direction, day 3

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer:
God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.
~Sarum Primer, 16th century


Psalm for the Week: Psalm 17

Scripture for the Day: Jeremiah 6:16

Reading for Reflection:

Spiritual direction takes place when two people agree to give their full attention to what God is doing in one (or both) of their lives and seek to respond in faith.  More often than not for pastors these convergent and devout attentions are brief and unplanned; at other time they are planned and structured conversations.  Whether planned or unplanned, three convictions underpin these meetings: (1) God is always doing something: an active grace is shaping this life into a mature salvation; (2) responding to God is not sheer guesswork: the Christian community has acquired wisdom through the centuries that provides guidance; (3) each soul is unique: no wisdom can simply be applied without discerning the particulars of this life, this situation. (Working the Angles by Eugene H. Peterson)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

Song for the Week: All My Days

All my days I will sing this song of gladness
Give my praise to the Fountain of delights;
For in my helplessness You heard my cry,
And waves of mercy poured down on my life.

              

I will trust in the cross of my Redeemer,
I will sing of the blood that never fails;
Of sins forgiven, of conscience cleansed,
Of death defeated and life without end.

 

Beautiful Savior, Wonderful Counselor,
Clothed in majesty, Lord of history,
You’re the Way, the Truth, the Life.
Star of the Morning, glorious in holiness,
You’re the Risen One, heaven’s Champion,
And You reign, You reign over all!

 

I long to be where the praise is never-ending,
Yearn to dwell where the glory never fades
Where countless worshippers will share one song
And cries of ‘worthy’ will honor the Lamb!

 

Closing Prayer:
O heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray thee so to guide and govern us by thy Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget thee, but may remember that we are ever walking in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer)