Morgen Edwards

'For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20  
 
Last week at the Leadership Team meeting we discussed how we were and the overriding response was that we are all particularly missing sung worship together with our family at St Stephen’s.

Whilst I still talk to God a fair amount, as lockdown has continued I have found it harder and harder to listen to what He is saying. This has made me think about when I most feel God is with me, and that is during communal sung worship and sadly that will not happen for some time yet.

A lot of people make time in the morning to spend time with God but my time is when my head is on my pillow just before I go to sleep. It’s usually the quietest moment I get in a day. I will always start by saying sorry, for the things I have done wrong. I then say thank you for the gifts I have been given and then by asking Him to please watch over my family and to be with us.

More commonly associated with funerals, ‘Abide with me’ is a plea to God to always be present in our lives. This hymn never fails to give me goose bumps and bring tears to my eyes – I know the Holy Spirit is with me. 

We are moving through a sort of limbo with some of the lockdown restrictions being lifted and as such I feel it is more important than ever to ask God to be with us. It is easy to become despondent with the current situation, to cry out and blame God for what is happening but he has not left us. If you feel he is not near enough ask him to ‘abide with you’ and the Leadership Team will see you when the church can fully open and we can all worship together. Boy am I looking forward to that!

Prayer: Lord, as I navigate this time of uncertainty, ‘Abide with me’. Reinforce our relationship that I might better hear what you are saying to know you are still with me and for me.

Prayer Request:  For church leaders at all levels, as they interpret new guidelines and make plans for the future.