Ulverstone Baptist Church

Each week, we are considering the amazingness of the God we serve and learning that so much of our lives and experiences is because God is gracious to us. In this message, the focus is that we can all get caught up in praying for needs and things, but ultimately prayer is about an invitation, a posture to come close. How else will we know the Lord? We have the Bible, yes, but for today, living right now, we need to find ways to draw near and learn that the goal of prayer is closeness. We don't just pray to get answers. We pray to get closer! Remember this: God never intended prayer to be a wish list. Prayer is the language of relationship. The goal of prayer is not merely to get answers from God, but to know the God who answers.

In this week's message, we unpack the challenges of faithand life with Asaph, both as a worshiper and as a worship leader. Asaph demonstrates that living and focusing on the wrong things for too long will corrupt our hearts and lead to contradictions. His theological conviction stood tested. LikeAsaph, we all have good and bad days, trials, and difficult days, but when we are at a stage of unfairness, it is a slippery slope. Our significant moment arrives when fresh or renewed revelation comes to us: “But as for me, God is near”.As believers, we must come to this truth: we have something we didn’t deserve. God is for us; He is good to us, and He is enough for us!

In a world searching for hope, belonging and purpose, one of the most important questions we can ask is: Where is Jesus? The good news is that Jesus is still at work, drawing people to Himself, transforming lives and building His Church. He is present wherever grace is extended, truth is spoken, love is demonstrated, and people are welcomed in His name. As His followers, we are called to reflect His heart and make His presence visible in our community. Together, we become a living witness to His love, inviting others to encounter Him, find hope in Him and discover the life He offers. The question remains: Where is Jesus? May the answer be seen in us.

When you feel like giving up.

Life can be hard. We don't always have the answers or know what to do when facing hardship and disappointment. Sometimes, we feel like giving up. The Apostle Paul faced intense opposition, with his character, authority, and ministry under attack. Yet he refused to lose heart. What kept him going? How did he stay faithful when everything seemed against him? This week's message offers a fresh, challenging reminder of how to stand firm, trust God, and keep moving forward when life gets tough. If you're struggling, this message is for you!

Numbers 14 - The Edge of Promise 2.

A bad habit is hard to break. The Israelite tribes under Moses have a habit of grumbling. When things get tough, rebellion bubbles to the surface. Now they have one last chance to turn that around: To believe or doubt the goodness of God! Their fate hangs in the balance. We face the same choice. Will we allow fear, disappointment, or doubt to shape our future, or will we trust the God who has brought us this far? God's promises are still before us. The question is: will we step forward in faith?

Numbers 13 - Learning from others' mistakes can be less costly than learning from your own. The Israelite tribes under Moses are poised on the edge of a decision. They are looking to the future, but it’s with fear rather than faith. Like Israel standing on the edge of the Promised Land, we all face a decision: will we view the future through the lens of fear or faith? One path is controlled by obstacles and uncertainty; the other by God's promises and presence. This message explores how choosing faith over fear opens the door to God's purpose and breakthrough.

Psalm 66 brings us to one of the most significant conclusions of the whole psalm: the psalmist looks back over his history and his personal journey and is amazed that God has not rejected him. Instead, he sees how different his life is because of what God has done. This is more than simply remembering the past. It is recognising the hand of God in our story, through the testing, the struggles, the failures, the prayers and the moments when God came through. The psalmist moves from “Come and see what God has done” to “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.” There is something powerful about being able to look back; our history matters. Our personal story matters. But ultimately, it is God's faithfulness that gives our story meaning.

WHAT A GOD! — The God Who Is NEAR. In this What a God! series, we discover the heart of Psalm 66 and the life-changing truth that God draws near. Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, leading us into a deeper, more personal relationship with Him. Discover the God who forgives, restores, and invites us into the fullness of spiritual life. As we draw near to Him, we encounter His transforming presence, discover His faithfulness, and experience the wonder of knowing Him more deeply.

Through Psalm 66, we are invited to see God afresh, restore our wonder, and recognise that He truly is better than we thought. What happens when we discover that God is better than we ever imagined? It’s only by looking back that we are prepared and confident to move forward. Our worship is not a declaration that life is always good; it is a declaration that God is always God. Can I truly worship God even when life is difficult? The answer to these questions gives us room to deal honestly with suffering, disappointment, sin, weakness and unanswered questions without allowing our circumstances to become the measure of God’s goodness. In our What a God series, we begin by looking at the character and heart of God, a God whose grace is greater, whose love is deeper, and whose goodness reaches further into our lives than we often realise.

Among all the blessings that come through family, the greatest is still a heritage of faith. A spiritual legacy points us toward a personal, genuine faith in Jesus Christ, reminding us that God is our constant through every season. Psalm 139 gives us a vivid picture of this truth. God is acquainted with all our ways, and there is nowhere we can go to escape His Spirit. We discover that Jesus is the visible expression and faithful witness of the Godhead, the One who shows us exactly what God the Father is like. And remember, His goodness is chasing after you. What a comfort this is for every one of us.