Walking with God

‘Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is your Captain, Mark Rogers, speaking. My co-pilot today is First Officer, Bob Johnson. We’ll be flying at a height of 35,000 feet and our expected time of arrival in Frankfurt is 1300 hours. The weather there is mild, but cloudy. In the meantime, sit back, enjoy the flight, and the cabin crew will be happy to look after you.’

Many of us are used to being welcomed aboard a flight by such words. And in a similar sort of way, we both want to welcome you as you join us in this daily devotional guide. May we introduce ourselves: your pilot Mike Beaumont (pastor) and co-pilot Martin Manser (reference-book editor). We’ve written this book together to help you in your journey with God.

Just as a plane journey sometimes has its turbulent moments, so we know that life too can have its ups and downs. We’ve written this book out of an absolute conviction that God is with us in such times. God doesn’t want us to separate our spiritual lives from the rest of our life, but to take him with us in those times of illness, hardship, bereavement or difficulty – and, of course, to do just the same in life’s joys! 

This book covers, as the title shows, 365 Prayers and Promises from the Bible, though we have developed those promises and prayers to cover wider themes too. Our aim is quite simple: to help you meet with God! He is the God of the promises. He is the God who inspires our praying. He is the One we can turn to in every situation in life: when we are puzzled, when we find it difficult to carry on, when we need guidance and help, and when we are just simply grateful. Each day’s reading begins with an opening verse from the Bible which we then consider in the main body of the text, closing with a final Bible verse. Sometimes other Bible extracts are also quoted, and every book in the Bible is drawn from over the year. We suggest that if possible you find a quiet place where you can let go of the busyness of life for a few moments and quieten your spirit to be still, to listen and to talk to God, as you think over and pray about what is in the day’s reading.

The readings are based on our two Eagle handbooks: the Eagle Handbook of Bible Promises and the Eagle Handbook of Bible Prayers, but we have elaborated on these and the readings are not simple cut-and-paste extracts. Sometimes we are asked how we work together. On Bible Promises, Martin was the pilot (he wrote the main text) and Mike was the co-pilot (he edited and expanded the text); on Bible Prayers it was the other way round, with Mike piloting (writing) and Martin as co-pilot (editing). On this particular title, Mike is pilot and wrote most of the readings and Martin has been co-pilot (writer of a few readings and editor). We always discuss any points where we may differ slightly in understanding and we both agree on the final texts. This is important to us as we have different temperaments and slightly different outlooks. We both dislike the use of labels to define our Christian stance and perspective, but we are both firmly evangelical. Mike is more outgoing and  ‘charismatic’; Martin is quieter (usually!) and more cautious. We also sometimes refer to our own experiences. This is not meant to ‘blow our own trumpet’ in any way, as we are each very aware of how limited and weak we are in ourselves. But we have chosen to open up to you something of our own personalities and outlooks and some of our life experiences, in the hope that these might be helpful in bringing the Bible alive.

It is our prayer that this book will help you in your life with God to give you light, strength and inspiration each day of the year. So, please, sit back, enjoy the flight, and the Bible will be happy to look after you!

Mike Beaumont

Martin Manser