Tag: joy of the Lord

Morning Prayer: Psalm 119:12-16; Nehemiah 8:11-12; 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 ~ with Spirit and understanding

Morning Prayer: 

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

word-and-spiritMorning readings

Psalm 119:12-16 ESV:

Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Nehemiah 8:11-12 ESV:

So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 ESV:

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

Reflection/Prayer:

‘I will not forget Your word,’ says the Psalm. There’s not a whole lot of point in hearing or reading the words of God if we immediately forget what has been said.

James 1:22-25 says that the person who does that is like someone looking in a mirror, then forgetting what they look like, but that the perfect word of God gives freedom if we continue to act on it.

We should pray and praise God with the Spirit, but also with understanding; it’s not a case of one or the other. The two ways of praying go together; they are not opposites. Praying with understanding does not mean speaking our mind to God. Instead, we pray first only as the Spirit gives us the ability, and in doing that we find we have understanding we did not have before. Even our ability to pray is His gift to us. As we hear from God we begin to have wisdom and understanding.

“A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks.” Ben Johnson

Spiritual Song: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is” – Hillsong Live (Glorious Ruins, 2013)

Canticle

Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.

The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.

Morning Prayer: Psalm 119:9-11; Nehemiah 8:9-10; Romans 12:2 ~ “mind-meld”

Morning Prayer: 

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

You will find the Lord your God, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Morning readings

Psalm 119:9-11 ESV:

Child-reading-Bible-007

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Nehemiah 8:9-10 ESV:

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Romans 12:2 ESV:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Reflection/Prayer:

The word God speaks can be hidden in our heart as a secret weapon, to protect us from sinning against Him. His words alter our understanding and slowly renew our mind, changing our way of thinking.

First of all, His word may make us sad for we realize how far we fall short of His intentions for us; but He urges us to feed on His word with joy, and be strengthened. If our thinking is shaped by His word we may be protected from many unnecessary hurts, and destructive ambitions. This is why the psalm pays particular attention to the young man and the cleansing of his ways before habits of sin and willfulness become deeply ingrained.

Abba Isaiah, one of the Desert Fathers, said to beginners who were off to a good start, obediently following the tradition of the fathers: “Just as the young branches can easily be corrected and bent, so can beginners who are obedient.”

Spiritual Song: “Word of God Speak” – Mercy Me

Canticle

Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

_____________________________________

Peanut Gallery: The Morning Prayer readings are from the Daily Office of the Northumbrian Community as available online here… and in the book form, Celtic Daily Prayer available on Amazon.com.

The website and prayer book are rich in prayer resources and I commend them to you. For our purpose here, I will limit my selections to the Morning Prayer resources.