Voice: Shivdas
Today is Tuesday, 2nd of June. Let us take a moment to be still in His presence.
We say the opening sentence:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
PSALM 19:14
Psalm 6
1O Lord , rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2Be gracious to me, O Lord , for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord , for my bones are troubled.
3My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord — how long?
4Turn, O Lord , deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?
6I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
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.
Luke 10:38-43
38Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Only You
The phrase “one thing” recurs throughout Scripture—often marking a moment of clarity, where all distractions fall away and a singular desire takes center stage.
In Luke 10:41–42, Jesus gently rebukes Martha:
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
In reading this passage, people often ask, “Are you a serving Martha or a sitting Mary?” Surely Jesus is not against us serving Him. After all, in this same chapter, Luke 10, we have the seventy two sent out two by two to preach the Gospel. And then we have the Parable of the Good Samaritan told!
It was the anxiety and angst in Martha which occasion a need to teach this. If Martha wanted to honour the Lord, why should she interrupt her Master’s chat with Mary? Why did she raise her voice and showed her angst? It was obviously rude of her to do so.
So Jesus taught this. It is not so much one form of devotion over the other, whether serving or sitting, but the object of one’s devotion. The focus. The one thing.
So, we serve the Lord, not ourselves. And we need to spend time to hear His voice, to read His Word. If you have been seeking the Lord daily, as you are doing now, you are likely to have this desire too.
One thing. Keep this focus in our hearts. For this desire will keep us walking in His presence till we see Him face to face on that Day.
The ministry of St Aidan, a 7th-century Irish monk, illustrated this beautifully. He led a Celtic monastic community renowned for prayer, simplicity of life, and missionary zeal.
Aidan and his fellow monks would walk from village to village, teaching and evangelising. But their life had a rhythm: when the tide was up, cutting off the island, they would remain in the monastery for prayer. When the tide went down, they would cross the shallows to bring the gospel to others.
Prayer and mission. Sitting and serving. One flowing into the other, like the tide. There is a time to be with people, and a time to be alone with God. There is a time to serve, and a time to pray. The two are not opposed but complementary. Whether sitting or serving, it is about the Lord.
So, we pray the Prayer of St Aidan:
Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore,
Make me an island, set apart,
alone with you, God, holy to you.
Then with the turning of the tide
prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond,
the world that rushes in on me
till the waters come again and fold me back to you.
Amen
Be blessed by this song, Restless, by Audrey Assad
[Verse 1]
You dwell in the songs that we are singing
Rising to the Heavens, rising to Your heart, Your heart
Our praises filling up the spaces
In between and frailty and everything You are
You are the keeper of my heart
[Chorus]
And I’m restless, I’m restless
‘Til I rest in You, ’til I rest in You
I’m restless, I’m restless
‘Til I rest in You, ’til I rest in You
Oh God, I wanna rest in You
[Verse 2]
Oh, speak now for my soul is listening
Say that You have saved me, whisper in the dark
‘Cause I know You’re more than my salvation
Without You I am hopeless, tell me who You are
You are the keeper of my heart
You are the keeper of my heart
[Chorus]
And I’m restless, I’m restless
‘Til I rest in You, ’til I rest in You
I’m restless, I’m restless
‘Til I rest in You, ’til I rest in You
I wanna rest in You
Restless · Audrey Assad | The House You’re Building
℗ 2010 Sparrow Records
Producer: Marshall Altman
Composer: Audrey Assad
Composer: Matt Maher
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
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