves or their families, we want to be delighted with them. We pray for this to be the real sentiment we have and not simply words we feel we should say. Guard us against wishing good for ourselves and getting focused on when things will work out in our own situations in ways that overshadow genuine gratitude that You are blessing others. As we embrace this responsibility, we want to discover You also rejoicing with those who rejoice. Thank You God for the blessings You are pouring into the lives of those we know. It is one thing to celebrate good times with people. We recognize that following Jesus asks more of us. We are also to share with others in their sad and desperate times. Please show us how to do this. We ask for Your forgiveness for the times we have not been available to mourn with those who mourn. In these moments, we consider the reasons there is mourning. Alert us to those who seriously ill and feeling worn out and hopeless. We recognize that those whose loved ones have ongoing health issues do at times become so overwhelmed. Remind us of those who have experienced broken relationships or job loss. We know that there are those who find certain days especially hard because a loved one died on that day or it is the birthday or anniversary of someone who has passed. These dates can be forgotten by us or go unnoticed, but we know for those who have held someone close that these dates can evoke painful memories. We need You God to continue to heighten our sensitivity both to what makes people happy and sad so that we can acknowledge this and join them in whatever is touching them deeply. As we learn more about rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn, we pray that we will keep encountering You accompanying those whom You call us to accompany. May our love for people confirm Your infinite love for them. In the Name of Christ our Saviour. AMEN

As we recognize this approaching back to school time of the year, there are many ways that we can pray for and support in our prayers those who will be learning and those who will be part of a learning environment.  God gives us lifelong opportunities to be learning. It is wise to understand that we are not ever intended to stop learning. In the wideness of our world and in the immensity of our God, there is always more to learn. Prayer is a key practice in order for us to be well positioned to learn from God. We can come to God in humble prayer and acknowledge what we do not know and have yet to learn. In prayer, we can choose to trust God to reveal to us and to teach us in personal ways the magnitude of Who God is and who are we. In Scripture we read, “Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance.” (Proverbs 1:5) Faithful prayer and recognition of God through prayer has us listening and adding to our learning and also receiving guidance and understanding that only God can provide. It will again be our privilege this week to pray for each other and to pray for us in apprehending lessons of faith that God wants to teach us. Please pause with us for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow August 30^th at 1 pm.

Thankful that we have God as our loving Teacher and that there is so much we can learn from our God, Pastor Lola

 Our God thank You for these summer months and what we have had to learn from You in times of work and play and rest and relaxation. Thank You for all the lessons of Your mercy and grace displayed in the world around us. We see the beauty and intricacy of what You God have created. There has been pleasure in enjoying Your Presence with us always and reminders of Your love displayed everywhere. We want to keep listening for You in the stillness of the breeze. We want to be led by You to the quiet places where our souls are restored. And even as this summer has provided the chance to know You more, we want this journey of learning from You to continue into the months ahead. This is why we choose to listen for You our LORD. In thinking about learning, we want to come to You now to pray for all those who will be getting ready for back to school. For some very young ones, this will be their first time in a classroom and there will be so many lessons ahead of them. We pray for those who may be feeling anxious about this, both Junior Kindergarten students and their parents. In entering this new world of learning we pray that You will guide and help each family. We pray for teachers preparing for another school year. Please equip them well to teach with compassion in their hearts for their students and the unique needs of each student. For those who are looking forward to going back to school, we pray Your blessing. For those not looking forward to going back to school, we also pray your blessing. For those feeling uncertain about building friendships at school we pray for Your help. We are asking Lord for students, teachers, school counsellors, and all education workers to participate in building an atmosphere of caring. We know the reality of bullying and the damage it creates. For some students, they will be dreading going back to school because school has not been a positive experience for them. We pray that this school year can be a new beginning. We pray for school administration and parents to work together to build safe and respectful environments for learning. We also know that there are those who do not find school motivating and worthwhile and this challenges them in their learning. We bring all of this to You God and pray for positive learning possibilities for those we know and those we don’t know who will be returning to school. In our prayers we also pray for bus drivers and crossing guards and school secretaries and volunteers in the classrooms and school cleaning staff. Everyone contributes to the possibilities for learning and we ask that each one will feel important in their contributions. And our God we know that for all of us there are things for us to keep learning so we pray that we will keep listening for You and that we will have discernment that only You can give us for the guidance we need each day. Thank You God for taking time to teach us and making it possible for us to learn from You. Please show us how to apply what You teach us. We depend on You in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

You won’t be surprised that my head is currently full of lessons learned while hiking the Bruce Trail. There are places on the Bruce Trail where there are big hills to climb. Whether there is an actual hill to climb or a circumstance in our lives that seems as daunting as climbing a mountain, we look for courage to keep going. If we stand at the bottom of a rise and shake our heads and determine that we just can’t make it then we do not advance any further. God invites us to take a different approach. Our loving God invites us to accurately recognize that there are challenges too steep for us to manage and then to turn to Him to help us. When we pray and admit to God that we cannot climb alone, God is ready and waiting to help us. Consider this Scripture: ²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding  no one can fathom. ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and those who are young stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31) Every day we can be turning to God in prayer and placing our hope in Him. We can trust God to renew our strength and to enable us to climb the hill before us. We do not just pray for ourselves. We also pray for others facing obstacles of all sorts. We ask God to help them and to show us what we can do to support them in their walk of faith. God has been good and wise in moving us to pray for each other. Together we claim His strength and grace for our journeys. Tomorrow August 23^rd at 1 pm we will again pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER. Wherever we are at that time, we can pause to lift each other up in prayer and we can affirm our dependence on God to supply the strength we need for the climb before us.

Hoping in the LORD, Pastor Lola

Thank You our God for the accurate perception that we cannot manage the hills of life by ourselves. Thank You that we can know that You are always available to help us. We declare our dependence on You and ask You to keep reminding us to come to You for strength. At this time, we do offer our prayers for all those who have been affected by wildfires. We realize that this is a frightening and uncertain time for many. For those who have had to leave their homes, we pray for reassurance. For those battling the fires and those seeking to help and support those who are displaced, we pray for courage and determination. Our prayer is that the fires will be brought under control. We think of those surveying what has been lost and wondering where they will live and how they will manage. Thank You that You are with them and can supply their needs. Thank You for strong community outreach to assist in a whole variety of ways. God,  please guard us against a diminished response of compassion because the needs are so many and so persistent. At times we do feel overwhelmed by all that seems wrong in our world. Everywhere we turn there are multiple needs. This in itself could be the mountain before us that seems impossible to climb. Please show us when and how You want us to act on Your behalf to assist and encourage anyone facing a steep climb because of their circumstances. God, we do thank You for good things that are happening in the lives of people we know. We do not want the challenges we face to cause us to resent the blessings of others. As we find our strength and courage in You, we are grateful. As we witness You bringing strength and courage to others, we see answers to our prayers and want to keep on praying and trusting You. Again and again You reveal to us that when we are weak, You are strong. Your capacity for love and grace is unlimited. Thank You God for these summer months that have given us opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the world you have created. Thank You for evidence everywhere of Your intricate designs and for our ability to experience Your touch in nature and on us. Thank You for the gift of time spent with family and friends. We do pray for those who feel lonely and who do not have family and friends close by. We do pray for the living of each day as it comes. We cannot know what any day will hold, but You do God and so we again choose to commit ourselves and all the circumstances of our lives to You. We climb every mountain with You as our constant Guide and Source of hope and strength. And we openly acknowledge our dependence on You! In Jesus’ Powerful Name, AMEN.