The Daily Lectionary for Wednesday, July 19, 2023

 

The Daily Lectionary
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Psalm 142; Obadiah 15-21; Matthew 13:10-17
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 142
God my refuge and portion
Voce mea ad Domine

I cry to the LORD with my voice; *
  to the LORD I make loud supplication.

I pour out my complaint before him *
  and tell him all my trouble.

When my spirit languishes within me, you know my path; *
  in the way wherein I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

I look to my right hand and find no one who knows me; *
  I have no place to flee to, and no one cares for me.

I cry out to you, O LORD; *
  I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry for help, for I have been brought very low;*
  save me from those who pursue me,
    for they are too strong for me.

Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your Name;*
  when you have dealt bountifully with me,
    the righteous will gather around me.

Heavenly Father, thank You for calling us into Your Kingdom. Thank You for being ever present with us and ever willing to hear our prayers and supplications. Thank You for answering the prayers of Your Son in our behalf; as Jesus Christ promised to pray for us as our Advocate with the Father. May we understand the leading of Your Holy Spirit through Your word and as Your Spirit moves upon our spirits to direct us. In these troubled times, show us the way ahead and the path that we should walk. Give us a fresh faith in You; strong enough to cast out all our fears and keep us from worry. We thank You for loving us and inviting us to pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ as we pray,

“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.”

Obadiah 15-21
Israel’s triumph at Edom’s expense

“The day of the Lord is near
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds will return upon your own head.
Just as you drank on my holy hill,
    so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.
But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
    it will be holy,
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire and destroy him.
There will be no survivors
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.

People from the Negev will occupy
    the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
    the land of the Philistines.
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,
    and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
    will possess the land as far as Zarephath;
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    will possess the towns of the Negev.
Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.

Matthew 13:10-17
The purpose of parable

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

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. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789).

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 Lectionary for Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Psalm 142; Obadiah 15-21; Matthew 13:10-17

The Morning Prayer for Wednesday, July 19, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Wednesday, July 19, 2023

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NIV)

Lord our God, we rejoice that we may be called your children. In our weakness we ask you to shelter us in your hands. Strengthen us in the hope and faith that our lives will surely go the right way, not through our strength but through your protection. Grant that through your Spirit we may come to know more and more that you are with us. Help us to be alert in our daily life and to listen whenever you want to say something to us. Reveal the power and glory of your kingdom in many people, to the glory of your name, and hasten the coming on earth of all that is good and true. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Wednesday, July 19, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

At some point, each of us will face circumstances that cause anxiety. When we do, we must remember we are God’s children. We have the power to overcome fear when we apply His Word to our lives—remembering that He is always with us and will never fail or forsake us.

Read all of Isaiah Chapter 41

Listen to Isaiah Chapter 41

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