Seeking God's Face is a daily, contemplative devotional — rooted in the ancient traditions of the Divine Office and "lectio divina" — guiding you to renewed communion with God through sacred Scripture and universal prayer.

August 5, 2024

— Ordinary Time • Week 12 • Day 2

Invitation Psalm 103:6

"The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed."

Quiet

Bible Song Psalm 39:1-5, 7

I said, "I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;

I will put a muzzle on my mouth
while in the presence of the wicked."

So I remained utterly silent,
not even saying anything good.

But my anguish increased;
my heart grew hot within me.

While I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:

"Show me, Lord, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.

Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure...

"But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you."

Bible Reading Exodus 2:1-10

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.

Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"

"Yes, go," she answered. So the girl went and got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

Quiet

Dwelling

Become aware of God's loving presence and read again ... what in God's Word has caught your heart's attention? Is there a command to be obeyed, a comfort to be savored? Talk to God about the Scripture you've just read ... yield yourself to God and enjoy his presence.

Free Prayer

  • for the eyes to see God's work in the world around us
  • for God's care and comfort in natural disasters
  • for our commitment to reduce, reuse, and recycle

Prayer HC 28

Saving God, I stand in awe before the mystery of your providence. Through our sometimes desperate decisions and fearful circumstances, you work your loving will. Give me patient confidence in troubled times and gratitude when things go well, knowing that all things are in your hand. Amen.

Blessing Exodus 15:2

"The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."