Morning Prayer for Sunday, January 4, 2026

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Praying the Scriptures

Sunday Morning Prayer

January 4, 2026

“And he said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ But I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the LORD, and my reward with my God.’” — Isaiah 49:3–4

O God of the morning light,

As the sun begins to crown the Florida Mountains and the cool high desert air awakens around me, I turn my heart toward You on this eleventh day of Christmas. In the quiet of this Deming dawn, before the activity of the day fully begins, I hear Your voice claiming me as Your servant, an instrument intended for Your glory. I stand ready to step into the work You have entrusted to me, receiving it not as a burden of my own making, but as a vocation placed in my hands by Your grace.

I confess, Lord, that shadows of doubt sometimes stretch long across my spirit, whispering that I have labored in vain and spent my strength for nothing. When the fields of my daily life seem barren or the fruit of my effort remains hidden, I grow weary, questioning if my small contributions matter in the vastness of Your plan. It is a heavy thing to pour out one's soul without seeing the harvest, and I struggle to release the desire for visible affirmation and the fear that my work goes unseen.

But now, I lay down my demand for results and lift my cause to You, knowing that my reward is safe in Your keeping. As I move through the tasks of this day, let me find peace in the assurance that You see what the world ignores, valuing faithfulness over success. Grant me the grace to work with a quiet heart, trusting that my labor is never empty when it is offered to You, and that my life is held securely within Your purpose.

Amen.

May the light of Christ, which shines for all people, guide us into this new day with the assurance that our labor is held securely in God’s eternal keeping.

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The Bible passages come from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyrighted © 1989, 1993 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America and are used by permission. All rights reserved. Praying the Scriptures is penned daily by Kenny Sallee, ThM.