Good morning, Lord. Unlike St. Patrick, I’ve never been stolen away and forced into slavery. Like Patrick, I’ve had people do me wrong. Let me follow his example and be quick to forgive those who made me feel unsafe, disrespected and isolated. He followed Your lead, dear Jesus — teach me to do the same.
Teach me to love my enemies and bless those who hurt me (Matthew 5:44).
We celebrate St. Patrick with parades and green beer. Doesn’t seem right.
Long ago (fifth century), 16-year-old Patrick was captured by raiders and taken from his British homeland to serve as a slave in Ireland. He later escaped and made his way back to the safety of home. He returned to Ireland to share the good news of salvation in Christ. He went above and beyond Jesus’ command:
Matthew 5:44 (NLT)
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Be like Patrick. 
Good morning, Lord. Here in the midst of plenty to eat and drink, it is easy for me to take the sacrifice of Your body and blood for granted. It is easy for me to start taking credit for all I have and enjoy. Forgive me, O God, for minimizing Your grace. Teach me to magnify Your goodness and maximize my gratitude. Grant me a spirit of humility.
Remind me that without You, I have nothing of value.
Here’s the solution to spiritual famine and drought:
1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (ESV)
When he [Jesus] had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
In remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, be filled.
Good morning, Lord. You’re not fooled by what I give up for Lent. You know which worldly things I hold closely, the things I hold on to through every season, the things I don’t want to give up. Don’t let me fool myself, shine Your light of truth on them, give me humble strength to repent and let go of them–not for a season, but for all time.
Let nothing stand between me and You.
Are you fasting from anything during Lent?
Joel 2:12 (NIV)
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
“As our bodies grow weaker for lack of food during the season of fasting, so our souls may grow stronger … Thus, through abstaining from the fruits of the earth, may we bear more abundantly the fruits of your spirit.”
The Gelasian Sacramentary (500)
More bodily fasting, more spiritual fruit.
Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for “being too busy” to properly study Your Word. I grab snippets along the way–a short passage here, a single verse there. But feasting on Your Word, settling in for serious study and meditation doesn’t happen as often as it should.
You have all the time in the world for me. Grant me the self-discipline to spend quality time with You at my Bible study table. Fill me with the Bread of Life.
Jesus, the living Word, fasted for 40 days.
Luke 4:1-4 (ESV)
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
The Bread of Life (John 6:35) gave up bread to give us eternal life.
Good morning, Lord. I look around me, I read the news, and I wonder if we’re living in the time You spoke of, a time of famine of hearing Your Word (Amos 8:11). The Bible is more available than ever–only a click away. I pray, O God, for a world-wide hunger and thirst for godliness and righteousness.
Draw people’s hearts to You, fill them with Your Spirit, transform them with Your Word.
Amos 8:11 (GW)
The days are going to come, declares the Almighty Lord, when I will send a famine throughout the land. It won’t be an ordinary famine or drought. Instead, there will be a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
Our grocery stores overflow with an abundance of food and drink. But I can’t help but wonder … are we in a season of famine and drought?
It’s time for a wake-up call: “Listen to the Word of the Lord, our lives depend on it!”
