Thursday 9 March 2023

Today is Thursday the 9th of March, in the second week of Lent.

Jodi Penner sings, ‘Be Near Me Still’. As you enter into prayer now, become aware of the nearness of God with you. How is the Lord looking upon you today? Can you get a sense of God’s great gaze of love upon you?


(Lyrics currently unavailable)

Today’s reading is from the Prophet Jeremiah.


Jeremiah 17:5-10

Thus says the LORD:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the LORD.
They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
Blessed are those who trust in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?
I the LORD test the mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.

Jeremiah is known as the ‘weeping prophet’, a compassionate man, patiently preaching to closed ears. Do I hear Jeremiah’s tears as he speaks to God’s people?

Here, he paints a picture of two people, two ways of living, two attitudes of heart.


Where am I in this ‘picture’? Do I recognise myself in the desert or the garden?

Where do I stand in all this? Where do I put my trust? In what are my values?

As I listen to the passage again, I pray for the willingness of an open heart, to be guided by the Lord who loves me.


“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,” How easy is it for me to give myself to the Lord? I spend these final moments talking with the Lord about this, asking for whatever it is I need today.


You have given all to me,
To You Lord, I return it.
Everything is Yours, do with it what You will.
Give me only Your love and Your grace,
That is enough for me.
Amen.