4th - 10th May 2026
REFLECTIONS ON HOME
These reflections began as a Home Group ice-breaker – ‘share a picture which shows something the group may not know about you’. I chose a print of a pen and ink drawing (by Eamonn F Murphy) of Greenisland Railway Station from the signal box end, which hangs in my living room. The short story is that my sister and I grew up in Greenisland and our walk to and from primary school took us past the station and very often the signalman would wave to us and shout hello. A minor detail but such a happy memory that has stuck in my mind for over sixty years. In 1995, shortly after moving to Carrickfergus, I spotted the print in a gift shop and would go in to see it every time I passed, mesmerised by the intricate details. I took my Mum to see it one day and, unknown to me, she bought it for my next birthday. I still love it.
“Home is where the heart is”, so the saying goes. But where is home for a mother, father and teenage daughter who have relocated to North Belfast but with three sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren still living in their home country? For the past two years this family has come to our Conversation Café.
They left their home country for the sake of their daughter but for their first few months in Northern Ireland the family, especially Mum, seemed to be too traumatised to even think about putting down roots here, clinging to the hope that they could go back home. WhatsApp messages and videos fly back and forward every day and Mum watches her grandchildren grow up on a phone screen. Hopes of returning to their home country now seem to be a distant dream and will only be possible if there were a total regime change there.
So where is home for them – and many others in similar situations? Where are their hearts? Their hearts are broken and divided between their home country, which they love, and Belfast where they are safe and have made friends. Throughout Scripture we are encouraged to come alongside those who are marginalised, the poor, the oppressed and in our current studies in Ruth we read how God’s provision for the destitute, which was set out in the law, was worked out in everyday life.
Written by Valerie Brown
MONDAY
Matthew 8:20
“Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head’.”
Heavenly Father, we give thanks today that Jesus was willing to leave His home in heaven to be born as a baby in Bethlehem. Thank you that He set aside His place at your right hand to live in an obscure village where He identified with the poor and the homeless. We pray that you would soften our hearts and lift our eyes to see the needs of others as you see them and help us to respond as you guide us.
Pray today for all our Missions families who have moved away from home to serve God in other countries. (Missions — Glenabbey)
TUESDAY
Matthew 19:13-15
“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.”
Heavenly Father, we thank you for all our Community partners and the volunteers working alongside various organisations as they seek to transform the lives of children who are in vulnerable situations or are struggling with difficult family backgrounds. We pray for sensitivity for all involved and for patience and perseverance when progress seems slow. (Community — Glenabbey)
WEDNESDAY
Heavenly Father, we bring before you today those who are confined to their own homes because of illness or disability, those who are in hospital or those now living in care homes. We pray that they will be aware of your presence with them and that you will draw close in their weakness, pain or confusion. We thank you for all those who look after loved ones at home and pray that they will have physical stamina and resilience to show the love of the Lord Jesus day after day. We thank you for staff in hospitals and care homes and pray that they too will show compassion for those in their care.
THURSDAY
Psalm 68:5-6
“Sing to God, sing in praise of His name,
extol Him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before Him—His name is the Lord.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
He leads out the prisoners with singing;”
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the recent updates from our ‘homegrown’ mission organisations (Hope365 and Jengana) who work in Ethiopia and Kenya to provide Christian homes, education and love for babies and children who are all alone. We praise you for the many children who have been rescued and given opportunities which we so often take for granted. We give you thanks for all the staff members in Ethiopia and Kenya who care for and nurture the children physically and spiritually. We ask for your wisdom and patience for those in Northern Ireland as they deal with changes in legislation and government authorities.
FRIDAY
Hebrews 13:3
“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
Heavenly Father, we give thanks for staff and volunteers involved in the work of Prison Fellowship NI. Thank you for contacts made with those in prison, their families as well as those who have been released and are trying to rebuild lives and relationships. We give thanks for the positive impact of Christmas Hope and ask that this physical sign of compassion will lead to significant spiritual conversations and that men and women will come to know the transforming power of the Lord Jesus in their lives.
SATURDAY
Heavenly Father, we pray for our brothers and sisters in so many countries around the world who are being persecuted for their faith. Enable them to continue to grow in their faith, even when they cannot meet with other believers and we cry out for you to strengthen them in the face of imprisonment, torture or the threat of death. May they be deeply aware that they are not forgotten but that you see and know them.
SUNDAY
John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Praise God today that the Lord Jesus is in Heaven where He is preparing an eternal home for us where there will be no more sorrow or pain.