soil of the soul, friday

Friday, September 5

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

Opening Prayer: Father, allow the soil of my soul to be a place that is fertile and receptive to all that you desire to plant in my heart.  Tend it carefully and nurture all that has sprung up in me that is of you; that I may be a garden of your delight. Through Jesus.  Amen.

           

Scripture Reading for the Day: Isaiah 5:1-7

Reading for Reflection:

 

     Spiritual disciplines are like garden tools.  The best spade and hoe in the world cannot guarantee a good crop.  They can only make it more likely the growth will be unobstructed.  The mystery of maturation lies in the heart of the seed, the outcome of planting depends largely on the vagaries of weather.  Still, tools are important in helping to ensure that planted seeds will bear fruit.  Tools can remove stones and roots, aerate the soil, weed and water the garden.

     Disciplines like prayer, scriptural reflection, and hospitality have the character of garden tools.  They keep the soil of our love clear of obstruction.  They keep us open to the mysterious work of grace in our heart and our world.  They enable us not only to receive but to respond to God’s love, which in turn yields the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. (Soul Feast by Marjorie J. Thompson)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                   

Closing Prayer: O Lord, our God, thank you that we are the garden of your delight and that you long for us to be a plush and fruitful place.  May we always be a vineyard that would bring you great joy and never one that is dry and barren and fruitless.  Help us to tend our soil, and thus our souls, well.  For your glory.  Amen.