Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-2

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.

Reflect in the Presence of Gentleness/Jesus

·         Slowly re-read the Lamentations passage.  Notice what you notice.  Allow the Holy Spirit to speak into that while you listen.

·         Where are you experiencing darkness or obscurity in this season? How do you respond to the idea that the glory of the Lord could be rising on you in the middle of the darkness? What do you want to say to Jesus in response?

·         If you are in a season of obscurity or grief, you are exactly who is needed, says Leon Wieseltier.  What might you offer another person today even out of a “broken spirit”?

·         How has gentleness and humility been cultivated in you this past six weeks?

Practice:

·         Set a timer for ten minutes. Lie face down on the floor in silence (vacuum first! J) or sit silently in a chair.  Try to be completely silent in your thoughts and just sit in the realization that you are in God’s presence. (Practicing silence makes us better at listening to God and others.)

·         Has anything from this series, Humble in Heart, impacted you? We would love to hear about it! Take a moment to write an email to carey@thevineoc.com

Prayer:

Like weary waves,
thought flows upon thought
but the still depth beneath
is all thine own.
~ George Macdonald (1824-1905)

Psalm 139: 1-7, 11-12
You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.