Devotion for Day of November 4, 2017

Daily Devotion for November 4, 2017

<i>The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel</i>, by William Dyce, ca. 1850.

The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel, by William Dyce, ca. 1850.

Prayers

Scripture

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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.

Amen.

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Prayer for the Morning

Oh God, who has created all things, seen and unseen, this day is your creation and I give thanks to live in it. I pray that I will not shut you out of the day you have made, blinded by the petty concerns of life, but that I may be always open to your presence.

I open my body to you, for it is your breath that fills and warms the lifeless clay.

I open my eyes and ears to you, thankful for the light of your Word, which has brought me out of the shadow of ignorance.

I open my heart to you, aglow with thanks for your love, filling me with compassion, understanding, and peace.

I open my soul to you, grateful for your Spirit, who fills me with wisdom when I take a moment to listen.

All that I am, I open to you and I return to you, giving thanks every moment of my life for the blessings that fill this day. Through Christ I pray.

Amen.

To Treat Others as I Would Be Treated

Lord, while I pray for peace and goodwill in our world, I ask you to help me to change my own attitude for the better, so that peace and goodwill may start with the way I behave towards those who have hurt me. Inspire me to be as generous to others as I would like them to be with me.

Amen.

Meditation

[Changing my attitude.]

Dedication

Walk with me, dear Lord, so that I may not be alone as I face this day, but always in your presence. Your joy is a lighthouse in a world often dark with sin, and I pray that I may reflect the light of your truth, to inspire others as I have been inspired. In the name of Christ, bless me this day, and all whom I may meet.

Amen.

(Additional prayers may be found at Prayers for All Occasions.)

God be with you 'til we meet again.

Psalm 102:24-27 (NKJV)

Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on through all generations.

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.

But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.

Isaiah 11:1-2 (NASB)

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Ruth 4:13-16 (ESV)

The Story of Ruth (part 8 of 8) -- The Genealogy of David

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son.” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Notes on the Scripture

e learn that Ruth’s faithfulness will pay a dividend far greater than comfort and possessions during her lifetime. She gives birth to Jesse — who is fittingly born in Bethlehem and who will be the father of King David, and thus the direct ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Jesse’s primary role in the Bible is as the founder of the line of David and Jesus. Isaiah 11, the great prophecy that foretold the coming of Christ, begins with the line: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”

The imagery of Isaiah 11, with Jesse as the root of a branch that would end with Christ, was adopted by painters and became the formal subject of dozens of paintings. These paintings are usually titled “the Jesse Tree” and depict Christ’s lineage beginning with Jesse, a sort of family tree with Jesse at the bottom — “the roots” — and Christ on the top branch. One example of a Jesse Tree painting is shown below.

Tree of Jesse by “Master of James IV of Scotland,” circa 1500

Tree of Jesse, by a great Flemish illustrator, known only as the “Master of James IV of Scotland,” circa 1500. Jesse can be seen lying at the bottom; at the top is the infant Jesus held by Mary.