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
Daily Prayer for September 15
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. This is the very word of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8–9, NEB Lord our God, we thank you for allowing us to come to you and to stand before your face. We thank you for helping us throughout our life on earth, for strengthening our faith in you and our trust in all you do. Bless us and give us courage. May your light shine out among the peoples so that they recognize your will. May your light shine out so that your name may be praised and we can rejoice in the new time you give us. For you will be at work and you will accomplish it. Even when we do not know what will become of our time, you know what our time needs, and you will carry out your will. You will let your name be honored. You will bring your kingdom, and you will change everything for the good. Amen. Recent articles on Plough We Are All Heirs Grace Hamman Thomas Traherne wants you to enjoy the world. Read now Miracles Are Not Magic Carlos Eire For saints who flew, miracles came as a byproduct of holiness. Read now Readings: On Divine Nature Herbert McCabe and Augustine of Hippo The church father Augustine of Hippo and Irish priest Herbert McCabe help us recognize the sacred all around us. Read now Against Re-Enchantment Joy Marie Clarkson Secularism has robbed the world of gods and goblins, we are told. Is that a bad thing? Read now Strange Gifts of the Spirit Sarah Killam Crosby What might other Christians learn from Pentecostalism? Read now
Daily Prayer for September 6
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:14–15, NIV Dear Father in heaven, how shall we thank you for all you give to us, your children, for the great wisdom and power you hold in readiness for us if we are childlike? We want to be glad in your presence. We do not want to weep and complain, though tears often threaten to come. We simply want to ask you to protect us, your children. Protect all your children on earth. Let the pain that breaks over them be taken away, for the sake of the whole world. Even when we must follow a hard road, let all the suffering we endure become part of the fight that brings in the kingdom of heaven, bringing your purpose to the earth and great mercy to the peoples, bringing to all the world the wonderful forgiveness that enables men to be reborn, until at last all are called your children. Sustain us. Help us. Bless us. May the Savior always live among us, reviving and strengthening us in body and soul. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Gospel of Grace Brennan Manning We believe that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps – until they are cut. Read now Poor Men West of Richmond Maureen Swinger What I found at an Oliver Anthony concert. Read now Superdoctors From Saint Roch to The Pitt Ellie Rose Mattoon Saint Roch forced me to grapple with how far I might be willing to go for the patients in my care. Read now Sandpile Parenting Johann Christoph Arnold As children we had a big sandpile where our imaginations could run wild. Read now The One Who Promises King-Ho Leung The making and keeping of promises and vows seems to be something close to Taylor Swift’s heart. What can we learn from her songs? Read now