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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.

For the Day Ahead

Oh Lord God, I come to you in the morning, full of hope that the day to come might be filled with joy and energy. Grant that I may do my work with a light and happy heart; and if there are tasks that I do not look forward to, or even dread, let me undertake them with courage and resolve. For this day could be perfect, if I can only live it in You and with You and for You.

Where I face frustration today, let me handle it with acceptance and faith that the outcome is in Your hands. Lead me away from anger or judgment of other people. Let me tend to my own garden instead of looking over the fence. If my neighbor's yard is filled with weeds, help me not to criticize, and keep me from envy of those whose tree bears more fruit.

And let everything I attempt be filled with the knowledge and guidance of Your Holy Spirit. I pray that the Spirit will be with me at every moment, and that I will always be aware of Him, and live every moment of this day in Your presence. In Christ's name, I pray,

by Mason Barge

For Someone Who Suffers Illness

O  FATHER of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need; I humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, and relieve those who suffer from illness of the body, mind, and spirit [particularly thy servant N.] for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon [him/her/them] with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; and give him patience under his affliction. In thy good time, restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory; and grant that finally he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord

unk. origin, Mason Barge 5/4/2017

Meditation

[How am I comforted by the “goodness” of God?]

For Faith

Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my mind. Give me a right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity, so that I may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will.

~ Francis of Assisi (1214)

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.

Proverbs 15:3 (NKJV)

Genesis 27:41-46 (ESV)

The Story of Isaac [14] - Jacob and Esau

Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.

So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran and stay with him a while, until your brother‘s fury turns away — until your brother‘s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Notes on the Scripture

sau has become angry, because he thinks that Jacob, his younger brother, has robbed him of his birth right. This reaction is often seen in the Bible, in literature, and in real life; the eldest usually believes that he should be first in rank, but if he is outshone by a younger sibling, it can cause problems. In fact, the first story in the Bible after the Garden of Eden is the story of Cain and Abel. Cain, remember, was Abel‘s elder brother. He became so jealous when the Lord preferred Abel that he killed him. (Genesis 4)

Esau, although not as wicked as Cain, has less reason to complain. He knowingly sold his birthright to Jacob. But he is full of human frailty, and when the times comes for the birthright to be portioned, he regrets his decision and, as so many people do, blames someone else for a misfortune that is largely his own fault.

Rebekah, who is often the driving force in the story of Isaac, takes matters once again into her own hands. She sends Jacob off to live with his uncle, Laban. If you remember the beginning of the story of Abraham in Genesis 11, Abraham‘s father and brother had stopped their journey from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan, and settled in the area around the modern-day border of Syria and Turkey, the land associated with the Assyrians (from whom Syria takes its name).

With this plan, she kills two birds with one stone. Not only does she put Jacob in the safest place possible, but also, she is irritated by the local Hittite women. Esau‘s two wives are both Hittites, and they have made her life “bitter.” (Genesis 26:34-35) As Abraham sent to Haran to find a kinswoman to marry Isaac, we must suspect that Rebekah has something similar in mind — that Isaac will find a nice Aramean girl and Rebekah won‘t be vexed by more Hittite daughters-in-law!

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