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.

In Our Weakness, Lord--July 9, 2018



May your Spirit help us
in our weakness, Gracious God.
We do not know how to pray as we ought;
we make promises we do not intend to keep,
and we expect others to do what we
will not do ourselves.

With sighs too deep for words,
send your Spirit to intercede for us,
as we pour out our hearts before you.
You are our rock and our refuge;
at all times we trust in you.

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

Selected Verses
Ps. 62:8
Trust in him at all times, O people;
          pour out your heart before him;
          God is a refuge for us. Selah

Num. 32:23-24
"…But if you do not [keep your word], you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.  Build towns for your little ones, and folds for your flocks; but do what you have promised."

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. 23:4
[The scribes and the Pharisees] tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 

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