Presence

“I stand at the door and knock,” says the Lord. (Revelation 3:20). What a wonderful privilege that the Lord of all creation desires to come to me. I welcome His presence.

Freedom

Lord, I ask for the grace to know
that doing Your will is a joy
because Your will is my deepest desire
and You are always willing what is best for me.

Consciousness

I remind myself that I am in the presence of the Lord.
I will take refuge in His loving heart.
He is my strength in times of weakness.
He is my comforter in times of sorrow.

The Word of God

³⁸After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. ³⁹Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

⁴⁰As the sun was setting, all those caring for any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. ⁴¹Moreover, demons also came out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.^,

⁴²At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds began looking for him, and when they reached him they tried to keep him from leaving them. ⁴³But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” ⁴⁴So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.^,

Inspiration

People are always in need of healing, but we tend to focus more on physical healing than spiritual healing. Jesus came to call sinners to repentance and to live in a new way. Let us ask the Lord for the gift of true discernment.

After that very busy day, curing all those who were brought to him, Jesus rose early to go to a lonely place to pray. In our overly busy lives today, do we commit ourselves to spending time each day in a quiet place, meeting our Lord in prayer? For some people, this may mean getting up earlier in the morning.

Conversation

Conversation requires talking and listening.
As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen.
I picture the gentleness in His eyes
and the smile full of love as He gazes on me.
I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares.
I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts.
I will ask Him to help me to place myself fully in His care,
to abandon myself to Him,
knowing that He always wants what is best for me.

Conclusion

I thank God for His gift of love
as I go forth with joy and hope
to serve His people.

Amen