Wednesday, 03 March 2010 05:06

Lent - Day 15

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.

 

MORNING READING - PSALM 72

 

1Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.


5May he live* while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.


8May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9May his foes* bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.


12For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.


15Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure for ever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;*
may they pronounce him happy.


18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name for ever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.Amen and Amen.


20The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

 

MORNING REFLECTION

 

READY : In a solitary place, prepare your heart and mind to hear from the Lord.

 

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

 

REFLECT: This Psalm is a request for a righteous ruler, for Christ. Reflect on how His rule pours out blessings and righteousness on His people.

 

REPENT: The Lord desires to rule in our lives, to allow righteousness, peace, and blessings to be present. Repent of those things you have allowed to rule in your life instead of the Lord.

 

REJOICE: Rejoice that God “alone does wondrous things.” Praise for what He has done in your life and what He will do in the future.

 

EVENING READING Mark 4:1-20

 

Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. 2He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ 9And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ 10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret* of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 12in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’

13 And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.* 18And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 20And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’

 

EVENING REFLECTION

 

READY : Sit quietly and refocus your thoughts on Jesus. Ask Him to reveal His words to you in a deeper way.

 

READ: Read through the text. As you read through the text a second time discover things you missed the first time.

 

REFLECT: Reflect on Jesus’ interpretation of this parable. Meditate on what it means for your walk with Him. Meditate on what kind of soil you were planted on and what you can do to be more fruitful.

 

REPENT: The disciples did not understand Jesus’ teaching, but came to him for deeper understanding. Repent of the times you have been content to not understand His teachings and go deeper in His word.

 

REJOICE: Rejoice that the Lord is a great teacher and tills the soil of our souls.

 

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