Rescue Mission

 

Rescue Mission

Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Volunteers at a farm animal rescue organization in Australia found a wandering sheep weighed down by more than seventy-five pounds of filthy, matted wool. Rescuers suspected the sheep had been forgotten and lost in the bush for at least five years. Volunteers soothed him through the uncomfortable process of shearing away his heavy fleece. Once freed from his burden, Baarack ate. His legs grew stronger. He became more confident and content as he spent time with his rescuers and the other animals at the sanctuary.

The psalmist David understood the pain of being weighed down with heavy burdens, feeling forgotten and lost, and desperate for a rescue mission. In Psalm 38, David cried out to God. He had experienced isolation, betrayal, and helplessness (vv. 11–14). Still, he prayed with confidence: “Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God” (v. 15). David didn’t deny his predicament or minimize his inner turmoil and physical ailments (vv. 16–20). Instead, he trusted that God would be near and answer him at the right time and in the right way (vv. 21–22).

When we feel weighed down by physical, mental, or emotional burdens, God remains committed to the rescue mission He planned from the day He created us. We can count on His presence when we cry out to Him: “Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior” (v. 22).

REFLECT & PRAY

How has God revealed His faithfulness when you’ve felt weighed down? How has God used others to comfort and support you?

Gracious God, help me to encourage others who feel weighed down, lost, or forgotten.

The Daily Bible Readings for Monday, January 2, 2023

 

The Daily Bible Readings
Monday, January 2, 2023
Psalm 20; Genesis 12:1-7; Hebrews 11:1-12
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions

Psalm 20
Exaudiat te Dominus

Leader: May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble,
People: the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;

Leader: Send you help from his holy place
People: and strengthen you out of Zion;

Leader: Remember all your offerings
People: and accept your burnt sacrifice;

Leader: Grant you your heart’s desire
People: and prosper all your plans.

Leader: We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God;
People: may the LORD grant all your requests.

Leader: Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his anointed;
People: he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand.

Leader: Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses,
People: but we will call upon the Name of the LORD our God.

Leader: They collapse and fall down,
People: but we will arise and stand upright.

Leader: O LORD, give victory to the king
People: and answer us when we call.

O Lord Jesus, risen from the dead and reigning from on high, hear our prayers this day. We praise You for Your mighty deeds in our behalf. We humbly thank You for bearing Your cross for us. Empower us to bear our cross in behalf of others, that we might share the gospel message with them. Fill us with Your Spirit, that others might see Your love for them in the way we live each day. As Christians, we feel honored to bear Your holy name. Help us to bring You honor by the way we treat You and others. And now we pray once again the prayer You taught us:

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”

Genesis 12:1-7
(Abram and Sarai)

The Call of Abram

12:1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
     and I will bless you;
  I will make your name great,
     and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
     and whoever curses you I will curse;
  and all peoples on earth
     will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Hebrews 11:1-12
(Abraham’s faith)

Faith in Action

11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Bible Readings for Monday, January 2, 2023
Psalm 20; Genesis 12:1-7; Hebrews 11:1-12

The Morning Prayer for Monday, January 2, 2023

 

Prayer of the Day
Monday, January 2, 2023

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Ephesians 3:14–17a (NIV)

Lord our God, we have gathered in your sight. We thank you that through your words you have given something of your very self to help us be your disciples, your children, who stand firm in faith and trust throughout our lives, whatever our lot may be. Help us in these times, and when days grow difficult and full of grief, hold your people securely in your hand. Help us to be firmly rooted in faith, however dark it is on earth. You can give us strength and courage; we can do nothing in our human strength. But the power of your Spirit can renew us, make us alert, and fill us with lasting joy. For we are your people, your children, and when held in your hand, we can rejoice in spite of all grief. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Monday, January 2, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Monday, January 2, 2023

Psalm 90:12

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Moses had seen a generation squander 40 years in the wilderness. He believed that if leaders could only gain a keen sense of the swift passage of time, and if they would work for something significant, they could die with a great sense of satisfaction. Leaders don’t kill time, they execute it.

Read all of Psalm 90

Listen to Psalm 90

Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

The Twelve Days of Christmas — The Ninth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Ninth Day

The 12 days of Christmas are the 12 days that separate Christmas Day on December 25 and ends on January 5, with the next day being Epiphany, which is celebrated January 6. Depending on the church, January 6 may mark Christ’s baptism (in the Catholic tradition), or it may mark the day that the wise men (or the Magi) visited Jesus with their gifts.

The Day of Epiphany is when the church celebrates the revelation of Christ as the light of the world and recalls the journey of the Magi. Magi means wise men.

From 1558 until 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. During that era someone wrote ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas‘ as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public without risk of persecution. The song has two levels of interpretation: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church. Each element in the carol is a code word for a religious reality.

Some beliefs believe that the day after Christmas started the 12 Days of Christmas. You also hear some people think its the 12 days that lead up to Christmas. But reality, it starts on December 25, that is the first day.

  The Ninth Day of Christmas

The carol says On The Ninth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Nine Ladies Dancing

According to catechism hidden meaning it means … 

The Nine Fruit of the Spirit

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Forbearance (or Patience)
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-Control