Translate

Monday, March 4, 2013

Week 3

Monday, March 4th

Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:8-11

Reflection: Ecclesiastes is not a happy book. It's about the writer's search for meaning in a world that seems empty to him. We all struggle daily, but sometimes you may go through longer periods of darkness. Do you ever feel guilty for your despair or darkness, or frustrated at yourself for being stuck in it? Be graceful to yourself. These dark periods in life are not failures, but times to be reflective and to grow through grief, hardship, or fear. Whether or not such dark periods are productive depends on how you define what comes next. Do you see these times as the end, or a place to begin?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: Heavenly Lord, you are walking with me when I am scared, depressed, grieving, or anxious. Help me to understand what you can bring from this time of darkness, because I know it's only through death that you can bring about resurrection. Please reveal a glimpse of the future that is made possible in you and help me carry on. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Tuesday, March 5th

Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:8-11

Reflection: Sometimes a truth is revealed by making us question an opposing statement. The author of Ecclesiastes writes that all things are meaningless, that there is nothing new under the sun and that nothing matters because all is forgotten. When we are scared and alone, it often feels like the world is full of absolutes. But are these absolutes true? Is there no meaning, or have you found or felt meaning in ordinary things? Do you think there is truly nothing new for you? Is not God a God who created all things from no-thing?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: God of creation and newness, show me how you are creating meaning in the presence of senselessness in my life. Show me how you are doing a new thing when everything seems old, tired, and dead. Help me to see glimmers of what is possible by showing me what I think is impossible. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Wednesday, March 6th

Reading: Lamentations 3:16-24

Reflection: Lament is a type of poetry common to the ancient world in which people cry out in their anguish. This particular lament was written while the people of Israel were in captivity, enslaved and taken from their homes. These painful cries are usually directed at God; it is an appeal to help. Pain and suffering are a part of life, but the thing about lament is that even in the deepest misery, the writer is still in conversation with God. What is your heart's lament? Is it sadness? Is it grief? Is it rage? God wants to have that conversation with you. Can you have a relationship without communication? Even an expression of sorrow can mean growth in your walk with God.

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: [Take this time to pray your own laments. Hold nothing back.] Dear Lord, I know you hear me when my loudest thoughts turn into nothing but a quiet whimper. Be my strength when I'm weak, forgive me when I'm wrong, and show me the future you are creating for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Thursday, March 7th

Reading: Lamentations 3:16-24

Reflection: When you think of the word faithfulness, what do you think of? We say, “So and so is a faithful follower.” “She is such a faithful person.” “He was always faithful to her.” It's a state of being that implies loyalty, determination, and keeping of trust. The sad thing is that as a species, humans are not very faithful. Marital infidelity is high, people cheat on their taxes, and sometimes we even cheat ourselves out of opportunities because of fear and doubt. We fail, and sometimes face the consequences of our faithlessness. The writer of this lament understands his own faithlessness all too well. How have you been unfaithful to God, to others, or to yourself? We are not a people of integrity, but we worship a God who is. Our salvation is made up entirely of God's action in the face of our inadequacy, so you can have hope that even in the midst of your biggest failures, disasters, and sorrows, God is faithful to you. What does that say about what will happen after even the darkest night?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: God, thank you for faithfulness despite my imperfection and infidelity. Please teach me how to love you the best way I can so that I can learn to love others that way too. Show me that even when I wander away and mess everything up, you are faithful and you will help me make it all right again. Help me hope and trust in your faithfulness when I'm struggling the most. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Friday, March 8th

Reading: Psalm 90:1-6

Reflection: Think about your home. Is it cozy or spacious? Is it messy or clean? However it functions, you are comfortable there. Your dwelling place is a retreat from all the noise of the outside world, from neighbors and events, from cold temperatures and wind, and the hot sun in the summer. It shelters you, and protects you. What does it mean that God is your dwelling place? Imagine how vast God is, who created the world, who sees your life like the blink of an eye, and yet who cared enough about you to send Jesus. Despite the grandeur, that is the kind of God that you, personally, can dwell in.

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: Lord, be my dwelling place. When the world seems out of control, remind me how big you are. Remind me how you created the world, and how your Son spoke and calmed a storm, and raised the dead. Let me rest in you when I feel small and insignificant, and show me how important I am to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Saturday, March 9th

Reading: Psalm 90:1-6

Reflection: You are like a Morning Glory, waking up bright and alive with color and dew in the morning, only to wither and fade in the afternoon sun. The daily life of a Morning Glory is short. You shine and shimmer with life and vitality for only a short while, and then the ravages of time take their toll. Eventually, all things wither. But with God, the end of the day is not the end of all things. God has been present from the beginning and will always be present. Like the morning glory that rests during the day and night and opens anew in the morning, so you are renewed every day. What old hurts have healed? What new opportunities and growth have come through loss or endings? The future we are too limited to imagine is not only possible, but inevitable with God. God makes all things new.

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: Everlasting God, you make all things new every morning. Give me eyes to see your continuing work in the world, and to understand that your time is different from mine. Help me to trust in what you are doing, and trust that even in wilting and death a new thing arises. In Jesus' name. Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment