Worship
Sing or say the words of this beautiful song as an expression of your worship to God.

Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand.
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father, You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God.

Find rest, my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust.
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father, You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God.

Sermon on the Mat: Letting go & letting God
God is our refuge & strength,
Always ready to help us in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come
& the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar & foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge.
A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the break of day God will protect it.
The nations are in chaos & their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders & the earth melts!
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.
Come see the glorious works of the Lord:
See how He brings destruction upon the world.
He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow & snaps the spear; He burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still & know that I am God!
I will be honoured by every nation.
I will be honoured throughout the world.’
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.  Psalm 46. NLT.

What does it mean to be still and to know that He is God? Put simply it means to let go of the things that lie beyond our power to change or influence so that He, God, can exercise His prerogative and do what He does best – bring great blessing from those situations we see as being irretrievably broken and hopelessly lost!

In this regard the prophet Isaiah, referring to Jesus’ future ministry, puts it like this – ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me… to provide for those who grieve in Zion… to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness…’ 61:1-3. NIV.

Letting go & letting God. Easier said than done. Impossible without the prayer of relinquishment, which Richard Foster states – ‘moves us from the struggling into the releasing.’ He adds, ‘this prayer is a bona fide letting go but it is a release with hope… God is not destroying the will but transforming it so that… we can freely will what God wills.’ And what does God will for all of us? Nothing but the very best from the hand of the One in whom the very best lies. ‘I know the plans & thoughts that I have for you’, says the Lord, ‘plans for peace & well being & not for disaster, to give you a future & a hope.’ (Jeremiah 29:11) In other words, as Pastor Max Lucado’s paraphrase of the same, would seek to reassure us – ‘Your life is a crafted narrative written by a good God, who is working toward your supreme good!’

Prayers of relinquishment come in all sorts of forms, shapes & sizes. For the psalmist it presented itself in the form of a parent & child relationship. ‘Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed & quieted myself, like a child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord – now & always!’ Psalm 131. NLT.

For the likes of Jacob it manifested itself as a wrestle, a battle of power. In the end, Jacob conceded to the superior strength of his opponent, the angel of the Lord. But that moment of surrender led to Jacob’s life being more blessed than ever before. (see Genesis 32)

Undoubtedly the greatest prayer of relinquishment of all was the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. A prayer of glad surrender that unleashed God’s greatest blessing. ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but Yours, be done! Luke 22:42. ESV.

Prayer
All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Thee I freely give
I will ever love & trust You
In Your presence daily live.
I surrender all, I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Saviour
I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender
Lord, I give myself to Thee
Fill me with Your love & power
Let Your blessing fall on me.
I surrender all… Amen.

Prayer for the world –

• Thank God for giving medical scientists the ability to develop a vaccine against Covid 19.
• Pray for a fair & just distribution of the vaccines, that it will be made available to the poorer nations too.
• Pray that the vaccine will be safe & effective & there will be no long term negative side effects to using the vaccine.
• Pray that God will eradicate Covid 19 from our world.