7th-13th September 2026
It all begins with an idea.
Over the summer months, I have found myself reflecting on how much my mum and mother-in-law enjoy spending time with family and friends, simply talking. They value the company, the conversation and the connection it brings.
My mum is 90 and has only recently been widowed. My dad lived in a nursing home for the final two years of his life, so even before his death there were long periods when she was on her own. My mother-in-law is 95 and has been a widow for many years. For both of them, loneliness is a constant companion, particularly in the evenings.
Yet I know how easy it is for me to become too busy to call or to take the time to sit and chat with them. There always seems to be something else to do or another priority demanding my attention.
I’ll call later. I’ll see them at the weekend. I’ll have more time then.
As I reflected on this, I was drawn to Psalm 27, where we hear the psalmist say:
“Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
David begins by calling out to God, asking him to hear his prayer and respond with mercy. Yet as he prays, he becomes aware of something deeper: God’s invitation to come and talk with him, to draw near and enjoy his presence.
Prayer is not simply about bringing our needs to God or asking him for answers. It is about drawing near to him. What David needs is not only an answer from God; he needs God himself. And so when he hears that invitation to come, his heart responds: “Lord, I am coming.”
I find those words both beautiful and challenging. Almighty God, our heavenly Father, invites us to draw near, to seek his face and spend time with him.
Of course, the comparison with my mum and mother-in-law only goes so far. They naturally value company amid loneliness, whereas God is never lonely or dependent upon our company. He invites us because he loves us and because he knows how deeply we need him.
Yet, if I am honest, I sometimes respond to God in much the same way as I do to my mum and mother-in-law. I find reasons to delay or postpone spending time with him.
God invites me to come, but my response can so easily become: “I will, just not now.”
An old Danish proverb puts it rather strikingly: “God often visits us, but most of the time we are not at home.”
One of the dangers of a life ruled by deadlines, agendas and to-do lists is not simply that we become tired. It is that we become unavailable.
Even good and necessary things can fill our days so completely that we lose something far more precious: intimacy with our heavenly Father.
Prayer can become another task to complete rather than a relationship to enjoy. It may be something we genuinely intend to do but, when we look back, we discover that somehow we never quite made the time we thought we would.
Perhaps the challenge for us this week is simply to become more attentive to God’s invitation to draw near.
There will always be another task to complete, another message to answer, another reason to wait. But perhaps we need to learn again the value of stopping, resting, listening, speaking and simply enjoying being in God’s presence.
These moments may sometimes feel unproductive, particularly when there is so much else demanding our attention. But time spent with God is never wasted. We come not primarily because of what we might get from him, but because he invites us into relationship with himself. And as we spend time in his presence, the life-giving Spirit is at work within us, restoring us, reshaping us and making us more like Jesus.
We also have the privilege of bringing others into that conversation, carrying before God the people we love, the situations that concern us and the things we cannot change ourselves, trusting him to be at work in ways that we cannot.
Perhaps the real challenge this week is not that we believe prayer matters, but if we will respond when God invites us to draw near. There will always be another task, another message, another reason to wait. Yet what we need most is not simply an answer from God, but God himself. So, when he invites us to come, may our response be simple and immediate: “Lord, I’m coming.”
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
“Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me!” My heart has heard you (God) say, “Come and talk with me” and my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming”.Psalm 27:7-8
David’s prayer does not begin with carefully chosen words or quiet confidence. It begins with an honest cry for help. He needs God to hear him, show him mercy and answer.
There is something reassuring about that. We do not need to hide our worries, disguise our struggles or wait until we feel stronger before we pray. God invites us to come exactly as we are.
Yet David discovers that prayer offers more than the hope of an answer. As he brings his need before God, he is drawn into the presence of the one who already knows him and loves him.
What is weighing on your heart today? Bring it honestly to God, trusting that he welcomes both your prayers and your presence.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you know the worries I carry and the needs I struggle to express. Help me to bring them honestly before you, trusting that you hear me and understand. As I pray, remind me that my greatest comfort is not simply receiving an answer, but knowing that you are with me. Amen.
TUESDAY
The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.Mark 6:30–32
Jesus knew that his disciples needed to step away from the demands surrounding them.
There will nearly always be something else that could be done. The question is whether we will ever deliberately leave some things undone in order to be with God.
What could you put down today, even for ten minutes, simply to make yourself available to him?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, my life can become crowded so easily. Help me to recognise what is important and what can wait. Teach me to make space to be with you, to rest in your presence and to hear your voice above all the other demands around me. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”Luke 10:38–42
Martha wasn't doing bad things. She was doing necessary things. Perhaps that is why this story is so uncomfortable. We don't need to be doing something sinful to become distracted from God. Sometimes good things crowd out the best thing.
Jesus' invitation to Martha wasn't simply to work less. It was to rediscover the importance of being with him.
What good things are currently making it difficult for you to be still with Jesus?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, so many things compete for my attention. Some are necessary and many are good, but don't allow them to crowd you out. Help me to know when to stop doing and simply to sit in your presence. Give me an undistracted heart. Amen.
THURSDAY
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.John 15:1–8
Jesus doesn't tell us simply to visit him occasionally. He invites us to remain in him.
A branch doesn't struggle to manufacture life. It receives life through its connection with the vine.
We can spend a great deal of energy trying to live the Christian life for God while neglecting the very relationship through which he gives us the strength to do it.
Today, don't try harder. Stay closer.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, keep me close to Jesus today. Forgive me when I try to live in my own strength. By your Spirit, deepen my dependence upon you. Produce in me the things I cannot produce for myself and make my life fruitful for your glory. Amen.
FRIDAY
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honoured by every nation. I will be honoured throughout the world.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Psalm 46:1–11
Silence can feel uncomfortable. Almost instinctively, we reach for the phone, turn something on or think about the next thing that needs doing. But stillness creates space in which we remember something important: God is God and we are not.
Try spending a few minutes today without asking God for anything. Simply be still and recognise that you are in his presence.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, quiet the noise around me and the noise within me. Help me to stop striving and simply recognise that you are here. Teach me to become comfortable in your presence and increasingly attentive to the quiet prompting of your Spirit. Amen.
SATURDAY
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.Romans 8:26–27
Sometimes we don't pray because we don't know what to say. But prayer doesn't depend upon our ability to find impressive words. The Holy Spirit meets us precisely in our weakness.
Think today of someone whose circumstances feel complicated or beyond your ability to change. Bring their name before God. You don't need to know the solution. You simply need to bring them to the Father.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that when I don't know how to pray, your Spirit helps me. Today, I bring before you the people who are particularly on my heart. You know them, love them and understand their needs far better than I do. Please work in their lives in ways that only you can. Amen.
SUNDAY
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.Hebrews 4:14–16
At the end of this week, we return to where we began, with an invitation … Come.
Not because we have prayed well enough this week. Not because we have managed seven perfect quiet times. Not because we have earned an audience with God.
We come because Jesus has opened the way and perhaps tomorrow morning the invitation begins again: Come and talk with me.
May our hearts increasingly learn to answer: I am coming.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that because of Jesus I can draw near to you with confidence. Thank you for every moment this week when I have become more aware of your presence. Make me increasingly responsive to your Spirit. In the busyness of this coming week, when you prompt me to come, help me not to say, “Later,” but gladly to respond, “I am coming.” Amen.