# Following and being led Day 7 > Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God. ### Opening Prayer: *Dear Lord Jesus,* *I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, popularity, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to those voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life. I know this will be a very hard road for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are no times and places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you. Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and courage to live my life faithfully, so that I will be able to taste with joy the new life which you have prepared for me. Amen. (The Road to Daybreak by Henri J.M. Nouwen)* #### Psalm for the Week: Psalm 77 #### In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord #### To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. *77 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.* *3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah* *4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.5 I consider the days of old, the years long ago.6 I said,[a] “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search:7 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?* *9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?nHas he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah* *10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”[b]11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?14 You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.15 You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah* *16 When the waters saw you, O God,when the waters saw you, they were afraid;indeed, the deep trembled.17 The clouds poured out water;the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side.18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world;the earth trembled and shook.19 Your way was through the sea,your path through the great waters;yet your footprints were unseen.[c]20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.* #### Scripture for the Day: Mark 1:14-20 #### Jesus Begins His Ministry *14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”* *Jesus Calls the First Disciples* *16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”[a] 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.* #### Reading for Reflection: #### The One Who Stayed **You should have heard the old men cry,* *You should have heard the biddies* *When that sad stranger raised his flute* *And piped away the kiddies.* *Katy, Tommy, Meg and Bob* *Followed, skipping gaily,* *Red-haired Ruth, my brother Rob,* *And little crippled Bailey,* *John and Nils and Cousin Claire,* *Dancin’, spinnin’, turnin’* *‘Cross the hills to God knows where-* *They never came returnin’.* *‘Cross the hills to God knows where* *The piper pranced, a leadin’* *Each child in Hamlin Town but me,* *And I stayed home unheedin’.* *My papa says that I was blest* *For if that music found me,* *I’d be witch-cast like all the rest.* *This town grows old around me.* *I cannot say I did not hear* *That sound so haunting hollow-* *I heard, I heard, I heard it clear…* *I was afraid to follow.* * *(Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein)* #### Reflection and Listening: silent and written #### Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself #### Song for the Week: He Leadth Me *He leadeth me, O blessed thought!* *O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!* *Whate’er I do, where’er I be* *Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.* *Refrain:* *He leadeth me, He leadeth me,* *By His own hand He leadeth me;* *His faithful foll’wer I would be,* *For by His hand He leadeth me.* *Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom,* *Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,* *By waters still, o’er troubled sea,* *Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.* *Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,* *Nor ever murmur nor repine;* *Content, whatever lot I see,* *Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.* *And when my task on earth is done,* *When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,* *E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,* *Since God through Jordan leadeth me*. ### Closing Prayer: *Drive far from us all wrong desires and incline our hearts to keep Your ways: Grant that having cheerfully done Your will this day, we may, when night comes rejoice and give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Worship)*