DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT
Each Day Is A Brand New Start - Finding Hope and New Beginnings When Life Doesn't Go as Planned
Whether it’s a little plan or a big plan, it can be disappointing if everything doesn’t work out the way you had hoped.

God gives us new opportunities each and every morning to start fresh! It’s a chance to begin again—to try again, hope again and watch Him do something we never expected.
God is a God of restoration and change—He is always doing a new thing and working behind the scenes in our lives to bring about new beginnings. Where we see failure, God sees potential for something new.

God is the God of do-overs, second chances, and new beginnings.
He will give you a fresh start, and it will be better than you can imagine!
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of new beginnings. We open our hearts to your fresh grace and mercy. Guide us in our steps and illuminate our paths as we embark on this new day. Help us embrace a hopeful future that you have for us.
In Jesus name, we pray.
Amen

- This year, we will be praying for families in our community and their needs: Allen, Alobaidy, Anderson, Andrews, Anstey, and Aoyagi.
- Pray for members of our LORDS community who are having surgery, that they will have a smooth recovery, and we pray for peace for family members who are supporting them through this time
Prayers for Peace in the Middle East
Bishop Paul Smith of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand (LCANZ) has shared the following prayer points for our communities in response to the conflict in the Middle East:
God of love, justice, and peace, we pray for:
- political and military leaders, upon whose word lives are saved or taken; we pray that they will truly understand and appreciate the weight of moral responsibility they bear
- a swift end to military action and a renewed effort from all parties with a stake in this conflict to address the tensions between them through good-faith dialogue, genuine attempts to understand each other’s concerns, and flexibility in negotiations
- the people in Iran and for the people of the Middle East who are most at risk while hostilities continue
- soldiers involved in this conflict and their families at home
- humanitarian organisations as they mobilise to meet people’s essential needs
- people displaced by conflict, and for people of goodwill, offering them shelter
Psalm 46 promises, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’






















