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Written by Pete Grieg, a contemporary pastor and author.

Learning to hear God’s voice—his word and his whisper—is the single most important thing you will ever learn to do. I’m not exaggerating. Hearing God is not peripheral; it is integral to human history. Neither is it an optional extra for wild-eyed mystics and those who happen to be spiritually inclined. Hearing God is essential to the very purpose for which you and I were made. Without it everything falls apart. But when we learn to love God’s Word—to listen and obey—everything aligns.

Prayer:

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary teacher, writer,  speaker, and President of Reflections Ministries.

Lord, teach me the wisdom of taking the time and care to listen to Your voice and seek Your wisdom and will for me. May I pause to hear what You want to tell me, and may I regularly make room for this to happen in my life. When I am busy and driven, I cannot hear what You want to tell me, and I crowd You out as I rush from one thing to the next. Instead, I ask for the grace to expose myself to Your Word and listen to its life-giving counsel. I also ask for a greater capacity to give attention to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit as He counsels, comforts, exhorts, convicts, encourages, and inspires me. May I additionally listen to the collective wisdom and insight that is available through the communion of saints, so that I will not endeavor to live the spiritual life on my own without these rich resources that You have given to me. Amen.

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Written by Ken Sande, a contemporary author and founder of Peacemaker Ministries.  This is an excerpt from his book “The Peacemaker.”

It is important to realize that if you do not glorify God when you are involved in a conflict, you will inevitably glorify someone or something else. By your actions, you show either that you have a big God or that you have a big self and big problems. To put it another way, if you do not focus on God, you will inevitably focus on yourself and your will, or on other people and the threat of their will.  One of the best ways to keep your focus on the Lord is to continually ask yourself these questions: How can I please and honor God in this situation? In particular, how can I bring praise to Jesus by showing that he has saved me and is changing me? Seeking to please and honor God is a powerful compass for life, especially when we are faced with difficult challenges…When displaying the riches of God’s love and pleasing him is more important than holding onto worldy things and pleasing yourself, it becomes increasingly natural to respond to conflict graciously, wisely, and with self control. This approach brings glory to God and sets the stage for effective peacemaking. 

Prayer:

Written by John Birch, a contemporary writer and poet  from the United Kingdom, who has written several books of prayers and studies Celtic prayer. He created the Faith and Worship website to provide prayer resources for worship.

Lord of heaven and earth,

of all nations and peoples,

all faiths and no faith,

reveal yourself

to those who are suffering,

reveal yourself

to all who are refugees,

reveal yourself

to those who are powerful,

reveal yourself

to all who are powerless,

reveal yourself

to ordinary people

in their everyday lives,

that this world

might reflect your love

and your glory. Amen.

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Written by Marilyn Brown Oden, a contemporary author.  This is an excerpt from her book “Abundance: Joyful Living in Christ.”

Our journey toward abundant living is like walking a spiritual labyrinth repeatedly, from an ever deepening inner space. We walk toward the center to be transformed by God’s love; then we walk outward to transform our small space in the world by reflecting God’s love. There is no intention to trick us or get us lost along the journey. But there is mystery. Always mystery. And awe. And amazing grace.

Prayer:

Written by Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009), a Christian cleric and writer.

Liberate us, we pray you, Lord, from the getting and grasping to which we are prone. Teach us the royal way of the law of the gift, that in giving not only things but ourselves we may know even now the life abundant you promise to bring to perfection in eternal life with you. Increase in us gratitude for your gift of yourself, and let that gift of gratitude inspire us to the greatness of living our lives as love in in response to love.

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Written by E. Glenn Hinson, a contemporary professor of Spirituality and author.  This is an excerpt from his book “Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership.”

 God’s power, love power, works in any human vulnerability. That perspective is one that many in our age and culture have difficulty understanding. We know a lot about power. Some say that our culture is obsessed with power. We want more power to run bigger electric generators so we can have more comforts and conveniences or more power to put up bigger payloads into space to terrify our enemies so they will not dare to threaten us. But our power logic, Paul would point out, is not God’s power logic. Our power logic runs, “The weak are weak. The strong are strong. In weakness is weakness. In strength is strength.” God’s power logic runs, “In your human weakness you may find my power.”

Prayer:

Written by Charles Stanley (1932-2023), an American  pastor, author, and speaker.

Thank You for encouraging me and comforting me, Father. Thank You for forgiving my sins and teaching me to walk in Your truth. Thank You that nothing is impossible for You. Thank You for the precious promises You bring to mind and Your presence, Your power, Your compassion, and Your loving-kindness toward me. I will put all my hope in You.

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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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