ABIDE resources for 2-3 December

Allow yourself time for this moment with God

Make it special. Will you make a cup of tea? Do you want to sit in a special place? Will you light a candle? Take five deep breaths. Check-in with how you are feeling – in body, in mind, in spirit. Take five more deep breaths and ask God to abide with you in this moment.

Bible reading for today

verses from Psalm 104

O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plough the ground.

Imagine this

Make a (mental) note of how this Psalm uses the language of

wind

fire

water

earth

to describe and celebrate God’s presence in the world.

In which one of these four ways would you like to experience him today?

You can read more about praying with these four elements here.

Do the Bible reading a second time

Take some time to read the Bible passage again slowly (and out loud if you can). Maybe look up the whole Psalm in your own Bible, or biblegateway.com for a different version.

Enjoy a chat with God

Take time to savour the Lord’s Prayer with him. Talk to him about how the last month of lockdown has affected you.



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