Bloesch: the use of prayer

Saturday, October 20, 2012
Meditation:
Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
    who finds great delight in his commands.
    —Psalm 112:1 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Christian prayer is personal, loving address. One does not seek to use God for one’s own ends but instead to find out the will of God for one’s life. One does not passively resign oneself to the will of God but actively seeks to discover this will and then to apply it to the whole of life.
    ... Donald G. Bloesch (1928-2010), The Struggle of Prayer, Harper & Row, 1980, p. 53 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I seek Your will for me. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Bernard: His gifts

Friday, October 19, 2012
    Feast of Henry Martyn, Translator of the Scriptures, Missionary in India & Persia, 1812
Meditation:
    For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
    —1 Corinthians 15:21 (NIV)
Quotation:
    By his first work He gave me to myself; and by the next He gave Himself to me. And when He gave Himself, He gave me back myself that I had lost.
    ... Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153), On Loving God, CCEL, ch. 5 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have finished Your work. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Brother Lawrence: business and prayer

Thursday, October 18, 2012
    Feast of Luke the Evangelist
Meditation:
    And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
    —Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
Quotation:
    “The time of business,” said he, “does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”
    ... Brother Lawrence (c.1605-1691), The Practice of the Presence of God, New York, Revell, 1895, p. 20 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You are by my side every moment. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Sundar Singh: the time for service

Wednesday, October 17, 2012
    Feast of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, Martyr, c.107
Meditation:
My days are like the evening shadow;
    I wither away like grass.
But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;
    your renown endures through all generations.
    —Psalm 102:11-12 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The present life is the only opportunity that will be given me for helping others in this world. That is a privilege which even Angels are not allowed. We shall have Heaven for ever, but we have only a short time for service here, and therefore must not waste the one opportunity.
    ... Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929), The Message of Sadhu Sundar Singh, B. H. Streeter & A. J. Appasamy, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1922, p. 38 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, may I serve You the remainder of my days on earth. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Cranmer: reading the Scriptures

Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Meditation:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
    To him belongs eternal praise.
    —Psalm 111:10 (NIV)
Quotation:
    I would advise you all, that cometh to the reading or hearing of this book, which is the word of God, the most precious jewel, and most holy relic that remaineth upon earth, that ye bring with you the fear of God, and that ye do it with all due reverence, and use your knowledge thereof, not to vainglory of frivolous disputation, but to the honour of God, increase of virtue, and edification both of yourselves and other.
    ... Thomas Cranmer, The Works of Thomas Cranmer, Cambridge: The University Press, 1846, p. 122 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You speak eternal truth through Your word. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Teresa of Avila: in the Presence

Monday, October 15, 2012
    Feast of Teresa of Avila, Mystic, Teacher, 1582
Meditation:
    [Jesus] said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.”
    —Luke 16:15 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Granting that we are always in the presence of God, yet it seems to me that those who pray are in His presence in a very different sense; for they, as it were, see that He is looking upon them, while others may be for days together without even once recollecting that God sees them.
    ... Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), The Life of St. Teresa of Avila of the order of Our Lady of Carmel, New York: Benziger Brothers, 1916, p. 58 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You send timely reminders of Your presence. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Tozer: God articulate

Sunday, October 14, 2012
Meditation:
    I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints—but let them not return to folly.
    —Psalm 85:8 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The Bible will never be a living Book to us until we are convinced that God is articulate in His universe. To jump from a dead, impersonal world to a dogmatic Bible is too much for most people. They may admit that they should accept the Bible as the Word of God, and they may try to think of it as such, but they find it impossible to believe that the words there on the page are actually for them. A man may say, “These words are addressed to me,” and yet in his heart not feel and know that they are. He is the victim of a divided psychology. He tries to think of God as mute everywhere else and vocal only in a book.
    ... A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), The Pursuit of God [1948], Christian Publications, 1982, p. 76-77 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, help me to hear You as You speak to me. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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