Daily Prayer: a resource of Forward Movement

The Forward Day by Day Meditation for August 13, 2018

We post a Forward Day by Day Meditation for every day of the year - and we invite you to consider them and talk about them here. If you'd like to comment, please register for an account at Facebook. By checking the "Post to Facebook" box when commenting, you'll be able to find and quickly link back to this page from your Facebook account. You can also find the past week's Meditations in the box at right (or below, for mobile users), or search for previous entries on the Archives page.

Please note: you won't be able to use the Facebook Comment feature unless you enable Javascript in your browser. In general, your overall experience on the Daily Prayer site will be greatly enhanced if you enable Javascript.

MONDAY, August 13

Psalm 89:1 You love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.

When I was in my teens, I developed a painful and embarrassing skin infection that eventually engulfed my entire face. One day I woke up with what seemed like badly chapped lips, and then my entire face was covered in ugly sores. I had to drop out of school for a while. This would be tough for anyone, but it felt like the worst thing that could possibly happen to my insecure, teenage self.

Part of the treatment was to wash the sores daily with a terrible smelling concoction. I couldn’t do it myself, and so my Poppa did it for me. He would mix the medicine in a plastic cereal bowl and use a washcloth to gently cleanse the sores.

That was thirty years ago. But the experience of having my sores cleaned has stuck with me powerfully as a wonderful example of how God expresses steadfast love for us, even when we are at our most exposed and vulnerable.

MOVING FORWARD: How has God expressed steadfast love to you? Who has helped you metaphorically wash your face and recover your sense of self?

PRAY for the Diocese of Florida

Today the Church remembers Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down, Connor, and Dromore, 1667.

Ps 89:1-18 * 89:19-52 | Judges 12:1-7 | Acts 5:12-26 | John 3:1-21