Daily Devotion for May 24, 2016
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.
The angelic voice of Sharon Hopkins. (She skips parts of the original, due to its length, especially from the middle of verse 1 to the end of verse 3; but we have presented the entirety of James Montgomery's original poem.)
1. A poor, wayfaring Man of grief
Hath often crossed me on my way,
Who sued so humbly for relief
That I could never answer nay.
I had not pow’r to ask his name,
Whereto he went, or whence he came;
Yet there was something in his eye
That won my love; I knew not why.
2. Once, when my scanty meal was spread,
He entered; not a word he spake,
Just perishing for want of bread.
I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,
And ate, but gave me part again.
Mine was an angel’s portion then,
For while I fed with eager haste,
The crust was manna to my taste.
3. I spied him where a fountain burst
Clear from the rock; his strength was gone.
The heedless water mocked his thirst;
He heard it, saw it hurrying on.
I ran and raised the suff’rer up;
Thrice from the stream he drained my cup,
Dipped and returned it running o’er;
I drank and never thirsted more.
4. ‘Twas night; the floods were out; it blew
A winter hurricane aloof.
I heard his voice abroad and flew
To bid him welcome to my roof.
I warmed and clothed and cheered my guest
And laid him on my couch to rest,
Then made the earth my bed and seemed
In Eden’s garden while I dreamed.
5. Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
I found him by the highway side.
I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,
Revived his spirit, and supplied
Wine, oil, refreshment–he was healed.
I had myself a wound concealed,
But from that hour forgot the smart,
And peace bound up my broken heart.
6. In pris’n I saw him next, condemned
To meet a traitor’s doom at morn.
The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,
And honored him ‘mid shame and scorn.
My friendship’s utmost zeal to try,
He asked if I for him would die.
The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill,
But my free spirit cried, “I will!”
7. Then in a moment to my view
The stranger started from disguise.
The tokens in his hands I knew;
The Savior stood before mine eyes.
He spake, and my poor name he named,
“Of me thou hast not been ashamed.
These deeds shall thy memorial be;
Fear not, thou didst them unto me.”
Music by George Coles, 1792-1858
Lyrics by James Montgomery, 1771-1854
Prayer of Submission
Dear Lord, I give you my hands to do your work; I give you my feet to go your way; I give you my eyes to see as you see; I give you my tongue to speak your words; I give you my mind that you may think in me; I give you my spirit that you may pray in me. Above all, I give you my heart that you may love in me. I give you my whole self, Lord, that you may grow in me, so that it is you who lives, works and prays in me.
Prayer to Grow Closer to God
Dear Lord, I am trying to do better and better each day; I am trying to walk with you and do your will, but sometimes it seems like I am slipping backwards no matter how hard I try. And I get confused sometimes; even if I want to do the right thing, I don't always know what it is.
So this is my prayer, heavenly Lord, for your help in straightening out my mind and straightening out my life. Lead me, Lord, and let your Holy Spirit guide me. Even if the correction is painful, help me to keep my mind open to your truth. Let me do your will in my every action, and know your will, that I might do it. Help me not be deceived by false assertions or glib intelligence, by those who would excuse or promote sinful actions, by those who simply do not know; and above all, help me not to deceive myself. Guide me away from excuses and rationalizations when I have sinned, but into your holy truth, that I might know my sin, and correct what I can, and ask forgiveness for what I cannot. By the grace and mercy of holy Christ, I ask this,
Benediction
And now, as a little child, let me abide in you all this day, oh Christ, so that when you appear I may have confidence and not shrink from you in shame at your coming. For I know that you are righteous, and I am sure that I will be made righteous only by my life in you.
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.
What’s in a Word?
God is not silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The second person of the Holy Trinity is called "The Word".
~ A.W. Tozer
Matthew 6:9 (KJV)
Sermon on the Mount - Lord’s Prayer [3]
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Notes on the Scripture
Having given us the comfort of knowing that God is our Father, Christ now asks us to recollect how different God is from us. We are not equipped to actually understand God as He is; we cannot comprehend His existence. So Christ tells us how to comprehend him within the framework of our mind and experience.
The word “hallowed” we understand to mean holy, something to be revered, which is accurate. It is an acknowledgment that we approach God in total reverence.
But more specifically, the term “hallowed” comes from a root word meaning “separate” or “different”. We were made in God's image, but we are not God, or gods. There is evil within us and, thus, evil in our world. God is different.
So we celebrate and respect that God is different from us and hold his “name” holy. But what does this mean, the name of God? It means something more than simply the word by which we identify someone.
onsider a random use of the word name by the Hebrews: “Those who know your name put their trust in you.” (“Psalm 9:10”) Or here's another good one: “Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord. ” (Psalm 20:7) The psalmists are not claiming that everyone knowing the word “Yahweh” puts their trust in God, or that a word is similar to a horse. Rather, “name” connotes that we know something about the nature and character of the being identified. It is a symbol.
Carl Jung defined a symbol as an object that stands for something that cannot be made clear or precise, and which may have layers of complexity. God's name does not refer simply to a word. It is a testimony to His existence. It is an invocation of His holiness.
But what actual word do we use for the name of God? Most of us understand the word “God” as the name of God (and also Jesus Christ, which is an actual name). Keeping them separate from all other words, as symbols of a holiness we can understand only dimly, acknowledges our duty under the Second Commandment: so, the Lord's Prayer reminds and reinforces our commitment not to use the words God or Christ in any abased sense, notably, not as swear words.
Some Christians, like people of most religions, surround themselves with all sorts of symbols and then revere them, while others reject the practice as idolatrous. But one thing is certain: Christianity is a religion of belief in the Word, and it is appropriate that a word is the one thing Christ requires us to treat as separate and holy.
