Daily Devotion for November 12, 2025
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 serene and beautiful setting of the traditional Abide with Me.
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,
But as Thou dwell'st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.
Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea.
Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me.
Thou on my head in early youth didst smile,
And though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee.
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Music (Eventide) by Wm H. Monk, 1861
Lyrics by Henry Lyle, 1847
Prayer for the Day
Holy God, who taught the hearts of all faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit; Grant me by the same Spirit to be guided in my work today, and in my every thought and deed and in everything I say. Let my decisions be wise and holy, and my ears open to your wisdom. And let me always be open to change; unstop my ears and soften my heart, so that I can learn your way better and better every hour of this day. I pray in the name of my beloved Lord, Jesus Christ,
To Love Lost Souls
Children in the
Garden of Paradise (Dulac)
Lord Jesus, I want to love with Your love those souls that are withering or lost. Enable me to remove any prejudices, judgments, and assumptions from my heart so that I may see them as You do: glorious and beloved children of the Father who have the opportunity for eternal life with Him. Remind me that You love them as much as You do me, and that at some point, You used someone to revive me as I withered and to bring me into Your flock when I was lost.
Dedication
God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make me and all who confess your holy name people of this light. Make me faithful to your Word that I may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord.
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.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
What critical lesson about Christian unity do we learn from 1 Corinthians 1:13?
Answer: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Proverbs 12:15 (ESV)
But he who is wise heeds the counsel of others.
Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 (RSV - Catholic)
isdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.
To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
And one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.
Notes on the Scripture
The Benefits and Limits of Wisdom
One aspect of great poetry is that an explanation of it can never equal it. This passage is perfectly clear, beautiful, and uplifting. The best comment one could make on this passage is to say, “read it again, read it slowly, and think about every word.”
The Book of Wisdom is part of the Protestant Apocrypha, but is “deuterocanonical” in Catholic and Orthodox churches. Very few Protestant Bibles include these books any more, largely, one suspects, just as a matter of sheer size. But while some of these books have little to offer to anyone except the serious Bible scholar, several — especially the poetic books such as Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus — are a major loss if they are not read.
Books such as Wisdom and Proverbs are interesting and full of godly and good instruction, but we must always keep in mind that they are part of the Old Testament and, as such, cannot lead to salvation. We often admire Solomon. For instance, “he who is wise heeds the counsel of others” is an eternal truth. Furthermore, it was he who completed the Temple, and God was well-pleased by this, telling Solomon, “if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, . . . then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever.” (1 Kings 9:4-5.)
And yet, despite his vaunted wisdom and good works, his kingship was the single event most responsible for destroying the Kingdom of Israel. He married an Egyptian princess — certainly a wise thing to do in terms of diplomacy — but he was corrupted by her gods and because of this, Yahweh destroyed the Kingdom:
“Since this has been your mind and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you . . . .” (1 Kings 11:11-12)
To really put Solomon’s wisdom in perspective, we must look to Paul’s great message in 1 Corinthians:
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, . . . (1 Cor. 1:25-27)
