Daily Devotion for October 14, 2012
Prayers
Scripture
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.
Brahms gorgeous setting of today's psalm.
thou Lord of hosts!
My soul hath a desire and longing
to enter in to the courts of the Lord:
My heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young:
Even thy altars O Lord of hosts,
my king and my God.
Bessed are they that dwell in thy house:
They will be always praising thee.
The glorious majesty of the Lord our God be upon us:
prosper thou the work of our hands upon us.
O prosper thou our handy work,
o prosper thou our handy work.
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.
Prayer for the Morning
Oh Lord, most heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day; I give you thanks for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of my life. Grant that this day I fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all my doings, being governed by your will, may be righteous in your sight. Through Christ our Lord, I pray.
Prayer for Grace and Strength
Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me this day the strength to be temperate in all things, diligent in my duties, and patient under my afflictions. Direct me in all my ways. Give me grace to be just and upright in all my dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all people, according to my abilities and opportunities. For the sake of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Prayer for Life
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Community of Prayer
Heavenly Lord, I know I am not alone saying these prayers or reading your Word this morning, but many people unknown to me, from all stations of life, have joined together in this brief moment of devotion. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.
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.
Psalm 84:1-4
My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God.
How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You.
John 2:1-11
Jesus Changes Water to Wine
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Notes on the Scripture
The master of the banquet's remark, that usually the best wine was served first, but at this wedding the best wine had been saved until now, is symbolic of the coming of the Messiah. The wine represents spiritual life that comes from God's relationship with humanity. When Christ comes, God serves His best wine.
Water, the substance upon which human life is based, and the jars of water represent humanity. God has not only transformed the water into something much better, represented by wine, but he has saved the best for now. He has had a spiritual relationship with the Hebrews for millenia by this time, just as people have had wine to drink for celebrations; now, however, the best and greatest wine has been served, in the person of Jesus Christ.
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