I put together Heart to Heart way back in 2004, drawing together reflective prayers on the journey of Christian discipleship from several of my study books published in the preceding years. Suitable for either personal devotion or public worship, each reflection is prefaced by a brief passage of Scripture followed by a short introduction, both designed to set the context of the prayer itself. The prayers are conversational in tone, deliberately so, reflecting the fact that God invites us to open our hearts to him as a friend, in the knowledge that his heart is open to us in turn. In this session, the emphasis is firmly on celebrating the gift of each new day.
This is the day
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us celebrate and exult in it. Psalm 118:24
One of the truths we can lose sight of sometimes, even as Christians, is that God wants us to enjoy life. We can forget that for all kinds of reasons: perhaps due to pressures of work or other demands; perhaps illness affecting us or loved ones; perhaps worry about the future or regrets over the past; and so we could go on. In time, we get sucked along by life, no longer pausing to count our blessings as we once did. As Christians, we perhaps should be different, but the reality is that we can be more guilty than any, turning the life of faith into a duty rather than spontaneous celebration. Yet throughout Scripture we find a repeated emphasis on the joy, blessing and fulfilment God longs to give his people, not just in some future heavenly kingdom but also here and now. Yes, the gospel involves demands and responsibilities, and, yes, life brings its fair share of trials and tragedy, but the message at the heart of our faith is that, come what may, God is with us, his love continuing through all. That, surely, is good news to celebrate!
Pray
I’d lost sight of what it is all about, Lord,
of your gift at the heart of the gospel –
a joy beyond words,
bubbling up within me,
I brooded instead on faults and failings,
worrying about the weakness of my love,
wrestling with matters of doctrine,
and fretting over the cost of discipleship,
forgetting that though these are all part of commitment,
they are not the whole,
and not finally what matters most.
But then you spoke again,
reminding me that you accept me as I am,
your love not earned but given;
emphasising that though I repeatedly let you down,
still you stay faithful,
nothing able to exhaust your grace.
The old self lives on,
yet I realise afresh
that you are constantly making all things new,
offering life in abundance,
now and for all eternity.
Gracious God,
I pause,
I reflect,
I remember the wonder of your love,
and so once more I celebrate
with heart and mind and soul.
This day, like all days, is your gift:
I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Amen.