22nd. July. 2020. Daily Devotion

Isaiah 55:6-9

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8 ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,’
declares the Lord.
9 ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Romans 12:16

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

The sin of pride is embedded in human nature. We think that whatever is in our mind is true, no matter how it got there. If others think something different, they are wrong. If somebody tries to teach us something that we do not want to be true, we refuse to listen to them. We are all, in a word, closed-minded.

And unfortunately, nowhere is this phenomenon more pronounced than in reading the Bible. To paraphrase an old joke, most people use the Bible like a drunk uses a lamppost: For support, rather than illumination.

People will interpret the Bible to say what they want it to say, rather than what it says. Therefore, we must read it for ourselves. And we should not read it seeking to justify our preconceptions, but with an open mind. Let the Spirit of God teach you what you need to understand of its deepest message, which is one of love.

Prayer for Purity of Thought and Intention

Almighty God, who alone has me the breath of life, and who can keep alive within me the holy desires your Spirit inspires; I pray that, in the name of your infinite compassion, you will sanctify all my thoughts and endeavours today; that I may not act without a pure intention or continue it without your blessing. And that, having the eyes of my mind opened to receive your word, may I be inspired by your wisdom, and be upheld by your strength in all I do. May I be accepted as your faithful servant, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Prayer for the Mentally Ill

Lord Jesus Christ, to whom every life is precious: Your eye is on the smallest sparrow, and I know that you watch over me and all my fellow beings in your love and mercy. I pray today for all who suffer from darkness of mind. Be with them, I pray, in their torment; comfort them and their friends and families.
And if it be your will, free them from the demons of the mind, that we understand so little about. Bless the scientists and doctors who work to relieve mental illness and all who care for the mentally ill. May your Spirit guide them as they seek to relieve mental suffering. And where there cannot be healing in this life, bless and keep their souls, that a broken mind may not affect their eternal wellbeing and ultimate restoration by your grace. Holy Jesus, look down with mercy upon all who suffer in their minds. Amen

A coronavirus prayer for today

Loving God, Holy One,
Your desire is for our wholeness and well-being.
We hold in tenderness and prayer the collective suffering of our world current. We grieve precious lives lost and vulnerable lives threatened.
We ache for ourselves and our neighbours, standing before an uncertain future.
We pray: May love, not fear, go viral.

Inspire our leaders to discern and choose wisely, aligned with the common good.
Help us to practice social distancing and reveal to us new and creative ways to come together in spirit and in solidarity.
Call us to profound trust in your faithful presence,
You, the God who does not abandon, You, the Holy One,
breathing within us, breathing among us, breathing around us in our beautiful yet wounded world.