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Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Prayer for the Morning

Blessed are you, O Lord my God, King of the universe, who removes sleep from my eyes, that I may see the returning light of the your day. I thank you for all that you have done while I was asleep, watching over me and all your children while we slept unaware, and I pray that my thoughts and acts this day may show forth my love and thanks for you and all you have done for me.

Help me through your Holy Spirit, that I may remember what you have taught me in the Bible and it may show forth in my every deed. Let me not wander into the hands of sin, nor into the hands of pride or perversity, nor into the hands of temptation, nor into the hands of shame, but steer my inclinations towards goodness and charity this morning and all the day. In the name of Christ I pray.

Prayer of Thanks

Thank you, oh source of all abundance, for surrounding me with good things. But help me to remember that nothing of earthly value owns timeless truth. Let your immeasurable blessings transform how I perceive material benefits. Teach me to appreciate unchanging treasures: the wealth of your compassion, the grandeur of your wisdom, and the richness of reconciliation. Lighten my selfishness with simple faith. Help me to reveal your love more joyously. And strengthen me in grace, oh God, always to give the best that serves you most in humble gratitude.

Dedication

Holy God, I pray to be filled with your Holy Spirit for the rest of this day. Let me go forth, walking with your Spirit in my heart, that I may be filled with the joy and energy and praise for your entire creation, thankful in the many gifts you have given me, and showing forth your light in my every word and deed. This I pray in Christ's name,

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Getting Close to God

Exodus 9:8-12 (ESV)

The Sixth Plague: Boils

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”

So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.

But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

Notes on the Scripture

Both the tempo and the severity of the plagues are escalating. God now attacks the bodies of the Egyptians. The pain of the sores is shown by the magicians themselves, who "cannot stand before Moses."The disease is not merely painful, but also disfiguring; those afflicted, who are all Egyptian, cannot disguise their powerlessness before the might of Jehovah.

Egyptian magicians

The role of the magicians is a gauge of the effect of the plagues on the people of Egypt. The roles of magicians, priests and physicians were closely tied and sometimes overlapping. Initially, they were able to recreate the plagues (at least to a degree) and show that they and their gods were as powerful as the God of the Hebrews. But as of the fourth plague (gnats), they fell so far behind that they could not even imitate it. They had been defeated and admitted that the plague was "the finger of God" and not a magic trick. Now, they cannot even stand before Moses.

The magicians are so thoroughly defeated that they have become irrelevant. They are not mentioned again in Exodus. Pharaoh stands alone, against the opinions of his advisors.

Another difference here is that Moses does not give Pharaoh any warning. Perhaps in light of Pharaoh's repeated lies and broken promises, God has simply begun to punish him. No specific demand is recorded, no promise evoked. The plagues of Egypt have become a plain demonstration of the destructive power of human pride, running contrary to the will of God.

Plague of Boils by James Tissot ca. 1896. Pharoah gapes in astonishment as Aaron throws soot into the air.

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