In our own homes – let us keep on praising the Lord.

‘O Lord, You are exalted for ever… The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty… ‘ (Psalm 92:8; Psalm 93:1-2). 

You, Lord, are ‘exalted’. Help us to exalt You in our worship. You are not exalted because we exalt You. We exalt You because You are exalted. You are ‘exalted far above all gods’. That is why we sing, ‘I exalt Thee, O Lord’. ‘He is exalted, the King is exalted on high’ – This is the truth concerning You, Lord. ‘I will praise Him’ – This is our response to Your truth. We sing, ‘Jesus, we enthrone You, we proclaim You our King’. This is our response to the eternal truth concerning our Saviour: ‘The Lord is enthroned as King for ever’. ‘From all eternity’, the Lord is ‘robed in majesty’. Help us, Lord, to respond to Your majesty. Help us to ‘magnify’ You, Lord – ‘O Lord our God, how majestic is Thy Name’(Psalm 97:9; Psalm 29:10; Mission Praise, 158,217,388,507).

‘The Lord reigns’ (Psalm 96:10; Psalm 97:1).

Lord, You are the King. You are not only ‘the King all-glorious above’. You are ‘the King of love’. You are ‘our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!’ You are not only ‘the King of heaven’. You are ‘the God of grace’. You are ‘the King of mercy.’ Your reign is not to be restricted to some faraway heaven. It is not to be a reign that is far removed from the practicalities of our everyday life. You want to reign in our hearts. You want to reign in every part of our life. May Your reign of love begin. May Your grace and mercy control all that we do.

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Here’s a link to a great hymn of praise – may it fill your heart with praise to the Lord: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven.

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“God blessed them” (Genesis 1:28).

What a good thing it is to be blessed by the Lord! The blessing of God is better than anything else. Without his blessing, we have nothing – nothing that really matters. With his blessing, we have everything that really matters.

“The breath of life” (Genesis 2:7).

Life comes from God. This is true in the physical sense – and it is, also, true in the spiritual sense. We give thanks to God for his gift of life – our life on earth and our life in Christ.

“Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).

The Lord is looking for us. Why does he look for us? He looks for us because he loves us. He looks for us with the look of love. When he looks at us, he sees our sin, but he sees more than that – he, also, sees our Saviour. He sees us in him – Jesus Christ, his Son; Jesus Christ, our Lord.

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Here’s a link to a song that will help you to thank the Lord for his many blessings: Count your blessings

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‘I will sing of Your love… I will walk with integrity of heart…’ (Psalm 101:1-2).

Lord, we read these words, from many centuries ago, and, too quickly, we say, ‘Things are very different now.’ Are they really so different? Are worshipping You and walking with You out-of-date now? Are they to be forgotten? So many people have no time for You, Lord. They feel that they can do without You. They refuse to worship You. They do not walk with You. In our ever-changing world, You keep on speaking to us about something we must never forget: You, Lord, are ‘enthroned for ever’. Your ‘Name endures to all generations’. In all the changes of life, You, Lord, ‘remain the same’. Your ‘years go on through all generations’. Your ‘years will never end’(Psalm 102:12,24,27). Lord, we read Your Word, and we say, “These words were ‘written for a future generation’”. They were written for us. Help us never to forget to ‘praise You’(Psalm 102:18)!

‘Surely He will save you from the traps of the hunter’ (Psalm 91:3).

Lord, You have given us Your warning. We must ‘be alert’ – ‘Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour’. You have also given us Your promise – ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. How are we to resist the devil? – We are to ‘resist him, standing firm in the faith’(1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7). Help us not to try to resist the devil in our own strength. We will be defeated. He is much more powerful than we are. Help us to resist him in the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, we have the victory – ‘Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’(1 Corinthians 15:57). Help us never to forget that Satan is out to get us. He’s trying to trap us. Help us never to forget this: Jesus is able to ‘deliver us from the evil one’(Matthew 6:13).

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Here’s a link to a hymn that will help you to praise God for his grace, mercy and forgiveness: A debtor to mercy alone …

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“Call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26).

Down through the centuries, people have called upon the name of the Lord. We know the names of some of the people. Most of the names we’ll never know. We  don’t need to know their names – but we do need to know the name of the Lord. His name is the name of our salvation – “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

“Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:24).

Many things can be said about each one of us – some good, others not so good. We don’t know much about Enoch – but we do know this: he “walked with God.” In life’s journey, we can go our own way, or we can walk with God. When, by the amazing grace of God, we are being led in the way of the Lord, we are travelling forward with hope – glorious hope, eternal hope.

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Now, a great hymn of faith. Listen. Sing. Be blessed. Be Thou My Vision

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‘Praise the Lord’ (Psalm 103:1-2,20-22).

Lord, You’re calling us to praise You for His ‘steadfast love’. You are ‘abounding in steadfast love’(Psalm 103:8). How are we to respond to Your ‘steadfast love’? Are we to say, ‘God loves me. I can do what I like’? No! We must not think like this. We’re not to say, ‘I’ll keep on sinning. God will keep on forgiving’(Romans 6:1-2). Your Word tells us something very different. You love us. Teach us to love You. When Your ‘steadfast love’ has really touched our hearts, it changes our lives: ‘As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him… The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear Him’(Psalm 103:11,17). We thank You, Lord, for Your love. Help us to live to please You!

‘When I said, “My foot is slipping”, Your love, O Lord, supported me’ (Psalm 94:18).

You, Lord, are ‘able to keep us from falling’. We are ‘kept by Your power’. Help us to put our trust in You. May we be confident of this: ‘God, who began His good work in us, will carry it through to completion on the Day of Christ Jesus’. Help us to ‘press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenwards in Christ Jesus’. As we ‘press on’, may we never forget this: ‘It is God who works in us to will and to work according to His good purpose’. Help us to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’, trusting in His promise: ‘My sheep listen to My voice… I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of My hand…’(Jude 24-25; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Philippians 1:6; 3:14; 2:13; Hebrews 12:2; John 10:27-30).

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Here’s a link to a great song about the wonderful grace of Jesus – Wonderful grace of Jesus – YouTube. Listen, sing and be blessed!

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“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).

There was so much sin, but there was, also, grace – the grace of God. Grace is reaching out to us. It is calling us. How can we begin to describe the grace of God? How can we begin to praise the God of grace? We may learn from Noah – but we must move beyond him to Jesus. Grace came to Noah. Grace comes to us – when Jesus comes to us. He comes as our Saviour. He lifts us out of our sin. He lifts us up – into his salvation.

“Noah went into the ark” (Genesis 7:7).

For Noah and his family, the ark was the place of safety. For us, Jesus is the ‘ark’ of our salvation. We are “safe in the arms of Jesus.” He has invited us to come to him. He welcomes us when we come to him. We belong to him – “not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.”

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Here’s a link to a song that will strengthen your faith in Christ:

Safe in the arms of Jesus

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‘I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live’ (Psalm 104:33).

Sometimes, Lord, we feel like giving up. Other things become more important to us. Worshipping You gets pushed out to the edge of our life. Wrong attitudes creep in. It starts with the idea, ‘Worship’s just an hour on a Sunday’. Then, it becomes, ‘I’ll worship the Lord when I feel like it’. It soon becomes, ‘I’ll worship the Lord when I’ve nothing better to do’. Before long, all desire for worshipping You, Lord, has gone! Little-by-little, we drift away from You, Lord. It’s time, for us, to start thinking about what’s happening. It’s time for a new beginning. It’s time for an ‘all my life’ commitment to worshipping You, Lord – not just on a Sunday, not only when I feel like it, not only ‘when there’s nothing better to do’!

‘Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonderful works that He has done… ’ (Psalm 105:4-5).

Lord, You give strength to those who put their trust in You. Trusting in Christ, we have this great testimony: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’(Philippians 4:13). How, Lord, do we receive Your strength? We must ‘‘seek Your face always’. We must not think we can face difficult circumstances in our strength. Without Your strength, we will be defeated. You have helped us in the past. Help us never to forget this. Help us to give thanks to You for every victory won. As we face temptation, help us to remember Your promise of victory: ‘God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength. With the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape… ’(1 Corinthians 10:13).

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Here’s a link to the song – I Have Decided to Follow Jesus – Lydia Walker [with lyrics] – YouTube. I hope you’ll listen to it and you’ll say, in your heart, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.” The grace of God reached Noah and changed him. May God’s grace reach us and change us.

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“God remembered Noah” (Genesis 8:1).

God didn’t forget Noah. He remembered him. God doesn’t forget us. He remembers us. We don’t like to be forgotten. We like to be remembered. Sometimes, people forget us. They don’t remember us. Sometimes, we forget them. We don’t remember them. God is so very different from us. He never forgets us. He always remembers us. How do we know that God will never forget us? – He sent his Son to die for us. How do we know that God will always remember us? – He raised his Son from the dead for us.

“God blessed Noah” (Genesis 9:1).

Why do we remember Noah? We remember him – because God blessed him. The story of Noah is more than the story of Noah. It’s the story of the God who blessed him. Our story is more than the story of our life. It’s the story of the God who has blessed us so much. He has blessed us with earthly gifts – but, more than that, he has blessed us with the gift of his Son – Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

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Here’s a link to a hymn which help you to understand what it means to belong to Christ and live as his faithful servant: Jesus, Master, whose I am …

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Lord, we read about Israel’s sin – ‘They soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel… They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise… They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord… They rebelled against the Spirit of God’ (Psalm 106:13,24-25,33).

This is not only ancient history. It’s the story of our life! We read this, and we must join in Israel’s confession of sin: ‘We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly’(Psalm 106:6). We thank You, Lord, that the history of Israel is not only a history of sin. It’s also a history of salvation: ‘He saved them…’(Psalm 106:8,10). When, Lord, we read of Your salvation, may we echo the prayer of Your people – ‘Save us, O Lord our God…’ May we join with them in praising You – ‘Praise be to the Lord…’(Psalm 106:47-48).

‘He brought His people out with joy’ (Psalm 105:43).

When things are going badly and we feel like giving up, help us, Lord, to remember Your Word: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’(Nehemiah 8:10). You’re calling us to ‘rejoice in You always’. You do not leave us on our own when our time of testing comes. You are there for us in our time of need: ‘My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’(Philippians 4:4,19). When we are deeply conscious of our own weakness, You come to us with Your Word of strength: ‘My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness’(2 Corinthians 12:9). Through Your Word, we receive strength. Your Word brings joy to us. May we sing ‘glad songs of victory’: ‘The Lord is my Strength, my Song, my Saviour’(Psalm 118:14-15).

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When you’re reading the Word of the Lord, here’s a link to a song which can be your prayer to the Lord – Open Our Eyes – YouTube. God will answer your prayer. He will lead you to Jesus. More and more, you will come to know him as “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). The more you learn of him, the more you will want to know him, love him and serve him. Here’s a link to another song, which is another prayer you can bring to the Lord – THE GREATEST THING – Mark Pendergrass [HD] – YouTube. Read the written Word of God – and feed on Christ, God’s living Word.

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“Nimrod, was a mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:9).

We live our life “before the Lord” (in the presence of the Lord, in the eyes of the Lord). This is something we should never forget. We do not live for ourselves, for our own glory. We live for God, to give glory to him.

When we read about Nimrod being “mighty”, let us remember that “the weapons of our  warfare are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

“Building a tower and making a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4)

There is no salvation in ourselves. Salvation is in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). The Lord is our “strong tower” (Proverbs 18:10). Salvation doesn’t begin with ourselves. It comes to us from Christ: “Who came down from heaven to earth? – Jesus Christ, our Saviour.”

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Here’s a link to a song which will fill your heart with praise to your Saviour.

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.

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‘With God we shall gain the victory. He will trample down our enemies’ (Psalm 108:13).

In ourselves, Lord, there is only defeat. We are no match for ‘our enemies’- the world, the flesh and the devil. We are surrounded by the world – ‘The world is ever near. I see the sights that dazzle. The tempting sounds I hear’. We live with the constant problem of the flesh – ‘the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will.’ Behind the world and the flesh, there is an even stronger enemy – the devil: ‘Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against… the spiritual forces of evil…’(Ephesians 6:12). Lord, our situation seems to be utterly hopeless. How can we possibly win the victory? The simple truth is: We cannot. There is, however, a deeper truth: You, Lord, are with us – and ‘with God we shall win the victory’!

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Here’s a link to a beautiful and thought-provoking version of  I heard the voice of Jesus say …

I hope and pray that this lovely hymn will bring to you blessing from the Lord.

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Keep on praying! – A message from the Moderator of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley

As you read Jack’s letter, pray for the people he mentions – and don’t forget to pray for him, giving thanks to God for his much-needed and much-appreciated spiritual leadership.

Call to Prayer

Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we face the uncertainty surrounding the present coronavirus pandemic and the fact that we cannot see, feel or touch the problem, it can lead us to become either sceptical about its seriousness or terrified of what it could do to us or our loved ones. There is no doubt that we face the greatest test that our nation has faced since the end of the Second World War. It proves, once again, that we really do not have all the answers to life’s problems.

However, even in the uncertainly and the need to listen carefully to the scientific and medical experts, who are seeking to help our nation get through these difficult times, I believe that there is One who does have all the answers, and we can pray to Him.

I have no doubt that we have all been earnestly praying in these days, but I have been led to believe that, although we cannot come together as a Presbytery, we can still pray together. I would like to suggest that we, as a Presbytery, endeavour to set aside time each day at the same time if possible to pray about the present situation; and I would suggest 11.00 a.m.

It may be that for some that is not possible, but let us pray every day at whatever time is suitable for each one of us.

Let us pray for doctors, nurses, scientists, emergency service workers and indeed all who would seek to respond in these difficult days. Pray for the vulnerable folk in society; let us pray for those who have had to self-isolate, and for folk who contract the virus that they will make a full recovery. Let us pray for families with children who are at home because our schools are closing, that they can cope with the need to keep the children interested and occupied.

Let us pray for our congregations and the folk in our Presbytery and nation. Pray for folk whose employment and income is adversely affected by not being able to work.

Pray for our politicians in Westminster and Holyrood that God will sustain them and inspire them with His Holy Spirit that their decisions will be in accordance with His will and purposes.

Let us all remember that God is Sovereign and that he has shown the depth of his love for us by sending His Son Jesus into our world to be our Saviour and our Lord. He will not abandon us now in our time of need.

God Bless you all.

Jack McHugh

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“Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4).

Darkness threatens to overcome the light – but it cannot be done. Our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead – and we will rise with him to everlasting life.

If you feel like you’re travelling through a dark valley, here’s a link to a song which may help you:

The Lord’s my Shepherd.

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Lord, we come to You, recognizing that, without You, our situation is hopeless – ‘I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I fade away like an evening shadow’ (Psalm 109:22).

When our enemies are on the attack, we are no match for them. What are we to do when the world, the flesh and the devil are threatening to overwhelm us? We must come to You, Lord, praying for Your help, asking You to save us – ‘Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with Your love’(Psalm 109:26). Help us, Lord, to look away from ourselves and our own weakness. Help us to put our trust in You and Your strength. You will not fail us. You ‘stand beside’ us in our time of testing. You ‘save’ us from our enemies. Help us to keep on praising You: ‘I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth. I will praise Him among many people…’(Psalm 109:30-31).

‘The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand…’ (Psalm 110:1).

Lord, we read these words, and we think of our Lord Jesus Christ: When ‘He was taken up into heaven, He sat at the right hand of God’(Mark 16:19). When Jesus ascended to Your right hand, the Holy Spirit was sent down from heaven to fill our lives with Your blessing (John 7:37-39).

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our lives are changed: ‘In the Day of Your power, Your people will come to You willingly…’. We come to You, Lord, in our weakness, and You ‘renew our strength’. We come to You in our weariness, and we are ‘refreshed’ by Your ‘streams of living water’(Psalm 110,7). ‘Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise.’

‘Praise the Lord… To Him belong eternal praise… Blessed is the man who fears the Lord… His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes…’ (Psalm 111:1,10; Psalm 112:1,8).

Those who ‘fear’ You, Lord, have no need to live in fear of man. Those who know that ‘eternal praise’ belongs to You, Lord, can face their enemies with confidence. Our confidence is not in ourselves. Our confidence is in You. We know how good You have been to us – ‘He provided redemption for His people’. We thank You that we have heard and believed the Good News of Christ. We need not ‘fear’ any ‘bad news’ which the devil sends our way. We ‘trust’ in You, Lord, confident that the ‘light will triumph over the ‘darkness’. We thank You that the Good News of Christ will triumph over the devil’s bad news (Psalm 111:9; Psalm 112:4,7).

‘The Lord is high above all nations… Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high?… Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, who turns the hard rock into springs of water’ (Psalm 113:4-5; Psalm 114:7-8).

Lord, You are greater than we could ever imagine. There is no greatness like Your greatness. All human greatness cannot even begin to compare with Your greatness. Your greatness is not only the greatness of Your power. It is, also, the greatness of Your love. When we sing, ‘How great Thou art’, we sing not only of Your power – ‘Thy power throughout the universe displayed’. We sing also of Your love – ‘And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die – I scarce can take it in, that, on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin…’

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Here’s a link to a song of everlasting hope. May it help us to lift up our eyes and catch a glimpse of the eternal glory the Lord is preparing for us – When the roll is called up yonder

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May God bless all of you.

Charlie

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