Devotion
I Delight To Do Your Will
Frances Taylor
When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we say "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In this psalm, we pray that we delight to do God's will. I wonder if we really mean what we pray, or if we just say the words. First, we need to think about what God's will really is. When we read the Scriptures we see certain themes – justice, peace, and especially, love. These themes run through the Old Testament as well as the New. We are told to take care of the poor, the most vulnerable in our society. We are asked to remember that we were once strangers in the lands we now occupy. We are told to treat others the way we want to be treated, to forgive. These are not easy tasks and sometimes we do not "delight" in doing them. We want justice but not if it interferes with our comfort. We want peace, but our speech is often loaded with violence. We say we want to be forgiven but find it hard to forgive. We don't always welcome the stranger, and we sometimes suspect the poor of being responsible for their situation. When we continue to read this psalm, we read a confession of sorts admitting that we often fail in doing the will of God. We also hear the author asking for God's mercy and faithfulness. We need to look at ourselves with honesty and see how we can work better to bring about God's will on earth as it is in heaven.
Prayer
Lord, you are my help, do not delay! Amen.
Devotion
Allowing The Scriptures
To bring Joy To My Life
Frances Taylor
The beginning of Luke's Gospel has always been one of my favorite readings. It makes me feel confident that I can believe what I have been taught. It also gives me peace because I know that God's promise has been fulfilled. We have been set free from fear. Of course, we will know fear of the unknown in this unpredictable world, but not fear of death because we can be sure that death is not the end, only the beginning of a new life. Otherwise, how could we continue to experience happiness and joy in the face of suffering? This freedom of fear, this belief in the good news – this Gospel message – is what made the early Christians so willing to face suffering in the name of Jesus. It is what motivated them to spread the good news to anyone who would listen. Is our world any less in need of the Gospel than theirs? I doubt it. Considering how we work so hard to be happy! How hard we work to avoid pain or suffering! So ...
Morning Prayer
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
Inspiration
Many wish to go to a multitude of other sources to find direction in life, especially in times of trouble. In Isaiah's day, many turned to wizards and those involved in the occult, and many still do today. But God's people should reject these methods and turn "to the Law and to the testimony. " (verse 20)
Prayer
We dare not trust the world of darkness, but we put our trust in you alone, O Lord, as our source of wisdom for life. We know that Satan himself appears like an angel of light to better deceive many, and that false religions are full of doctrines of devils and sacrifices to devils, though the participants mostly are unaware of it. Only in your Word do we find the true light that will guide us through even the most trying of times. Amen.
