Message from the Minister

“I’ve tried everything - but nothing helps"…”

I wonder how often you have heard someone say the above words? Or have you yourself ever said them? Sometimes in life we go through tough times, perhaps to do with our health or the health of a loved one, perhaps to do with work or the lack of it, perhaps even to do with a relationship with someone else. Life is full of ups and downs and for many people there seems to be far more downs than ups! When these times come, we often find ourselves running out of ideas as to how we might turn things around. We try different known, tried and tested solutions only to find they don’t work for us. Perhaps we spend money we don’t have attempting to sort it or at least make it easier to cope with. For many there comes a time when in frustration and exhaustion we say to ourselves or someone else, “I’ve tried everything – but nothing helps...”

As a Christian minister I sometimes come across people who just need someone to listen to them and hear their story. There are times when all we want to do is to know we are being listened to and to know that we are being heard. My faith has taught me to believe that God is a loving Father who wants to let us know that His ear is always open to us.

There is a really encouraging passage in the Bible that says:

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.

(Philippians 4:6-7 - The Message)

Perhaps you feel as though you have tried everything but have you tried prayer? Maybe you are asking, what is prayer? Well, someone has suggested that: “Prayer is giving our attention to God in a two-way spiritual relationship where we talk to God and also listen to Him. Prayer is like a child’s conversation with their father. It is natural for a child to ask his father for the things they need, or to ask for advice or guidance.”

If this sounds too complicated or you are not sure about how to pray, it’s often helpful to ask someone to pray for you. The Bible encourages us to pray for others because sometimes we are unable to pray for ourselves. You might be surprised to know that it is possible that someone has already been praying for you whether that is a relative or a good friend.

I want to make a suggestion: if you are in a place where you feel you have tried everything and nothing has helped, try praying. However, if you feel it is not for you or you are unsure about what to do or even if you don’t have the strength to pray for yourself, let us pray for you.

We want to make ourselves available for prayer to help you in any way we can, even if it’s just to listen confidentially.

At the bottom of this message is a confidential phone number that you can use to simply message us with something you would like prayer for and we promise we will pray for you. You don’t have to include your name or tell us anything too personal and we will respect your privacy. This will be a one-way message where you message us and we will only respond to affirm we have received it and that we will pray about it.

If, however, you would like to come down to our church on the Craigarusky Road, two or three of us will be there every Saturday morning from 10am until 12pm. We would be happy to meet you and to quietly pray with you about whatever is on your mind. It is a simple, no strings attached situation where we would love to pray with and for you.

If you think you might have tried everything, please know there are people who care.

Blessings..

Your friend

Alan Johnston

Confidential Prayer Number:

07938 935517