Collect 10th Sunday Ordinary Time

This week we Liturgy the Liturgy with the Collect for the Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time.

O God, from whom all good things come, grant that we, who call on you in our need, may at your prompting discern what is right, and by your guidance do it. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

In the Who phrase of the prayer, we are reminded that God only gives us good things. In the book of Matthew, we learn that even evil people give good gifts to their children, and “how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him” (Matt 7:11)

Asking is part of the Christian life. Christians have made a decision to take on the name of Christ, they are His followers, and yet we need to recognize that while we want to be like Jesus, we need Him to accomplish what our humanness cannot do.

Actually, we are pretty needy people. We need to call on Him in our need. We need to know how to pray and what to ask for. We need to know what His will is for us and for those who we pray for.

That is why, in this prayer, we ask for His promoting as we discern what is right. The prompting comes from Holy Spirit. Next we ask that by His guidance, we do it.

This is a common place for Christians to hit the brakes. Sometimes we sense the inspiration, but we need to put that inspiration into action. This is often where we begin to question ourselves. “Did I really hear that?” “What if this is not from God and I get it wrong?”

As I prayed with this Collect, I saw the importance of the interior life of a Christian. It is easier to know what is on the heart of God when one knows God. It is easier to do what is on the heart of God when one will only trust Him.

And now we are back to the beginning, O God, from whom all good things come. When we trust God, we know that His gifts are good. I would wager that it is safe to say that I am not the only one who sometimes questions what I’ve felt God say or what comes my way. For those times of doubt, we can stand on the promise “that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

Thanks for praying with me,
Julie