Tag Archives: Worship

Update #1 On ‘Join Me In Prayer For Sarah’

Riding The Wave Of Prayers

Β First i have to thank all of you amazing loving people for the show of extravagant love to me and Sarah. We’ve been simply overwhelmed with your prayers, kindness and love through this journey.

The Plan…

The plan was set. Go to the chemist to get pain killers (Sarah is not allowed d to leave the house for a few days), nip into the doctors to sort out a sick note for the next two weeks, then go for a [Cortado’ coffee at Costa at the train station with half an hour to enjoy our new fave coffee (mainly keep Sarah as relaxed as possible), then Sarah can put her last eye drops in before we catch the 11:04 train that will get us to Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London ready for the operation.Β 

The Hypo…

This was all going well up until Sarah had locked herself in the toilet by passing out with a hypo. The idea was that she went in to put in her eye drops as we still had 15 minutes until the train arrives (the platform is about 1 minute away from the coffee shop. As i was stood outside the door while staff kept walking past suspicious of the weird man lurking around the toilets. With 5 minutes left i knocked on the door, with the sound of the music and the coffee machines i could just make out what i thought was Sarah. Then as i realised too much time had passed and we’d missed our train i asked one of the passing staff if they could open the door as i think my wife is having a hypo. Sarah had know her blood was creeping down and she had a biscuit and sugar in her coffee but she felt and seemed ok.

I opened the door to find Sarah in a zombie like state (the only description i can find that closely resembles a hypo) not knowing where she was, what she was doing or where we were going! I’d like to state at this point that we only really had one must do for this morning, and that was to try and keep Sarah’s blood sugar stable as they won’t operate if it’s too high, low or on the move. I prayed:

β€œJesus, There is no way they can operate now, i did my best but i don’t know if there’s another train, if Sarah can even stand up, never mind walk, Β and Sarah’s blood sugar always ends up too high after a hypo and we always have a long struggle getting it back down. i hand it all to you, please help”.

I got Sarah to her feet and she could just about stand up without her knees giving way. We managed to leave the coffee shop and after catching Sarah from behind as she started to fall back down the platform steps (i was behind trying to push her up) we finally got to the platform. This is where Sarah normally guides me as she knows the trains. Usually the trains are announced, but today there were none, but a train arrived straight away and we got on anyway. I told Sarah to just sleep on my shoulder and hope that this train is going the right way! The inside train announcement only said which station it was pulling up to and not the stations of the full journey.Β 

Sarah woke and asked “where are we?” β€œI’m not sure, but i hope it stops at Clapham Junction”. Then a few minutes later we arrived at Clapham Junction. We then walked to the other platform and a train was waiting there too. We finally arrived at the day surgery unit a couple of minutes before the 12:30 appointment.

Sarah did a blood test and it was 8.6 which is really good for her, but we knew that it often goes into the 20’s after a hypo and there’s no way they’ll operate if it goes any higher or continues to rise. Sarah went in around 13:00 but there were 4 people before her, I stayed in the waiting room.

The Waiting Room

I wanted to update everyone but i’d never used the mobile WordPress app to post before, so i kept the post β€œPraying in waiting room for Sarah” short so i could begin praying. I started with my voiceover reading all of your prayers, i prayed through each comment individually about 2 times each from the 1st post “Please Join Me In Prayer For Sarah” then i had about an hour of personal prayer before loving sister Janet would arrive to drive us home.

The Operation

Sarah’s op happened around 16:30, her blood sugar stayed perfectly stable at 6.8 the whole time! (Amazing!) Her main worry was the really painful needle that she sees going into her eye and it feels like her eyeball is bursting out of her face! I need to quote Sarah at this point:

β€œI felt a real peace i’d not felt before, i knew everyone was praying for me and i knew God was with me the whole time. I felt no pain at all with the needle and the surgeon was surprised how well the operation went. I also heard him say:

β€˜There are always bubbles in this (not sure what he was talking about) always bubbles, but there aren’t any at all, i can’t explain it?!’ 

The Next Morning

I’m typing this post Saturday morning Β at 11am while Sarah is sleeping. I’d like to thank you all once again for giving time in prayer and the loving encouraging comments that helped us through this amazing journey (and still help us as we read back through them). I’ll update again soon.

Sarah said to me this morning:

I felt like the whole day you had your arms around me, and God had his arms around both of us!

Praise To The Sound Of Strings

Psalms Logo

Psalm 92:1-4Β (VOICE)

How good it is to give thanks to the EternalΒ and to praise Your name with song, O Most High;Β To speak of Your unfailing love in the morningΒ and rehearse Your faithfulness as night begins to fall.
How good it is to praise to the sound of stringsβ€”lute and harpβ€”the stirring melodies of the lyre.Β Because You, O Eternal One, thrill me with the things You have done,Β I will sing with joy in light of Your deeds.

Is Your Worship In Vain??

Verse 4 2day logo blog

Matthew 15:8-9Β (NIV)
β€œβ€˜These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules”

Isaiah 29:13Β (NIV)
13 The Lord says:

β€œThese people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”

My Thoughts πŸ’­Β 

We spend countless hours checking, then double checking if everything is plugged in correctly, microphones, instruments, sound desk etc but we fail to leave time to plug our hearts into God!Β 

  • Have you followed the rules (I mean order of service) correctly and to the letter?
  • Have you dared to remain seated instead of standing during the song as you wouldn’t want to be frowned upon would you?
  • Do you make sure you speak nicely during prayer, putting style over substance?Β 

πŸ“– Another Verse 4 2day! Β 

Isaiah 1:15Β (NIVUK)

When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!

More Thoughts πŸ’­Β 

I hope this will challenge you to focus on connecting your heart to God and not being distracted by what other people are doing, what clothes they’re wearing, if they are sitting, standing, dancing, running, kneeling. Just connect with God as you can’t worship for someone else! When you do, nothing else will matter anyway!

Don’t just go to Church, BE THE CHURCH!

Is God Pleased With Your Worship?

Verse 4 2day logo blog

Β Isaiah 1:11-17 ~ Bible Gateway

The Message (MSG)Β 

11-12Β β€œWhy this frenzy of sacrifices?”
Β Β Β Β God’sΒ asking.
β€œDon’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
Β Β Β Β rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don’t you think I’ve had my fill
Β Β Β Β of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me,
Β Β Β Β whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and thatβ€”
Β Β Β Β all this sheerΒ commotionΒ in the place provided for worship?

13-17Β β€œQuit your worship charades.
Β Β Β Β I can’t stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetingsβ€”
Β Β Β Β meetings, meetings, meetingsβ€”I can’t stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
Β Β Β Β You’ve worn me out!
I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion,
Β Β Β Β while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
Β Β Β Β I’ll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
Β Β Β Β I’ll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing
Β Β Β Β people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Β Β Β Β Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
Β Β Β Β so I don’t have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Β Β Β Β Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Β Β Β Β Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Β Β Β Β Go to bat for the defenceless.

✞ Music 4 2day by Christy Nockels

After i enjoyed playing “Hosanna” on the drums at our church meeting yesterday, it inspired me to share a few songs by one of my favourite worship leaders.

This next song Β brings me such comfort. So many people believe there isn’t a God or that God wants to punish them in some way so spend their whole lives running, but he just wants to Love you, so just ‘Be Loved’

Related Posts:

Yet I Will Praise You

My Own Little World

Show me

✞ Prayer 4 2day! 

“Holy Spirit, ignite God’s love in me and make me aware of Your presence in me. I ask that right now You would show me the things that are depleting my strength. Food? Money? TV? Relationships? Sports? Shopping?… Show me, Lord. I now place those things in Your hands. I rest in You and trust in You to make the changes You wish so that I can worship You will all I am! Amen.”