Daily Devotion for April 8, 2015
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.
A beautiful beautiful hymn, but you will probably want to turn up your volume, as it is very soft.
1. I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Refrain:
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.
2. I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words
Before it grows too late.
3. I am a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will,
I'll live with him once more.
4. I am a child of God.
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine
If I can but endure.
Music by Mildred Tanner Pettit, 1957
Lyrics by Naomi Ward Randall, 1957
Prayer for the Morning
The night has passed, the sun shines its light upon us, 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 forever.
Ancient Prayer for Those Who Govern
Lord God, I pray for all kings and others in authority. You, Master, have given them the power of sovereignty through your majestic and inexpressible might, so that we, acknowledging the glory and honor which you have given them, may be subject to them, resisting your will in nothing. Grant to them, Lord, health, peace, harmony, and stability, that they may blamelessly administer the government which you have given them.
For you, heavenly Master, King of the ages, give to the sons of men glory and honor and authority over those upon the earth. Lord, direct their plans according to what is good and pleasing in your sight, so that by devoutly administering in peace and gentleness the authority which you have given them they may experience your mercy. You, who alone are able to do these and even greater good things for us, we praise through the high priest and guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ, through whom be the glory and the majesty to you both now and for all generations and for ever and ever.
Meditation
[Why does Deuteronomy (and Paul) tell us never to curse the ruler of our people?]
For Those Praying with Me
Heavenly Father, there are people praying with me, right now, whom I will never meet. I don't know their names, or what country they live in, or what they may look like, but I will know their souls, for we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that we might be united in the Holy Spirit, and that I will know and feel the kinship and love, in my spirit, of those who share these prayers with me.
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.
Timeline for 1 & 2 Kings
Everyone has enjoyed the past infographics so much, that I thought we should post this one for our Special Wednesday. A majority of you were with us last year when we did an abbreviated read-through, and others will have read the books at some point in their lives. If you have not and this does not mean much to you, I would suggest you read through 1 Kings 11 & 12, in an easy-to-read translation such as the Living Bible; it is heavy sledding even with a simplified translation, but it is important to understand the division of Israel.
Others will see some old friends here, among the myriad of impossible Hebrew names. My personal favorites in the entirety of 1 & 2 Kings would have to be the saga of Elijah, Ahab, and Jezebel (at the end of 1 Kings and the beginning of 2 Kings).
If you have trouble reading the graphic, there is a larger version here.
