# Yes Day 4 > 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 1:57-80 #### The Birth of John the Baptist *57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.* *Zechariah's Prophecy* *67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,for he has visited and redeemed his people69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,might serve him without fear,75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.* *76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us[a] from on high79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”* *80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.* #### Reading for Reflection: *I don’t know Who—or what—put the question. I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone—or Something—and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life in self-surrender, had a goal. (Markings by Dag Hammarskjold)* *On the surface, Dag Hammarskold’s words might indicate the yes is a one-time thing, after which everything just falls into place. Like a first kiss, our first yes is precious and memorable, but it is only the beginning. Life goes on, struggles continue, and the yes is continually re-invited…In saying yes again and again, we find a sense of our place in things, a glimpse of who we really are and how very precious each one of us is within the wondrous infinity of creation. (The Awakened Heart by Gerald G. May)* #### 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)*