Let’s Pray: August
How can we pray well as we head into this new month?
Download this resource as a PDFEveryone has a part to play
After 26 years living in the same house and over 40 years in the same area, my wife and I are about to move. There is a bit of me that is really excited and looking forward to our new home. But there’s a chunk of me that is apprehensive and asking loads of questions. What will the people around our new home be like? Will there be any hidden surprises when we come to move in? Will our friends make the journey to visit? Will it feel like home, and will our children see it as home when they come to visit?
One thing about moving that has absolutely amazed me is the number of people it takes to sell a house and buy a new one. So far, including the move and some work that needs doing on our new house, I’m up to 17 people who I am only in contact with because I’m moving. They all have a part to play. And if any of them fail to play that part, our move will not go smoothly, some things won’t get done, and we certainly won’t feel the support and understanding to help us through the process.
At Home for Good, we believe everyone has a part to play to ensure that every child and young person experiences the welcome, stability and care they need to thrive; that they have their questions and apprehensions answered with care and compassion; and that they feel supported in this journey they are on.
The Bible is very clear, firstly that God expects us to act:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly (or prudently) with your God. Micah 6:8
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who see that things aren’t the way God intended them to be and so they live their lives as an example of the way God intended things to be.
Secondly, that he gives us what we need to act:
Matthew 25:14-30 is Matthew’s account of what we know as the parable of the talents. And there are 3 clear lessons I believe should prompt us to action:
- The master gave each of his servants an amount of money each according to their ability. God only gives us what, with the right amount of faith and stretch, he knows we can handle. We cannot claim to be overwhelmed as he gives us exactly what we need to achieve what he asks of us.
- The master’s expectation was that each of his servants would have to make an effort and they would have to take a risk. None could know what would happen to the investments they made but clearly, the ‘play it safe and bury it’ option was almost certainly not what the master had modelled, and not what he expected of them. God gives us gifts (time, talents, possessions, etc.) and he expects us to follow his example and use them for the good of his kingdom and not just for our own comfort.
- The first two servants, we are told, went at once and put their master’s money to work. They understood that there was an urgency in the master’s command and so they prioritised the task and got on with the job as soon as they were able. There is an urgency to the task we find God has called us to, and he expects us to act swiftly to play our part in making it happen. As William Booth once said, “I’m not waiting for a move of God, I am a move of God.”
What is God calling you to do today to live your life as an example of the way he intended things to be – for those children who find themselves in care, and for the individuals, couples, and families who care for them? Will you trust that God always equips those He calls? Will you make the effort and take the risk that he expects of you? Will you respond with motivation and urgency?
Mike Chesterton, North West Regional Lead
Response idea
Wondering what your part might be? Maybe you’re not even sure how to start answering that question!
Home for Good have created a four-session Bible study guide that we hope will help you take your first step!
Make Room is a four-session Bible study resource created for individuals, small groups or whole churches who want to explore what their part could be. It’s a study for anyone, anywhere, who would like to dig a bit deeper into what the Bible has to say about the heart of God and how that so closely connects to finding a home for every child who needs one.
The resource consists of a leader guide, personal journal pages for each participant, a collection of short films containing teaching and real-life stories and a full online library of articles, stories and other useful links.
This month, if you haven’t already, we’d love to encourage you to download Make Room (it’s FREE!) and begin to explore what the Bible says about justice, hospitality, family and church.
You can find out more and download the resource here.
Thank God for the beauty that exists in community as we each bring our own unique qualities, gifts and stories. Give thanks for the fact that each one of us has something to offer to welcome and support children, young people and families in our communities. Pray that individuals, families and whole churches will be inspired to consider what their part could be. And let’s thank God for His love for us; love that is not reliant on what we do, but that is lavished on us purely because we are His children.
Pray for children and teenagers who are in or have been in care. Let’s thank God for them – for the gifts, stories and unique personalities that make them who they are. Praise God for the fact that we can see reflections of Him through these children, made in His image. Pray that the Church and wider society will see that these children have such enormous worth and value; that they are brimming with potential, and that when they thrive, our communities are stronger.
Let’s give thanks for foster carers, kinship carers, special guardians, adoptive parents and supported lodgings hosts and others who raise and love the children in their care. Give thanks for the professionals involved in the lives of children and young people; for social workers, healthcare workers, teachers and classroom assistants, sports coaches and others who lead, educate, support and encourage.
Let’s give thanks for friends, family members and church communities who provide welcome, belonging and stability. Give thanks for those who share of their money, their resources, their wisdom, their skills – all to demand more and to strive for better.
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