Daily Devotion

Voice: Mylene

Today is Thursday, the 16th of April.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

Psalm 28:

To you, O Lord, I call;
    my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you be silent to me,
    I become like those who go down to the pit.
² Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
    when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
    toward your most holy sanctuary.

³ Do not drag me off with the wicked,
    with the workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
    while evil is in their hearts.
⁴ Give to them according to their work
    and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
    render them their due reward.
⁵ Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
    or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.

⁶ Blessed be the Lord!
    For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.

⁸ The Lord is the strength of his people;
    he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
⁹ Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
    Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

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 17
⁸Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” ¹⁰So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. ¹²But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. ¹³And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

¹⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, ¹⁶saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

The Lord is in control

This passage is not the easiest way to begin a new day.

At a superficial reading, it can trouble us, as it seems to imply the genocide of the Amalekites. Such a reading understandably raises deep moral questions.

Yet, as we probe deeper, we begin to see a fuller picture. The Amalekites were not innocent bystanders—they persistently attacked Israel without cause and preyed on the weak and vulnerable (see Deuteronomy 25:17–18). This was not a single incident, but a pattern of sustained hostility.

Even so, the phrase “blotting out their memory” does not necessarily describe an immediate act, but something that unfolds over time. It is a declaration that such evil will not ultimately endure.

We should also remember that the Old Testament sometimes uses hyperbolic or totalising language to emphasise the completeness of victory. Indeed, we find that some of these enemy groups continue to appear later in the biblical narrative.

In a broader theological sense, Amalek can be understood as representing a type of evil that opposes the purposes of God. The “wiping out” points to God’s ultimate triumph over evil, rather than serving as a model for human action.

For the Christian, our model is given by Jesus Christ, who calls us to love our enemies. We read the whole Bible through Him. A Christless reading of Scripture can lead to deep misunderstanding—and history shows us how dangerous such distortions can be.

A helpful takeaway, then, is this:
evil may be allowed to persist for a time, but it will not have the final word. The Lord will ultimately judge justly, and good will triumph in His time.

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

---

Be blessed by He is worthy, by Andrew Petersen, which captures a biblical vision of Christ’s reign over the world we live in.

Do you feel the world is broken?
(We do)
Do you feel the shadows deepen?
(We do)
But do you know that all the dark won’t
Stop the light from getting through?
(We do)
Do you wish that you could see it all made new?
(We do)

Is all creation groaning?
(It is)
Is a new creation coming?
(It is)
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst?
(It is)
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this?
(It is)

Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He was David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave

Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this?
He is

Does the Father truly love us?
(He does)
Does the Spirit move among us?
(He does)
And does Jesus, our Messiah hold forever those He loves?
(He does)
Does our God intend to dwell again with us?
(He does)

Is anyone worthy?
Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son

Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Is He worthy of this?

He is!
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
He is!
He is!

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