Daily Prayer for January 30
Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. Isaiah 45:22-23, NIV Lord God, we kneel before you and worship you, for you do mighty deeds in heaven and on earth and allow us to become your children and your servants. You have done great things for many people, enabling them to serve you, and you will do still more. For you have promised that all our paths will be made straight. You have promised that all we do may be a service to you through Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, whom we follow. He will be revealed to the whole world, so that the nations will be called to serve you and your will may be done on earth as in heaven. Praised be your name, Lord our God! We open our hearts to you. In death and in life we are yours. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Hidden Life of Duck Women Elizabeth Wainwright James Rebanks learns from women who gather eiderdown on remote Norwegian islands. Read now My Childhood Friend, Renee Good Jane Clark Scharl Long before a federal agent shot her and she became a headline and a symbol, Renee was the best singer – and listener – in my church youth group. Read now How to Love Your Neighbor Simone Weil The sympathy of the strong for the weak is against nature. Read now The Backwoods Sculptor Chris Voll Barney Boller, a Bruderhof artist, shapes steel, bronze, clay, and wood. Read now The Science of Revenge Tim Maendel A new book helps us understand and overcome the world’s deadliest addiction. Read now
Daily Prayer for January 8
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” Luke 17:5–6, NIV Father in heaven, we thank you for the many ways you strengthen us and reveal your life to us. We thank you for all your protection, also for your protection of our faith and hope. Grant that your Spirit may penetrate us more and more, enabling us to be your witnesses in this evil and unhappy world. May your Spirit give us hope for this life and for the life to come. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Forsaking Mammon Andreas Ehrenpreis Community is not compulsory; it a joyful, voluntary act of surrender. Read now Beckoned by Beauty Kacey Sycamore How I stumbled into a story much bigger than my own – and found my way to the Bruderhof. Read now How Does Scripture Talk About Beauty? Joy Marie Clarkson and Ben Quash In a new season of the Another Life podcast, Joy Marie Clarkson and Ben Quash look at beauty in the Old and New Testaments. Read now Icon or Idol? Natalie Carnes Christianity has a love-hate relationship with sacred art. Read now The Riddle of Beauty in Nature C. S. Lewis and Gregory of Nyssa Why the poets tell us lovely falsehoods about nature. Read now
Daily Prayer for January 5
The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Matthew 4:16, NIV Dear Father in heaven, be close to us as we seek you in the quiet of our hearts. Grant us the strength of your Spirit, the strength to wait patiently for your help in our lives. Help us to hold to all that is good. Help us to feel, each one of us, that we are your children and that we may rejoice in your fatherly care. May your will be done more and more fully in us and around us. May your will be done so that we may be given ever greater freeing and your light can dawn where there is still darkness. Amen. Recent articles on Plough How Does Scripture Talk About Beauty? Joy Marie Clarkson and Ben Quash In a new season of the Another Life podcast, Joy Marie Clarkson and Ben Quash look at beauty in the Old and New Testaments. Read now Icon or Idol? Natalie Carnes Christianity has a love-hate relationship with sacred art. Read now The Riddle of Beauty in Nature C. S. Lewis and Gregory of Nyssa Why the poets tell us lovely falsehoods about nature. Read now Luna of Tasajera Philip Holsinger On a windswept island far from the gangs and prisons, I saw the future of El Salvador. Read now Finding Faith on YouTube Nathan Dufour Oglesby Can anything good come out of Gen Z Christians arguing about doctrine on YouTube? I think so. Read now
Daily Prayer for December 24
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord”…Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:10–11, 13–14, NIV Lord God, our Father in heaven, you have sent us the Savior, who was born to bring great joy to all people. Glorify your name, we pray. Give the world the peace you alone can give, the peace that wells up in our hearts. Let your favor rest on us so that we may hold out under our sufferings on earth. We need your loving help to remain inwardly steadfast until everyone can be reached by the message, “Be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ.” Amen. Recent articles on Plough Carol of the Birds Marianne Wright Listen to a carol that Pablo Casals considered one of the most beautiful melodies ever created. Read now The Legend of the Christmas Rose Selma Lagerlöf In this Christmas story, an outcast family of robbers, a sympathetic abbot, and a hard-hearted lay brother witness a miracle. Read now God’s Wisdom Made Visible Elizabeth Lev Giotto di Bondone’s Nativity was a revolutionary work in its time. Read now Caroling to Neighbors Bethany Joy Hebbard Caroling with children may feel awkward, but it’s a great way to share Christmas with neighbors – and to recall Mary and Joseph going door to door. Read now The Child Who Turned the World Upside-Down Sigrid Undset The devil, no matter his disguise, is no match for Mary’s son. Read now
Daily Prayer for December 17
For it was life which appeared before us: we saw it, we are eyewitnesses of it, and are now writing to you about it. It was the very life of all ages, the life that has always existed with the Father, which actually became visible in person to us mortal men. 1 John 1:2, Phillips Lord our God, we thank you that you have given us the light of life, that we can now learn how to live, and that through your great grace we may understand life in direct relationship with the Lord Jesus, who was crucified and who rose from the dead. Grant that the power of Christ may be made visible in us. Grant that his life may become our life, that we may leave behind all doubts and anxiety, even though we are often surrounded by darkness and night. Keep us in your Word. Let your will hold sway over all the world, for your will must be done in heaven, on earth, and down to the lowest depths. Let your will be done on earth as in all the heavens. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Children of Terabithia Caitrin Keiper What is there of beauty in losing an unborn baby? Read now Six Ways to Resist the Machine Paul Kingsnorth The technological mindset is corrupting our souls. It’s time to fight. Read now My Mother’s Hidden Radiance Brandon Vaidyanathan For years, her mental illness kept me from seeing her beauty. Read now Dogs, Deer, Herons, and the Promise of Beauty Peter Mommsen Beauty, says the French novelist Stendhal, is the promise of joy. But is it a promise we can trust? Read now Living on Manger Street Stephanie Saldaña A current resident of Bethlehem on the meaning of Advent in a country at war. Read now
Daily Prayer for December 8
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:7– 8, NIV Father in heaven, we surrender ourselves to your love, the love in which Christ comes to us. Like children we say every day to the Lord Jesus himself, “Lord Jesus, come, come! Even if we cannot see you today because times have changed, come into the world, come more and more into world history. Send more and more of your nature, your goodness, into all hearts. Come at last, come quickly to bring an end to the adversary, an end to world power with its sinister, hostile character. May bright day, clear light from the Father in heaven, dawn through you, Lord Jesus. Yes, come, Lord Jesus!” Amen. Recent articles on Plough Humans Aren’t the Only Pebble on the Cosmic Beach Alison Milbank and Joy Marie Clarkson Joy and Alison discuss the importance of angels and why parishes are good. Read now Seeing Our Way to Humanity Coretta Thomson Through the weeds, Frederick Franck’s sculpture park Pacem in Terris still speaks. Read now Unanswered Prayers in Ukraine Taras Dyatlik During another Advent in wartime, a Ukrainian pastor wrestles with the silence of heaven. Read now A Christmas Song for the Ages Chris Zimmerman With its tone of reverent awe, Max Bruch’s “In der Christnacht” captures the essence of Holy Night without mistletoe or even shepherds and kings. Read now Can Beauty and Justice Meet in Architecture? Kelly W. Foster An architect feels forced to choose between beauty for the rich and justice for the poor. A tuberculosis sanatorium shows him he doesn’t have to. Read now
Daily Prayer for December 4
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:10–11, NIV Lord our God, strengthen our hearts today through your Word. You are our Father and we are your children, and we want to trust you in every aspect of our lives. Protect us on all our ways, and grant that we may always watch and wait for the coming of your kingdom, for the future of our Lord Jesus Christ. Keep us from becoming confused by present-day events. Help us to remain free, that we may serve you and not be led astray, no matter what happens in the world. Grant us your Holy Spirit in everything, for without your Spirit we can do nothing. Help us, and accept our praise for the many ways you have given us help. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Can Beauty and Justice Meet in Architecture? Kelly W. Foster An architect feels forced to choose between beauty for the rich and justice for the poor. A tuberculosis sanatorium shows him he doesn’t have to. Read now The Dangers of Advent J. B. Phillips No amount of familiarity with the trappings of Christmas should blind us to its quiet but explosive significance. Read now Stuck in Mexico Joseph Sorrentino With the US border effectively closed, a photojournalist finds migrants in limbo at Casa Tochan, a shelter in Mexico City. Read now Let the Children Rage Reynolds Chapman A father reads Katherine Rundell’s The Poisoned King, the second book in the Impossible Creatures series, to his twelve-year-old and six-year-old. Read now Blank Pages in the Family Book Amelia Buzzard When asking my Korean grandmother about my roots, I learn to listen to her silences. Read now
Daily Prayer for December 2
The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. Psalm 118:24-26, NIV Lord God, our hearts are full of praise and thanks for your promise. You comfort and help us with this promise every day, enabling us to hold true through all distress. Remember us in these times, and let the cry, “Hosanna,” arise often in our hearts. Let a bright light shine out now as you once let it shine around the Lord Jesus, showing him as King and Savior. Protect us and bless us. Bless our land and all those appointed to govern. May your Spirit be with them so that they may carry out your will. For your will must be done and shall surely happen. In this we trust, and in this we hope. We praise you, O Lord our God. Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Amen. Recent articles on Plough Stuck in Mexico Joseph Sorrentino With the US border effectively closed, a photojournalist finds migrants in limbo at Casa Tochan, a shelter in Mexico City. Read now Let the Children Rage Reynolds Chapman A father reads Katherine Rundell’s The Poisoned King, the second book in the Impossible Creatures series, to his twelve-year-old and six-year-old. Read now Blank Pages in the Family Book Amelia Buzzard When asking my Korean grandmother about my roots, I learn to listen to her silences. Read now From the Annunciation to the Visitation Joel Clarkson After an angel tells Mary she will bear the Savior, she sets out to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Both encounters are rich in meaning for Advent. Read now What Makes a Home? Brittany Hurd Being blind hasn’t stopped me from trying to picture a perfect home. Read now
Daily Prayer for November 29
I assure you that the man who believes in me will do the same things that I have done, yes, and he will do even greater things than these, for I am going away to the Father. John 14:12, Phillips Lord our God, we call to you, “Abba, dear Father!” because your Spirit draws us to Jesus Christ the Savior and to his gospel. We call to you for we belong to your kingdom. Give us strength to remain steadfast through all the troubles of our lives. Let your hand remain over us and over the warring nations. Your hand directs, your hand carries out the thoughts of your heart. May the time soon come when you will bring everything to fulfillment and give peace on earth. In expectation we praise your name, for you will bring this time and you will bring it soon. For your kingdom must come, your will must be done on earth as in heaven, and everything must go according to your plan. Amen. Recent articles on Plough From the Annunciation to the Visitation Joel Clarkson After an angel tells Mary she will bear the Savior, she sets out to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Both encounters are rich in meaning for Advent. Read now What Makes a Home? Brittany Hurd Being blind hasn’t stopped me from trying to picture a perfect home. Read now An Abortionist Changes Her Mind Nafeesa Dawoodbhoy The birth of my daughter confronted me with the competition between my autonomy and her demand to be loved. Read now Finding Gratitude Johann Christoph Arnold In uncertain and turbulent times, it can be hard to give thanks. Yet this is precisely when gratitude matters most. Read now Consider the Birds Caleb Scholtens Birdwatching, George Orwell suggests, “makes a peaceful and decent future a little more probable.” Calvin and Hobbes would agree. Read now
Daily Prayer for November 22
Be patient, then, my brothers, until the Lord comes. See how patient a farmer is as he waits for his land to produce precious crops. He waits patiently for the autumn and spring rains. James 5:7, TEV Lord Jesus, hear our prayer and reveal your hand in our days. May those things be done that bring your future nearer and that let the world see you as the Savior who can lead us to our Father. Bless your Word within us. May our hearts be strengthened, and may we always live in your presence. We draw our life from your Word, from your promise, and we set our hope on you, our Lord and Savior. Show your might, Lord Jesus, and carry out the will of God over all the world, so that we may rejoice when we see God’s glory appear and his will being done on earth as in heaven. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Education Should Begin Early John Amos Comenius A seventeenth-century educator knew formation of character starts while children are young. Read now When Faith Hardens Gabriel Barsawme When threatened, we humans naturally choose rigid certainty and clarity over remaining open to the truth. Ephrem the Syrian can help. Read now The Angel Who Wanted a Hamburger Cameron Garden Karl Rahner helps us take angels seriously, even if they are admittedly hard to pin down. Read now The Spirit of Early Christianity Eberhard Arnold Why has the example of the first Christians never ceased to fuel renewal and reform? Read now Read Your Enemies David Mills “Know your enemy” is always good advice, but knowing your enemy may include knowing in what ways they’re not enemies but allies. Read now