Isaiah 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25
I am the LORD, there is no other;
I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up!
I, the LORD, have created this.
For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Who announced this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,
besides whom there is no other God?
There is no just and saving God but me.
Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, "Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory
of all the descendants of Israel."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for Elizabeth House in Tempe, a house of hospitality for expectant mothers who are alone or living on the streets.
--
From the slavery of the children of Adam, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the slavery of the devil, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the evil desires of the flesh, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the malice of the world, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the pride of life, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the inordinate desire of knowing, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From blindness of spirit, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From an evil will, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From our sins, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
--
I have this saying above my computer (which I have used many times before, but I'll quote it again):
"The only thing I do is this: no matter what happens, I do not let myself become upset or disturbed. I retain peace of soul even in afflications, because I leave everything to God. Success or difficulty, abundance or want - I accept it all from Him with equal gratitude."
The line in there that I need to focus on more is "I leave everything to God." It is hard to leave everything to God. For me, the hardest thing to leave to God is my sinfulness. When I read today's part of the Litany of the Infant Jesus, I am struck by how we are asking Christ to deliver us from our sinfulness.
In today's reading, we see God asking us to turn to Him because He loves us and He alone has the power to deliver us.
That means that we have no power over our salvation. We only have the power to give our "fiat" (our yes) to Him to "let it be done unto us." In your prayer life today, ask Our Lord to help those areas where we need deliverance. Take care and God Bless.
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