I talked last week about how important it was for our eyes to be open so that we can see what the Lord is doing in our nation and in our world. God is doing so much if only we have eyes to see it. I began this week to see however how important that it was to keep our eyes fixed on our God and not let them wander on to other things around us. Our attention can often be taken up with other things. Jesus said in Matthew 6:22 that the eyes are the lamp to our bodies, so let’s make sure we focus on the right things. I was reading in Joshua 6 how after such a brilliant victory at Jericho, someone allowed their eyes to wander and found themselves coveting the wrong things. They had been told that all the gold and silver from the battle of Jericho was not to go to any of the Israelites but was to go into the Lord’s house. However, one man allowed his eyes to rest on a beautiful robe, some silver and a wedge of gold and wanted them so badly that he disobeyed what God had told him to do and it led him to die and also caused the whole nation harm and defeat. In fact, because he gave in to sin, other people suffered the consequences of that sin and 36 of them died in the battle at Ai. Sometimes we fail to see how our actions can affect not only ourselves and our family but also others. It is so important that we keep our gaze on the Lord and that we realise that in the middle of the battle that we cannot afford to put our attention on to other things that can dazzle us and cause us to fall.
If your eyes have been on the wrong thing, then as Jesus says in Matthew 6 your whole body will be filled with darkness. As you know in the darkness we grope around not knowing where we are going and often get hurt in the process. Oh, how we need to see our nation filled with God’s light. The best way of doing that is to keep our eyes on God and show people what it is like to live in the light of God’s abundant grace and life. One by one, people will see and trust.
One lady came to my Spiritual Health Weekend on a bursary ticket, that weekend she gave her life to the Lord Jesus. With her eyes fixed on Jesus, she began to pray for her family and God began to move. The following year she came back to my weekend and brought her Mum as well – she too became a Christian. In the third year, she brought her niece and she too gave her life to the Lord. Her family was beginning to have eyes that were filled with the light of Heaven. Her niece wrote to us to tell us that she went back home and began to teach her kids about Jesus and her whole family began to be transformed. In 2022 the original lady who attended the weekend is bringing more of her family and fully expects them too to come to know the Lord. Through one person’s eyes being opened, other people were transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. Let’s keep our eyes open, but let’s fix them on Jesus. Let’s not allow the distractions of this world to harm us and others around us, instead let’s keep our focus on the Lord and allow him to make a huge difference in our family, our friends, our nation and our world. Let’s pray!
PRAYER POINTS FOR FRIDAY 7th May 2021
- What a privilege to be able to pray. Prayer means that we can talk to the God of the universe – what a privilege to pray to a God who not only loves us but also has a heart to see our world restored. We can pray with confidence that he is listening and that he will act. We can see that the statistics continue to come down. Woohoo! Despite the release of lockdown, they still continue to decrease. But like last week, we need to continue to pray for other nations and in particular India. We can see on the TV how awful it is when this pandemic gets a hold. Let’s pray for India in particular right now. Pray that this virus will begin to be controlled. Pray against the spirit of death and also pray against the fear that this virus brings. Pray that many will turn to God in India as well as many in our own nation. Praise God too that the vaccination process is going well and that many in the UK have now had both jabs. Pray that every adult who wants the vaccination will be offered it soon whether in this country or elsewhere. Praise God for the protection it brings.
- Let’s continue to pray for National and Global leaders. We pray for men and women who are filled with the light of Heaven and who have wisdom dripping from their mouths. Pray for our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and for his government. Pray for every MP – let’s pray for unity between the parties. Pray for a united effort against the Covid-19 virus. Pray that they will lead us safely through this virus. Pray that they will seek God and hear his advice and wisdom before making decisions. We continue to pray for our Queen and for the whole Royal Family. Pray that she will continue to have a long reign. Ask for God’s protection to be around her especially now that her dear husband has died. Pray for the whole Royal Family – that they would find the faith that our Queen has found. Pray against the media reporting stories that are not necessarily true. The media can so easily cause pain and hurt – let’s pray for accurate reporting from the media and let’s have discernment to know what is truth and what is lies.
- We praise God that the hospitals in our nation are not overrun with cases of Coronavirus. Pray that this continues to happen as lockdown continues to open up. We pray for each NHS worker and pray strength and stamina into each one. We remember the Health care people in hospitals in India who are stretched beyond anything we have ever seen. Our hearts go out to them as they see people dying on the streets because of lack of room in the hospitals and lack of ventilators. We praise God for every health care worker all over the world. May they be protected from the traumas they so often see. Pray for good mental health for them all. We continue to praise God for the carers who work in care homes and also for those who are employed to help people in their own homes. They are essential workers and deserve our prayers and our respect. Do pray that kindness is shown to all their patients.
- Praying for good mental health has to remain on our prayer lists. So many in our nation are troubled in their mental health. Doctors are being swamped with people needing help. Anti-depressants can help, but really we need to pray that people find deep comfort and healing from our great God. Let’s cry out to God to heal our nation one by one. Ask him to visit people in their dreams, and for God to show himself to many in the night. Pray for good, loyal and faithful friends for those suffering from poor mental health. Be that kind of friend to others around you. Sometimes just a kind word or a listening ear can help. Do look out for people in your family or in your friends’ circle who need your encouragement and kindness at this time. Look for practical things you can do to express God’s love to others. I have suggested a practical thing you can do for females – see PS below.
- Let’s pray for those who live under the poverty line, for those whose bed is in the streets and for those who turn to things like prostitution to survive. There are so many struggling for money. Our government have done a lot to help during this pandemic, but the need is still there. Praise God that some churches are helping, but there are many people who are still struggling. Pray for permanent solutions for them. Pray for the violence that often appears when money is an issue. Pray against violence on our streets and also in our homes. Pray for the vulnerable. Pray for help whether from the government, from things we can do and also of course from our great God. He sees every broken and hurt person and sends help to restore them. Let’s be like the good Samaritan who not only saw the broken, but helped him and even paid out of his own money for his care. Pray for a kind and compassionate heart and for wisdom to know how to reach others who are in pain.
- During May the hospitality sector should open up so that hotels, restaurants and pubs can have people inside for a meal or a drink. Let’s continue to pray for those businesses who have struggled through the last year and praise God that there is another release from lockdown for some of those businesses. Pray for our economy as a whole – pray that many will find their business to be growing and blooming in the months and years ahead. Let’s continue to pray for those who work in the entertainment business – like theatres, artists, dancers and musicians. They have all been hard hit in this last year. Many are in jobs that they don’t like to make ends meet. Pray that as the lockdown continues to proceed that many will find themselves back doing the job they love.
- Let’s continue to ask God to heal our nation. Let’s continue to ask for revival and for salvation to be seen. Let’s pray for our nation to acknowledge God. Pray for the churches to have wisdom in all they do. Pray they will find more and more people being reached through their services but also through their social media events and their one-on-one contacts with others. Praise God that many churches are running food banks, looking after the homeless and reaching out to the unloved in our nation. Pray for your own church, pray for other churches too. Pray for unity and for an eagerness to work together for the Kingdom.
Do you need prayer? What a joy it has been to pray for those who have asked for prayer in recent months. We are seeing many answers to our prayers. Remember if you or others need prayer do drop us an email and we will pray. Don’t forget our prayer line if you or others need prayer – prayer@ngm.org.uk
How do we keep our eyes on the Lord? We submit our lives to him, obeying him in every circumstance, we keep reading his word and do nothing to destroy our relationship with him. We basically lay our lives down, pick up our cross and follow him. What many people don’t realise is that when you do that and fill our eyes with him, we live in abundant light where joy, peace and happiness reside. It doesn’t mean we don’t have troubles, but in our troubles, he is there and when we trust him – he will help us through each battle and bring good out of every terrible situation we face. So, let’s keep our eyes on our amazing God, so that our whole body is filled with his glorious and wonderful light. May you shine so brightly with Jesus in this world that is filled with pain, sorrow and fear. Sending you much love and huge encouragement – your friend – NANCY
Ps If you have a friend who is a female and is struggling with their mental health, then perhaps encourage them to come to my Spiritual Health Weekend in February 2022 (http://nancygoudie.com/spiritual-health-weekends/ ) as this will put them in a place where they can experience the love and healing touch of the Saviour.
For those who are reading these prayer points for the first time: do read below:
Setting the scene
On 20th March I called for a National Day of Prayer, not only for the UK, but also for others who live further afield. A few days after it was over two friends contacted me and asked if I would do a National Prayer Day every Friday, and asked if I would continue to give some pointers each week for prayer. After prayer, I took up the challenge of doing just that. Thank you for joining us. To read previous prayer points and encouragements – go to www.nancygoudie.com/blog/
Helpful instructions/suggestions:
- Set your phone, your watch, your alarm clock or whatever to remind you to pray throughout the day. I would suggest praying every hour for a few minutes or for as long as you wish, but make a time that is suitable for yourself.
- Maybe pray for one of the above pointers every hour – or take one for each day of the week.
- Every time you wash your hands, which should be often – then pray a ‘Heal Our
Nation’ prayer – sing or speak the lyrics of ‘Heal our Nation’ and ask God to pour out his Spirit on this land. ‘Heal our Nation, Heal our Nation, Heal our Nation, pour out your Spirit on this land.’ Sing or speak that twice. And finish with the first line from the verse ‘Lord we long for you to move in power’ – and ask God to move in the UK but also move in our world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoZwje7Ogkg
- Keep reading Psalm 91, Psalm 121 and Psalm 46 to encourage yourself and your family with the truth of the word of God. Perhaps try meditating on Psalm 62:5-6 – Find rest, O my Soul in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
- Use the UK Blessing – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUtll3mNj5U Play it in your home – make this as a wonderful blessing on you and your family, your children and their children. When you go a walk pray it over your neighbourhood. The song was written in Elevation church, USA. You can watch here and discover how the song came together in the presence of the Lord – no wonder this song is being used at this time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp6aygmvzM4&feature=emb_rel_end
