Voice: Doreen
Today is Thursday, 29th of January. Whatever you are planning to do today, take a moment to commit your plans to the Lord.
We pray:
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
whose years never fail and whose mercies are new each returning day:
let the radiance of your Spirit renew our lives,
warming our hearts and giving light to our minds;
that we may pass this year in joyful obedience and firm faith;
through him who is the beginning and the end,
your Son, Christ our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
We praise God in the words of Psalm 47
Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm![a]
8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted!
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 15
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Try counting the Stars
How many stars are there in the observable universe?
Scientists tell us there may be 10 sextillion to 1 septillion stars—numbers so vast they escape our imagination. Even when expressed as powers of ten, they remain beyond our ability to grasp.
And yet, this was the image God chose when He spoke to Abraham.
“Look toward heaven, and number the stars… so shall your offspring be.”
The promise was never meant to be counted. It was meant to be trusted.
When we gaze into the night sky, we are not only seeing distance—we are seeing time. Some of the stars whose light reaches us tonight no longer exist. Their light began its journey long before we were born, carrying witness across generations.
So it is with God’s people.
It is impossible to count the believers who have lived, who now live, and who known only to God will yet come to faith. God’s promise to Abraham is not merely about size, but about faithfulness through time—a promise that continues to unfold quietly, steadily, faithfully.
The New Testament helps us see this more clearly. As we read in Epistle to the Galatians 3:7, “those of faith are the sons of Abraham.” Through Christ, the promise stretches wider than ethnicity and deeper than generations.
The day you were baptised, you stepped into this ancient promise.
Each time faith is passed on—within a family, through friendship, by invitation or quiet witness—the promise continues to multiply.
Yet in daily life, it may not feel this way.
At home, in school, or in the workplace, you may feel small, isolated, or outnumbered. The values of the world can feel loud and persuasive, and walking faithfully can feel lonely and costly.
In such moments, Scripture gently reminds us that what we see is not the whole story.
“We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” says Hebrews 12:1—believers across time who have walked this same path, trusted this same promise, and endured by faith.
And 1 Peter 5:9 assures us that our struggles are not unique, but shared by brothers and sisters throughout the world.
One day, what is now hidden will be revealed. What now feels small will be shown to be vast. As Revelation7:9 tells us, there will be a great multitude that no one can number, from every nation and language, standing before the throne.
Until that day, we live by faith, not by sight.
Take heart. You are part of a story older than the stars you see above you—and one that will outlast them all.
Rest in that promise.
We end with the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and
the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.
_____
Be blessed by this rendition of The Church’s One Foundation, sung by a team from Christ Church, Bellingham.
1. The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation,
By water and the word;
From Heav’n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.
2. Elect from ev’ry nation,
Yet one o’er all the Earth,
Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With ev’ry grace endued.
3. ‘Mid toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forever more;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
4. Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
In love may dwell with Thee.
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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