Suggestion for Daily Use

Follow the ‘Daily Prayer’ at the side+++Suivez le ‘Prière Quotidienne’. Read the bible passages and then the meditation. Pray, tell God how you felt about the reading and share the concerns of your life with him. Maybe you will continue the habit after Lent. Lisez les passages bible et après la méditation. Priez, dites à Dieu que vous avez ressenti à propos de la lecture et de partager les préoccupations de votre vie avec lui. Peut-être que vous allez continuer l'habitude après le Carême. Daily Prayer Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4.1-2 Now is the healing time decreed For sins of heart, of word or deed, When we in humble fear record The wrong that we have done the Lord. (Latin, before 12th century) Read: Read the Bible passage. Read the meditation Pray: Talk to God about what you have just read. Tell him your concerns - for yourself, your family, our church family, our world. Praise him. Pray the collect for the week – see next pages. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Prière Quotidienne Jésus, rempli de l'Esprit Saint, revint du Jourdain et le Saint-Esprit le conduisit dans le désert où il fut tenté par le diable durant quarante jours. Luc 4.1-2 Maintenant le temps de la guérison est décrété Pour les péchés du cœur, de la parole et des actes, Lorsque nous nous souvenons avec humilité Le mal que nous avons fait au Seigneur. Lire : Lisez le passage de la Bible. Lisez la méditation. Prier : Parlez avec le Seigneur de ce que vous avez lu. Parlez-lui de vos préoccupations pour vous-même, votre famille, notre famille de l’église, notre monde. Louez-le. Priez la collecte pour la semaine. Voyez les pages suivantes Mon âme, bénis le Seigneur ! Que tout qui est en moi bénisse son saint nom. Mon âme, bénis le Seigneur, et n’oublie aucun de ses bienfaits !

21 February 2021

Sunday 21 February, First Sunday of Lent +++ O Heart within my heart


Psalm25.1-9│Genesis 9.8-17│1 Peter 3.18-22│Mark1.9-15

Psaumes 25.1-9|Genèse 9.8-17|1 Pierre3.18-22|Marc 1.9-15


To You, O Love, I lift up my soul! 

O Heart within my heart, 

in You I place my trust. 

Let me not feel unworthy; 

let not fear rule over me. 

Yes! May all who open their hearts

savor You and bless the earth! 

Compel me to know your ways, O Love; 

instruct me upon your paths. 

Lead me in your truth, 

           and teach me, 

for through You will I know 

           wholeness: 

I shall reflect your Light 

both day and night. 

I know of your mercy, Blessed one, 

and of your unconditional Love; 

You have been with me

           from the beginning. 

Forgive the many times I have walked 

           away from You

choosing to follow my own will.


I seek your guidance, once again, 

I yearn to know your Peace. 

Companion me as I open to your Will!

You are gracious and just, 

           O Spirit of Truth, 

happy to guide those who

           miss their way;

(A translation of Psalm 25 by Nan C. Merrill   Psalms for Praying: an invitation to wholeness)

'Humility', 20th century, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Lausanne, Switzerland

From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56697 [retrieved February 16, 2021]. Original source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/14480260277 - Quinn Dombrowski.


Might this be my prayer to begin Lent this year? Can I sing or say this Psalm as my personal prayer to Love - to God? There is an intimacy and a vulnerability expressed in the words of the Psalmist that cause me to ponder whether I might be able to find that kind of intimacy with God this Lent. 

‘O Heart within my heart’ 

What do I need to do - today - to make the time and space in my day to allow myself to become aware of God’s heart within my own?

‘In you I place my trust’. 

How do those words sit with me? Do I find it easy or difficult to place my trust in God? Might that be something I want to explore over the next forty days? 

‘Let me not feel unworthy; let not fear rule over me’.

What about the desire expressed here? Do I suffer from low self-esteem at the moment? Are there fears that are consuming me? What might help me to focus on what is good and abundant in my life rather than the areas of scarcity and fear?

In the time remaining for your meditation today, I invite you to read the Psalm again and find a line or two that speaks particularly to you. Explore how your response to that line might shape the beginning of your Lenten journey. 

Catriona Laing


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