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 !

10 March 2019

Sunday 10 March, First Sunday of Lent - Making the Most High your dwelling


Psalm 91.1,2,9-16    Deuteronomy26.1-11  Romans 10.8b-13    Luke 4.1-13
Psaumes 91.1,2,9-16   Deutéronome  26.1-11  Romains 10.8b-13  Luc 4.1-13



You may have taken up a fast during lent. Maybe you are fasting from a time-consuming device... But do we find/make time for "making the Most High our dwelling" - being in God's presence (not rushing), enjoying fellowship with the Lord, meditating on His word...... ? You may say, yes, I would like to, but I lack the time. In which case we should challenge ourselves, are we busy for the right reasons? Or do we value appearance, social status and human approval (which enslave us) over grace, love and holiness (which set us free and bring forth everlasting treasure (vs 14-16))....?! Jesus found strength and wisdom for life and ministry by drawing upon the Father. It is essential for our spiritual well-being.

A combination of prayer, meditation and silence can be a true and powerful gateway to dwell with the Lord. The psalms, apt to slow us down and to wait upon the Lord, and certainly our today's psalm, are most appropriate to meditate on and by so doing immerse ourselves in His presence. But this discipline holds the potential for temptation. In preparation to meditate/pray you may therefore need a few minutes in which you set aside everything else and quiet your heart in God's presence. Perhaps this 'breath prayer' will help:

Long breath in through the nose: "Jesus". Long, deep breath out through the mouth, letting go of everything that is not of Jesus (exhale all your concerns and worries). Repeat this a couple of times, and then with each exhalation, pray (for example) "my Lord", (continue with "Jesus" with each inhalation); and with the next outbreath "my Saviour", and then "my Redeemer", then "my Sustainer" and finally "in whom I trust".

Having ourselves now fully opened towards Him, pray/meditate. As for today, immerse yourself in vs. 14-16;  beautiful promises for those who fully entrust themselves to God in the midst of trouble and opposition. Make these divine words your own! And be transformed!

Janine Vrolijk

Could Silence Protect Us..., from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54131 [retrieved March 9, 2019]. Original source: Piotr.amigo, Flickr Creative Commons.

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