Thoughts for the Day

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens......

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.....
Praise the Lord!

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

As Christians we know we have a lot of reasons to praise God, both personally and nationally. But some people are overwhelmed by their circumstances and cannot praise God, and this is understandable. When a loved one is dying, or when it's a struggle to find the money for food to eat, then it is hard to praise God. But for most of us, praising God is a natural thing to want to do, and from that comes the need to help others who are less fortunate than ourselves.

This week is Christian Aid Week, and I look back some years to the time when we would leaflet the entire parish and then go back and collect their envelopes with money for the work. Indeed I even remember going back a second time if people were out. It was a huge effort, but well worth it to help an area in the world that was definitely poorer than where we live ourselves.

This year Christian Aid wants to turn hunger into hope for Zimbabwe, a country that is adversely affected by climate change. If you cannot help them financially, please look up their site below and pray for them.

Lord God,
when we are thankful for all You give us,
and are called to praise You,
help us to remember all those
who cannot help themselves,
and who need our help.
Encourage us to support
Christian Aid in any way that we can,
and continue to praise You.
Amen.