I will confess that these will seem a bit disjunctive. (If I had not been hacked on Facebook, I would have posted these separately, there.) Nevertheless, the following quotes/thoughts struck a chord with me, today, during Morning Prayer, and I thought I would share them with the readers of my blog.
The first was not really a part of Morning Prayer, as such. However, prior to beginning Morning Prayer, I read today's devotion in the Reflecting God devotional. A part of the format of Reflecting God is that, in the sidebar, it quotes a line from a hymn and a verse or so of Scripture. The hymn that was quoted, today, was Katharina von Schlegel's Be Still, My Soul, and the line was:
Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
This is a timely comfort and reminder. As I read it, I not only think of my own "transitional" time, but I especially think of my son who just headed back to Olivet Nazarene University for his final semester. As he nears the end of his time in college, my son looks ahead wondering where God will lead him as he pursues his call to Music Ministry. - The song reminds us that we can, indeed, be still and know that the God who has guided us thus far will certainly continue to guide us in the future.
The second thing that spoke to me came from the Psalms. In today's Psalm (Psalm 27), we find one of my two "favorite" life verses. Psalm 27:4 says (in NKJV):
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will 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 inquire in His temple.
As I said, this is one of my life verses. It reflects "an eye single to Your glory" and our identity as the worshipping people of God.
The final idea that caught my attention was actually found in the study notes of my Bible for the Gospel reading. - As I noted, above, I am reading in the New King James Version. Now, typically, I prefer the NRSV. That is the version from which I preach, and it is what I have been used to reading in my devotions for quite some time, now. In the past, of course, I have read through the Bible in various translations, but the NRSV is my translation of choice. - So, why the NKJV?
Well, I decided that for this year, I wanted to read through the Bible using the notes found in The Wesley Bible: A Personal Study Bible for Holy Living*. And, this study Bible was only produced in the New King James Version. So, there you have it! (As a side note, I think it will do me good to change up my reading for this year.)
Today's Gospel reading was the 14th chapter of Matthew. This chapter included the story of Jesus walking on the water, along with His bidding Peter to come to Him on the water. The notes commented on this: "When we ask according to His will, Christ accepts our offer to let Him show His power in us."
I find in this comment a spiritual challenge and encouragement as we have entered into this new year.
These are the three things that stuck out and spoke to me during Morning Prayer, this morning. Perhaps God would use one or more as words of encouragement for you, as well. - Such is my prayer.
Blessings!
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*This is not to be confused with The Wesley Study Bible, which a completely different study Bible.
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