Donate

Welcome to FAB Church, an online Christian community and church resource.

Join

A different kind of church

Find out more

Join

I once was lost…

“Today, if you are reading this and you have been marginalised, belittled, ostracised, or left out in the cold; if you have made mistakes, hurt others, or hurt yourself; if you have walked away from relationships, said harsh words, or behaved badly; if you are continually hijacked by inappropriate or disturbing thoughts, desires, or feelings; if you feel undeserving, a lack of self-worth, or that you are unlovable; then hear the message of Jesus — that God loves you, has come to you, and wants you to find your home in them.” Rev Gav, 2022

Daily Prayers

Morning Prayer

Your love, O Lord, is never ending
and your mercies endure forever.
They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness!

The night has passed, and the day lies open before me,
and so, at the dawn of this new day, I come before you
with an open heart and ready to be filled with your love.

As I rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set my heart on fire with love for you.
Fill me with your life-giving Spirit
that I might be Jesus to all I meet
and a vessel for your unending love.

Loving God, who abides in heaven,
you are the Father and Mother of us all.
May your holiness be declared,
your justice be observed,
your will be embraced,
and your sovereignty be established
on earth as in heaven.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
And from the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For the kin-dom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Prayed 74 times.

Afternoon Prayer

Where can I go from your spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning
and dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.

Holy God,
kindle in me the fire of your love
that I may bring warmth to the world.
May I be led from death to life,
from falsehood to truth;
from despair to hope,
from fear to trust;
from hate to love,
from war to peace.
And may I be so anointed with your Spirit
that I may be filled with both your peace and joy,
and live and work to your praise and glory.

For all that has past I thank you
and for all that lies ahead I give you praise.
May my eyes be open to see you
in all whom I serve and encounter.

Help me be Jesus to the world.
Help me be your hands and your feet.
Help me have your heart for the broken-hearted.
Help me be Jesus to a world
that needs you more than words can tell.
Help me be Jesus to the world.

And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with me and all those I hold dear,
Now and for evermore.

Prayed 30 times.

Evening Prayer

Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be honoured in the earth.

Loving God,
As this day draws to a close
may I know your grace, mercy, and peace.
Cleanse my heart and mind
of all anxiety, weariness, and pain,
and in the stillness,
may I know your loving presence.

As I reflect on my day,
I give you thanks for all that has been done
And let go of all that has not been done,
handing it over to you
to make good that which I am unable.

For the love I have shared, I am grateful.
For provision and nurture, I am grateful.
For kindness given, I am grateful.
For the sorrow I have caused, I pray for forgiveness.
For injustices ignored, I ask for mercy.

As I look forward to this night
I cast my fears upon you –
fears of the world’s darkness
and fears in my inner being.
May I find my rest in you.

May the peace of your Spirit
that transcends all understanding
fill me and all those I love and hold dear.

Tomorrow is a new day
with new joys and new possibilities.
May I wake tomorrow
feeling refreshed, expectant, joyful,
and with a heart full of your love.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

For you are with me,
now and always.

Prayed 21 times.

Night Prayer

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Holy God,
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
Keep me as the apple of your eye.
and hide me under the shadow of your wings.
Protect my conscious and my unconscious,
and guard me as I sleep this night
that my dreams will be filled with hope
and my rest be in your loving arms.

Spirit, in whom I live and move and have my being,
from you, nothing is hidden.
Breathe into me your cleansing wind
that I may be filled with your unending love.

Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.

From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.

O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death.

Jesus Christ,
I cast my burdens unto you,
and ask that my soul might be refreshed as I sleep.
For I am yours and you are mine.
Now and forever.

Prayed 39 times.

Daily Bread

Our weekday devotion.

Rev Gav | Jan 17

Expectant

God has a will and purpose for you and for all creation.

Today's Bible Reading comes from excerpts from 1 Samuel, chapters 9 and 10. The whole chapters are a great read, therefore, if you get the chance, please do go and read the whole thing!

---

1 Samuel 9.1-3

There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish... He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the Israelites more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else.

Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, had strayed. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the young men with you; go and look for the donkeys.”

---

Saul and the young man searched all over the place for the donkeys, and eventually the young man suggested they go and see Samuel, the seer. In the meantime, Samuel had been told by God that...

---

1 Samuel 9.16

"Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines, for I have seen the suffering of my people, because their outcry has come to me.”

---

Samuel tells Saul not to worry about the donkeys, because they'd been found. That night they dined and then the very next morning...

---

1 Samuel 10.1

Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him; he said, "The Lord has anointed you ruler over his people Israel. You shall reign over the people of the Lord, and you will save them from the hand of their enemies all around. Now this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his heritage:"

---

Samuel then listed a whole bunch of signs that Saul would encounter and each one was fulfilled before Saul eventually made it home. Saul's uncle asked him what Samuel had said and he told his uncle that Samuel had told him about the donkeys but not about the whole 'king' thing!

---

1 Samuel 10.17-19

Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah and said to the Israelites, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said, 'No, but set a king over us.' Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”

---

Then Samuel gathered everyone together to select a new king by drawing lots, first by tribe, then by family, and then by person. Saul was chosen but he'd gone and hidden himself!

---

1 Samuel 10.23-24

Then the people ran and brought him from where he was hiding. When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them. Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

The story of the calling of Saul by Samuel is found in Chapters 9 and 10 of the book of 1 Samuel, and it is a wonderful read, full of humanity and humour that is especially appealing to children. There’s the whole donkey thing, Saul seemingly embarrassed with all the attention, his dad being worried about his whereabouts, and his hiding himself. This was a story to be told by the fire-side, and if you can put it into your own words and read it out loud (as you would to children) then it it is even better!

The question I want to ask is, if the donkeys had not gone missing, and if the young man had not suggested that they go and seek the help of Samuel to find them, would Saul have encountered Samuel and received this life-changing anointing? Certainly, Saul thought the whole thing was a bit much — this young man unexpectedly stumbling into becoming Israel’s first king!

So what can we learn from the story? What points of connection do we have?

Firstly, there is something about God using situations that at first seem totally ‘unspiritual’ to bring about divine fulfilment. How could something as bizarre as the loss of donkeys lead to an anointing as king? Perhaps this story is a reminder that God can turn around and use the most incongruous of situations to fulfil God’s will and purpose.

Secondly, there is something about Saul’s companion suggesting, and Saul agreeing, to seek God’s solution to their missing donkey problem. It was this decision that put them on a collision course with Samuel and in a position to hear God’s voice. Perhaps this story is a reminder for us, when we feel lost or at sea, to turn to God in prayer and seek God’s will.

Finally, the story is a reminder that we have a God of Surprises; that God can use us, even if we do not believe it or hide; that others often recognise God working in and through us; and that we do not have to strive or accomplish God’s will in our own strength but allow others to ‘anoint’ us with their God-inspired words of encouragement.

Today, rest in the fact that God has a will and purpose for you and for all creation, and that all you need to do is be open to God’s leading and go with the flow. God is at work in and through you, therefore be expectant, God may well surprise you.

Photo by Abubakar Isa on Unsplash

Holy God
May I be open to
your divine leading and
expect you to be at work
even when things seem
uninspiring or unspiritual.
When I feel anxious and
at a loss as to what to do,
may I, through prayer, seek
your will and purpose.
Thank you that you are
a God of surprises.
This day and forever.

Prayed 9 times.