Voice: Terry
Today is Tuesday, 22nd of July. Take a moment to be still in His presence.
Brothers and sisters, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Let us confess our sins to almighty God
God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our fellow men,
in thought and word and deed
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us, forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life;
to the glory of your name. Amen.
We praise the Lord in the words of Psalm 150:
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
7 Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”
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 read 1 Samuel 16:14-23
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Reflection
More Than Just a Song
Isn’t a piece of music just… music?
And does it really matter who’s playing it?
As we see from this passage in 1 Samuel 16, the answer is: Yes, it does matter.
When young David was first introduced to King Saul’s court, he wasn’t known yet for slaying giants—but for his music. He was described as a skilful musician, “a man of good presence, and the Lord was with him.” (v.18)
Whenever David played, something happened.
King Saul, tormented by a harmful spirit, would be refreshed, and the affliction would lift.
David’s music carried more than sound—it carried the presence of God.
This reminds us not to underestimate the power of music—or the one who plays it. Music can soothe or stir, heal or harm, depending on the spirit behind it. In the hands of the right person—someone anointed, humble, and walking with the Lord—music becomes ministry.
The Church has been richly blessed with millennia of sacred music from many cultures—psalms, hymns, spiritual songs—all written with the aim of lifting hearts toward God. Many churches are blessed with musicians who, like David, are “of good presence and have the Lord with them.”
So don’t treat the “music time” in worship services as something optional or secondary.
It’s not just the prelude to the sermon.
The experience of worship begins even before the service starts—as God prepares our hearts through music and praise.
Will you be present, punctual, and fully engaged in this “ministry of David”?
And if you are feeling spiritually low, emotionally heavy, or just “out of sorts,” consider this:
Is there a modern-day “David” in your life—someone whose music carries healing and comfort? Perhaps you’ve never considered the role of good, God-honouring music in lifting your spirit.
Let the Lord minister to you through this gift.
Let music be more than sound—let it refresh you and draw you closer to His presence.
We end with the Collect for the day, which focuses our prayers for those who ministers in the Church. Do take a moment to pray for those who are involved in the music ministry in your local church.
We pray:
Almighty and everlasting God,
by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified:
hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,
that in their vocation and ministry
they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Be blessed by this: More than a Song
I have more than a song
Today, I brought myself
I am the sacrifice
I have more than a song
Today, hey, I brought myself
I am Your worship
Lord receive
This living sacrifice
I am Yours
Accept this living sacrifice
I am Your worship
…
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
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