Voice: Doreen
Today is Wednesday, 10th of June. 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.
Psalm 34:11-32
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord .12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.18The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.20He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.22The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
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 12:22-31
22And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.
23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?
27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
30For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Are You Anxious?
There is a positive side to worry. It helps us protect ourselves and be cautious of potential dangers. It keeps us alert, responsible, and prepared.
However, this is not the kind of anxiety that Jesus is talking about.
The English word worry comes from an old German root, wurgen, which means “to choke” or “to strangle.” Anxiety has a way of constricting us. It narrows our vision and reduces our life’s potential. Someone once described worry as “a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
In this passage, Jesus is speaking about our anxiety over food and clothing—our daily sustenance and our need for dignity. These are among the most basic human concerns. Yet Jesus offers us a way out of debilitating anxiety over them.
He invites us to consider nature.
Look at the ravens. God provides for them. When it comes to our daily sustenance, there is provision in God’s creation.
Look at the lilies. God clothes them with beauty and splendour. If He cares for the flowers of the field, will He not also care for our dignity and well-being?
Beyond provision, Jesus may also be teaching us about contentment.
If we already have the basic necessities of life, what more do we need to worry about? Yet human nature constantly pushes us toward the next level of desire. We worry not only about what we need, but about what we do not yet have. And there is no end to that pursuit.
Modern life can easily keep us on an endless treadmill of anxiety. We are constantly encouraged to want more, achieve more, accumulate more, and consume more. The pursuit of happiness can become the pursuit of endless dissatisfaction.
Jesus points us in a different direction.
Seek first His Kingdom.
When God’s Kingdom becomes our priority, we discover a deeper peace and contentment. We learn to trust Him for our daily needs because our hearts are fixed on something greater.
As St Paul writes:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2)
The cure for anxiety is not having more.
It is learning to trust the One who holds all things in His hands.
We pray the Collect for today:
O God,
the strength of all those who put their trust in you,
mercifully accept our prayers and,
because through the weakness of our mortal nature
we can do no good thing without you,
grant us the help of your grace,
that in the keeping of your commandments
we may please you both in will and deed;
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.
In closing, be blessed by this song, Draw me close to You, by Shane and Shane.
Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I’m your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way
Bring me back to you
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know you are near
Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I’m your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way
Bring me back to you
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know you are near
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know you are near
Help me know you are near
Help me know you are near
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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