Daily Devotion for February 27, 2018
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.
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep.
We pray for healing, prosperity.
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering.
All the while, You hear each spoken need.
Your love is too way too much to give us lesser things.
Chorus:
Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this night, are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear.
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near.
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love.
As if every promise from Your word is not enough.
All, the while, You hear each desperate plea.
And long that we'd have faith to believe.
When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win;
We know that pain reminds this heart,
that this is not, this is not our home.
What if my greatest disappointments, or the aching of this life;
Is a revealing of greater thirst that a world can't satisfy?
Words and Music by Laura Story ©
Prayer at Daybreak (by Archimandrite Sophronios)
O Lord Eternal and Creator of all things, who with your unknowable goodness called me to this life; I have no life, no light, no joy or wisdom, no strength except in you, O God. I entreat you, teach me to pray aright. Purify me from all taint of flesh and spirit.
By the power of your blessing enable me, throughout this day, to speak and act to your glory with a pure spirit, with humility, patience, love, gentleness, peace, courage and wisdom. Let me be always aware of your presence. By the power of your love, grant me to hold fast to that which is good. Preserve me from every word or deed that corrupts the soul; from every impulse unpleasing in your sight and hurtful to my fellow man, my brothers and sisters.
This in Christ’s name, I pray,
To Appreciate Another
Grant me the moment, the lovely moment
That I may lean forth to see
The other buds, the other blooms,
The other leaves on the tree:
That I may take into my bosom
The breeze that is like his brother,
But stiller, lighter, whose faint laughter
Echoes the joy of the other.
Meditation
[“May I lean forth to see . . . the other blooms.”]
Blessing
May God the Father bless us; may Christ take care of us; the Holy Ghost enlighten us all the days of our life. The Lord be our defender and keeper of body and soul, both now and for ever, to the ages of ages.
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.
Isaiah 57:12 (ESV)
I dwell in the high and holy place, with those who have a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
1 Samuel 13:7-14 (NLT)
Saul’s Disobedience
(Saul, having just been made king, immediately cobbled a little army of 3,000 men together and attacked a Philistine outpost. The Philistines responded by raising a huge army; now Saul and his men are hiding in caves and cisterns to avoid them.)
Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.
Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”
Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Notes on the Scripture
amuel’s words about Saul being disobedient refers to something he had previously told Saul: “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” (1 Samuel 10:8) But Saul had taken matters into his own hands, with dire consequences. Instead of waiting for Samuel to come tell him what to do, Saul has taken matters into his own hands.
Samuel is furious at Saul’s rash and poorly planned actions, for Saul has taken matters into his own hands rather than trusting in His prophet. Israel’s new king has gotten off to a bad start and Samuel tells him that the result will be dire. Not only will his kingdom fail to endure, but also, Samuel prophesies that God has already picked out someone to replace him as king.
In the meantime, Saul is stuck with a tiny band of men, trying to evade the great Philistine army hunting for them. And things are about to get even worse.
The great lesson here is one which the Bible teaches us again and again. Do we believe what the Bible says, or what we think? Do we trust in Christ, or in our own experience and desires? Do we let our fears and desires instruct us in our actions, or do we take God’s Word at face value, trusting only in God?
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