Daily Devotion for November 13, 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.
Casting Crowns, 2003
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart?
Refrain:
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are.
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind.
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours.
Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin?
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again?
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me?
I am Yours.
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear,
'Cause I am Yours.
Prayer for the Morning
The night has passed, and the day lies open before me. As I rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence fill me with love for you and my fellow man, holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Abide with me, I pray, now and for ever.
Prayer for Humility
Heavenly Father, who sent your Son to ride on an ass and to work as a simple carpenter: if you so humbled yourself to save me, how can I puff myself up with pride above others? Let me follow Christ's example, never to inflate myself with pride of status, of opinion, or of any of the gifts you have bestowed upon me. Give me the grace to realize my ignorance, admit my mistakes, recognize my needs. Let me welcome good advice and sound rebuke, without defensiveness. Grant me always to praise rather than criticize, sympathize rather than discourage, build rather than destroy, and when I am angry at the ignorance of another, to recall my own ignorance and remember that we are all your beloved children. Let my hope and glory be ever in you, and not in my own vanity. This I ask in Christ's sake,
Benediction
Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made me one with your saints in heaven and on earth. Grant that in my earthly pilgrimage I may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know myself to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. I ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
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.
Key to 12 Tribes
- Zebulun - "he shall become a haven for ships"
- "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf"
- Levi (became dispersed as priests, keepers of the tabernacle)
- Simeon (fortified town) - "weapon of violence"
- "Asher's food shall be rich"
- "Naphtali is a doe that bears beautiful fawns"
- Gad (tent) - "Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels"
- "Joseph is a fruitful bough"
- "Dan shall be a serpent in the way"
- Judah - the lion
- "Issachar is a strong donkey"
- Reuben - "unstable as water"
Proverbs 17:4
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
Genesis 49:28-33 (ESV)
Jacob's Last Words
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.
Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah — the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.”
When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Notes on the Scripture
This is a great moment in history, for it is the moment in which the time of the lone patriarchs end and the twelve tribes of Israel are declared. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were each an individual man. God has promised that their seed would be as numerous as the grains of sand; and here, the fulfillment of the promise begins. Joseph has been declared the head of what is no longer a tribe of nomads, but a seedling nation. Although there are only about 70 of them, the Hebrews are now the nation of Israel.
Jacob will be buried in Canaan, in the tomb of Abraham. Not only does he have a natural inclination to be buried with his ancestors, in the home of his heart, as many people do; but also, he wants to establish that Canaan is still the land of the nation which bears his name – not Egypt. It is a sign he gives to his sons and his generations to come, that they are living in a strange land. No matter how long it will last (and it will last for centuries), their life in Egypt is a temporary sojourn. God has promised them the land of Canaan, and they will eventually return to it, for it is the home of their God and their destiny.
