Wednesday, 17 February 2010 18:57

Lent - Day 1

O That Today You Would Listen To His Voice - Psalm 95

 

MORNING READING - PSALM 95, HEBREWS 4:9-11

 

1O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.


6O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.


O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways.’
11Therefore in my anger I swore,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’

 

So then, a sabbath rest rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.

 

 

MORNING REFLECTION

 

READY : Sit in silence and prepare yourself to read God’s Word. Ask God to have certain phrases or parts of the text jump out at you.

 

READ: Read the text through twice. Read one time quickly and one time slowly and reflectively.

 

REFLECT: Meditate on this phrase. “O that today you would listen to his voice!” Take time to silence all other voices that are fighting for your attention. Try an exercise where you see yourself tuning your ears to a frequency that hears God’s voice clearly.

 

REPENT: Psalm 95:8-9 speaks of a time when Israel hardened their hearts and tested God. Repent of any times that you have hardened your heart and tested God.

 

REJOICE: Spend time in thanksgiving to God for His rest that is available to you.

 

EVENING READING Luke 18:9-14

9. He told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11. The pharisee, standing by himself was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people; thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ but the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

EVENING REFLECTION

 

READY : Sit quietly and ask God and his peace to come. Allow all of the cares of the day to fall away as you center your thoughts on God and his Word.

 

READ: Read through the text. As you read through a second time, see yourself as the Pharisee and then the tax collector.

 

REFLECT: Reflect on times when you respond like the Pharisee. Reflect on times that you are like the tax collector. Repeat this phrase to yourself, “for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

REPENT: Repent of the times when you have been like the Pharisee regarding others with contempt. Repent of prayers that you have prayed that were like the Pharisee’s

 

REJOICE: Spend time rejoicing that mercy is available to you as you humble yourself like the tax collector.

 

Social sharing
More in this category: Lent - Day 4 »
back to top