Daily Devotion

Voice: Hali

Today is Wednesday, 22nd of April. We start by praying the Collect for Purity:

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open, 
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden: 
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, 
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name; 
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The appointed Psalm for today is Psalm 34. Reading verses 1-10:

 I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

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 24: 91-18

⁹ Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, ¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. ¹¹ And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” ¹³ So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. ¹⁴ And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

¹⁵ Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.¹⁶ The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. ¹⁸ Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Beholding His glory

Seventy-three leaders and elders accompanied Moses up Mount Sinai to meet God. There they waited to receive the tablets of stone containing His laws and commandments.

Though they saw the Lord, they did not perish. It must have been a veiled vision, for “the Lord did not lay His hand on them.” A holy God is “set apart,” not only in His moral purity, but in His very being. Under His feet was what looked like a pavement of sapphire stone—an attempt to describe the indescribable glory of God. Mortal man, in his frailty, cannot behold Him in fullness.

Yet God restrains His judgment. Here we glimpse the Gospel: that man can be reconciled to God, not because we are worthy or able, but because He has made a way through Jesus Christ. The earlier sprinkling of the blood of oxen upon the people foreshadows the reconciling power of Christ’s own blood.

What is remarkable is that the elders ate and drank in the presence of His glory. In the ancient world, a shared meal signifies acceptance and fellowship. This was no ordinary meal—it was a covenant meal before God. We are reminded of the Last Supper, and the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the Church. Our eating together in His presence is a sign of our covenant relationship with Him.

We recall 2 Corinthians 3:18:
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Since we have been reconciled to a holy and awesome God through the sacrifice of His Son, brothers and sisters, let us not take His presence for granted. His Spirit dwells within you—do not grieve Him.

Instead, rejoice in the salvation you have received and allow the transforming work of the Spirit to help you to grow in the likeness of Christ.

The Collect from the Second Sunday of Easter:

Almighty Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord:
give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life 
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; 
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 this Communion Hymn, Come share the Lord

We gather here in Jesus’ name
His love is burning in our hearts like living flame
For through His loving Son the Father makes us one
Come take the bread come drink the wine
Come share the Lord

Chorus 2
We’ll gather soon where angels sing
We’ll see the glory of our Lord and coming King
Now we anticipate the feast for which we wait
Come take the bread come drink the wine
Come share the Lord

Bridge
For He will feed us with His presence here
This bread and wine will do us good
Our deepest hungers He will satisfy
For He is life and peace and rest and drink and food

Chorus 3
He joins us here He breaks the bread
The Lord who pours the cup is risen from the dead
The One we love the most is now our gracious host
Come take the bread come drink the wine
Come share the Lord

Bridge
No one is a stranger here
Ev’ryone belongs
Finding our forgiveness here
We in turn forgive all wrongs
We are now the family
Of which the Lord is head
Though unseen He meets us here
In the breaking of the bread

Ending
Come take the bread
Come drink the wine
Come share the Lord

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 terrywong@anglican.org.sg