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Written by Mary Lou Redding, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “While We Wait.”

 When we anchor our hope in God’s steady love and good plans for us, hope becomes a permanent part of us. We have hope not because we are powerful or smart or resourceful but because of who God is.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from the Carmina Gadelica, a six volume set of prayers, hymns, blessings, songs, proverbs, and literary folkloric poems from the Gaelic speaking regions of Scotland. Compilation of these works began by Alexander Carmichel between 1860 and 1909.

Bless to me, O God,

The earth beneath my foot.

Bless to me, O God,

The path whereon I go ;

Bless to me, O God,

The thing of my desire ;

Thou Evermore of evermore.

Bless Thou to me my rest.

Bless to me the thing

Whereon is set my mind,

Bless to me the thing

Whereon is set my love ;

Bless to me the thing

Whereon is set my hope ;

O Thou King of kings,

Bless Thou to me mine eye ! 

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Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary author, theologian, and president of Reflections Ministry.  This is an excerpt from his book “Conformed to His Image.”

As a communion of three persons, God is a relational being. He originates a personal relationship with us, and our high and holy calling is to respond to his loving initiatives. By loving God completely, we discover who and whose we are as we come to see ourselves as God sees us. In this way, we become secure enough to become others-centered rather than self-centered, and this enables us to become givers rather than grabbers.

Prayer:

Written by Ken Boa, the author of today’s mediation.

Father, I give thanks to You because You are the lover of my soul; You pursue me and desire an intimate relationship with me. You lift me from the morass and put my feet on high places; You care so much for me that You take great measures to bring me back to You when I stray. Your love is causeless, measureless, and ceaseless. Your righteousness overcomes my guilt; Your holiness informs all of Your purposes; Your compassion reaches out to the lowly and downtrodden; Your mercy and grace extend far beyond my sin. May I delight in You, draw nearer to You, hold fast to You and remain faithful to You. I know that my soul cannot flourish in disobedience and opposition to Your loving intentions for my life. When I am attempted to wander from You, may I recall Your character and remember Your many blessings. Amen.

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Today’s meditation is from Joy! Lutheran Church.

Father’s Day is a great opportunity to remember and celebrate the fathers and father figures who have impacted our lives and helped mold us into the people God created us to be.   Being a father is not an easy job.  Just the word “father” can be synonymous with many duties our society places upon fathers such as leader, protector, and guide.  However, these burdens placed upon fathers is not what God says is most important.   Proverbs 20:7 reminds us that it is truly the integrity of a man that blesses his children.  Integrity is taught by the way one lives, modeling wisdom in both words and actions.  Integrity has everything to do with one’s character and principles, living out qualities like honesty, responsibility, accountability, loyalty, and trustfulness.  This integrity is what blesses children as they grow up, watching and learning.  Has there been a father or father figure that displayed integrity for you during your lifetime?  If so, celebrate that this Father’s Day. Not everyone can answer yes to this question though and if this is you, it could make for a more difficult day.   The good news is that whether your father was the greatest or fell short, you can always count on God, our Father, who we know possesses all of those qualities – honesty, responsibility, accountability, loyalty, and trustfulness.  Our heavenly Father embraces us as His own with unconditional love and that is something to celebrate.

Prayer:

Written by Debbie McDaniel, a contemporary author.

Dear God, we pray for your blessing, favor, and strength over every Dad in this world, for those who are seeking to walk closely with you in a dark world, and for those who just need to be reminded that you are real. We ask for your renewed courage, for your boldness, for your Spirit to fill them. Make them always aware and alert of the schemes of the enemy. We ask that you would keep their footsteps firm, and guard their way. We ask that you would help them to always stand strong, to be men of faith, to say “no” to what is wrong, and to say “yes” to what is right. We ask that you would fill their hearts with love, compassion, joy, and faithfulness, and cover their lives with great peace. Amen.

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Written by Cameron McAllister, a contemporary author and co-founder of Thinking Out Loud, a podcast about current events and Christian hope.

Looking on the large-scale decadence of many influential churches in North America, we’re in a unique position to appreciate that our slick presentations have not fostered men and women of spiritual maturity. Why? Because by and large we still don’t believe Paul when he says, “If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.” This age is precisely what is passing away. It’s characterized by restlessness and desperation because it’s shot through with impermanence. We, however, are the men and women who await the Day of the Lord, the Day that will bring every hidden thing to light and we are to live in the light of that reality, rather than the twilight of this perishing moment. How do we escape the morass of performance and worldly wisdom that’s infiltrated so many of our ministry efforts? Dallas Willard once remarked that he stopped trying to get people to do things, to somehow cajole them into eternal life. Instead, he focused on planting and watering and left the growth to God. It’s high time for us to do the same.

Prayer:

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), an American Quaker poet and abolitionist.

Dear Lord and Father of humanking,

Forgive our foolish ways;

Reclothe us in our rightful mind.

In purer lives Thy service find,

In deeper reverence, praise.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,

Till all our strivings cease;

Take from our souls the strain and stress,

And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the hearts of our desire

Thy coolness and Thy balm;

Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;

Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire.

O still, small voice of calm. Amen.

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Written by Os Hillman, a contemporary author, speaker, and founder of Marketplace Leaders.

Have you ever felt that you could accomplish a whole lot more if you had more talented people around you? Perhaps you are in an office and think that some of your fellow workers don’t quite measure up. Imagine what David must have thought in the years following his anointing by the prophet Samuel as the next king of Israel. He spent the next many years running from King Saul. Now God was beginning to bring men to support David. But what kind of men? The down-and-out. God gave David not the elite or the sophisticated; He gave him those who were in debt and discontented with life. David turned those men into the best fighting men of their day. In fact, David never lost a battle during his entire reign as king of Israel-quite a feat for a bunch of no-name, lowlifes! Some of those men became an elite group known as David’s Mighty Men. These were the elite of the elite, the Navy Seals, the Few Good Men, the Green Berets. Whatever you call them, they were exceptional warriors. Jesus took a few men who weren’t exactly the cream of the crop either. He built His life into these men, which resulted in twelve men who turned the world upside down. Are you one of God’s mighty men or women? Are you investing your life to build other mighty men or women? David and Jesus set the example of what can be done when we invest in others. God does extraordinary things through men who have an extraordinary God. Ask God to use your life to be a mighty man or woman for a cause greater than yourself. He delights in such prayers.

Prayer:

Written by John Cameron King, a contemporary author.

 Father, in the name of Jesus, help me engage my brothers and sisters deeply.  I don’t want to be shallow in my relationships.  I desire to engage my friends face to face.  I want to connect on a heart to heart level.  Open my heart to share freely and without reservation.  Give me the grace to be open with my friends-genuine and transparent.  Heal my heart so I can trust.  When I am wrong, convict me quickly so I can ask their forgiveness and restore my close relationships. I will set an example for others.  May my intimacy with people create community all around me. May grace and peace flow throughout our community and may everyone around me know they belong and are known by name, amen.

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Written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), a German pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church.

Those who follow Jesus’ commandment entirely, who let Jesus’ yoke rest on them without resistance, will find the burden they must bear to be light. In the gentle pressure of this yoke they will receive the strength to walk the right path without becoming weary.…Where will the call to discipleship lead those who follow it? What decisions and painful separations will it entail? We must take this question to him who alone knows the answer. Only Jesus Christ, who bids us follow him, knows where the path will lead. But we know that it will be a path full of mercy beyond measure. Discipleship is joy.

Prayer:

Written by Scotty Smith, a contemporary pastor.

Jesus, I need you. As the day unfolds, help me separate the issues at hand. By faith, I offload my burdens onto you. I cannot afford to lug around the tonnage of old drama and new disappointments. If I do that, I will get defensive and will be on the offensive. As usual, this isn’t about me, but about your glory. Jesus, help me walk today as a person of faith, hope, and love. Give me the wisdom and power you promise. Bring much glory to yourself. Write stories of repentance and restoration by the grace and truth of the gospel. So very Amen I pray, in your most worthy and gracious name. Amen.

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Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer, scholar, and Anglican lay theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “Mere Christianity.”

I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from “The Cloud of Unknowing,” an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in the latter half of the 14^th century.

O God unto whom all hearts lie open

unto whom desire is eloquent and from whom no secret thing is hidden;

purify the thoughts of my heart by the outpouring of your Spirit

that I may love you with a perfect love and praise you as you deserve. Amen.

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Today’s meditation is from the Lead Like Jesus website.  Lead Like Jesus was founded by authors Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges to provide a transformational leadership model based on Jesus.

What are you passionate about? Passion is important in life. Passion for the things of God motivates and inspires. Jesus was known for His passion, His zeal, for God’s reputation and God’s people. Yet passion alone can mislead, and unchecked, can tempt us to choose based on what feels good in the moment. Passion inspired by God will be grounded in and guided by God’s Word and God’s Spirit. Is your God-given passion flagging? Fan it into flame through prayer.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from the author of today’s meditation.

God, my passion for You can ebb and flow like the tide, deleted by the demands of life and servanthood, or fanned by success. Don’t let me put my trust in passion, but in You. Fan my passion and strengthen me to walk in Your way through Your Word, Your Spirit, and prayer. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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Written by Kayla Stoecklein, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “Fear Gone Wild.”

Have you ever tried to walk around your house in the dark?… It’s easy to lose our way when our eyes can’t see. I wonder if the same can be true about our wilderness seasons in life. Those times when we feel like we are aimlessly wandering around in the dark, and the divine presence of light feels far out of reach. As we wander, we wonder, where is He? Why isn’t He showing up for me here? Why did He allow this to happen? What now? We all face seasons in our life and our faith journey where the distance between Heaven and Earth, Him and us, feels endless… The reality of our humanity is that none of us are exempt from the pain and brokenness of this place. We all walk through tragedies and trials, seasons of life where God seems more like a distant elusive entity, rather than a close loving Friend… Truth is, sometimes the lights go out in life and we feel left alone in the dark with our pain. So how do we find our way back to the light? How do we take the next step forward when our eyes can’t see? How do we live with the pain? I don’t have all of the answers, but what I’ve discovered through my own season of deep pain and grief is that the light is always there, we just have to be searching for glimmers of it. God wants nothing more than to be close to us in our pain… He is “bringing light into your night.” Keep holding on. Keep asking Him to help you live with the pain, keep putting one foot in front of the other even when you cannot see where you are going. He is preparing a way and strengthening you along the way. You are not alone. You are loved. Keep going.

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from the Saram Primer, a book of prayers and Christian worship resources from the 1500s, collected at the Salisbury Cathedral. 

Shine your light on us, O Lord,

so that, being rid of the darkness of our hearts,

we may attain to the true Light;

through Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the World. Amen.

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Written by Bonifacio B. Mequi, Jr. (1934-2018), a pastor and author. This is an excerpt from “Faith in the Balance.”

Yet for Christ to become our light, we must do one thing: “Repent.” Repentance always requires us to turn around, change directions, quit walking away from God and begin walking the walk of faith toward him who is God-with-us. Our continued efforts to stay on God’s side and to go in God’s direction encourage us in our living until that way of life becomes as natural as breathing. Our life in Christ takes a lifetime both to learn and to live out.

Prayer:

Written by Jennifer Waddle, a contemporary author, speaker, and musician.  

Gracious God, we come before You today, with contrite hearts and willing minds. Lord, thank You for your loving-kindness that leads us to repentance. Help us to be quick to acknowledge our sin before You and even quicker to turn from our sinful ways. Show us, Lord, what it means to have godly sorrow instead of the shallow sorrow of the world. Let our sin grieve us when we have dishonored You so that we will be diligent in repentance. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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