Tag: Sustainer

LET US PRAY FOR 2026

The Word of God within the Holy Bible gives us amazing guidance on prayer, instructing us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It also says the following:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” (First Timothy 2:1-2)

So, I’d like to offer the following extended prayer that I wrote for the New Year ahead:

Brothers and sisters in Christ, LET US PRAY for this Year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Six…

Almighty and wonder-full God, we give you our thanks for your all-encompassing Presence as the One Source of all that is, both seen and unseen. We also give you thanks and praise for the birth, life, teachings, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. O God, in you we live, move and have our being, and by your grace in Christ we receive eternal consolation, assurance, wholeness and renewal.

As you are the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit), you are in charge and you lead the way. You never leave us nor forsake us, and your steadfast love endures forever. Whether we live or die, in this life or the next, we are in your hands. You lead us, O Lord our God, on paths we do not yet know. There is a tomorrow we cannot see, and there are bends in the road we cannot know. But we know you will faithfully lead us according to your plan and purpose, because you are the Faithful One.

In this merciless world, you give mercy. In this graceless world, you give us grace upon grace. By your grace, we live a God-conscious life, which is a daily relationship of moment-by-moment dialogue with you and trust in you, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen. And by your grace, we follow you and abide in you. What amazing peace and joy you grant us!!!

And in response to your unlimited grace and steadfast love, we live lives of worship, prayer, Holy Scripture study, tenderheartedness, lovingkindness, hospitality and charity. Help us, therefore, to use times of crisis as opportunities for serving those in need and sharing your truth in love. And in times of adversity, we pray that you will draw us closer to you all the more.

O God, the great “I Am” of the Holy Scriptures, we pray these things in the saving name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The grace and peace of Christ be with you all in 2026!!! Pastor Tim

GOD’S WORKMANSHIP MADE FOR A PURPOSE

I’ve watched a lot of craftsmanship videos on YouTube over the past several weeks, and I find glasswork to be especially interesting. And in a lot of ways, the glasswork craft reminds me of the creative and redeeming work of Almighty God in our lives.

Like glass in the hand of the glass smith (or glass blower), God shapes, molds and fashions us all — including the entire cosmos as well. So in God’s divine work of creation and re-creation, we often undergo a process of shattering, melting and reforming according to the mysterious grand design of the great Master Craftsman of the Universe.

God has an aim and desire for each of his beautiful works of art, and we are here for an appointed time and place, here for a divine purpose that only God fully understands, and then we return to God who is the Source and Foundation of all life. In other words, it’s as the fictional character Hugo says in Hugo the movie:

“I’d imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”

The amazing truth is that God creates, establishes, destroys, dissolves, renews, re-creates and re-establishes all that is, both seen and unseen. God is the Creator, the Re-Creator and the Sustainer. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (our Source, Savior and Sanctifier).

In life, in death, and in life beyond death, God is the constant Eternal Truth. And this gives us such a great inner peace, hope, and joy, because we are all in the ever-faithful hands of our wonderful, steadfast Lord God Almighty. In sickness or in health, in pleasure or in pain, in plenty or in scarcity, in life or in death, in this world or in the world to come, we are all God’s masterwork. We are God’s beautiful creatures and beloved children under the ultimate care of God’s supreme, everlasting grace — in good times and in bad times, from here to eternity.

So we place our trust in The One who is most trustworthy, and we take to heart the solid, unshakable promises of God’s Word in the Holy Scriptures. For thus says the Lord:

“We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…”

EPHESIANS 2:10a

“Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”

REVELATION 3:20

God is always knocking at the doorway of our heart. So let us listen to his biblical Word, and let us prayerfully open up the door to him. The Lord is knocking, so let us open the door and feast together on his grace and truth every single day of our life.

Wonderful God, we pray that you would guide us to listen for you and empower us to open our hearts to you all of our days. Help us to grow to trust you more fully. And in this beautifully diverse world that you have placed us for a reason and purpose, make us to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and walk with you more nearly through lives of praise, thanksgiving, charity and service. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.

Grace & Peace! Pastor Tim