8th. January. 2022. Daily Devotion.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.  Psalm 143:5-6

These people who have to have truckloads of gadgets to get their religion going, what will they do when they don’t have anything like that? The truck can’t get where they’re going.

I heard a man boast this afternoon on the radio to come to his place because they were going to bring in equipment from Pennsylvania and Ohio to serve the Lord with. What equipment do you need to serve the Lord with brother? Why, the dear old camp meeting ladies used to say, “See, this is my harp with ten strings, and I praise the Lord!” And they’d clap their little old, wrinkled hands with shining faces. What claptrap do you need? Do you need a bushel basket full of stuff to serve the Lord with?

Brother, if you have two knees and even if you’re stiffened up with arthritis so you can’t get on your knees, you can look up in your heart. For prayer isn’t getting on your knees—prayer is the elevation of the heart to God. That’s all a man needs. You can pray in a prison, you can pray in an airplane, you can pray in a ship; you can pray anywhere, and you can worship God, because it’s Himself that we want, Himself.

Lord, show me Yourself this morning. I don’t have any ‘claptrap’ or equipment here; I just want to get on my knees and worship. I meditate on Your works, my soul longs for You, here in the quiet of my study. Amen. ~ from “Christian Leadership”, by A. W. Tozer

Ancient Prayer

O Lord, you are the beginning of all our goodness, the wellspring of all our loving and the source of all our freedom. Let your grace continually work within us, that your will may be done through us, and that we may always rejoice in your presence; now and for ever. Amen. Mary Ward (1585-1645)

Prayer

Loving God, my shield and hiding place, give me the courage to come from behind the shield, give me the faith to leave my hiding place, so that I might be willing to go into every place: places of tears and trauma, places of disillusion and despair
as well as places of fun and fulfilment. Displace my complacency and replace it with a spirit of boldness. May I serve you till in heaven I take my place. Until then, I place into your hands the things I should do, safe in the knowledge that you are my abiding place, my dwelling place and my resting place. Amen.

Prayers for other people

We pray for all who are bearing heavy burdens:
those facing difficulties and problems to which they can see no solutions,
wrestling with inner fears and racked by anxiety for themselves or loved ones;
troubled about money, health, work or relationships;
all who crave rest for their souls but cannot find it.

We pray for the influence of your Holy Spirit in the troubled places of the world.
Fill us with Your passion for justice that we may strive to build bridges of reconciliation.

We pray for all who are happy and for whom things are going well,
that they may know the source of their blessing.

We pray for all who are distressed.
Comfort the sad, be present with the sick and make your will known to them.
Strengthen those who are depressed by failure. Amen M. Ralph & E. Obinna.