First Magherafelt - Prayer Blog: 03/05/2026

Saturday, 9 May 2026

Thanking Abba for His Immeasurable Generosity

Heavenward

SCOTTY SMITH

Thanking Abba for His Immeasurable Generosity

SCOTTY SMITH

“ The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me” (Ps.50:23)

“ Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks everywhere.” (1Thess.5:16)

“ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Cor.9:15)

Heavenly Father, thank you for being incomparably kind and relentlessly generous. Though the world, the flesh, and the devil seek to keep us discontent and blind to your goodness—they’re fighting a losing battle. First of all, thank you for the “indescribable gift” of the Gospel. If we “only” had the Gospel, we have everything we need and more than we could ever desire; because the Gospel is Jesus and everything in him.

Thank you for your commitment to finish your work in us and the cosmos on the perfect Day (Phil.1:6). Thank you for loving us today as much as you will love us on that Day. Never let us forget that you love us to the degree we are in Christ, not like Christ.

Thank you for being tenaciously at work for our good in all things: In the things that thrill us, bug us, exasperate us, and enrage us. In the the wounds that still hurt us and the failures that still haunt us. In the “unanswered” prayers and in unexpected gifts.

In delayed flights and countless delights. In the best fishing trip imaginable and the worst family vacation conceivable. In circumstances we can’t control and people we wish we could. In the illnesses of our friends and the heartaches in our stories.

Thank you for being sovereign over everything. That doesn’t make life easy, but it keeps us sane, hopeful, and trusting. Thank you for being good all the time—not by our math, but by yours; when we see it, and when we don’t. Hallelujah, and So Very Amen.

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Friday, 8 May 2026

De-Cluttering, Re-Centering, Re-Fueling, Re-Freeing Our Hearts

Heavenward

SCOTTY SMITH

De-Cluttering, Re-Centering, Re-Fueling, Re-Freeing Our Hearts

SCOTTY SMITH

“ Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them, rust destroys them, and thieves steal them. Make God himself, life in his presence, and the currency of heaven your treasure. For wherever, whoever, whatever your treasure is, that defines the desires of your heart and the direction of your life.” Paraphrase of Matthew 6:19-21

Lord Jesus, a little work in my attic, garage, closet, and drawers has made this passage more than relevant again. Where did all of this stuff come from? Clutter is like zucchini, kudzu, and crabgrass. It multiplies without fertilizer or rain. Once a “treasure,” now most of these things are a bother.

Jesus, what concerns me far more than my attic and garage, are my mind and heart. The older I get, the less storage space there is, and I don’t want to finish my journey Home with a distracted mind, busy spirit, and cluttered heart. So, Lord, help me de-clutter and re-center on you. I want to live more like Mary in a Martha world (Luke 10:38-42)—more like Asaph (Psalm 73) for whom you became his chief delight and definition of heaven. In a world of multiple distractions, fools’ gold, and temporal pleasures—I want to finish my days with one great consuming affection—having and keeping you as my supreme, uncontested, most heart-enthralling and satisfying treasure.

We love you because you first loved us, and we’ll treasure you to the extent we really believe you treasure us as your beloved Bride and eternal inheritance. So, by the Holy Spirit, once again, rearrange the price tags in my heart, Jesus. Once again, let my uncluttered spirit and re-centered heart say, “ I consider all things rubbish compared to the surpassing excellency of knowing Jesus” (Phil.3:7-10). So Very Amen.

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Thursday, 7 May 2026

We Are Blessed Beyond ALL Measure, Friends

Heavenward

SCOTTY SMITH

We Are Blessed Beyond ALL Measure, Friends

SCOTTY SMITH

“ We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.” Hebrews 13:9–10

Lord Jesus, this verse is like the expectant mother who went into delivery expecting one baby and gave birth to triplets—make that quintuplets. But isn’t that just like the whole Bible? There’s always more of you in every passage of Scripture. There’s nothing more than the Gospel, just more of it. There is no one worthy of our full love and trust than you, Jesus; there’s just more of you for us to see, savor, and share with others.

Feasting is the theme of this verse—along with a good bit of paradox and grace. Those who served in Isreal’s tabernacle and temple were given protected privileges to enter holy space, handle holy things, and feast on the fruit of multiple sacrifices from the people. But there is one table and one meal that no amount of religious status and pomp entitled them. Your table, Jesus; your meal which celebrates your finished work, empty tomb, and resurrection life.

So, who now has perpetual access into the holy of holies? Who gets to come to the heavenly altar which only accepts a sacrifice of praise? Who is invited—even subpoenaed to feast on the bread and wine of your perfect sacrifice and finished work? Only those needy enough and humble enough get to come, for it is a feast of mercy and grace. Hallelujah! The only thing that gives us the right to eat at this “alter” is the gift of your perfect righteousness—with which you have clothed, enriched, and blessed us. Another loud Hallelujah!

Jesus, we could never earn, deserve, or inherit the Gospel. It is 100% pure grace. It is 100% you. We are like Remy in Ratatouille, little league bat boys called up to the Majors, Cinderella married to the Prince of Glory. Our only claim and boast is you, Jesus. Hallelujah what a Savior! Hallelujah what a salvation. So Very Amen.

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Wednesday, 6 May 2026

“Get Thee Hence into the Summit of My Grace!”

Heavenward

SCOTTY SMITH

“Get Thee Hence into the Summit of My Grace!”

SCOTTY SMITH

“ Come up here, and I will show you…” (Rev. 4:1)

Lord Jesus, every day—no exceptions, you speak these reorienting, reframing, renewing words to us: “Come up here into the heavenlies where I have already seated you (Eph.2:6). Get thee hence into the summit of my grace, the pinnacle of providence, the throne room where I reign over all things.” Hallelujah, and thank you.

For we have a limited, skewed, us-centered, myopic perspective on just about everything. Sometimes our lives and the world feel like a giant field of weeds—filled with crabgrass, kudzu, poison ivy, and ragweed. But from the vantage point of the Gospel, you show us that we’re actually living among huge redwoods of grace, surrounded by mountains of mercy, while rivers of providence are steadily moving history and us closer and closer to the Day of all things new and beautiful (Rev. 21:1-22:6). This isn’t groundless hype; it’s our living hope.

We need your perspective more than we need people, circumstances, and anything else to change. On this Darlene and my 54th wedding anniversary, both of us praise you for freeing us from the foolish “perspective” if we had married the right person, marriage would be easy, fun, and exciting most of the time.

That’s more like the promises in brochure for a cruise in the Caribbean Islands than what you intend for a couple called to grow in grace, intimacy with you and each other, and more Jesus-likeness. Thank you for not letting us settle for a 10-day cruise. Thank you for 54-years-and-counting of your mercies and grace.

And thank you for constantly giving us—and calling us back to the “much-more-ness” of the Gospel, the incomparable wonders of your love and beauty, and a hope-fueling vision of your work in the world and the meaning of all history. We still sing—and louder than ever, “This IS My Father’s World,” “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun,” and “Amazing Grace (How Sweet the Sound).”

Jesus, we are yours now and forever. You ARE currently making all things new. One Day the earth WILL BE filled with your glory. Hallelujah, “Yea!,” and So Very Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 May 2026

‘Arlo Takes Off’ Is Here | Final TGC Kids Book + 50% Off Collection

THE NEW TGC KIDS BOOK IS HERE
+ 50% OFF THE ENTIRE COLLECTION

In a world that says “define yourself,”

Arlo Takes Off points kids to what’s true.

Here’s why Betsy wrote it:

I was standing in the children’s section of my local bookstore. You could have mistaken it for the sexuality section. Title after title featured some take on gender or sexuality. Some were overt; others were subtle.

A few moments of browsing confirmed the need for TGC Kids picture books, which were about to launch. This series was born from a realization that the world is catechizing children through the stories they read. To respond, we need to teach them what is true, but we also need to feed their imaginations with stories that bring truth to life. It’s fitting that the final TGC Kids book, Arlo Takes Off, is a story about gender that never mentions gender.

When Arlo’s favorite TV show tells him he can be anything he wants to be, he decides he wants to fly! When both he and his high hopes hit the ground, Arlo learns a painful lesson—no matter what others may tell us, we can only be who God made us to be.

At some point, your children may encounter the message that the way they’ve been made is a mistake. When they do, I hope they’ll remember Arlo’s story.

— Betsy Childs Howard

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A picture book to help kids

embrace how God made them

• Ages 3–7

• Teaches the path to true and biblical self-acceptance

• Includes a “Note to Grownups” for real-life conversations

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More than 70,000 copies have been sold, helping families teach truth through story.

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