# Yes Day 3 > Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God. ### Opening Prayer: *"I belong to the Lord, body and soul," replied Mary, "let it happen as you say." (Luke 1:38 JBP)* #### 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. Selah4 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? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah10 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: Luke 1:39-56 #### Mary Visits Elizabeth *39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”* *Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat* *46 And Mary said,“My soul magnifies the Lord,47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,and holy is his name.* *50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;53 he has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has sent away empty.54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,55 as he spoke to our fathers,to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.* #### Reading for Reflection: *Hearing is an important step in saying yes to God’s call. But once we hear, we must still decide whether we will go where invited or sent. In other words, hearing may be the easy part of saying yes to God’s call. Once we have heard and counted the cost the most difficult task remains. However, with deep faith in the living God who calls us, the only reasonable response is to say yes. For in our best moments, we know God will ask us, only us, to say yes to an invitation that is right and good for us. Listen closely, think deeply, pray fervently, and you will be led to the right answer to God’s invitational call. In my experience the right answer is always yes. The good news is that even when I was unable to give the right answer, God was patient and gave me opportunity to grow in faith until I was able to say yes and to claim another part of my inheritance as a child of God (Rueben P. Job in A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God)* *This yes is an inner assent of the will. It is a willingness to receive the grace and the guidance of God. It can be so deep and far-reaching as to cause a real conversion of life, a real repentance, a turning around to go in a completely new direction. It always involves, says Luther, the daily death of the person we have been in order to fulfill our reason for being alive: to accomplish God’s will in our time and place. (Faith, the Yes of the Heart by Grace Adolphsen Brame)* #### Reflection and Listening: silent and written #### Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself #### Song for the Week: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus *Come, thou long expected Jesus* *Born to set thy people free* *From our fears and sins release us* *Let us find our rest in thee* *Israel’s strength and consolation* *Hope of all the earth thou art* *Dear desire of every nation* *Joy of every longing heart* *Joy to those who long to see thee* *Dayspring from on high appear* *Come thou promised rod of Jesse* *Of thy birth we long to hear* *O’er the hills the angels singing* *News, glad tidings of a birth* *Go to him your praises ringing* *Christ the Lord has come to earth* *Come to earth to taste our sadness* *He whose glories knew no end* *By his life he brings us gladness* *Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend* *Leaving riches without number* *Born within a cattle stall* *This the everlasting wonder* *Christ was born the Lord of all* *Born thy people to deliver,* *Born a child and yet a King,* *Born to reign in us forever,* *Now thy gracious kingdom bring.* *By thine own eternal spirit* *Rule in all our hearts alone,* *By thine all sufficient merit,* *Raise us to thy glorious throne.* ### Closing Prayer *I have heard your call, my Lord, and respond with a yes that arises from the depth of my being. I know that if I follow close to you, nothing shall be able to separate me from your love. Amen. A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God by Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job)*