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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

Great are you, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is your power, and your understanding is beyond measure. And people, being a part of your creation, desire to praise you—people who bear about with them their mortality, the witness of their sin, even the witness that you oppose the proud. Nevertheless, people, this part of your creation, desire to praise you. You move us to delight in praising you; for you have formed us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in you.

Upper Room Spiritual Classics: Writings of Augustine, Edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe (Upper Room Books, 2017)

Today’s Question

How do you find rest in God? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
—2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NRSV)

Prayer for the Week

Try this suggested prayer practice this week:
1. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and remember that God loves you and you are in God’s presence.
2. Imagine God calling you by name, asking “(Your name), what do you want?”
3. Answer God honestly with whatever word or phrase comes from deep within you.
4. Call God by name, a name you frequently use for God.
5. Combine your name for God with your word or phrase to form a brief prayer that flows smoothly.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

Join The Upper Room in prayer for the U.S. Election. Visit The Upper Room Facebook page today, November 2 and tomorrow, November 3 at 11 a.m. (CST) for guided prayer. Regardless of any divisions we have over perspective or politics, let us join together and pray. Save the date, and save the link: facebook.com/UpperRoomCenter

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

4 Comments

  • Jill Posted November 2, 2020 5:11 am

    I find rest in God by shifting my vision, my perspective to eternity – loved that the passage from II Corinthians was just below this question. Our light and momentary affliction – the struggles of this finite time period don’t even register when held against the glory of timeless eternity, where we will be with our Saviour. I lean in to His peace – it is ever present – I just need to direct my thoughts to it. I sit still, and quietly quote Scripture.
    My former basketball player has been struggling a lot these past few weeks. She has been hospitalized on three different occasions and has received multiple blood transfusions. She has been staged at late stage III and began radiation and chemotherapy on Friday. She was released from the hospital Friday evening. I am still in shock over this, as I am sure she and her family are. Everything has gotten fast tracked. Thank you for your prayers concerning her.
    Julie – thank you for sharing with us the good news concerning your mom’s recovery. Very encouraging.

  • robert moeller Posted November 2, 2020 7:22 am

    Thank you Julie for sharing your understanding of cheerful giving and frustration. I found that helpful.
    Glad your Mom is doing well and will be home soon. Visits during this pandemic are a challenge, how to deal with them a ?
    Prayers for Jill’s basketball player and her family, tough news, I pray for the best result.
    Time will tell, but a solution to my modeling problem seems found.
    I’m slowly adjusting to the time change, it usually takes me about a week.
    ZOOM Bible study will look at our Baptist brothers and sisters, will have a Baptist pastor to help us.
    Plans for Advent-Christmas meets via ZOOM on Wednesday at 7 pm.
    For many ministries of my church it has been ZOOM as the means of communication. Thank You, Lord.
    Tomorrow’s big event is in God’s hands. I pray for peaceful, accurate, and decisive results without problems of any sort. God Bless the USA.
    I find rest in God’s word, worship, hymns, prayer, and problem resolution. God is ever present, That is a helpful truth. These words are sustaining, “we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” Thank You, Lord.

  • Julie Posted November 2, 2020 8:41 am

    I, too, seek rest and solace in scripture and I keep my “eyes on the prize” of eternal rest with God, my Saviour and King.
    I echo Robert’s prayer for tomorrow and for God’s will to be done with no violence or malice. I fear the devill will prevail and therefore I will stay safe at home to avoid any unpleasantness. Megan and I took our mail ballots to the county election office.
    Prayers for Jill and her former basketball player. May God hold her and her family through this ordeal.
    Prayers for Robert and his church that is so cognizant of the danger in person worship poses.
    Prayers for Ally and David, may the heart catharitization be all that is necessary to take care of Ally’s heart issues.
    Thank you for your kind words regarding my mom. I hate to miss Thanksgiving as this would be the first one that I missed with my family since I was born. I even braved an ice storm that caused my four hour drive to take eight hours. And this was with Megan who was a toddler! I am struggling with this. Tazzie is not eating well and has gotten sick several times.

  • Ally Posted November 2, 2020 1:33 pm

    My dear Aunt Mary will tell me in times of crisis, “we will rest in the Lord”. Sometimes I ask myself, “how can I rest in the Lord when I have all this stuff going on? “. Some ways I seek this rest are praying the Psalms and other favorite scriptures, listening to sacred choral works, traditional church hymns, and Christian artists whose work reflects deep theology. I read works by favorite writers and listen to sermons. Some days I have a hard time focusing and get through with sentence prayers, sometimes as simple as “Jesus, help!”. This week i’m struggling. I ask God to help me to take on the mind of Christ and to listen to the voice of truth.
    I’m still taking in having another heart cath on Friday. David and I both have appointments tomorrow: mine to be cleared for eye surgery, his with the wound clinic. His wound does look better, but I think a profession should look at it anyway. Thanks to all for your prayers.
    Jill, will be much in prayer for your friend and her family as things get fast-tracked due to the staging. I pray for the best outcome and that she and her loved ones feel the Lord’s presence and can rest in the Lord. Robert, thank you for your wisdom. I pray safety for all tomorrow and for peace to prevail. Please let us know what your learn in your Zoom study about the Baptist faith. Julie, so thankful to hear that your mom is progressing. I pray you and Megan can find meaningful ways to observe the holidays. Praying for little Tazzie and that he starts eating. I appreciate your sweet words for me. I value all of you so much. God has truly used you during these difficult times. I pray our regulars are keeping safe and that as we look toward Advent, we find ways to wait expectantly and also that we find joy. Blessings to all.

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