"Come Out... By Springs of Water."

"I ask for the grace to pray and meditate on behalf of my community of faith.  May we learn patience, tolerance, compassion, gentleness and empathy.  May we abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement, self-centeredness and arrogance.  May we know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly."


Isaiah 49:8-10
Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favour I have answered you,
   on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
   as a covenant to the people,^*
to establish the land,
   to apportion the desolate heritages;
⁹ saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,
   to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They shall feed along the ways,
   on all the bare heights^* shall be their pasture;
¹⁰ they shall not hunger or thirst,
   neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
   and by springs of water will guide them.


1)  "...a day of salvation;" "...a;" "...day of salvation;" "...answered... helped... kept... given.. established... apportion;"  "...the desolate heritages;" "...to those who are in darkness;" "...they shall not hunger or thirst;" "...by springs of water;" "...will guide them."


2) I'm feeling discouraged.  I feel like we spend a lot of time doing things so that we can do the things that might actually lead us to doing ministry.  I feel like we spend a lot of time dealing with photocopiers, internet that doesn't work, webpages that don't function the way we need them to function, communication networks that are only partial networks, roofs that leak, toilet tanks that leak, dishwashers that leak, computers that blow up, sockets that don't have power... The list gets very long.  I want to be engaged in "real" ministry, helping people make meaning of their lives, visiting with people, communicating effectively and broadly, feeding, clothing, housing people.  But the passage today reminds me that "they shall feed along the ways, on the bare heights shall be their pastures."  Some days, we don't travel very far.


3) What is the invitation in all this?  To feed along the way. 


"Holy One, give me patience and gentleness."


Breathprayer: "Come out... by springs of water."