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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.

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,

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.

2 Samuel 16:1-4

David and Ziba

When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.

The king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought these?"

Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert."

The king then asked, "Where is your master's grandson?"

Ziba said to him, "He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, 'Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.' "

Then the king said to Ziba, "All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours." "I humbly bow," Ziba said. "May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king."

Notes on the Scripture

If you find it hard to follow all of the names, or everything that is going on, don't worry: so do I.

But we have met Ziba and Mephibosheth before. Mephibosheth is Jonathan's son (Jonathan, of course, was the son of Saul and was David's best friend). Because he loved Jonathan so much, David brought his son Mephibosheth to live in Jerusalem and endowed him with Saul's property. Ziba is his steward, i.e. the head servant who runs Mephibosheth's financial affairs.

In today's passage, we find out that Mephibosheth has betrayed David. He has stayed in Jerusalem to welcome Absalom; he has joined the plot to have David ousted as king. For some reason, he thinks that if Absalom becomes king instead of David, he will be able to seize the throne from Absalom.

But Ziba has deserted his master, Mephibosheth, and stayed loyal to David. In today's passage, Ziba has taken a huge booty of food from Jerusalem and brought it out into the desert to sustain David and his followers during the conflict between David and Absalom. As a reward, David declares that Ziba shall receive all of the property that belonged to Saul.

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