Wednesday 7th January

Quiet your heart and mind. Consider placing your hands, palms up, in front of you. Release what is distracting and receive God’s gift. What does He have for you today?

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;"

Psalm 95:6

Ponder: Jesus lovingly touched many and brought healing. Think of some Bible people Jesus healed.

Scripture

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in deep anguish.
    How long, Lord, how long?
 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
    save me because of your unfailing love.
 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
    Who praises you from the grave?  I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
    and drench my couch with tears.
My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
    they fail because of all my foes.
Away from me, all you who do evil,
    for the Lord has heard my weeping.
 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
    they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Psalm 6

First, think about your own life and relationship to God. Read the lament again and pay attention to what stands out for you. Finally, read it again and open your heart for Jesus’ touch. Palms open to receive.

To learn lament

I am a person who “looks on the bright side of life." I live and serve with enthusiasm, expectancy, and anticipation. I tend to speak of my life from the perspective of the joys, positive outcomes, and bright hopes for tomorrow. This is also how I cope with life and ministry. Some of you may relate.

In the study of God’s Word and in learning to pray for others in great need, sorrow, and grief, God’s Spirit has taught me to understand Lament. I’ve come to see that to live deeply and intimately with my Heavenly Father means to acknowledge and express my sorrows. The Psalms give me words to ponder when I tend to make light of my hardships, fears, and sadness.

Psalm 6:2-3

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?

As I ponder these verses, I begin to notice the faintness and anguish within my soul. As this awareness grows, I allow myself to weep and cry out. And God meets me here and shows Himself in a deeper way.

Mark Vroegop, in his article “Why Missionaries Need to Be Fluent in Lament," speaks to my tendency. He says, “Instead of allowing the pressures of ministry to create despair or a stoic denial, lament invites us to talk to God with all the messiness and grit required for perseverance."

Let’s learn the language of lament.

Katherine Koop, Member Care Coach, Germany

Now ask God who you can pray this prayer for. What part of their suffering could you pray for? What truth could you pray into their life?

Kids’ Question: What do you want to tell God today? (A child might tell you or they could write a letter to God)