Lord where are you?

Lord, there are times when i wonder where you are
Troubles come so suddenly and you just seem so far
I feel alone and helpless to fight another day
Why, oh why, i wonder, did it have to be this waty?

Lord, then you show up, maybe in a friend on whom i can rely
You show me that I am not alone and not to wonder why
Amaingly, I see the answers come quickly to my prayers
I know the Lord is with me in the way HJe gently cares

Lord You are my Saviour, my God in whom i trust,
I sing your praises daily, as this is right and just
Thank you Lord my God for loving me so much
And again for showing me your amazing healing touch

© Val Gurney 2016


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I’m with you always

I watched over you as you were being created, I knitted you together in your mothers womb, I have watched over you all your life. I have been there in those darkest moments, when you have felt alone and wondered where I was, I have been right beside you, holding you close to me. You were never alone, I am with you always. Trust me, I watch over you and I am right by your side. I will never leave you or forsake you. I walk with you, talk with you, although you are sometimes distracted and don’t recognise my presence or voice but know my child, I am with you.

I am in the storms of life, they come to show my power is made perfect in weakness, for you to grow in trust and to depend on me. I bring people into your life that will help you, pray with you and be there for you. I give you my peace and comfort. I am with you in the joys too, watching you smile as another sunset shows in the sky, as you hold your grandchild in your arms, as you hear me speak into your life. I’ve held you in my arms when you didn’t think you could take much more, I’ve brought healing to you in so many ways.

I’ve heard the cry of your heart, I am already working it out for your good. Keep your eyes on me and see what i can do in and through you , i will give you the desires of your heart, i know what they are as I placed them there and they are about to be fulfilled,

Your Heavenly Father

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Give it to God

One I wrote 7 yrs ago 😁

Sometimes we like to hide things,
deep down within our hearts,
We cant bear to think about the pain,
and all those awful hurts

I cant think about this now,
I’ll bury it we often say
I don’t know how to deal with this,
Let’s pretend and it will go away

You may bury it for months,
and sometimes even years,
Now and again you remember,
and fight to hold back the tears

But pain and hurt cant stay there,
they always reappear
In many different ways they show,
In anger, Self doubt and fear?

Thankfully God wont leave us,
to fight this on our own,
He will often gently remind us,
that we are not alone

I’m here for you my daughter,
we need to deal with this
Lets walk through this together,
nothing must we miss

It may be hard and painful
but i am by your side.
I have so much for you my child,
so nothing must you hide

Lets walk the darkest night,
and free you from your pain
Free you from the guilt within,
so that my light, you may regain

I am the Lord your healer,
I can restore the past you’ve lost
Equip you for the life ive planned
because I love you at any cost

©️Val Gurney 2015





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Poem – Jesus

The stars shine bright
In the heavens up above
Just like my lord and Saviour
They shine just like His love.

I’ve never seen such beauty
And in His face I see
A love I’ve never known before
And my hope for eternity

I look into His face
He’s everything to me
He is my joy and peace
Lord come and set me free

From all the pain of the past
I look to you to heal
I know that in your light
Theres nothing to conceal

He is my beloved
The one I seek each day
For He has won my heart
In his love I will ever stay.
© Val Gurney

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Fighting the battles – 2021

I was looking at Facebook this morning and saw this notice that said Read 1 Samuel 17 and note anything the Lord sys to you. So I thought sounds a good idea. This was the result and I hope it helps someone.

1 Samuel 17 is about the famous story of David and Goliath.

Goliath came to the Israelites every morning and every night asking them to choose someone to come and fight Him but the Israelites were full of fear.

Why? Goliath was like a giant. He was dressed in heavy armour with a spear and javelin. He was terrifying. No wonder the Israelites were terrified.

We often have to face giants in our lives, don’t we? They stand tall, seem overpowering, too strong for us to fight. Do we run away hoping the situation will improve? Do we get anxious, fearful, panicky not knowing how to carry on sometimes? How do we face that illness, that fear, that person, times of doubt, loneliness, debt etc

The devil may throw accusations at you, how will you do that? How will you cope? Its too big for you? You’ll never get better, you’ll never be good enough. The giants we face can be frightening, just like Goliath was to the Israelites. What do we do in these times?

For 40 days Goliath came morning and evening to torment them, hoping to break them down. Does this sound familiar? It reminded me of Jesus when He was first baptised was in the desert for 40 days too being tempted by the devil to give in to it.

David went to his brothers to check they were ok and heard about Goliath. There was great fear. David said about how he had fought the bear , the lion and how he struck them , seized them  and killed them. God had been with David strengthening him and preparing him for this time and His future as King. David knew that God would rescue him from the bear and the lion. He knew that God was with Him, he trusted God.

Do we have such faith? Can we say , God has delivered me before, He has been with me before and will do it again? He has rescued us in the past do we trust Him enough to do it again? Are we spending enough time with God? Reading His word? Being quiet and still and listening for His still small voice. If we are then we like David can be prepared for when troubles come. Its so important to spend that quiet time with God. In the quiet He speaks to us. He longs us to come and be with Him. If we take that time He will come, you will hear.

So it was agreed that David would fight Goliath. Saul tried to dress him in His tunic and armour but it was too big and heavy for David

Do we try other things first before coming to God for help? Do we try in our own strength to sort things out and go to God last if all else fails? Do we go to others instead of God – there is nothing wrong in going to our brothers and sisters in Christ and asking for prayer and help in difficult situations , I have done many times thats what we are there for to support each other but do we rely on them more than our Heavenly Father?

David went to Goliath with nothing but the stones and sling but the Lord was with him. David had such a strong faith that he knew the Lord would deliver him from his enemies.  He had seen it happen in the past and he knew His God He trusted God.

‘I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty. This day the Lord will deliver you into our hands’

The rest of the story we know , David killed Goliath , the philistines were defeated.

If we fight our battles alone we may not get far, we start to sink. I was reminded of a verse

‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s’.

Also we must put on the armour of God everyday. Know that God is with you He will fight for you Have faith and trust in Him.

Read Psalm 46 its wonderful and BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD

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Easter Sunday – He is risen \0/

Matthew 28 v 1-7

Now after the Sabbath, towards the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow, And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men, But the angle said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know what you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, See, I have told you

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I Look to You My Father


I look to you, my Father
The one who holds my heart
You’ll never leave or forsake me
We will never be apart


When my heart is heavy
And the road ahead seems dark
May i never let go of your hand
On the journey we embark


May we do great things together
Fight battles hand in hand
May your spirit lead me on
In this dry and weary land


Come Lord Jesus Come
Equip and anoint us, this i pray
May we see a great revival
And as we worship, have your way.
Val Gurney 2023

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Poem – Jesus on the Cross

I’m standing at the cross of Jesus,
I don’t feel I can even look up
It’s my sin thats holding him there
He is drinking from my cup

The wrath i should have bore
For the evil things I’ve done
Why would you do this Jesus
Gods only begotten Son

I look up and see His face,
He is looking right at me
All this pain He is going through
Is so I would be set free

It is finished He now cries
The temple curtain torn in two
People are running scared
They know not what to do

I kneel before Him now
With tears upon my face
He died to save us from our sins
By Gods unfailing Grace

Forever I will love Him
For what He has done for me
Forever in my heart He lives
For all eternity

© Val Gurney

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Dark Times

originally written 7 years this is edited version

Well I haven’t written a blog for a long time as I have been living in a dark time. We all have them. Times when you feel like the bottom has come out of your world and you are not sure whats going on. You wonder where God is, why has He left you , why isn’t He making it all ok? SO many questions.

My dark time was that I  had burnout or breakdown whatever you wish to call it,  I am happy sharing this as it happens to many people, many have mental health problems from time to time. Maybe this could even help someone and give them hope.

I was so busy at work and it was so stressful I wasn’t getting any of my work done as I managed a team of staff,  i was helping look after my elderly mother after work who has dementia and diabetes and had some frightening times ,  my eldest son was getting married and i was really busy at church being on the Management Team, Pastoral Care team, Worship team, Refresh@10 team and much more.

My body decided enough was enough, I was looking at my screen at work at a spreadsheet and i thought ‘i don’t know what to do or what I am doing’ That was that i went home and was signed off for a month.  I was put on antidepressants but I didn’t want to take them, when i eventually did it was the worst thing i could have done. I felt like I had been plugged into an electric socket and I couldn’t eat or sleep. This gave me acute anxiety. It has been 7 months nearly now and friends and family wanted me to go on some other antidepressants but i was too scared. Anyway in the end i saw a lovely doctor who felt i needed to forget these for a few weeks and not put more stress on myself and get out as much as possible and enjoy life. ( i was feeling much better by then) So that is what i am doing. I am eating better now, sleeping better and getting out more and enjoying life.  I still have a LONG way to go and each day is different, nights can be hard sometimes as that’s when i worry and things go round and round but I’m getting there. My body still feels hypersensitive which I don’t like either but what made the difference?

Well I believe it was God. For months I couldn’t pray, read the bible, even sing much in church  etc. I felt just as anxious about God than i did other things. I was basically fearful of everything. Why wasn’t He bringing the healing I so longed for. It’s in these times that we start to search and search for God and spend time with him. He is there though as He never leaves us or forsakes us. He does show he is there though. Through a friend who comes round and prays with you. Through people, services etc.

But over time I started to pray again read my bible etc. (Many were praying for me. I can’t thank my church family enough for all their prayers and many others from other churches too being so faithful in prayer and support in practical ways. For my wonderful kids who stayed with me and cooked and did everything.)

Its like the light broke through that darkness and started to shine again. I didn’t feel so low, i started walking, seeing people, getting help with the local charity Mary Francis Trust and our local centre doing keep fit etc. I hadn’t sung at church since this all happened either, I stopped my worship band and stepped down from the other two I was in but last week when I was at church I thought I wonder when I will ever get back up there and sing again. Anyway I noticed this weekend that one of the bands I used to sing in was leading worship and I said ‘Lord could I do it? Am I being silly? Could I? Anyway I got in contact with my friend and she said just try one or two songs and see how you go. Anyway after only 3  hours sleep I got up and I DID IT, I sang all the songs. God was so great , keeping me completely calm . It was absolutely amazing. I can’t tell you how I felt. On cloud 9.

I felt absolutely out of it the rest of the day due to not much sleep the night before etc so that was hard as I could feel my body was so stressed. I didn’t sleep that well last night either so O am feeling pretty yuk today but tomorrows another day and it will take time but the main thing is I am making progress, God has lifted my spirits and giving me things to do and giving me the strength I need to do things. He has put hope in my heart again and that makes a huge difference.

If you are weary and feeling maybe the same as me or been/going through a very difficult time, don’t give up on God. He is with you in the good and the bad times and He understands how we are feeling and knows what we are going through.  Keep praying, keep reading His word ask Him to speak to you through His word  or others. Reach out and don’t give up as He wont give up on you. Ask Him what He wants to teach you through this. Ask Him to stay close and in a way that you know He is there.

God bless

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Joy of the Lord

I have had many trials and tribulations in my life but the Lord has seen me through each one. I hate to say it but in life we do have troubles they tend to come all at once sometimes too. Ill health, family members ill, work overload even overloaded with church activities, being unwell yourself and other things  that have caused great stress and worry.

However I have been praying and giving all these to the Lord and asking Him to show me what to do and how to pray and what to lay down for a season. And He has. He has given me scripture daily , sometimes the same thing, sometimes by someone else, God is so amazing. People have sent me words of encouragement, bible verses and been praying for me. Do you find in these times a joy that you never knew you could have when everything around you seems to be falling?  You suddenly noticed how joyful you are even though circumstances haven’t changed.

God gives us the privilege of prayer, we can leave our sorrows our worries and fears at the foot of the cross. We can leave them in Jesus hands.  The Lord revealed to me, I believe , that the joy of the Lord is your strength.  The circumstances haven’t changed but we will, I had. God had it all in His hands and I knew that and my part was to trust Him and leave it with Him. As in Nehemiah 8 v 10 it says Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

How about you? Is life getting you down? Do you need God to heal you, help you? Are you confused about what to do ? Are you down, unwell or just seeking the Lord for the future?

Then spend some time with our Heavenly Father. He loves you. Read His word. Ask Him to speak to you through His word, His Holy Spirit or however He wishes to. Then wait. Spend that time with Him. He will speak to you maybe through a verse or picture but He will, Take that time to spend with Him. Draw close to Him and He will draw near to you

Life can get us down, trouble come, but lets remember to give it to the Lord. He is our comforter, helper, healer, restorer, Father, our Abba Father.

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