2026 will again be through the Bible chronologically selecting verses which attract my attention or questions or encourage me on the day. I pray it blesses whoever reads . . . My theological background is Salvation Army College and now Church of England. I love all Christian denominations.
Lord Jesus, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Forgive me and help me turn from everything I know is wrong. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay the price and set me free from my sin. Please come into my life, fill me with your Holy Spirit and be with me forever. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.”
““Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; from the matrix of my mother He has made mention of My name. 2 And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me.” 3 “And He said to Me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.’ 4 Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, and my work with My God.’ ” 5 “And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength), 6indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. 7Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”’ ”” Isaiah 49:1-7 NKJV
Lord God,
I wondered when I started reading this why My had a capital M if it was Isaiah speaking? A servant who will be raised up? The Bible is full of those You raised up to be servants of the living God – You Lord. Still there are many called today in all walks of life, all ages, all nationalities to serve You. But this One is different. One who can rescue Israel Jacob and be a light to the gentiles? That’s big. Isaiah knows it is not him (Or whoever is the writer to the second half of Isaiah). One who You called from his mother’s womb, was in the shadow of Your hand, and whose words were like a sharp sword . . . We read in verse 7, that this servant is despised and abhorreds, the servant of rulers. This servant, will nevertheless be recognized by the powerful, by kings and princes. A reflection of Jesus?
Your intention God in their future is the restoration of Jacob, “the preserved one’s of Israel” (verse 6). You God intended Israel to be restored as Your people. Their exile is not the end.
They have a greater calling yet to come, to us, the gentiles. Through One who would be born of a woman, be a servant, then despised and rejected. And one day worshipped by all. Jesus, what a wonderful name. We do not exist for ourselves alone either, restoration is not an end in itself, it is a beginning of sharing Your love with others to find their own restoration. Worship Tuesday 25th August 2026
From heav’n You came, helpless Babe, Entered our world, Your glory veiled; Not to be served but to serve, And give Your life that we might live.
This is our God, the Servant King, He calls us now to follow Him, To bring our lives as a daily offering Of worship to the Servant King.
There in the garden of tears, My heavy load He chose to bear; His heart with sorrow was torn, ‘Yet not my will but Yours,’ He said.
Come see His hands and His feet, The scars that speak of sacrifice; Hands that flung stars into space To cruel nails surrendered.
So let us learn how to serve, And in our lives enthrone Him; Each other’s needs to prefer, For it is Christ we’re serving.
““This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: 2 I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. 4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,6 so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” Isaiah 45:1-5 NKJV
Lord God, I Am,
This is a great passage for reminding me that I cannot always work out Your plans or see where You are going. There are confining rules with You as You are the author. You do not dictate, You seek good and we see Your hand in history even as men try to control and write it themselves.
Isaiah here is speaking and writing about a King of Persia called Cyrus who has not been born yet. He will not be born one of God’s chosen people, or a follower, but will enable them to be freed from Babylon. He speaks like it may be soon but scholars think it may not have been for 150 years! But You Lord God of the beginning and then end, know each of us by name. You knew Cyrus would be born, become King and You chose to use him. A peek into Ezra 1:1 confirms it happens along with the annals of history from other sources than the Bible.
Thank you Lord God that You remind us that You are the great I Am. The future will unfold in Your hands. We should not try to limit what You can do by our own logic. You can use whosoever and whenever and however You desire. And good can result. As when we see the harm the nations are doing to each other and the harm we are doing to Your creation we look to You for unexpected good from unexpected directions in unexpected ways.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Monday 24th August 2026 In the words of Jeremiah 32:17 . . .
Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens And the earth by Thy great power Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens And the earth by Thine outstretched arm
Nothing is too difficult for Thee Nothing is too difficult for Thee O Great and mighty God Great in counsel and mighty in deed Nothing, nothing, Absolutely nothing Nothing is too difficult for Thee
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. 7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ” Isaiah 44:6-8 NKJV
“Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, who carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save. 21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Saviour; there is none besides Me.22 “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:20-22 NKJV
I Am,
That was what You told Moses was Your name, O God. I AM. All inclusive of everything. There are not enough words to describe what I Am covers. But here Isaiah adds more brush strokes to the picture, the First and the Last. Echoed by John in the New Testament, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8). Then the indisputable truth. There is no God but You. And we do not have three Gods, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You are One God (Matthew 28:19, Romans 8:9).
Isaiah brings other brush strokes to the picture which Jesus adds to later. The Rock. Jesus likened a believer to one who builds on the Rock which is God (Matthew 7:24) Just. All are guilt of sin but anyone who accepts Jesu accepts forgiveness, God does not pick and choose, He loves. (Acts 10:34) A Saviour. God You came, You lived and died innocent of sin but to pay for ours and rose again to deliver life (John 11:25-26).
God our Rock, our enduring strength, faithfulness, and protection. You invite us, to believe in You, to anchor our lives in I Am and Your unchanging nature. To find security and peace in Your saving and steadfast forgiving presence.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Sunday 23rd August 2026 A golden oldie but timeless. The first worship I remember if I can’t sleep and sing through the alphabet . . .
Ascribe greatness to our God, the Rock His work is perfect And all His ways are just Ascribe greatness to our God, the Rock His work is perfect And all His ways are just
A God of faithfulness and without injustice Good and upright is He A God of faithfulness and without injustice Good and upright is He
