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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

Today’s Reflection

IF WE WANT TO GO on a journey of transformation, we need to get honest. We take off our halos and say, “God, I need you. I bring my prejudice before you, my racism. I bring my addictions, my greed, my need to have more. I bring my fear of not living up to others’ expectations that keeps me stuck in pretense.” We bring it all before Jesus and ask him to heal us, liberate us, transform us. We can never shock God. And the more honest we are, the deeper our experience of God’s love. “Just as I am, without one plea.”

The Way of Transforming Discipleship Participant’s Book

From page 36 of The Way of Transforming Discipleship Participant’s Book by Trevor Hudson and Stephen D. Bryant. Copyright © 2005 Upper Room Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

Today’s Question

Be honest before God as you pray today. Share your thoughts.

Today’s Scripture

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Psalm 51:1, NRSV

This Week: pray for students starting back to school. Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section.

Did You Know?

In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.

This week we remember: Ignatius of Loyola (July 31).

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Sponsored by Upper Room Ministries ®. Copyright © 2018 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

7 Comments

  • robert moeller Posted August 1, 2018 4:40 am

    Am delighted when the reflection comes early in the morning and I can start my day with it.

    Want to be honest before God and thus everyone as well. Thankful I made it through another month and a new month is here. Resources to take care of transportation needs so I’m off to the department of motor vehicles today.
    Was able to delivery zucchini to several people yesterday and had some for dinner. String beans coming, will have cherry tomatoes soon. Thank You, Lord.

    Prayers for Julie’s recovery from surgery and a great improvement in her
    situation, Gloria’s well being, Marcy’s health and finances, Lou’s house, work, and family, Mary’s teaching position, colleague, students, and parents, Andrea, her family and Father Erwin, April, Connie, Betsy, and all to visit, read, and post here at the UR. Prayers for Bob and Betty Jones, Joan Duffy, and conflict resolution at church. Prayers that the condo sale goes through soon. Prayers for Erich’s needed progress, thankful for the help he provides.

    It’s midweek, communion this Sunday. Blessings to all.

  • Andrea Posted August 1, 2018 5:05 am

    “We bring it all before Jesus and ask him to heal us, liberate us, transform us.”

    Thank you for your well wishes on my birthday. I have spent concentrated time the past two days at my daughter’s house. I am so concerned about her. She is very tense and my grandson seems a bit anxious. We are getting along well, thankfully, and next week she and I will take my grandson to a small house on Lake Superior for two nights. I appreciate your prayers.

    May we all, without hesitation, bring our true selves before God.

    Robert, I only look at the UR reflection and the comments through the UR web site, and that is also where I enter my comments. One may always access the comments through the web site. I do it both on my smartphone and my laptop.

    Blessings and prayers.

  • Julie Posted August 1, 2018 7:54 am

    Prayers of thanks that Andrea and her daughter are once again enjoying a relationship. Andrea, my social worker education has led me to repeatedly wonder if your daughter would be open to seeking counseling.
    Robert, how wonderful that your garden gives you the opportunity to share with others. I might add to Andrea’s suggestion, that when I do not receive the reflection in my email it is also not available on the website. Prayers for you and Erch and your impending relocation.
    Prayers for Marcy and Roger, Mary and her parents, Connie and her family, Betsy and her family, April and her famiy, Gail and her family, Francesca and her family, and Jill and her family.
    Prayers and blessings for and thank you again to all wh visit this prayer community of warm and loving individuals

    • Andrea Posted August 1, 2018 8:25 am

      Thank you for your prayers, Julie. I suggested counseling to my daughter several months ago and she got angry at me. She is a licensed family and marital therapist herself and worked as such when she lived in California.

      To clarify – there is the odd day when UR posts a reflection late, or not at all. But on the days when there IS a reflection and comments, and Robert does not get the comments in his email, he would be able to look at them on the web site and also make a comment there.

      Blessings and prayers for your healing and a positive resolution of your living situation and legal matters.

  • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted August 1, 2018 8:50 am

    There is nothing we can hide from God. He knows everything. Also, it is good to be honest with one another. I remembered my principal’s sharing at our assembly many years ago. She said in order to hide a lie, one has to tell ten more lies. Thus it is better to be honest.

    Father God, thank you that we can be honest with you.

    May you heal Julie speedily and bless all UR friends.

    Hear our prayers, O God!

    Blessings!

  • Marcy Posted August 1, 2018 12:28 pm

    I am honest with God every day, as I begin my prayers. If I have an uncharitable thought come to mind throughout my day, I immediately seek God and ask His forgiveness.

    Suffering a migraine for three days. I have continued to keep you all in prayer, just hard to see and write, along with the rest of effects.

    So happy to see Julie’s posts. I continue to pray for you daily and Lucy sends Chai and Tazzie greetings! Thank you for your prayers. Robert, thank you for your comments and prayers. Andrea, praise God for the days spent with your daughter and dear grandson and for those coming!

    Praying for Jill and her family and Roger, Robert and his family and Pearl, Julie and her daughter and Mom and Chai and Tazzie, Andrea and her family and loved ones, Mary and her family, students and colleagues, Lou and her family, Betsy and Grace and their family, Connie and her husband and loved ones, April and her family, Pamela and her family, Gail and her family, Francesca and her family, Rusty and K and their family, Chloe and Paige, Carol and Robin, and the many others who visit the UR Reflections community of loving believers.

    And these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love, and the greatest of these is LOVE!

  • Pamela Posted August 1, 2018 3:33 pm

    ITA with ALL of you again! Feel compelled to say the last time I wrote “shocker” I was being TOTALLY facetious! The song at the end Has ALWAYS made me cry at Church from when I was a little girl up until the last time we sang it!

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