Voice: Shivdas
Today is Tuesday, 12th of August.
Let us come before Him with praise and thanksgiving.
We read Psalms 32:1-7
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
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.
Ezekiel 33: 2-6
2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 3 and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Reflection
Being a “Jaga”
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Cain’s question to God, when asked about the whereabouts of Abel, still echoes through the ages.
We ask a similar question today:
Why should I be responsible for someone else’s life?
The truth is, some people are responsible for others. Parents. Teachers. Pastors. Politicians. Policemen. Lifeguards. And yes, watchmen. All of them, in one way or another, play a kind of “watchman” role.
In Singapore, we sometimes use the colloquial term “Jaga”—someone who watches over something or someone, a guardian of sorts.
In the time of Ezekiel, prophets were called to be jagas. They were seers—those who could perceive the truth of a situation and warn the people when danger was near. Their role was to watch and to speak.
If they saw the sword coming and failed to blow the trumpet, they would be held accountable.
The blood of the people would be on their hands (Ezekiel 33:6).
That’s a sobering thought. It’s also why it was easier to be a false prophet than a true one. After all, who doesn’t prefer to hear only good things?
In the New Testament, Paul warns the Ephesian church about false teaching and tells them they must “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
The literal Greek phrase is “truthing in love”—a lifestyle of honesty, motivated by care.
Think about your own life.
Isn’t it true that the people who made the biggest difference were those who loved you enough to tell you the hard truths?
They may have said things that were painful to hear—but they spoke with love, and their words may have changed your life.
So here’s the question:
Are there people you are meant to “jaga” over?
Has God placed you in a position to watch over someone?
Do you sense there’s something you need to say—perhaps a warning, a correction, a loving truth?
It will take courage. But if you love them, you will speak.
We close with the Collect of the Day:
Almighty Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
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 song, Speak O Lord.
Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy Word
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory
Teach us, Lord, full obedience
Holy reverence, true humility
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity
Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority
Words of pow’r that can never fail
Let their truth prevail over unbelief
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity
And by grace, we’ll stand on Your promises
And by faith, we’ll walk as You walk with us
Speak, O Lord, ’til Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory
Daily Devotion 
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