Daily Prayer for February 6
I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. Psalm 31:7, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we come before your presence with thanksgiving and rejoice that you are with us on earth. Even though we have many struggles and temptations and even though problems crowd in upon us, we know that we are in your hands and that everything must go according to your will. Hold us securely in your hand. Help us to bear all that we find hard, for we know you are in control and you lead everything to a good end. The darker and more difficult it may seem, the more clearly your hand will reveal the victory in those whose lives are founded in eternity, whose lives cannot end in sorrow but will end in your glory. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Brother Roger of Taizé Ben Cribbin He devoted his life to reconciliation and drew in thousands who otherwise might have abandoned church. His journals show it wasn’t always easy. Read now Obstacles to Christian Community Eberhard Arnold What are the biggest obstacles to community? And how can they be overcome? Read now God Made Us Curious Sally Clarkson As a precocious child, I vowed that when I became a teacher I would never stifle my students’ curiosity and enthusiasm. Read now The Anabaptist Community Bible Bonnie Kristian The Anabaptist Community Bible project marks Anabaptism’s 500th anniversary, once again gathering Christians to discuss what the Scriptures demand. Read now Warning: The Bible Is Not Just a Book Alastair Roberts You can’t read the Bible like a novel. It’s not just words on a page. Read now
Daily Prayer for February 5
I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1–2, NIV Lord our God, keep us in your Spirit. Surround us with your protection, so that in body and soul we may praise your might and be joyful even in a world full of evil. Shine into our hearts, that we may discern what is right and good and eternal. May you do more than we can ask or understand for those who still walk in darkness far away from you. May your eternal mercy enfold them, and may the earth be filled with thanks to you, the Creator and Father of us all. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Obstacles to Christian Community Eberhard Arnold What are the biggest obstacles to community? And how can they be overcome? Read now God Made Us Curious Sally Clarkson As a precocious child, I vowed that when I became a teacher I would never stifle my students’ curiosity and enthusiasm. Read now The Anabaptist Community Bible Bonnie Kristian The Anabaptist Community Bible project marks Anabaptism’s 500th anniversary, once again gathering Christians to discuss what the Scriptures demand. Read now Warning: The Bible Is Not Just a Book Alastair Roberts You can’t read the Bible like a novel. It’s not just words on a page. Read now Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer Alfred Delp Humans must have something holy to worship, or we find substitutes far more autocratic and demanding than the living God himself. Read now
Daily Prayer for February 4
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” John 14:6, RSV Lord our God, help us who have listened in the name of Jesus Christ and heard the good tidings. Help us come with our whole hearts to the Savior, who leads us into your arms. Hear our pleading and let your countenance shine over the world. Let a new age come soon. Send your salvation into the world to the glory of your name, so that the truth we have learned about you becomes a reality in our hearts and our whole life can be genuine, rooted in the truth, leading us into heaven, to the honor of your name. Hear us, O Lord our God. We entrust ourselves and our daily lives to you. We want to be faithful. Help us to be your children, mindful at every step that we belong to you. Amen. Recent articles on Plough God Made Us Curious Sally Clarkson As a precocious child, I vowed that when I became a teacher I would never stifle my students’ curiosity and enthusiasm. Read now The Anabaptist Community Bible Bonnie Kristian The Anabaptist Community Bible project marks Anabaptism’s 500th anniversary, once again gathering Christians to discuss what the Scriptures demand. Read now Warning: The Bible Is Not Just a Book Alastair Roberts You can’t read the Bible like a novel. It’s not just words on a page. Read now Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer Alfred Delp Humans must have something holy to worship, or we find substitutes far more autocratic and demanding than the living God himself. Read now Claiming Groundhog Day Clare Coffey There are people who see in every popular celebration a creeping paganism. They’d be wrong about this one. Read now
Daily Prayer for February 3
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:26-27, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we may come to you, for you have counted us as your children. Our hearts long to come to you, our God and Savior. May your Word bless us and restore us. Give us courageous hearts to bear the distress of our times. Let a light arise in our days so that people care about your will. Then the need on earth shall come to an end, your name shall be honored, and your will be done. Lord God, you alone are our help. Be merciful to us. Stretch out your hand so that all people may turn to you and to your commandments, and your will may be done on earth. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Anabaptist Community Bible Bonnie Kristian The Anabaptist Community Bible project marks Anabaptism’s 500th anniversary, once again gathering Christians to discuss what the Scriptures demand. Read now Warning: The Bible Is Not Just a Book Alastair Roberts You can’t read the Bible like a novel. It’s not just words on a page. Read now Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer Alfred Delp Humans must have something holy to worship, or we find substitutes far more autocratic and demanding than the living God himself. Read now Claiming Groundhog Day Clare Coffey There are people who see in every popular celebration a creeping paganism. They’d be wrong about this one. Read now Experiencing the Divine, and the Mundane, at Church Heidie Senseman A Sunday service is a rich mixture of the holy and the human. Read now
Daily Prayer for February 2
And those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:10 NIV Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that you lead us on all our paths. Together we praise your name. We plead with you, stay with us, especially when the world grows darker. Stay with us and send down your power. Send your power in answer to our prayers. For all people we pray, “Father in heaven, these are our brothers and sisters in spite of their failures and sins.” Help them, O God. May they soon come to recognize who you are, what you do, and what you will still do, so that the whole world can be joyful and all people on earth may know the blessing of being your children. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Warning: The Bible Is Not Just a Book Alastair Roberts You can’t read the Bible like a novel. It’s not just words on a page. Read now Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer Alfred Delp Humans must have something holy to worship, or we find substitutes far more autocratic and demanding than the living God himself. Read now Claiming Groundhog Day Clare Coffey There are people who see in every popular celebration a creeping paganism. They’d be wrong about this one. Read now Experiencing the Divine, and the Mundane, at Church Heidie Senseman A Sunday service is a rich mixture of the holy and the human. Read now Perfectly Human Sarah C. Williams My daughter Cerian’s life ended an hour before she was born. She taught me so much about beauty, worth, and the gift of being. Read now
Daily Prayer for February 1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1, NIV Lord our God, we thank you that we may be your children and may be led by your hand. Give us patience and faith, especially when our way on earth seems difficult and life is full of grief and hardship. You are light. You show us the right path. You go before us in the self-denial and patience taught us by your Word. Protect us on all our ways. May your kingdom grow among us until it can be plainly seen that you, O God, are truly with us doing your work and bringing us joy, even though what we do seems fruitless. But your work endures. In your work we rejoice, and we want to give thanks to you every day. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Meditation on the Lord’s Prayer Alfred Delp Humans must have something holy to worship, or we find substitutes far more autocratic and demanding than the living God himself. Read now Claiming Groundhog Day Clare Coffey There are people who see in every popular celebration a creeping paganism. They’d be wrong about this one. Read now Experiencing the Divine, and the Mundane, at Church Heidie Senseman A Sunday service is a rich mixture of the holy and the human. Read now Perfectly Human Sarah C. Williams My daughter Cerian’s life ended an hour before she was born. She taught me so much about beauty, worth, and the gift of being. Read now Birds in the Heart of Hell Julio Grotten A Mexican prisoner’s short fiction confronts the monsters and angels of his nightmares. Read now
Daily Prayer for January 31
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. Isaiah 62:1, NIV Lord our God, we worship you, for you come to meet us everywhere and you reveal your glory on our earth. May we become worthy of you, people who can represent you with our whole being. Give us the strength to endure, even through struggles and temptations. Be merciful to us at all times through Jesus Christ our Savior. May we remain body and soul in his hands, that at last we may come to you, our Father in heaven, as your true children, reborn through the Holy Spirit. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Experiencing the Divine, and the Mundane, at Church Heidie Senseman A Sunday service is a rich mixture of the holy and the human. Read now Perfectly Human Sarah C. Williams My daughter Cerian’s life ended an hour before she was born. She taught me so much about beauty, worth, and the gift of being. Read now Birds in the Heart of Hell Julio Grotten A Mexican prisoner’s short fiction confronts the monsters and angels of his nightmares. Read now Sister Penelope in Expectation Grace Hamman The mysterious friend of C. S. Lewis teaches how to know and be known in Christ. Read now The Leaves of the Tree Jesse Zink The Bible describes a tree with leaves for the healing of the nations. We could sure use such leaves now. Or do we have them already? Read now
Daily Prayer for January 29
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart. Deuteronomy 6:4–6, RSV Lord our God, we thank you that every day – through good days and through days that to us seem bad – we know that our lives are guided by your will, what you do and what you want. For this we thank you. We want to love you above everything in the world. Our hearts long for you, for you are our Father. We want to love and honor you with our whole lives. Lord our God, bring your order into the world. Help us at all times to do your will and to fulfill your commandments. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Perfectly Human Sarah C. Williams My daughter Cerian’s life ended an hour before she was born. She taught me so much about beauty, worth, and the gift of being. Read now Birds in the Heart of Hell Julio Grotten A Mexican prisoner’s short fiction confronts the monsters and angels of his nightmares. Read now Sister Penelope in Expectation Grace Hamman The mysterious friend of C. S. Lewis teaches how to know and be known in Christ. Read now The Leaves of the Tree Jesse Zink The Bible describes a tree with leaves for the healing of the nations. We could sure use such leaves now. Or do we have them already? Read now Where Is God When We Doubt? Edward Bouverie Pusey Anglican theologian Edward Pusey’s letters offer hope for those plagued by unwanted whisperings of doubt. Read now
Daily Prayer for January 28
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8, NIV Lord our God, we come into your presence and ask you to help us. Help us in every part of our lives, even when we do not understand. Be with us with your Spirit. Guide and lead us with your hand. Let your will be done in all things, even if we must bear suffering. Your will is for good alone and you will set everything right. Help us. Bless us through your Word, through everything we are allowed to hear from you, our God and our Father. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Birds in the Heart of Hell Julio Grotten A Mexican prisoner’s short fiction confronts the monsters and angels of his nightmares. Read now Sister Penelope in Expectation Grace Hamman The mysterious friend of C. S. Lewis teaches how to know and be known in Christ. Read now The Leaves of the Tree Jesse Zink The Bible describes a tree with leaves for the healing of the nations. We could sure use such leaves now. Or do we have them already? Read now Where Is God When We Doubt? Edward Bouverie Pusey Anglican theologian Edward Pusey’s letters offer hope for those plagued by unwanted whisperings of doubt. Read now Poem: “The Hum of Light” Robert W. Crawford The power lines are down. We’re in the dark, / the victims of a wet, cement-like snow. Read now
Daily Prayer for January 27
My prayer for you is that you may have still more love – a love that is full of knowledge and wise insight. I want you to be able always to recognize the highest and the best, and to live sincere and blameless lives until the day of Christ. I want to see your lives full of true goodness, produced by the power that Jesus Christ gives you to the praise and glory of God. Philippians 1:9–11, (Phillips) Lord our God, we thank you for filling our hearts with such great trust. We thank you for all we are given in our lives, above all that we can come to know Jesus Christ. We thank you that over and over we can draw strength and life from his life. Praise to your name, for our life has a goal and we may find strength and certainty during our time on earth. You will reveal what we hope for, and even now you allow us to keep something of this goal before our eyes. We praise you that your name may become great in our midst and that again and again new life can well up from us, who are poor and weak. May your name be praised for setting this goal before us to strengthen us. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Sister Penelope in Expectation Grace Hamman The mysterious friend of C. S. Lewis teaches how to know and be known in Christ. Read now The Leaves of the Tree Jesse Zink The Bible describes a tree with leaves for the healing of the nations. We could sure use such leaves now. Or do we have them already? Read now Where Is God When We Doubt? Edward Bouverie Pusey Anglican theologian Edward Pusey’s letters offer hope for those plagued by unwanted whisperings of doubt. Read now Poem: “The Hum of Light” Robert W. Crawford The power lines are down. We’re in the dark, / the victims of a wet, cement-like snow. Read now Religious Persecution in the World’s Largest Democracy Jetti A. Oliver Attacks on churches and mosques are only one symptom of the Hindu nationalism gripping India. Read now