Daily Prayer for November 11
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. Exodus 20:2–4, NIV Lord our God, we come to you, the source of all being. You have said to us, “I am your God. You shall have no other gods besides me. Honor none but me, your God.” We thank you for this wonderful message. Help us to recognize you more and more, so that our hearts are full of the goodness and blessing we already have on earth, so that we hear you, the mighty One, say, “Stop, O people. Make peace. No one of you is more important than any other. Remember that I am God of all, in south and north, in west and east, on the oceans and everywhere. I am the one God, and through Jesus Christ I am now your Father.” Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Freedom to Raise Our Children John W. Huleatt, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik and William Haun What is the role of the state and what rights do parents have in the education of their children? Read now The Collective Burden of War Phil Klay and Joy Marie Clarkson Phil Klay, a US Marines veteran, talks to Joy Clarkson about going to war, honor, penance, and the burden we should all share. Read now He Died to Save Civilization? Arthur Henry Woolston A soldier’s last letters home from the muddy trenches of World War I reveal no such idealism. Read now The Only Way to Work John Ruskin If you can’t work wholeheartedly, it might be better not to work at all. Read now A Story for the Making Joe Knight What’s the good of a family legacy if we fail to pass it on to our children? Read now
Daily Prayer for November 7
Has the Lord ever abandoned anyone who held him in constant reverence? Has the Lord ever ignored anyone who prayed to him? The Lord is kind and merciful; he forgives our sins and keeps us safe in time of trouble. Sirach 2:10–11, TEV Dear Father in heaven, Mighty God in heaven and on earth, quicken us by the Word you have sent and by all you have done for us in your mercy and steadfast love. Keep us eager and joyful even in difficult and troubled days. Grant us unfailing trust in you, to give us firm ground under our feet so that we can always thank and glorify you. For you, O Lord, are our God. You are our Father, and you will never forsake your children in all eternity. Amen. Recent articles on Plough A Story for the Making Joe Knight What’s the good of a family legacy if we fail to pass it on to our children? Read now When Christians Follow Nietzsche John Ehrett Enthusiasm for Nietzsche’s ideal of human excellence and vitality has given rise to calls for manly Christian warriors to flex their superiority. Read now Lord, Lord George MacDonald and Wendell Berry One word of the Lord humbly heard and received will suffice to send all the demons of false theology into the abyss. Read now The Blessings of the Desert Margaret Wardlaw A medical doctor returns to the quiet of a desert monastery to make sense of the suffering she faces daily. Read now The Silence Around the Name Yahia Lababidi Rilke’s poetry becomes less religious as he draws nearer to God. Read now
Daily Prayer for October 29
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. Psalm 89:15–16, NIV Dear Father in heaven, how lovingly you have thought of us! How much good you let us experience again and again! So our hearts are happy, and we go to rest this night full of joy and thanks because we are your children. Our thanks and joy shall be our service to you day and night. More than this you do not ask, and in this we will be faithful. We want to be joyful and to be glad for our lives. Even when we face dark hours, O Lord our God, we are filled with hope that brings us joy for the future as well as for the present, with assurance that your salvation is coming. We rejoice in what you give us already today. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Gift of Repentence Johann Christoph Arnold The goal of church discipline should never be punishment, but rather restoration. Read now What the Weeds Are Telling Us Ragan Sutterfield In Arkansas, farmers are fighting and dying over pigweed. Are weeds just an ancient curse on humankind, or can they teach us something? Read now Why Are People Returning to Church? Andrew Davison and Joy Marie Clarkson We are seeing an unexpected resurgence of openness to God and spiritual matters, and an uptick in religious participation. What’s behind it? Read now Choose the Cashier Midge Goldberg Here’s one simple thing we can all do to stay human, love our neighbor, and build community. Read now The Dazzling Light of God Madeleine Delbrêl To have living faith is to be blinded by it, in order to be led by it. Read now
Daily Prayer for October 27
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:8–10, NIV Lord God, we thank you for your voice even when it is stern and we must go through hardship and suffering. Your voice speaks to us, and in your voice we can be glad and victorious in our life on earth. Come into our lives. May each of us realize that all we have gone through has been for the good. Be God and Lord over the nations. Be a refuge for all people. Grant that the sin and distress of this terrible time may soon pass and that we may hear your words, “Be comforted. I will come soon. All these terrors must pass by. My will is being done. My name must be honored. My kingdom and my rule are coming. So take heart and at all times look to your God and Father in heaven.” Amen. Recent articles on Plough Choose the Cashier Midge Goldberg Here’s one simple thing we can all do to stay human, love our neighbor, and build community. Read now The Dazzling Light of God Madeleine Delbrêl To have living faith is to be blinded by it, in order to be led by it. Read now Poem: “After Helping My Father Rake the Leaves” Jean L. Kreiling A daughter remembers raking leaves with her father, an effort he made despite battling depression. Read now Two Millennia of Christian Community Alden Bass Christians throughout history have found new ways to emulate the communal ideal of the early church. Read now A Book to End All Walls Uk-Bae Lee and Chungyon Won Korea’s demilitarized zone has become an accidental nature preserve that gives hope for a brighter future. Read now
Daily Prayer for October 20
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. Psalm 33:8–10, NIV Lord our God, we gather together in your presence and ask you to let your light shine in our hearts to strengthen us in times of need and trouble. May we come to know that through all the storms and distress of the world, you are mighty in protecting and sheltering those who trust in you. May we realize the power of your kingdom. Even if all the kingdoms of the world rise in rebellion, you are with us. You are with those who have set their hope on your kingdom and who go on hoping that even in evil days something must happen through your great and holy rule. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Angels in the Cellar Ian Barth A review of Peter Hahn’s Angels in the Cellar: Notes from a French Vineyard. Read now What I’d Give for the Pearl of Great Price Derek Furr When Alzheimer’s came for my mother, I turned to a medieval poem about a man who lost his pearl. Read now The Miracle of Simple Happiness Marianne Wright Music to touch the heart, to instill joy, to delight the ear. Read now The Quiet Faith of a Man Maureen Swinger Plough’s oldest staffer passes on a legacy. Read now Simone Weil and the Sacred Work of Doubt Stefani Ruper For Weil, doubt was not the opposite of faith. It was the most faithful posture she could imagine. Read now
Daily Prayer for October 16
I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge. 1 Corinthians 1:4–5, NIV Lord our God, we thank you that you are so near to us that we may feel and know we are your children, your children who are in your hands with all that belongs to our earthly life, all our needs and temptations, all our efforts and pain. We come together to thank you, and our thanksgiving wins a victory over everything that makes life difficult for us. In this thanksgiving the harshness, crookedness, and injustice on earth cannot harm us. Protect us with your light, which gives us wisdom for all situations and which lifts us above everything that is base and meaningless and must pass away. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Simone Weil and the Sacred Work of Doubt Stefani Ruper For Weil, doubt was not the opposite of faith. It was the most faithful posture she could imagine. Read now Lord, Teach Me to Pray Dorothy Day If you have to force yourself to pray, those prayers are of far more account with God than prayers which bring comfort. Read now Down There by the Train Brandon McNeice Tom Waits’s outlaw hymn reminds us that there will be a place at the wedding feast for some unlikely characters – and for each of us sinners. Read now Introducing Another Life Podcast Joy Marie Clarkson, Peter Mommsen and Maureen Swinger To live better we have to begin with the conviction that another life is possible. That is what this podcast aims to explore. Read now Mind Your Own Scapegoats Frank Mulder René Girard has influenced both conservative and liberal thinkers, yet few have been as sharp in dissecting the violent tendencies in each of us. Read now
Daily Prayer for October 3
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18–19, NIV Lord our God, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. Bless us, we pray. Bless us especially in days when fear tries to take hold of us. Let your help come down to us as you have promised, the great help in Jesus Christ, who shall come to redeem the whole world. Bless us through your Word. Renew us again and again to stand firm and true to you, for you are our help for redemption and reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Mothers of Srebrenica Hannah Rose Thomas and Rachel Miner Thirty years later, genocide survivors still unearth bones. Read now The Berry Family’s Founding Myth Jeffrey Bilbro Wendell Berry’s new novel, Marce Catlett, blurs the line between fiction and autobiography more than ever before. Read now Inwardness in a Distracted Age Eberhard Arnold What is Christianity’s answer when civilization is falling apart? The most effective way to resist evil starts with becoming quiet before God. But it doesn’t stop there. Read now The Marvel of Apple Trees Tara Couture Each apple tree in our orchard has its own character. Read now Daughters of Palestine Nicole Schrag A review of Leyla K. King’s Daughters of Palestine: A Memoir in Five Generations. Read now
Daily Prayer for September 29
A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:21–22, NIV Dear Father in heaven, grant us your Spirit so that here on earth we may be united with you in Jesus Christ the Savior. May truth dawn on us with its light, bringing joy no matter what happens to us. May all the pain in our lives be turned into birth pangs of a new life in which we can rejoice as people you have created, people prepared for the struggle on earth, who are called into battle and led to victory. Grant that we may not be blinded by the surrounding darkness. Shed a clear light on the new life that is coming. May we see what has already happened because Jesus Christ came to the earth and remains on earth, and may we see what is still to come through him, the Savior. O God of wonders, keep us aware of the wonders that increasingly surround us, until all the pain on earth is finally overcome and we men glorify your love and your great goodness. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Daughters of Palestine Nicole Schrag A review of Leyla K. King’s Daughters of Palestine: A Memoir in Five Generations. Read now Six Kids and Six Pets Lauren Pope A chaotic puppy taught me to embrace the beautiful messiness of life. Read now Readings: On Angels Alfred Delp and Bernard of Clairvaux The medieval saint Bernard of Clairvaux and the Jesuit martyr Alfred Delp remind us that our unseen guardians are always near. Read now Teaching Children About Injustice Cristiano Denanni When a schoolteacher relates to his pupils what he found traveling the world, their responses amaze him. Read now An Experiment in Common Living Jeffrey Wald My wife and I thought we wanted more community. We got more than we reckoned for. Read now
Daily Prayer for September 24
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24–25, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we long to be your children and to grow closer and closer to eternal life with all its goodness and truth. In your love to us your children, bless us as we walk on earth under great stress and temptation. Keep us from going astray, and let what you have placed in our hearts grow toward perfection, to your glory and your honor. May our hearts always know the joy that our struggle and suffering are not in vain, that if we are faithful, we may bring forth the fruit of righteousness. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Case of Gottliebin Dittus Charles E. Moore In a Black Forest village, a pastor battled demons and witnessed miracles. Read now André Trocmé in His Own Words André Trocmé In his newly published memoir, the French pastor tells how his village offered sanctuary to thousands of Jews facing deportation to concentration camps. Read now Your Friends Are Not in Your Phone Mary Townsend Like many educators, I dread another school year with AI. But a greater threat lurks close at hand. Read now Preaching with Power Fleming Rutledge When you set out to proclaim the gospel, spare us your personal anecdotes and opinions. Read now The Politics of Pagan Christianity James R. Wood Today’s nationalist Christians should heed the message of the anti-Nazi theologian Henri de Lubac. Read now
Daily Prayer for September 20
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty – and I will meditate on your wonderful works. Psalm 145:3–5, NIV Lord God, our Helper, we thank you for walking among us and for letting many experience your protection. Even when we are dying, you protect and help us so that we need not pass into death but may enter into life. So may our hearts be lifted up to you. Grant that the light in us remains undimmed, and that we may come before you in sincerity. Lord God, create good out of evil. Let light dawn in the darkness. Fulfill your promise, for our hearts are not concerned with human desires but with your promise. You will carry it out, and we will be able to say, “Our faith was not in vain, our hope was not in vain. Lord our God, you have blest us a thousandfold.” Amen. Recent articles on Plough Preaching with Power Fleming Rutledge When you set out to proclaim the gospel, spare us your personal anecdotes and opinions. Read now The Politics of Pagan Christianity James R. Wood Today’s nationalist Christians should heed the message of the anti-Nazi theologian Henri de Lubac. Read now Is Anything Supernatural? Andrew Davison What earthworms, humans, and angels have in common. Read now Meeting the Man in White Rachel Pieh Jones In the Horn of Africa, the world is alive with mischievous jinn, shining angels, and unexpected dreams of a good shepherd. Read now The Matter of Angels Alison Milbank How do angels fit into the Christian cosmos – and how do they relate to us? Read now