Voice: Terry
Today is Wednesday, 14th of January. We pause to prepare our hearts to hear His voice.
We pray:
“Eternal Lord God, we give thanks for bringing us
through the changes of time to the beginning of another year.
Forgive us the wrong we have done in the year that is past,
and help us to spend the rest of our days to your honour and glory;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.
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.
Genesis 2:15-25
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
“It is not good…”
The early chapters of Genesis are narrative in genre, yet they carry profound truths about our world and our Christian faith. Even within a single verse, Scripture opens up deep insights into God’s intention for humanity.
For our reflection this morning, we consider these words:
“It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
(Genesis 2:18)
Up to this point, God has repeatedly declared all that He has made to be “very good.” Here, for the first time, God identifies something as “not good.” What makes this especially striking is that this declaration comes before the Fall.
Human aloneness, even in Eden, is not God’s intention.
The Hebrew word translated “helper” is ʿezer, a word frequently used elsewhere in Scripture to describe God Himself as the helper of Israel. It carries no sense of inferiority or servitude. Rather, it speaks of strength, support, and faithful aid.
The companion God creates is therefore not merely someone useful, but someone corresponding to the man — one who stands face-to-face with him, equal in dignity, capable of mutual relationship and shared life. This passage is not solely about marriage—though it certainly lays its foundation (see verses 24–25)—but about humanity’s fundamental need for communion and companionship.
The starting point of human existence is not simply “I am,” but “I love.” Created in the imago Dei (as we reflected yesterday), we are made not only for relationship with God, but also for relationship with one another. Just as our Triune God is relational, so human flourishing is inseparable from community.
In a world that prizes independence and self-sufficiency, this verse reminds us that needing others is not a weakness but a mark of our created design. To live entirely alone is “not good”—not because we are lacking, but because we are made for love, mutuality, and shared life.
The Church is called to embody this truth. The new commandment we have received is to love one another as Christ has loved us. This is both our gift and our witness to a world that often retreats into isolated individualism.
So today, give thanks for those whom God has placed in your life. Treasure your brothers and sisters in your cell group or local church. And if you know of someone who is walking alone, reach out. In doing so, you participate in God’s healing intention spoken at the very beginning: “It is not good that the man should be alone.”
We end with this Collect for Care of His Creation:
Eternal God,
you crown the year with your goodness
and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
grant that we may use them to your glory,
for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being;
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.
In closing, I like to share a song that carries remembrance for some dear friends in Christ who have gone home to the Lord. Be blessed by A Season in your Path.
Heard that friends are friends forever
But we don’t talk much anymore
I guess that I’ve gone my way
And I guess that you’ve gone yours
Was kindness too neglected
On my list of deep regret
In spite of distance unexpected
Can we forgive but not forget
Sometimes I think about you
Some old memories make me cry
Remembering the good times make me laugh
Yeah, yeah
But all in all, I’m richer
For the happy and the sad
And thankful for a season in your path
I guess God alone deciphers
When people need each other most
Who will be the blessed receiver
And who will be the gracious host
And all a servant here can do
Is unto the Lord avail
Content at times to be the wind
And at times to be the sail
If another winter settles
On your shoulder down the road
Without a thought of what’s behind us
Let me help you pull your load
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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