I am an emeritus professor from Cornell University and was a Commissioned Lay Preacher in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For many years I have followed the Daily Lectionary as printed in the Mission Yearbook of my church. For each day of a two-year cycle, the lectionary lists four psalms and three other scriptural passages--usually one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. My practice is to copy down a verse or two from one of the psalms and from each of the other three passages. After I have written out all four selections, I reflect upon them, rearrange their order, and incorporate them into a meditation. Sometimes I retain much of the original wording; sometimes all that remains of a selection is an idea that was stimulated when I read the original words. All selections are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. For the Daily Lectionary, see the link below.

Let Your Spirit Intercede--July 7, 2014


O God, you are the strength of my
heart and my portion forever.
When my sin finds me out
and my flesh and my heart fail,
when I do not practice what I preach
and I do not know how to pray as I ought,
then let your Spirit intercede for me
with sighs to deep for words.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 62; 145; 73; 9
Numb. 32:1-6; 16-27
Rom. 8:26-30
Matt. 23:1-12

Selected Verses
Ps. 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail,
          but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Numb. 32:23
"…But if you do not do this, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.  …"  [Moses to the Gadites and Reubenites]

Rom. 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 

Matt. 23:3b
"…but do not do as [the scribes and Pharisees] do, for they do not practice what they teach.  …"  [Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples]

1 comment: