Daily Devotion

Voice: Doreen

Today is Thursday, the 12th of March.

Let us begin by praying the collect for Ash Wednesday:

Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our brokenness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
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.

Psalm 57:

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
³ He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

⁴ My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶ They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
⁸     Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

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.

Reflection on Psalm 57

“My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.”
(Psalm 57:4)

Have you ever faced the thunderstorm of public opinion being lashed at you?

Ever since the advent of blogging and social media, countless—often anonymous—individuals now have the power to make their voices heard, exacerbating this ancient human tendency toward gossip and slander.

Their “teeth are like spears, arrows, and swords.” Words can be hurled like weapons. Like spears, arrows, and swords, they can cut a person into a thousand pieces.

Most of us have not faced anything like this personally. But we know people who have. Some are our friends. Some are strangers.

Inadvertently, we may even have participated in such public stone-throwing.

Have we ever paused to consider how a public lashing can destroy a person? Have we ever reflected on the justice—or injustice—of it all?

This psalm captures the anguish of someone whose soul feels trapped “in the midst of lions.”

Yet the psalmist finds refuge in God:

“In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.” (v.1)

He cries out:

“I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (v.2)

In the midst of hostility and accusation, he chooses to trust that God still has a purpose for his life.

And he believes that God will ultimately deal with those who trample upon others.

May the words of this psalm bring courage and comfort to those who suffer under the harsh judgments of others.

And may they also remind us to guard our own tongues, lest our words become the very weapons that wound another.

🌿 Thought for Lent

This week, be conscious of the need to refrain from bad mouthing others. Instead remember the words of Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We end with the collect for the week of Lent:

Almighty God,
whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, 
and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
mercifully grant that we, 
walking in the way of the cross, 
may find it none other than the way of life and peace; 
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

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Be blessed by this song, Wait for the Lord (Taize)

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord, keep watch take heart.

Link to the full Morning Prayer

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