Morning Prayer - Following Your Bright Star

My God and my King,

Like the Wise Men from the East, I too set out today on a journey of seeking. My heart, too, yearns and asks:

“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2)

Lord, help me today to notice the signs of Your presence. Help me to read Your ‘signature’ in the creation that surrounds me and in the people I encounter.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1)

Lord, be my star

You are a God who reveals Yourself. The prophets foretold Your coming in littleness, in a place not counted among the great.

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:6)

The scribes knew the words, but their hearts remained cold and they did not set out on the journey. But I want to truly seek You. With all my heart I ask You, where do you dwell, Lord, so that I might find You in my life today.

Protect me from a heart like Herod’s. Protect me from the fear of seeing You as a rival who threatens my freedom and my plans. His words were full of deceit.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (Matthew 2:8)

Cleanse me, I pray, of this mentality of rivalry. Open me to the certainty that You are almighty Love, who takes nothing away, but desires to give life in its fullness.

May I be a light that leads to You

Lord, grant me the immense joy of the wise men when they finally reached their destination.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. (Matthew 2:10)

May this encounter with You, O God, also be for me a source of the greatest joy. May I open the treasures of my heart before You and offer You all that I am and all that I have.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

You are that true light, who came into the world for all people, without distinction.

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)

Your Word calls me, too, to shine with Your light.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)

Help me to understand that through my faith, I too am called to be a small light for the people around me, for those who may be wandering in darkness and searching for the way to You.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)

After their encounter with You, the wise men returned by another way. Changed.

“And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” (Matthew 2:12)

May my encounter with You today change me and set me on a new path, away from fears and calculation. I know that I will not be alone, for You have promised: