16th. January. 2021. Daily Devotion.
6 A voice says, ‘Cry out.’
And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ ‘All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures for ever.’~ Isaiah 40:8
Screwtape advises Wormwood on using time to wear down a soul:
The Enemy has guarded him from you through the first great wave of temptations. But, if only he can be kept alive, you have time itself for your ally. The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather. You see, it is so hard for these creatures to persevere.
The routine of adversity, the gradual decay of youthful loves and youthful hopes, the quiet despair (hardly felt as pain) of ever overcoming the chronic temptations with which we have again and again defeated them, the drabness which we create in their lives and the inarticulate resentment with which we teach them to respond to it—all this provides admirable opportunities of wearing out a soul by attrition.
If, on the other hand, the middle years prove prosperous, our position is even stronger. Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it’, while really it is finding its place in him. His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of being really at home in earth, which is just what we want. You will notice that the young are generally less unwilling to die than the middle- aged and the old. ~ C. S. Lewis, from “The Screwtape Letters”
Lord, never let me stray from you because of routine or prosperity. Amen.
Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, you promised to send the Holy Spirit to Your apostles and disciples.Give that the same Spirit may perfect in my life the work of Your grace and love.
Give me: The Spirit of Fear of the Lord that I may be filled with a loving reverence toward You.
The Spirit of Piety that I may find peace and fulfilment in serving You, while serving others.
The Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with my salvation.
The Spirit of Knowledge that I may know You and know myself, and thus grow in holiness.
The Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your truth.
The Spirit of Counsel that I may choose the surest way of doing Your will, seeking first the Kingdom.
Give me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may aspire to the things that last forever.
Teach me to be Your faithful disciple. Animate me by Your Spirit in every aspect of my life, today and always. Amen.
For the Forgotten
Merciful God take pity on people who live alone today, without friends or family, forgotten by all. Bring the comfort of your Spirit to them, I pray, and let them know the most blessed company of all. Enable them to find the consolation of friendship in this life, and bring them into the light of your word, so that when they pass from this life, they may find eternal joy. Amen.
For Pastors and Others Giving Support
God our refuge, shelter us under your wings as we kneel before you in grief and pain. We pray for all those who have lost a beloved child, parent, sibling, lover, or friend . . . those who have witnessed horror . . . those who are wounded in body or spirit . . . for each is a child made in your image. We pray for ourselves, O Lord. Restore our hope, and mend our hearts, even as we weep with grief and tremble with anger. Give us strength to support the broken-hearted, your grace to be confident in your presence here, and your light to find our way through the shadows, that we may be bearers of your light to all we encounter; in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. —the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press.
