Voice: Emily
Today is Friday, 9th of January. The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day
and the new Season of Epiphany,
may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.
We read Psalm 2
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
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.
Matthew 20:29-34
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
“What do you want me to do for you?”
This familiar Gospel story of the restoration of sight offers us several devotional insights for today.
The two blind men were sitting by the roadside. We may reasonably assume they were begging for alms. As Jesus passed by, something stirred. They could hear it in the crowd—an unusual movement, a heightened murmur. Perhaps voices were whispering about this rabbi from Nazareth, whom some believed to be the Messiah.
Seizing the moment, the blind men cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be quiet. But instead of shrinking back, they cried out again—this time even louder.
Jesus stopped. Cutting through the noise and commotion, He called out, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Why did Jesus ask such a question when the answer seemed obvious? Unlike them, He could see. Their need was written plainly on their faces. It raises a question we sometimes ask ourselves: Why pray, when God already knows what we long for?
Their reply was simple and honest: “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes—and they received their sight.
Often, the miracles Jesus performed were simply acts of love and mercy. He did not always set out to make a theological point or to expose hypocrisy. This was not an object lesson for the Pharisees, nor a sign pointing toward His resurrection, as in the raising of Lazarus. It was a personal, spontaneous response of compassion to human need.
“My child, what do you want me to do for you?”
You may be in pain. You may be burdened by need or longing. Others may rebuke you—silently or openly—for crying out to the Lord over something personal. Yet Jesus still stops. He still listens.
Of course, the Lord’s blessings are not dispensed at our command. We do not always know how—or when—He will answer our prayers. But this Gospel assures us of something important: we are invited to cry out to Him. Our honest pleading is not ignored.
And sometimes, the greatest grace is simply that He stops, listens, and asks us to name our deepest desire.
We pray the Epiphany Collect
O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
As we close, let me share this old chorus from the early 70s, sung by Elvis Presley.
Is your burden heavy as you bear it all alone?
Does the road you travel, harbor dangers yet unknown?
Are you growin’ weary in the struggle of it all?
Jesus will help you with all his name you call
He’s always there hearing every prayer, faithful and true
Walking by our side, in his love we hide all the day through
When you get discouraged just remember what to do
Reach out to Jesus, he’s reaching out to you
Is the life you’re living filled with sorrow and despair?
Does the future press you with its worry and its scare?
Are you tired and jealous, have you almost your way?
Jesus will help you, just talk to him today
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 terrywong@anglican.org.sg
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