Daily Devotion

Something Beautiful

---

Today is Tuesday, 1st of July. As we begin the second half of the year, take a moment to be still in His presence.

---

We pray this collect by Thomas Cranmer:

Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that by patience and the comfort of your Holy Word
we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

We say the words of Psalm 48:8-14

As we have heard,
    so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
    in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
    forever.

⁹ Within your temple, O God,
    we meditate on your unfailing love.
¹⁰ Like your name, O God,
    your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
    your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹ Mount Zion rejoices,
    the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments.

¹² Walk about Zion, go around her,
    count her towers,
¹³ consider well her ramparts,
    view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
    to the next generation.

¹⁴ For this God is our God for ever and ever;
    he will be our guide even to the end.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

We meditate on Romans 9: 19-24

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 
²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 
²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 
²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
²⁴ even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Reflection

In our modern age, shaped by the way we are educated, we are trained to ask questions — and expect precise answers. This is one reason why tools like Google are so popular. We want clarity, quick solutions, and explanations that make sense.

Yet, if you have read the book of Job, you will realize that in some areas of life, there are simply no simple or precise answers. This is a truth recognized since ancient times. Job’s story reminds us that human suffering, divine justice, and God’s purposes often remain beyond our full grasp.

To lean into ambiguity can feel, at first, like a form of weakness or evasion. But biblical wisdom frequently takes us in that very direction — toward mystery, toward trust.

As Paul declares in today’s passage:

“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9:20)

Does the potter not have the right to shape the clay as he chooses? Ultimately, everything points to God’s grace. However different our paths may seem, we all depend on that grace, and it is where we will all finally arrive.

The age-old question of how human agency and divine will interact remains puzzling. Yet learning to accept God’s sovereign will is essential. Without this, we will struggle to cope with suffering, injustice, and life’s many unanswered questions — whether these touch us personally or weigh on us as we witness the world’s brokenness.

Sometimes, things happen in ways we cannot understand. And sometimes, this side of eternity offers no clear answers.

What we do have is a choice: to trust God as our Potter — the One who lovingly shapes and molds us into His likeness. He knows best. And through joys, trials, delays, and disappointments, we grow, learn, and are transformed.

The process may be slow and often painful. But we can trust Him — the God who has all of eternity in His hands — to take even the roughest, ugliest lump of clay and, in His time, fashion it into something beautiful for His glory.

We end with this Collect:

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest
we shall be saved,
in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength:
By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee,
to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Be blessed by this song, Something Beautiful

Link to today’s Morning Office

About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.

Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.

For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg