Meditations from Eugenia
Daily Scripture and Prayer
Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church
August 2019
August 1: Mat. 6:7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.”
Dear God, sometimes I have no words, only feelings that I can’t even name, only longings and confusion and a deep desire for your presence. Let my desire for you be my prayer today, O God. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 2: Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”
Dear God, help me today to claim the truth that the joy of the Lord is my strength. Open me up to every experience today and help me look for your joy in my heart. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 3: Gen. 2:7 “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living thing.”
Dear God, thank you for my life, for the beautiful earth and all its creatures. Help me remember that while there is life there is hope so that I may praise you in any circumstance. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 4: Ecc. 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
Dear God, help me today to remember that “this, too, shall pass”. Help me to see my joy as a gift to savor and my problems as momentary inconveniences so that I can live in this moment in peace. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 5: Mat. 5:15 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Dear God, sometimes I feel like my light is a little dim. Today I ask you to glow through me with your powerful love. Give me courage to live my faith out loud. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 6: Luke 11:9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
Dear God, I have always struggled with this verse, asking for silly things that seemed so important at the time. Today, I simply ask that your will be done in my life and I thank you for seeing to it. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 7: John 9:25 “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
Dear God, each day is a beautiful new revelation of your grace. Open my eyes to your great love for me and what that means for how I live my life. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 8: Psalm 66:12 “We went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.”
Dear God, when I look back on my life I see so many times when you have lifted me out of, or through, dangers. Help me today to rest in your power and presence knowing that I am safe in you. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 9: Eph. 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Dear God, I confess that sometimes I harbor hard feelings in my heart toward those who have hurt me or who hurt others. Soften me today so that I can be a vessel of your compassion for others and even for myself. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 10: Luke 12: 34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Dear God, sometimes I want too much, both material things and emotional ones. Help me today to seek you and to turn all of my desires toward growing in Christ. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 11: 2 Sam. 18:33 “The king (David) was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom.”
Dear God, as a people we have known grief and we are weary of it. Help us today to find respite in your love and hope in your promises. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 12: Jude 25:24-25 “Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
Dear God, I praise you today for your marvelous gifts to me. You have protected me all my days and I know that I am safe with you forever! In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 13: Rev. 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who heard and who keep what is written in it.”
Dear God, thank you for the words of the prophets, those ones who saw truth and spoke it. Help me to see your truth and give it voice today. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 14: Psalm 92:14 “In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap.”
Dear God, I am just a young green shoot in your eternal scheme. Thank you that with you I am always fresh and new. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 15: John 15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
Dear God, sometimes I just ask, ask, ask of you. Help me today to focus not so much on what I want as on who I want to be. Mold me by your will and not my own. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 16: James 1:5 “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.”
Dear God, Help me today to be open to how I can give of myself and my resources to meet the needs of your people. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 17: Ecc. 2:24-25 “There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in their toil…for apart from God who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
Dear God, your desire is to fill my life, and even my body, with enjoyment. Remove my negativities and fill me with the joy of living life with you. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 18: John 20:6b-7 “Simon Peter saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.”
Dear God, how marvelous you are! They are no words to describe your wonders. Thank you for loving me and drawing me into relationship with you. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 19: Hab. 3:19 “God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like hinds’ feet, he makes me tread upon my high places.”
Dear God, how beautiful you are and how beautiful you make me! Thank you for lifting me up to the high places with you. Open my eyes to your beauty today! In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 20: Ex. 3:5 “Then God said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
Dear God, I want to run barefoot all day today because every place in all creation is holy, holy ground. Thank you for opening me up to your presence. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 21: Psalm 73:21-22 “When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in the heart, I was stupid and ignorant.”
Dear God, how much of my life have I wasted in bitterness and disappointment? Help me to never waste one more second there. Fill me instead with compassion and peace. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 22: Rom. 5:5 “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
Dear God, revive my hope, that feathered thing that makes living into Life. Remind me when I am down, that you are my provider and your promises are sure. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 23: Col. 3:13b “Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Dear God, forgiveness is so hard. The only thing harder is unforgiveness. Remind me today of the grace you have showered upon me and help me let go of the past. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 24: 1 Thes. 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.”
Dear God, I ask you today to give me someone that I can encourage and remind of your love. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 25: Isa. 64:8 “Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Dear God, today I ask that you will make me a moldable and teachable creature. I wait with expectation what you have for me today. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 26: Mat. 6:27 “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”
Dear God, turn my worry into trust! In Jesus’ holy name I pray. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 27: Rom. 10:15 “And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”
Dear God, is there is story for me to tell today? Is there someone I can touch for you today? Show me. Inspire me. Send me! In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 28: Mal. 3:3a “The Lord will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”
Dear God, I knew that there are things that need to be removed from my life. Show me today what needs to go and what needs my attention first. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 29: John 14:23 “Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
Dear God, I love you! Help my life to display that. Show me your will. Fill me with your word so that you may see my love in both words and actions. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 30: Num. 6:24 “The Lord bless you and keep you.”
Dear God, help me today to rehearse your blessings in my life and trust that you will keep and tend me in any difficulty. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
August 31: Luke 6:21b “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
Dear God, I know that weeping only lasts for a time. Help me to find your joy for my life, even if I have sorrows now. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
Eugenia was our mentor pastor until her retirement in June. 
A PCUSA pastor who has served more than 30 years, she served pastorates in Alabama, Colorado and California. She has served the church at every governing body level in both staff and elected positions. Eugenia was a founding pastor of First Light, Inc. a center for homeless women and children. She is an author, speaker, preacher, and retreat leader who loves nothing more than helping the Bible come alive for people. Her articles and essays and short stories have appeared in numerous publications. She is the author of the 2019-20 denomination wide Bible study for Presbyterian Women, Love Carved in Stone: A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments, and was on the Committee of Fifteen to work on A Brief Statement of Faith for the PCUSA. She is married to Rob Phillips and they reside in her home state of Alabama. She remains our spiritual and devotional mentor.