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
Daily Prayer for August 31
You should think of us as Christ’s servants, who have been put in charge of God’s secret truths. The one thing required of such a servant is that he be faithful to his master. 1 Corinthians 4:1–2, TEV Dear Father in heaven, open our hearts to see and feel how our lives have been blest. Open our hearts to your blessings so that we may look forward in thankfulness and joy to what lies ahead. Grant that we may be faithful to what we have received from you and never again lose ourselves in the passing moment. May we hold to all you have brought to our hearts from eternity, that your name may be honored and our lives shaped anew in Jesus Christ. Give us courage to overcome the evils in life and to look with joy and confident expectation to the future, when the powers of your kingdom will be ever more clearly revealed. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Defeating the Noonday Devil Ladislaus Boros Sloth, or acedia, is not idleness or laziness. According to classical writers, it’s most likely to strike midlife. Read now Saint Galgano’s Sword Logan Messenger A knight, instead of drawing a sword from a stone, thrusts his in and leaves it there. Read now The Killer in Our Choir Daylan Woodall My hometown’s hidden history of violence has left wounds that only divine justice could heal. Read now Tights Narine Abgaryan If only I had grabbed warm tights for her. During a lull between explosions, she darted out to grab warm clothes, and her daughter chased after her. Read now Forgiving the Unforgivable? Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz Did forgiveness die in the concentration camps? Read now
Daily Prayer for August 28
The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. Psalm 93:1, NIV Lord our God, you are king, founding a kingdom that reaches to the ends of the earth, establishing it to endure forever. We thank you that we may be sheltered in your hands and that no sickness of body or soul can do us lasting harm. We thank you for lifting us again and again to true life with the light and power to overcome what is earthly, true life with the flexibility to remain trusting and confident no matter what happens, true life directed to the great goal of God’s kingdom, promised to us in Jesus Christ. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Killer in Our Choir Daylan Woodall My hometown’s hidden history of violence has left wounds that only divine justice could heal. Read now Tights Narine Abgaryan If only I had grabbed warm tights for her. During a lull between explosions, she darted out to grab warm clothes, and her daughter chased after her. Read now Forgiving the Unforgivable? Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz Did forgiveness die in the concentration camps? Read now The Fantasy World of John Masefield Boze Herrington Masefield’s novels are a glorious hodgepodge of boat voyages, witch covens, flying cars, gun battles with gangsters, talking cats, and time travel. Read now Climbing Through the Ropes Elisha James Jones As I consider how to guide my son in what it means to be a man, I turn to boxing. Read now
Daily Prayer for August 23
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:10–11, NIV Lord our God, we thank you that you have given us an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We thank you that you have already begun to give us new vision, that already many things are being transformed, so that we may go gladly and confidently on our way with hope for whatever is still unsolved. May all this live in our hearts and fill us with thanks to you. We want to be courageous and keep in sight what still needs to be changed. Then we can take part as workers in your vineyard. May the light you have given us continue to shine in us and burn ever more brightly, as you have promised. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Simone Weil Encounters Jesus Simone Weil Perhaps, in spite of everything, he does love me. Read now Breaking Free of Revenge Antoine E. Davis A father attempts to break the cycle of gun violence – and fatherlessness – from a prison payphone. Read now Soviet Kindergarten Eugene Vodolazkin Kindergarten was a miniature model of real life, where days of glory and success intertwined with periods of failure and bad luck. Read now If My Moon Was Your Sun Andreas Steinhöfel and Nele Palmtag An author and illustrator explain how music inspired a children’s book about dementia. Read now The Absolute Absurdity of a Christian Nation Jason G. Edwards What would it look like if a country made Jesus’ teachings its constitution? Read now
Daily Prayer for August 11
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Isaiah 52:7–8, NIV Lord our God, grant that we may be your watchmen, who can understand what you mean for our time. We thank you for all you have already done, for every change to the good among the nations. For the nations must bow to your will so that nothing happens unless accomplished by you. Judge us wherever necessary. Open our eyes to see where we are wrong and where something does not go according to your Spirit. Be with us and give us strength. Raise up more watchmen everywhere, in every place and in every home. Wherever something happens to move people’s hearts, let the watchmen proclaim, “This comes from God. It does not matter how much we suffer. This comes from Jesus Christ, who suffered and died, but who rose again.” Raise up such watchmen among young and old everywhere on earth, to the glory of your name. Let there be a people who go to meet you with shouts of joy and thanksgiving. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Artist Not for Hire Daniel Domig A contemporary painter describes how he balances his artistry with earning a living and parenting. Read now Should Disabled Parents Have Kids? Jenna Klaassen What should I make of online comments advising me not to pass on my genetic condition? Read now What I Learned at Ravensbruck Corrie ten Boom A concentration camp prisoner turns to prayer. Read now Growing Roots in Portugal Claudio Oliver A small intentional community moves continents and finds new neighbors. Read now Christian Nonviolence and Church History Ronald J. Sider What would happen if all the Christians in the world refused to kill? Read now
Daily Prayer for July 27
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:16, NIV Lord our God, bring us together as one. Give us your Spirit so that we may know you, so that joy may fill our hearts, not only for ourselves but also for others. Root out evil from the earth. Sweep away all that offends you, all lying, deceit, and hate between nations. Grant that all people may come to know you, so that disunity and conflict may be swept away and your eternal kingdom may arise on earth and we may rejoice in it. For your kingdom can come to people even while on earth to bring them happiness and to make them your own children. Yes, Lord God, we want to be your children, your people, held in your hand, so that your name may be honored, your kingdom may come, and your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen. Recent articles on Plough In Deep Water off Antarctica Jessica T. Miskelly On an icebreaker off the coast of Antarctica, I felt a warming planet’s pulse. Read now The Unspeakable Beauty of God’s Love Clement of Rome A first-century bishop of Rome writes to the believers in Corinth. Read now Orthodox Stonemasonry Alan Koppschall A crew of master builders build houses using old methods. Read now The Redemption of Lam Trang T. J. English After serving twenty-eight years in prison, a former teenage immigrant, gang member, drug addict, and killer looks to build a life. Read now Dialogue in Christian Community Elizabeth O’Connor Dialogue requires a clear, radical, and arduous commitment to listening. Read now