Daily Office Readings for Saturday of the 4th Sunday of Lent: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 107:33 to 43; Evening, Psalm 108:1-6(7-13); 33;
Exodus 2:23 to 3:15; 1st Corinthians 13:1 to 13; Mark 9:14 to 29:
“He said to them, ‘This kind can come out only through prayer.” (Mark 9:29)
I feel like not enough Christian effort is applied in prayer today either. By this I mean the “sit-in-your-room-alone – prayer.” After the disciples of our Lord Jesus failed to cast out the evil spirit by whatever means they were using, Jesus himself interviewed the father of the boy about how long this has been happening. Then Jesus told the evil presence not only to come out of the boy, but also to never enter him again. Our Lord Jesus later explains about our needing to pray more. He says that “This kind can come out only through prayer.” This is still what we need today.
We have suffered as a planet from this Covid 19 and even some clergy, Christian clergy, have gone along with secular instruction to establish and maintain physical (social) distancing. And that has worked, but perhaps during our time (alone) and distancing, we also prayed, prayed without ceasing.
Perhaps this physical distancing was good advice for the physical self. How about our spiritual selves? Sooner or later we will all stand before the One for whom nothing is impossible. What response will we give for not coming to our Lord for help? Our Presiding Bishop once said the most important prayer we can pray is one word, and that word is; “Help.”
Folks, we must have faith and believe. Our Lord Jesus took issue with the father who showed some doubt when he ask, “if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us;” (Mark 9: 22). To this Jesus responds, “‘If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes” (Mark 9: 23). My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, we must never under estimate the power of our faith in God and the power of prayer that brings to an end whatever troubles us. God loves us so much that God can’t refuse whatever good we ask, but we must trust and ask. And we ask for the benefit of one another everywhere. We don’t ask just for ourselves, our family, or our Church or our Country, but for humankind all over the planet as our news technology today enables us to know what is going on.
Let us pray:
Most holy and all powerful creating and loving Spirit, please hear our prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving, intersession, and personal needs. Remind us daily Dear Lord that prayer is our best connection to you and that we should pray daily. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools including St. Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 