Daily Devotion

Voice: Kae Chee

Prepare

Welcome to the thirteenth day of Lent.  Today is Tuesday, 17th of March.  Together with the Church, we remember St. Patrick, Bishop of and Missionary to Ireland around the time of 460 A.D. (A brief biography of St. Patrick is available here.)

Let us begin by giving thanks to God for the life, service and example of this saint in the words of the Collect of the Day:

Almighty God, in your providence you chose your servant Patrick
to be the apostle to the Irish people,
to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error
to the true light and knowledge of you:
Grant us so to walk in that way that we may come at last
to the light of everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

The Psalm appointed for today is Psalm 54.  

O God, save me by your name,
    and vindicate me by your might.
² O God, hear my prayer;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.

³ For strangers have risen against me;
    ruthless men seek my life;
    they do not set God before themselves. Selah

⁴ Behold, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.
⁵ He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your faithfulness put an end to them.

⁶ With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
⁷ For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

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.

Exodus 3:13-20

¹³ Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. ¹⁶ Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, ¹⁷ and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ ¹⁸ And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ ¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.^[ 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Reflection

God was calling Moses to go to Egypt to mediate the release of the Israelites from slavery. “But who am I?” Moses responded with diffidence. To which God said that He will be with him.

Then Moses said, “If your people were to ask who has sent me, what should I say?” This negotiations will go on into the next chapter.

Of course bush fires are common except that for this bush, it was not consumed and through it, the audible voice of God was speaking! Surely, Moses will be assured and respond quickly to the call. After all, this great and miraculous God will be backing him up.

It is easy for us to be armchair critics of Moses’s reaction. For the challenges of returning to the very place where he has fled from 40 years ago were formidable.

But Moses did eventually obey and return to Israel as a “missionary.”

We recall the Jesus’ story in Matthew 21 about a father who asked his two sons to work in the vineyard. The first son said “I will not”, but later changed his mind and went. The second son said “I go, sir”, but did not go.

Then Jesus asked: “Which of the two did the will of his father?”

We know the right answer.

On this St Patrick’s Day, we can see the parallel in Patrick’s life. Patrick was living in Roman Britain when he was captured at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland where he worked as a slave shepherd. After 6 years, he manage to flee and return to Britain.

He felt the call to return to Ireland as a missionary. His ministry was very impactful. Many churches and monasteries were built. Patrick’s mission helped create a vibrant Celtic Christian tradition in Ireland, which later sent missionaries across Europe in the early Middle Ages. The Celtic tradition was very influential in the English Church.

We give thanks for missionaries like Moses and Patrick who were willing to cross lands to serve the Lord.

🌿 Thought for Lent

Take sometime today to pray for our missionaries, especially someone whom you know. Perhaps you can send a text message to encourage them.

Collect

We end with praying an collect inspired by the Prayer of St Patrick:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
Amen

In closing be blessed by St Patrick’s Breastplate.

Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ to fight for me and win me
Christ to comfort and restore
Christ beneath me and above me
Christ in quiet and in danger
Christ in hearts of those who love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger
(repeat)
Christ in every heart that’s broken
Christ in every joy and pain
Christ in every word that’s spoken
Christ in sun and moon and rain
Christ in resting and in rising
Christ the Lord of all my life
Christ to guide me and to shield me
Christ protecting me in strife
Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ to fight for me and win me
Christ to comfort and restore

Link to full 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