24th. February. 2022. Daily Devotion.
3 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13
I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten the most obvious one is some sin against charity; I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed. And the excuse that immediately springs to my mind is that the provocation was so sudden and unexpected; I was caught off my guard, I had not time to collect myself.
If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.
The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily, they will have taken cover before you switch on the light. ~ C.S. Lewis, from “Mere Christianity”
Lord, let me always be prepared, that I might show charity in every circumstance, no matter how sudden. Amen.
Prayer for Those Battling Cancer
Dear God, we sincerely pray for all those who are battling cancer. Instil fearlessness and hope into their hearts each day. Give them solace when in pain and ease their suffering. Heal them by Your almighty hand. Bless their loved ones and caregivers with the strength to help them get through this difficult time. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Daily Work
The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were up on my knees at the blessed sacrament. Brother Lawrence (1611 -1691).
A prayer for Ukraine:
The news can be difficult to listen to and to read.
When that news relates to faces we know,
And to voices familiar to us,
It becomes all the harder to hear.
Lord God,
We ask you to hold the people of Ukraine deep in your heart.
Protect them, we pray;
From violence,
From political gamesmanship,
from being used and abused.
Give, we pray,
the nations of the world the courage
and the wisdom
to stand up for justice
and the courage too,
to dare to care – generously.
Lord in your mercy,
Take from us all,
The tendencies in us
That seek to lord it over others:
Take from us those traits
that see us pursuing our own needs and wants
before those of others.
Teach us how to live in love
And dignity
And respect – following your example.
In your name and for your sake, Amen. Church of Scotland
