22nd. June. 2022.Daily Devotions.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:3
I recall a time when as a teenager I worked for a couple of weeks planting trees on a hillside overlooking the nascent river Tweed behind Hartfell near Moffat. It was spring and the weather was very changeable. New young trees need some extra watering until they grow deep roots and can survive on their own, but I went back to school and had to leave them to the power of nature. I was therefore pleased over the years to see that the trees flourished. They have long been harvested and the area replanted, but I still remember them when I pass the area today.
The Bible’s message is that God created us in love and has saved us through faith in Jesus, by grace alone. As people saved by grace, we are invited to live the good life that God has designed for us. We live this way not to earn our salvation, but to show our gratitude to God, to grow in faith, and to flourish in the good life God wants for us. God has given us salvation as a gift, and we gratefully aim to follow God’s law because it’s the best way to live. It’s what we were designed for.
Psalm 1 says that living this good life is like being a tree planted by streams of water. That tree will yield fruit and will not wither, because the tree is living the way it is meant to live, nourished by the water of life given by its creator. So it is with people. When we are planted and nourished by God’s way of love, we will flourish.
God, make me like a tree planted by streams of water. Root my life in your law of love, so that I can live the way you have designed me to live. Amen.
Prayer of St. Edmund
O Lord, into your hands and into the hands of your holy angels, this day I entrust my soul, my relatives, my benefactors, my friends and enemies, and all who confess your holy name.
O Lord, by the merits and prayers of your son, Jesus Christ, keep me today from all evil and unruly desires, from all sins and temptations of the devil, from a sudden and unprovided death, and from the pains of hell. Enlighten my heart with the grace of your Holy Spirit. Grant that I may ever be obedient to your commandments. Let me never be separated from you, O God, who lives and reigns forever, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
To Help Others with Their Faith
Lord, I am so full of doubt and sin that I sometimes forget: There is always someone weaker in their faith than I am, some brother or sister whom I can help, someone I can support and pray for in their journey. I pray that I may be aware that my fellow saints may need encouragement and that I be qualified to give it. Let me not be critical or judgmental, but supportive and helpful to those struggling.
And I pray, let me always remember that someone might be hiding a struggle, a fear, a sorrow; let me offer words of encouragement and support freely. Let me remember that there are people who hide their insecurity behind a wall of serenity, or defensiveness, or even antagonism, to whom a word of support might make a world of difference, in Christ’s name, I pray, Amen.
