Ordinary Time

Pause

Salt. Light. A wooden cross. A trembling voice. An untied rope. A song of praise.

These are humble signs of God's initiative in our world.

Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see.

Listen

If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The Lord will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry. They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, Restorer of Livable Streets.

Isaiah 58:9b-12

Think

When I read in Isaiah about God’s promise to be our continual guide, “even in parched places,” I am reminded of verse 19 from Psalm 94, one I turn to in times of anxiety: “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul” (New King James Version). This verse has calmed my worried mind more times than I can count by reminding me of the true comforts the Lord provides during difficult and uncomfortable situations.

When God does comfort us by guiding us, the work is not God’s alone but ours too, because following Christ is an action we choose to take not just once, but time and again every day.

When this work feels frustratingly beyond us, we can take comfort in specific verses from Scripture and in the truth that is within them: that God is faithful and will fulfill not only these but many more promises.

Sarah H. Boatwright

Pray

Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness. Please forgive me when I let worry distract me from your truth and goodness. Amen.

Go

Our highest activity must be response, not initiative.

C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain (1940)

What is your response to God today?