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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

 

Today’s Reflection

I know the places in my soul where the past makes its presence known, the occasions when memories surface, inviting my attention, encouraging me to see within them what I had not seen before. They come bearing comfort, or they come to offer questions.

In these thin places I sometimes have a keen sense of the shadows of other lives—fleeting impressions of what might have happened if I had made a different choice or if another path had opened to me at a crucial juncture or a seemingly ordinary one. I am not meant to inhabit or linger too long amid these glimpses of other lives, yet they visit nonetheless. They come as reminders of how it matters what we choose. They come too as a reminder of grace: that God can work within every choice, even the ones we made long ago.

—Jan L. Richardson, In the Sanctuary of Women: A Companion for Reflection and Prayer (Upper Room Books, 2010)

Today’s Question

As you reflect on your choices, what encouragement do you find in God’s grace at every turn? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

Many plans are in a person’s mind, but the Lord’s purpose will succeed.

—Proverbs 19:21 (CEB)

Prayer for the Week

Lord, guide me to reflect on—and learn from—the decisions I made yesterday so that they might reshape the longings I have for tomorrow.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

The featured book this week, In the Sanctuary of Women, highlights six women from around the world and across the centuries, inviting us to discover what their lives tell us about God. Come spend some time in the sanctuary of women, an often-ignored space in Jewish and Christian history. Read more.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.

Save 45% and receive free shipping on the regular and enlarged-print editions of Disciplines 2021 with the promo code DISC45. Offer good while supplies last.

 

4 Comments

  • Julie Posted July 29, 2021 8:26 am

    Wow, this is timely! I had been considering asking my ex if he would want to live with Megan and I when the divorce is over. Megan had suggested it and I had bulked, but he has been talking about buying a house and I thought it would be beneficial for all of us. I would buy the house and he could pay the bills. He and Megan wouldhave more time together. But last night he called me and he was oviously drinking. He usually calls Megan when he does this. He just talks on and on and uses many foul words. He is not being mean , he is simply talking about things on his mind. He could be talking to a wall. If this happens again, I will hang up. I intend to inform Megan of my decision and relate to her that this is a form of abuse and she doesn’t need to sit through it either. Thank you Lord for averting my choice that would have been disastrous.
    Prayers for Ally and David, for health and a new job. Prayers for Jill and Becky as they navigate their new relationhips with Larry and walk the fine line of nagging and suggesting while tending to his health. Prayers for Lou as she returns home and misses her family. Prayers for safe travel and a wonderful visit with family for Robert. Prayers for Marti and her staff, may God bless them for their work for the NEM crew. Thank you for your prayers and God bless all who come here today.

  • Ally Posted July 29, 2021 12:30 pm

    Grace is a gift. When I mess up (all the time), I take comfort and encouragement in the knowledge that grace covers my mess-ups again and again. The knowledge enables me to extend grace to others. Thanks be to God.
    Thanks so much to all for your prayers for us. We are trusting God and His grace for us. The following has given me peace today:

    “All shall be well, and all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” Julian of Norwich
    I pray we all find ways to meet God in these crazy times. I thank God for His provisions, guidance, and protection. Be safe, everyone, as Delta variant surges. Blessings to all!

  • robert moeller Posted July 29, 2021 1:13 pm

    Knowing that there is GRACE, is very reassuring. While I try not to to make mistakes, I inevitably do. Confessing them to the Lord is a necessity. We fall, and God helps us get up, again, and again, and again.
    Thankful, Julie, that your thoughts returned to the straight and narrow. Friendship with Megan’s father will suffice.
    Missed yesterday, this is a very busy household with two full of energy girls. Today is a slower day, the weather has helped make it so, cloudy, cooler, some sprinkles. Picked blueberries, fed the goats,
    had lunch, the girls bought some t-shirts, landscaping work done before the sprinkles.
    My sister will visit on Saturday. Am in touch with Erich every day.
    Prayers for caregivers Jill and Becky, and their Dad, Larry. Hope summer school is going well.
    Sad to hear of the increased violence in Atlanta, GA, prayers for Ally & David’s safety, health, and finances. Marcy, too, needs such prayers.
    Hope I can reconnect with breakfast with the pastor tomorrow morning. It’s a very different schedule here at my daughter’s.
    Stay safe, comfortable, and at peace. Thank You, Lord.

  • Jill Posted July 29, 2021 4:10 pm

    God’s grace is immense and sufficient. Sufficient in patience as I was living a church-y life…doing what a good, church going person does. I was growing in Biblical knowledge, but had no heart interaction, no relationship. I prayed, but it wasn’t personal, intimate. But He arrested my attention and called me to Himself.
    Now His grace is sufficient (even when I doubt it) as I tend to dad. I have to keep remembering, reminding myself of countless examples from the past, and trust in His grace.
    Dad called this morning, said he wasn’t feeling himself and did not want to golf. He got a doctor’s appointment, and after a bit – I convinced him I should go with him. I knew the doctor wouldn’t do anything, but dad likes the doctor and goes to him at the drop of a hat. It is a good thing I went, as dad did not relate the whole story of the past week, as well as not having in his hearing aids. The doctor wants dad to call if he doesn’t see improvement in the next couple of days, or if he takes a turn for the worse. He did not have a fever, but his cough is still concerning. He someone timidly admits he may have overdone it. Again, before and during, I am praying that God will keep a harness on my mouth, that I will honor dad.
    I come home and collapse in my recliner. Roger soon joins me and we just camp out. I talk to my sister and relay what happened. I am surprised at how I can’t just brush this off. At times it reduces me to tears. It seems I can only keep my mind from it by watching tv. That is all I have the capacity to do – so that is what I will do this evening. Me, Roger, the blanket and the remote. Honestly – I feel like I could go to bed right now.

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