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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

Jesus does not choose to go to the wilderness; the Spirit compels him to go.

Throughout scripture, the wilderness represents more than a lonely, barren place on the map. It’s the place where God’s people confront the ruthless power of temptation; where they wrestle with questions about who they are, where they are going, and how they are going to get there. It’s where Jesus faces the temptations to deny his identity as the Son of God, to use divine power to satisfy his human desires, to find a less costly way of doing the expensive work of salvation.

For all disciples, the wilderness is the barren space between where we’ve been and where we’re going. It’s the empty place between a familiar, comfortable past and an unfamiliar, often risky, future. It’s the soul-searching place where we face the temptations to settle for things that are less than God’s best for us, to take a shortcut to get to Easter without going through Lent, to experience new life without going to the cross.

—James A. Harnish, Easter Earthquake: How Resurrection Shakes Our World (Upper Room Books, 2017)

Today’s Question

What is the “wilderness” in your life? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
—Mark 1:12, NRSV

Prayer for the Week

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
And he shall reign for ever and ever.
King of kings forever and ever!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
And Lord of lords forever and ever!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

From Messiah by George Frideric Handel et al., 1685–1759.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

As we walk with Jesus through this Holy Week, join us at 11:00 a.m. Central time on Monday, Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday for special times of prayer and worship with The Upper Room. Join us on Facebook Live and YouTube.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Wednesday of Holy Week

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

5 Comments

  • Julie Posted March 31, 2021 8:45 am

    My current situation is my current wilderness. Yesterday I gave my lawyer my deposition report from the court reporter that I had reviewed and corrected, spelling etc only. So the wheels of justice move slowly on. My leg is much better and then yesterday I had a colision with the black cat. He has a habit of running in front of me quickly and then stopping dead in front of me. He wants to have me pet him and give him love. However, I always run forcefully into him and so my leg was reinjured. It feels better today, so the healing continues.
    Prayers for Ally and her job search and David and his continued rehab and therapy. Prayers of thanks to God for the good news of Lewis kitty’s playing and eating.
    Prayers for April and Lou and their families.
    Prayers for Jill and her travels, may they be safe. Prayers for Larry’s emotional well-being as the anniversary of Gloria’s death approaches.
    Prayers for Robert as it seems he finds himself in an email wilderness again. May he be safe and well.
    Prayers one and all UR.

  • robert moeller Posted March 31, 2021 9:26 am

    Thankfully I am not in an email wilderness again. Once was enough. I echo Julie’s prayers. glad her leg is mending despite the cat. Our cat, Pearl, does the same thing. Avoiding falls is a new trick to be learned. Had a good well-ness exam with my doctor this morning, my second Covid vaccine shot coming April 2nd. Have enjoyed a BBC drama on Britbox called VILLAGE, The double battery box for the Brill car is done, took me three tries, but I’m finally satisfied. Have daily activities to do during Holy Week, ZOOM Maundy Thursday, Good Friday (2 services), and Easter. Sunrise service Easter morn as well. Easter greetings to Germany are next. Thank You, Lord, for the blessings of the day and for the ransom of the world through Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

  • robert moeller Posted March 31, 2021 9:27 am

    Thankfully I am not in an email wilderness again. Once was enough. I echo Julie’s prayers. glad her leg is mending despite the cat. Our cat, Pearl, does the same thing. Avoiding falls is a new trick to be learned. Had a good well-ness exam with my doctor this morning, my second Covid vaccine shot coming April 2nd. Have enjoyed a BBC drama on Britbox called VILLAGE, The double battery box for the Brill car is done, took me three tries, but I’m finally satisfied. Have daily activities to do during Holy Week, ZOOM Maundy Thursday, Good Friday (2 services), and Easter. Sunrise service Easter morn as well. Easter greetings to Germany are next. Thank You, Lord, for the blessings of the day and for the ransom of the world through Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

  • Jill Posted March 31, 2021 9:43 am

    My wilderness, I suppose, is being patient in this time with dad and not being anxious about when his health begins to falter. I keep having inklings about re-engaging in volunteer activities as the world inches back towards normalcy. But – I think, more like I ask myself – should I just hold off these volunteer opportunities until after dad has passed. Again – I feel like my focus should be on him. Not that I wouldn’t have time for him. I will think further – and maybe explore options during the summer where I have much more time. I keep asking God for His guidance in this. I also long to aid others in their cancer/suffering struggle – so maybe I just need to be patient and trust His timing.
    I awoke at 2:30 this morning – and have been up since then. Had such an extended time in prayer and the Word this morning. Also reading from the book ‘Texting Through Cancer’ – which was the book used here several weeks ago. A passage from Colossians 1 was brought alive to me…actually it came from a John Piper article/post on “How Can I Serve the Dying?” It tugged at my heart quite a bit – for one of his points of emphasis was reading Scripture to the one dying and praying with them. Of course – I longed to do this with mom, but she wanted no part of it. As you can tell – this thought still ruminates in my mind and heart. Especially now. And – a “slip”? maybe as Ally wished me “sage” (I assume you meant safe) travels. But maybe it is much more apt to wish me “sage” travels. For much wisdom and quietness and guarded tongue will be necessary on this trip. I don’t get bothered by my emotions – I feel like in honestly sitting with them and putting them before God – there is much healing taking place. I totally lost my train of thought…back to Colossians…1:22 and 23 – “…in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach – if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of The Gospel.” The end of verse 22 is familiar – I believe one of my pastor uses that wording in his benediction. But verse 23 got me, got the tears flowing this morning – for mom was unable to remain firmly established and steadfast…she was moved away from the hope of The Gospel. Saddens me so, that she was so emotionally and mentally fragile. And I pray to God that I will cling to Him, through it all…each lap, each wave, each hurricane, each tsunami.
    I seem to have rambled on a bit. You can imagine what my prayers are like.
    Despite the here and there and everywhere of my prayers – I do pray for you and your concerns. For Robert and Erich, for Julie and Megan, for Ally and David, for Lou and her children, for April, BJ.
    May our ponderings this Holy Week steady us before His Cross.

  • Larry Eugene Dyer Posted March 31, 2021 10:20 am

    Hello, I am a New Every Morning everyday follower/reader. We all have our wildernesses and wilderness experiences. Grace of God they are not eternal. An Easter do not miss….search YouTube for…Discipleship Ministries…..select…..Watch the Worldwide Virtual Easter Choir !(Thine Be the Glory). Prayers and blessings to everyone.

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