Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Monday, 8th of September. Take a moment to be still in His presence.
We pray:
Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 99
The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
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.
Mark 6:45-52
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Make me an island
It was a very dramatic and public miracle. Jesus had just miraculously fed a crowd of five thousand. It must have been an exciting moment for the disciples as they saw the miracle unfold before their very eyes and hands. Everyone was fed, with twelve baskets of leftovers.
But immediately, Jesus sent his disciples away and dismissed the crowd. There wasn’t even time to process the significance of the miracle. Instead of building on the momentum of this “feeding rally,” He withdrew.
We are told: “And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.” (Mark 6:46)
He left the adulating crowd behind. He sent His excited disciples away. He walked up the mountain—alone.
So that He could be with His Father.
So that He could pray.
Think about this. Three years of public ministry is not a long time. If Jesus were Singaporean, we might imagine Him using every minute to maximise results. Shouldn’t He have struck while the iron was hot? Instead, He chose solitude.
This brings us to the story of St Aidan, whose Feast Day falls on 31st August.
Aidan, a 7th-century Irish monk, became the first bishop of Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England. Known as the “Apostle of Northumbria,” he led a Celtic monastic community renowned for prayer, simplicity of life, and missionary zeal.
Aidan and his fellow monks would walk from village to village, teaching and evangelising. But their life had a rhythm: when the tide was up, cutting off the island, they would remain in the monastery for prayer. When the tide went down, they would cross the shallows to bring the gospel to others.
Prayer and mission. Solitude and service. One flowing into the other, like the tide.
In our modern city life, we often feel pressured to work constantly and produce visible results—even in ministry. But Jesus, and later St Aidan, show us another way.
There is a time to be with people, and a time to be alone with God. There is a time to serve, and a time to pray. The two are not opposed but complementary.
Like our Lord Jesus and later, St Aidan, we need to know when it is time to be alone in prayer. We need to ask God to “make me an island, set apart,
alone with you, God, holy to you.” That with the turning of the tides, we may carry His presence to a busy world.
We pray the Prayer of St Aidan:
Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart,
alone with you, God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond,
the world that rushes in on me
till the waters come again and fold me back to you.
We leave you with this song from the Taize community which has blessed many churches worldwide:
Wait for the Lord (Taize)
Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord, keep watch take heart.
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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