10th February. 2021. Daily Devotion.
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it. Psalm 94:12-15
All of us still seek to avoid pain and find pleasures in this world. (Well, most of us; there are some Christians who “mortify their flesh” on purpose; but Christ, may I point out, never did this and never taught us to do it.) While we are alive, our humanity will still generate feelings of fear and pain, and it will still be unpleasant. But it is never the same; it does not have the same power over us. No matter how terrible the things of this world get, we know in our hearts that God will set it right. Our hope is proof positive against any tragedy the world can inflict upon us.
For the strong in Spirit, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel; there is a star in the darkest sky; there is a rainbow already waiting for the end of the most terrible storm. MB
Lord, when I must suffer in this world, let me always be filled with the certainty of hope. Amen.
For Guidance
Mighty Lord, there are marvellous things that I do not know, nor can I comprehend: things that happen in my life, and things that happen in my friends’ lives, and things that happen in the world. I pray to be thankful when I hear of all of them, to appreciate everything that comes across my path. So often life hurts, and I get angry or upset; I do not understand, yet you ask me to be thankful for everything, and have faith.
I thank you now, Lord, for all those occasions when I have forgotten or have been so caught up in emotions that I could not. Help me to be thankful, I pray, when the rains come on the just and the unjust, that you care so much about me, that the rains come to chasten, to build character and godliness in me. And help me to live as a mirror of your Son, so that I might reach others. Amen.
A Child’s Prayer
For Morn, my dome of blue,
For Meadows, green and gay,
And Birds who love the twilight of the leaves,
Let Jesus keep me joyful when I pray.
For the big Bees that hum
And hide in bells of flowers;
For the winding roads that come
To Evening’s holy door,
May Jesus bring me grateful to his arms,
And guard my innocence for evermore. Amen. ~ Siegfried Sassoon
Prayer for Patience During Virus
Dear Jesus, I thank you from my heart
for the health and safety of my children and grandchildren.
It feels so good to see them full of life and happiness.
They are so precious to me and I want them to be safe and well.
We are now keeping ‘social distance’ from other people
to protect our own health and the health of the whole community.
I know I cannot expect them to accept this sudden change in our lives.
They are getting impatient with the extra restrictions.
And I am growing impatient with them.
Give me the wisdom I need to bear with them,
when they say they are bored and I think they are selfish.
And when they act up help me remember they too are fearful.
Help us all be reassured by your presence among us. Amen.
