M is for Multiply by Susan Barclay

 

M is for Multiply

 

 M is for my meagre gifts, and M is for His might.

 When I give what I have got, He makes of it what I have not.

 What mystery, what grace, what love, the Father gives me from above.

 He takes my words and touches hearts, and to the weak His strength imparts.

 He takes my words and pierces minds, and to the seeker truth He binds.

 

 A little boy brought fish and bread, and so a multitude was fed.

 And when I give my ten ‘cent tithe, the work of God is multiplied.

 How great His kindness, how blessed are we, to play a part in His story.

 He takes the work we do with cheer to bless the ones both far and near.

 He takes the work we birth through pain and uses it for others’ gain.

 

 Thank You, Father, for our gifts, and for our words, and for our art.

 Thank You, Jesus, for Your grace, and for Your love, and for Your heart.

 Thank You Spirit, alive in us, Comforter, Christ’s counterpart.

 Multiply our work, we pray, fulfill through it Your plan today.

 Use us, God, fill us with skill, and keep us always in Your will. 

 ~by Susan Barclay, 2024

  

  This was inspired both by the biblical account of the loaves and fishes found in Matthew 6, and by the question posed by Christina Rossetti in the carol, In the Bleak Midwinter, which asks, "What can I give Him, poor as I am?"

A WRITER'S MORNING PRAYER - by Joylene M. Bailey

 

Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of you, let my first impulse be to worship you, let my first word be your Name,

let my first action be to kneel before you in prayer.

(John Baillie)

Father, I give back into Your hands all that You have given me:

My gifts and talents. 

I rededicate them to Your service, they are Yours to use as You want, Father. They are Yours, Christ Jesus. All these are Yours, Holy Spirit. 

May they bring You glory.

My passion.  

Use my passion for words to keep me searching out the right words for the right moment, that they may be like apples of gold in settings of silver. Let them be faithful and arrive true at their destination. 

My purpose.  

O Lord, speak through my words today. Thank You for making use of me to fulfill Your mighty purpose for the world and for my neighbour. Let me be a channel of Your love and compassion to those within reach of my words. Fold Your purpose for my writing into Your ultimate purpose, that my words might bring You glory.

My perseverance. 

Help me to persevere when the writing is hard, when the trials and urgencies of the day keep me from the page. And when I have to be away from the writing, may the thoughts and ideas keep percolating so that when I return, Your voice is the ink flowing onto the page.

Keep me mindful that writing is a gift and a privilege. May I never take it for granted or make it an idol.

You alone are worthy.

O God my Creator, accompany me into this day with Your blessing, and may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Amen

~~~~~

Joy writes from Edmonton where she lives with The Cowboy and very-soon-to-be-married Babe. She is appreciating the prayers of John Baillie, which can be found in the classic, A Diary of Private Prayer. 

Find more of Joy's writing at Scraps of Joy.

Photo by Tom Henell on Unsplash