With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6) O Lord, you are my sole satisfaction. I am hungry and thirsty for righteousness. I long for you. Amen.
Word: Matthew 6:31-33
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Meditation
We looked at these verses earlier from the perspective of God’s action. What is it God does? Well, Jesus tells us that God knows and God gives.
But what about people? What do we do? We seek. Purposeful action aimed at a specific goal. And there are two groups of people who seek; the Gentiles or those who do not know and follow God. And the citizens of the kingdom of God, those who follow Jesus.
And even though the seeking action is the same, the goal or purpose is very different. The Gentile’s action is aimed at the future: what shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear. And it’s focused on themselves and their own needs. Which makes some sense, because in a world without God your future depends a lot on you.
But the disciples of Jesus are different. Their seeking is not focused on the future, but on the kingdom of God present right now. And their goal is not to provide for their own needs. Freed from having to look out for themselves, citizens of the kingdom seek to participate in the rule of God for the sake of others.
Think about your calendar for today. How would you approach your work differently if you saw it as a service to others rather than simply a way to provide for yourself?
Prayer for Daily Callings
· For my occupation, workplace, coworkers.
· For my work to be good for others, an extension of God’s love and care.
· For the unemployed.
· For growth in my career; not to work for a paycheck but for you and others.
· For discernment, if I should pursue another job or direction in life.
· For my callings at home as spouse, son/daughter, brother/sister.
· For schools, teachers, classmates.
· For eyes to see God’s work around me this day. For the courage to participate in it.
· Not to be comfortable in my callings, but to be useful.
Closing Prayer
Father, you tell me to seek first your kingdom, your righteousness. Open my eyes to see your work around me today. Give me the courage to work and serve in your name. May my work be a blessing to those around me. Amen.