Daily Devotion for January 11, 2026
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.
Our Sunday anthem is a gorgeous rendition of “Be Still My Soul,” performed by Libera with the St. Philips Boy Choir.
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end...
Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Music by Jean Sibelius
Lyrics by Catharina von Schlegel, @ 1740
For Diligence at Prayer
O Lord, take from me: idleness of spirit, which destroys time; vanity of thoughts, which hinders Your presence and distracts my attention to prayer. If, while in prayer, I turn away from You in my thoughts, help me; so that this distraction may not be willful, and that - averting my mind - I may not avert my heart from You.
Prayer for Forgiveness
Almighty and most merciful Father, I have erred and strayed from your ways like a lost sheep. I have followed too much the devices and desires of my own heart. I have offended against your holy laws. I have left undone those things which I ought to have done; and I have done those things which I ought not to have done; and there is no good in me.
O Lord, have mercy upon me, a miserable sinner. Spare all those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to your promises declared to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Grant that I and all who confess his holy name may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life; to his glory and not our own,
Sunday Prayer
Holy Lord, why is it that on a Feast Day the whole of nature mysteriously smiles? Why is it that then a heavenly gladness fills our hearts; a gladness far beyond that of earth and the very air in church and in the altar becomes luminous? It is the breath of Your gracious love. It is the reflection of the glory of Mount Tabor. Then do heaven and earth sing Your praise: Alleluia!
Glory to You, transfiguring our lives with deeds of love;
Glory to You, making wonderfully Sweet the keeping of Your commandments;
Glory to You, making Yourself known where man shows mercy on his neighbour;
Glory to You, sending us failure and misfortune that we may understand the sorrows of others;
Glory to You, rewarding us so well for the good we do;
Glory to You, welcoming the impulse of our heart's love;
Glory to You, raising to the heights of heaven every act of love in earth and sky;
Glory to You, O God, from age to age.
Benediction
Now all glory to you, mighty God, who is able to keep me from falling away and will bring me with great joy into your glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to you who alone are God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time,
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.
Psalm 126 (ESV)
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion,
we were like them that dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with singing:
then said they among the heathen,
The Lord hath done great things for them.
The Lord hath done great things for us;
whereof we are glad.
Turn again our captivity, O Lord,
as the streams in the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Note on Psalm 126
This is subtitled “A psalm of degrees” or a “psalm of ascents”. These psalms were written to be sung by Hebrews traveling to Jerusalem, as they climbed towards it from the dry plain. Many simply reference pilgrims on their way to one of the annual feasts, but some, such as 126, specifically reference returning from the Babylonian Captivity to Jerusalem, or by Jews in Babylon praying for their return. Later, they were sung in thanksgiving.
Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11 (NRSV)
Faith in Times of Trouble
y child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing. Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of calamity.
Cling to him and do not depart, so that your last days may be prosperous. Accept whatever befalls you, and in times of humiliation be patient. For gold is tested in the fire, and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.
Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him. You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not stray, or else you may fall.
and your reward will not be lost.
You who fear the Lord, hope for good things,
for lasting joy and mercy.
Consider the generations of old and see: has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed? Or has anyone persevered in the fear of the Lord and been forsaken? Or has anyone called upon him and been neglected? For the Lord is compassionate and merciful; he forgives sins and saves in time of distress.
Notes on the Scripture
I know that you are having problems right now. Well, I know that I am having problems and I'm pretty sure you are, too. That seems to be the state of humanity. We have problems. If by some stroke of fortune you are not having any problems . . . you will.
Your problems may be things you can handle, or at least cope with; or they may seem insurmountable. People all over the world right now have incurable cancer, or children who are starving, or just got evicted from their home, or have no job and are running out of unemployment. The prisons are overcrowded. The neighbor's dog barks all night and keeps us awake. And nobody really understands why God made a world with so much trouble.
But we can cope, even with the worst life can throw at us. All of us will die. But once we know God, once we accept Christ into our hearts, even death itself cannot make us despair. Has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in the fear of the Lord and been forsaken?
When our troubles mount to the point where we think we cannot stand it, our faith and hope and love are more important to us than ever. The truth is that it is temporary and that God will save us. He is going to take away our pain and suffering. We know that our Redeemer lives and that he will not only save us, but will forgive our sins so that we might be saved. All we need do is believe. Sometimes our belief is challenged by the suffering of this world, but if there is one thing that nobody but ourselves can take away from us, it is our faith in Christ Jesus and the certainty that he will relieve our suffering.
Our inheritance is one of joy and happiness. The time is coming when the treasure we have laid up in heaven will be returned to us a hundredfold. The faith we show and the prayers we say in time of trouble are worth an enormous amount; Satan is trying to steal our heart with the misery life brings to us, and we must stay strong, because our reward is certain.
