Advent Devotion - Day 2

Join us through this special time of Advent as we dive deeper into the Word of God. Each day, we will pray and reflect on a different passage from Scripture. Daily Readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, and reflections are written by our church staff.

Today, O Lord, I yield myself to you. May your will be my delight today. May your way have perfect sway in me. May your love be the pattern of my living.

I surrender to you my hopes, my dreams, my ambitions. Do with them what you will, when you will, as you will.

I place into your loving care my family, my friends, my future, Care for them with a care that I can never give.

I release into your hands my need to control, my craving for status, my fear of obscurity.

Eradicate the evil, purify the good, and establish your kingdom on earth.

For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

“Prayers from the Heart” Richard J. Foster

Psalm 124

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
  —let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
  when our enemies attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
  when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
  the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
  the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,
  who has not given us
  as prey to their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
  from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
  and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
  who made heaven and earth.

A cornerstone of the spiritual disciplines I engage to keep my heart, mind, and spirit focused on Christ instead of the noise of the world is the practice of “fixed-hour prayers.” At certain points in my day, I stop whatever I might be doing and focus on God in prayer. While there are many possible approaches and patterns for such a practice, The Daily Office, according to the Book of Common Prayer, provides a consistent framework that I find both comfortable and comforting. The rhythms of the morning, noon, evening, and late-night prayers wash over me and remind me that the last email received, meeting survived, and the challenge of the moment are not ultimate in my life.

I mention this because today’s Scripture, Psalm 124, is an unchanging part of the noon prayers. Each day, every day, these words break into my work/life routine and lift my eyes to God’s truth. It is not my strength, my ability, my wisdom (or the lack of it!) that keeps me and those to whom I am responsible afloat. It is God, and God alone, who stands as my protector. Where my resources are limited and unsteady, the Lord who made heaven and earth is boundless. We live and breathe and have our being under his watchful gaze. That truth and the confidence it inspires allow me to face the day unafraid.

What practices have you incorporated into your life which allow you to be mindful of God’s presence and provision? The Daily Office is an asset for me, it might be for you as well! Download the App here –
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-daily-office/id1513851259