14 Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Questions for Reflection:
How do you feel to know that God "takes great delight in you?"
What makes it possible for God to delight in us?
How could you lift your hand in rejoicing either figuratively or literally today?
Prayer of the Week:
Daily Opening Prayer (including 2 minutes of silence)
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I rejoice in the in the reality and opportunity to spend these moments in Your presence. It is so good to be with you Jesus, so good. Please, restore me in You and renew me in you that I might experience all of You that is possible. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit, saturate me in Your Love, saturate me in your Life and saturate me in Your JOY this day. Untangle me from my anxious thoughts, immerse me now in my true identity as a child of my heavenly Father with an irreplaceable role to play this day, in Your larger story.
Jesus, help me untangle from all other claims on my attention as I engage with you in this time. I ask for more of your JOY today and an increased capacity to REJOICE in You and all You are to me. I am open to You Jesus now … I rest in You… (Spend two minutes of reflective silence with eyes closed, this time is embedded in the audio version … just rest in the presence of yourself and Jesus!)
Daily Closing Prayer
Jesus, through the waiting of this Advent give me a deeper desire for you and for Your JOY in my life. I long for you and for a life of REJOICING! I long also for Your return to make all things new – when JOY and REJOICING will flow uninhibited! Jesus, I renounce any and all ways I tend to look to others and my circumstances as my source of JOY and my reason for REJOICING. I want You and all You have done, are doing and will do for me to be the foundation of my JOY - then I will be able see and not miss all the myriad people and experiences in my everyday life as invitations to REJOICE. Jesus, I admit that I am not good at JOY and REJOICING especially when my situation and circumstances are difficult and overwhelming. I trust Your grace in these moments. I trust you will meet me in those places as well. I know having your JOY does not ignore my reality but rather helps me navigate my reality with You in the center - and when You are with me then the possibilities HOPE and JOY and PEACE abound.
Thank you – Thank You – Thank You! I receive You now.
I am excited to see what you can do today. I know you can do amazing things, and I would love to be a part of them.
I am waiting for your cue.
Amen
