Pastor: Richard Hurd
The Mid-Week Message is an On-Line Ministry of Pastor Dick Hurd and the Caton Church, A Global Methodist Community of Faith January 14, 2026
I have been thinking these past few days about how this life of faith and practice has been a blessing to me over the years. Of course, to try and boil it down to specific times and places is an all but impossible task. This entire journey has been full of powerful experiences, Holy encounters and sacred moments. It has also brought me through times of confusion, frustration and great, great sorrow and grief. In the midst of the good and the bad and the sometimes even ugly, My Lord has been by my side through it all. I cannot say that I always knew of His presence, or even understood it. But in the quiet hours when the world was silent, in those hours when sleep evaded me and my heart was hungry for something beyond myself, something bigger, something more fulfilling, somehow, He was there, He was always there! And the peace that seems to always accompany Him would become my peace as well. It is not something that I could ever explain or express but maybe in sharing it, it might resonate with some of you, and you could begin listening for that still small voice that provides a Holy interruption in your sleep. As is often the case, God puts in my path things to remind me of what is really important in this life. Those reminders often come in the form of a particular song whose words speak to me in a powerful way. Several times in this past week I heard Michael W. Smiths song “Draw me close to you” and it felt like He was leading me to share this word with you!
Draw me close to You, never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I’m Your friend
You are my desire, no one else will do
’Cause nothing else can take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace
Help me find the way, bring me back to You
You’re all I want, You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want, Help me know You are near
Do you know that God is near to you today? Can you feel the warmth of His embrace? I pray that this word finds you well and whole, that you are seeking that nearness to him that brings a sacred peace to your heart.
Yours in the love of Christ
Pastor Dick
Breath Prayer: Lord Help me know you are near! Amen
