Welcome to the Blue Ocean Advent devotional podcast. This is day four. I’m Emily, and I’ll be your guide.
Let’s start with a moment of gratitude. I’ll give you 15 seconds of silence to think about something you’re thankful for, and to thank God for it. Let’s begin now.
[15 seconds of silence]
Now we’ll move on to a petitionary prayer. Today we’ll pray for our community. You can start by praying something like, “God, give me hope for _________ in my community.” And then list various aspects of your city or neighborhood you want to hold before God. Let’s take half a minute of silence to pray.
[20 seconds of silence]
Our Scripture reading today comes from Job 5: 8–16.
It begins:
But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
I would lay my cause before him.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.
He provides rain for the earth;
he sends water on the countryside.
The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
He thwarts the plans of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
He catches the wise in their craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
Darkness comes upon them in the daytime;
at noon they grope as in the night.
He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth;
he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.
So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.
We’ll close today by meditating on the verse that says:
Darkness comes upon [the crafty schemers] in the daytime, at noon they grope as in the night.
Take a few moments now to meditate on the idea of crafty schemers suddenly feeling muddled and unable to calculate what they can not see. Darkness comes upon [the crafty schemers] in the daytime, at noon they grope as in the night.
Our Concluding Prayer:
Creator, almighty and everlasting, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus my Lord. Amen