Through the letter box, Worship Service, Sunday 3 May

Worship
If you are familiar with the melody, please sing this song of worship to the Lord. If not, then take time to meditate on the great biblical truths expressed through the lyrics.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord.
Our God you reign for ever
Our hope, our strong deliverer.

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint, You won’t grow weary
You’re the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles.

Bible Reading: Psalm 40:1-3

Sermon on the Mat: The God who lifts us up
When David penned the words of this psalm he was in the worst possible place a person could be. The bottom of a very deep, very lonely & very dark pit. A pit from which he could see no obvious way out. Such were the feelings of helplessness & despair that had overtaken him. Feelings of helplessness & despair which God would not leave him at the mercy of a moment longer than was absolutely necessary.

I.e. When His good & perfect work was complete in him, causing the light of His presence to shine ever more brightly in his heart. As John Bunyan’s, ‘Pilgrim’s Progress,’ puts it – ‘We are never closer to the Celestial City than when we find ourselves in the Slough of Despond. Never closer to God’s breakthrough blessing than when our hearts are near to the point of breaking.’

A sentiment & a truth we see echoed in the words of the following well known song, written & performed by Josh Groban –
‘When I am down & oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come & my heart burdened be
Then I am still & wait here in the silence
Until you come & sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be.

Are you in a pit today? A pit you’ve grown so comfortable with that, perhaps, you no longer realise it’s a pit? A pit where, despite appearances, God has never, not for one single, solitary minute, ever stopped working. Not only to draw you closer to Himself but also, in response to all those prayers you’d thought you’d never prayed, to bring to pass your long awaited rescue.

To lift you up from the place where you are to the place where you need to be. The place where He is. The place where the ground is firm & the song returns. The place where you come to discover & in some cases rediscover, that in Him & with Him & through Him, your life will never be more complete & never more worth the living.

The Pit
A man fell into a pit & couldn’t get himself out.
A subjective person came along & said, ‘I feel for you down there.’
An objective person walked by & said, ‘It’s logical that someone would fall down there.
A Pharisee said, ‘Only bad people fall into pits.’
A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.
A self pitying person said, ‘You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit.’
A fire & brimstone preacher said, ‘You deserve your pit.’
A Christian Scientist observed, ‘The pit is just in your mind.’
A psychologist noted, ‘Your mother & father are to blame for you being in that pit.’
A self esteem therapist said, ‘Believe in yourself & you can get out of that pit.’
An optimist said, ‘Things could be worse.’
A pessimist claimed, ‘Things will get worse.’
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand & lifted him out of the pit.’

Prayer of blessing
‘May God lift you up & heal & restore you fully.
May you see glimpses of His glory everywhere you turn.
May He show you wonders of His love that overwhelm you & make your knees weak.
May He put a new song in your heart & a new dream in your spirit.
May you walk forward unafraid & full of faith that your future
Will be far greater than your past.’ Amen.

Please pray for

• For the Lord to intervene to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
• For those who are sick, that they will have access to the care & treatment they need.
• For health workers who are caring for those with COVID 19.
• For grieving families who have lost their loved ones to this terrible disease.