Thou dost show me the path of life.
--- Psalm 16:11
Lead, Kindly Light, amidst the encircling gloom. Lead Thou me on. The night is dark and I am far from home, lead Thou me on. Keep thou my feet. I do not ask to see the distant scene. One step enough for me.
Lord, I'm walking in a dark place. Today, please show me the next step and lead me towards Your kingdom.
For we walk by faith and not by sight.
-- 2 Corinthians 5:7 (DB)
At times in life we find ourselves in need of something specific- a job, a place of worship, a school decision, a friend, or perhaps even a spouse. We desire clear direction, but the future lies shrouded in mist. God knows the way through the mist. Let us take His hand and seek Him first each day, even when we can't see through to the other side.
Lord, as St. John Henry Newman said, "I do not ask to see the distant scene. One step enough for me." Help me to trust in You for the future.
For He is like a refiner's fire.
--- Malachi 3:2 (RSV)
Taking matters into our own hands, we lit a fire to the useless lumpy mass of dead pine. It has been smoldering now for 24 hours, slowly eating away the dead wood.
Sometimes we are stumped by hard times, but God will use them to refine us. Fire can destroy in a bad way, but also can be helpful to get rid of dead wood. Is there dead wood in my life that needs removal?
Lord, allow me to
submit to Your purifying fires in order to remove the dead wood in my life.
I hope and pray the newlyweds were people of
faith. Then, in the same way their
wedding lights gleamed out into the darkness, they can radiate hope into a dark world. Together, their impact will
be doubled.
Lord,
let us shine Your light into dark places, reflecting hope to those who see us from near and far.
Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant. Shew me a token for good.
--- Psalm 86:16,17 (NKJV)
I reconnected the other day with an old friend. Recent years have been difficult for her. Her husband died from cancer following years
of stoically fighting Crohn’s Disease. His
anticip
After repeated losses, one is left with empty hands
and a trampled heart. When tempted towards
cynicism and despair, the Psalter provides the words with which to cry out, and
also gives license to our deepest feelings. Located in the very center of the Bible, the
Psalms give voice to the human heart cry.
Please, show
me some token of good this day, dear Lord.
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
--- Proverbs 16:24 (RSV)
“He always thanked me,”
she said.
That was the memory the clerk, at the local fruit and vegetable market, had of my father. After his sudden death, I told her of his passing. She knew of him immediately, and said a few times, “He always would say thank you.” I could picture Dad, smiling, leaning in a bit towards her as he expressed his gentle words of thanks.
That clerk wasn’t the only
person with whom Dad had contact in simple business doings, who remembered
his pleasant ways. The agent who managed his car and home insurance said, “I always enjoyed talking with your father." A similar comment was made by the
office manager at his home heating oil company.
Dad left his indelible
mark of kindness in each simple daily contact.
As he did with me.
Lord, thank you for the sweetness imparted through simple words of kindness.
He lifts the needy from the ash heap.
--- I Samuel 2:8
"Their whole family is a dumpster fire."
Someone said this to me recently, describing a hurting person whose life was crashing and burning. Not only was this individual causing self harm through unwise choices, but the person's family appeared to enable the problems.
Is there hope? Yes. Even if the fire is never actively put out and is left to burn, eventually it will leave ashes. God can lift the needy from the ash heap.
Lord, when my life is on fire, please rescue me. When I see a dumpster fire nearby, show me how to help.
