Psalm 28 (NRSV)
1 To you, O Lord, I call;
my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication,
as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.a
Lord,
Please hear me, hear my plea for help. You have entrusted a great opportunity into my hands, a chance to contribute to the lives of men and women who have responded to your call to serve as leaders in Christ’s church. What a remarkable crowd this is, these who have heard your invitation and answered by giving their lives to the ministry of Christ and church. What a remarkable vocation this is, representing your people in prayer to you and representing you to your people in proclamation! And I have been invited to be of service in this holy arena within your Kingdom. If I feel a little unworthy and perhaps more than a little daunted, please understand.
This morning, I ask for help in being a good steward of the ministry that has been given to me. Grant me wisdom to do those things that will best serve your people in ministry and, through the ministers, serve your church and Christ.
Only 6 days to Christmas and pastors are preparing Christmas and Christmas Eve worship services. The only thing I can offer today is a prayer. Let the spirit of Christ, whose life we celebrate in this season, empower all that is done so that your people might know, love, and serve him more fully.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask for the special grace that you need from God in this season.
Give thanks for women and men who are serving as ministerial leaders in our churches and communities.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
a Heb your innermost sanctuary
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
psalm 27
Psalm 27 (NRSV)
4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
[1]
Lord,
In one line, the poet is full of confidence and in the next he is not so sure. In one line, he knows that you will protect him and in the next he is begging for protection as though his firm confidence is losing its grip.
Confidence: “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble….”
Less confidence: “Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!”
Confidence Again: “If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.”
So why is this important to me? Why do I see this so quickly? It is as though my heart is looking into the mirror image of itself: faith and less faith, confidence and less confidence and not confidence and then confidence again. I know all about that!
So, Lord, I say to myself as the poet said, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! “
For you I wait, seeking strength for the season and courage for all that meets me today.
It’s the Advent season and the economy is going into the tank. Never in my life have I seen such a conspiracy between the corrupt and the incompetent in high places. And the irony is this, if a man steals a purse, he can go to jail. When a man drives a company into the ditch and thousands of people lose jobs and health care and pensions, that man gets a golden parachute! I know, it’s not the same but there ought to be some kind of accountability somewhere. From those, to whom much is given, much is required.
Lord, it’s all above me. Help us please,
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God for the courage and faith that you need for today.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
[1]
Lord,
In one line, the poet is full of confidence and in the next he is not so sure. In one line, he knows that you will protect him and in the next he is begging for protection as though his firm confidence is losing its grip.
Confidence: “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble….”
Less confidence: “Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!”
Confidence Again: “If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.”
So why is this important to me? Why do I see this so quickly? It is as though my heart is looking into the mirror image of itself: faith and less faith, confidence and less confidence and not confidence and then confidence again. I know all about that!
So, Lord, I say to myself as the poet said, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! “
For you I wait, seeking strength for the season and courage for all that meets me today.
It’s the Advent season and the economy is going into the tank. Never in my life have I seen such a conspiracy between the corrupt and the incompetent in high places. And the irony is this, if a man steals a purse, he can go to jail. When a man drives a company into the ditch and thousands of people lose jobs and health care and pensions, that man gets a golden parachute! I know, it’s not the same but there ought to be some kind of accountability somewhere. From those, to whom much is given, much is required.
Lord, it’s all above me. Help us please,
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God for the courage and faith that you need for today.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
Monday, December 15, 2008
Psalm 27
Psalm 27 (NRSV)
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strongholda of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
Lord,
The poet prays, “Yet I will be confident”. And his confidence is grounded in the reality that “the Lord is the stronghold of my life.”
Today I pray with the poet, “You are the stronghold of my life. You are the one on whom I rely. You are the source of strength and wisdom and grace.
The days come, as they came for the poets of the Psalms, that are filled with danger and very good reasons to be afraid. How many do we know who are: Facing death, gravely ill, fearful for a child or spouse or parent, struggling with the current economic melt-down, jobless or homeless or barely squeaking by in some other way, caught in webs spun by immoral and unethical people. The harsh truth is that bad things really do happen to good people.
The poets knew well the harsh realities of life in this broken and sinful world and still this poet prays, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life…Yet I will be confident.” Let this be my prayer today.
As we move towards Christmas morning and the celebration of Jesus’ birth, we are aware of your greater remedy for the darkness in this world. We are aware of the one who opened, in fresh ways, the doors of heaven so that we might again experience the grace of your spirit and the salvation that you want for all.
In the days before Christmas, I say again to you, You are the stronghold of my life and I will be confident.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Remember the hymn that says, “Give to the winds thy fears, hope and be undismayed….”
Ask for the assurance of the presence the gives confidence for today.
Name 5 people who are struggling with life’s harsh realities and ask God to be present to each one.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
a Or refuge
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strongholda of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
Lord,
The poet prays, “Yet I will be confident”. And his confidence is grounded in the reality that “the Lord is the stronghold of my life.”
Today I pray with the poet, “You are the stronghold of my life. You are the one on whom I rely. You are the source of strength and wisdom and grace.
The days come, as they came for the poets of the Psalms, that are filled with danger and very good reasons to be afraid. How many do we know who are: Facing death, gravely ill, fearful for a child or spouse or parent, struggling with the current economic melt-down, jobless or homeless or barely squeaking by in some other way, caught in webs spun by immoral and unethical people. The harsh truth is that bad things really do happen to good people.
The poets knew well the harsh realities of life in this broken and sinful world and still this poet prays, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life…Yet I will be confident.” Let this be my prayer today.
As we move towards Christmas morning and the celebration of Jesus’ birth, we are aware of your greater remedy for the darkness in this world. We are aware of the one who opened, in fresh ways, the doors of heaven so that we might again experience the grace of your spirit and the salvation that you want for all.
In the days before Christmas, I say again to you, You are the stronghold of my life and I will be confident.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Remember the hymn that says, “Give to the winds thy fears, hope and be undismayed….”
Ask for the assurance of the presence the gives confidence for today.
Name 5 people who are struggling with life’s harsh realities and ask God to be present to each one.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
a Or refuge
Friday, December 12, 2008
Psalm 26
Psalm 26 (NRSV)
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
[1]
Lord,
Help me to pray with the poet, “I walk in my integrity.” In the midst of all that life brings, all that is wonderful and all that is painful, grant me the grace to remember who I am; one of your sons, a follower of Jesus Christ, an “Image-of-God” human being, one who enjoys the grace that you give. Help me to never forget the two great commandments of life, to love you with all of my being and to love my neighbor as I love myself. Keep me grounded in the community of Your Spirit and grant me the grace of joyful worship.
The poet prays, “Do not sweep me away with sinners.” I pray, forgive me my sin and do not abandon me because of my mistakes and misdeeds. Grow me to be the man that you intended in my birth so many years ago.
And in all things, I will remember to say “thank you” both in public and private places.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to help you to remember your core identity as a child of God.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
[1]
Lord,
Help me to pray with the poet, “I walk in my integrity.” In the midst of all that life brings, all that is wonderful and all that is painful, grant me the grace to remember who I am; one of your sons, a follower of Jesus Christ, an “Image-of-God” human being, one who enjoys the grace that you give. Help me to never forget the two great commandments of life, to love you with all of my being and to love my neighbor as I love myself. Keep me grounded in the community of Your Spirit and grant me the grace of joyful worship.
The poet prays, “Do not sweep me away with sinners.” I pray, forgive me my sin and do not abandon me because of my mistakes and misdeeds. Grow me to be the man that you intended in my birth so many years ago.
And in all things, I will remember to say “thank you” both in public and private places.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to help you to remember your core identity as a child of God.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
psalm 26
Psalm 26 (NRSV)
1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.a
4 I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
Lord,
This poet is making his case. He needs your help, and so do I, and he is pleading his worthiness. Look at his claim: integrity, trust, and faithfulness. And what has he avoided? He has steered clear of the worthless, hypocrites, evildoers and the wicked. And then he claims the merit of worship – singing and testimony. This is really good stuff, excellent behavior, and virtue worthy of God’s reward.
But, isn’t there always a “but”? we know that if this poet is David, it was not always true. He did some pretty nasty things, things that deserve the label of “moral depravity”, do you remember Bathsheba and Uriah? Maybe he wrote this before the fall.
I don’t want to belittle the virtues and behavior that he claims. Integrity, trust, faithfulness are good things and refusing to succumb to the influence of bad people is always commendable. Lord, I pray that those virtues will be mine. But I also know that while there is nothing in my history to match the moral depravity that David demonstrated with Bathsheba and Uriah, neither can I claim untainted virtue.
So, Lord I am left to pray, help me to be as virtuous as I can be and forgive me when I fail. While I want to stand before you with good character and some achievements and the claim of contributions made to your world, I know that I will forever be indebted to your forgiveness and grace. I know that I will forever be dependent on the grace of Christ and for that grace I pray.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to help you to do the right thing in the right way at the right time.
Ask God’s forgiveness for your failures.
Rest securely in the Gospel of Christ.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen
a Or in your faithfulness
1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.a
4 I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
Lord,
This poet is making his case. He needs your help, and so do I, and he is pleading his worthiness. Look at his claim: integrity, trust, and faithfulness. And what has he avoided? He has steered clear of the worthless, hypocrites, evildoers and the wicked. And then he claims the merit of worship – singing and testimony. This is really good stuff, excellent behavior, and virtue worthy of God’s reward.
But, isn’t there always a “but”? we know that if this poet is David, it was not always true. He did some pretty nasty things, things that deserve the label of “moral depravity”, do you remember Bathsheba and Uriah? Maybe he wrote this before the fall.
I don’t want to belittle the virtues and behavior that he claims. Integrity, trust, faithfulness are good things and refusing to succumb to the influence of bad people is always commendable. Lord, I pray that those virtues will be mine. But I also know that while there is nothing in my history to match the moral depravity that David demonstrated with Bathsheba and Uriah, neither can I claim untainted virtue.
So, Lord I am left to pray, help me to be as virtuous as I can be and forgive me when I fail. While I want to stand before you with good character and some achievements and the claim of contributions made to your world, I know that I will forever be indebted to your forgiveness and grace. I know that I will forever be dependent on the grace of Christ and for that grace I pray.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to help you to do the right thing in the right way at the right time.
Ask God’s forgiveness for your failures.
Rest securely in the Gospel of Christ.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen
a Or in your faithfulness
Monday, December 8, 2008
psalm 25
Psalm 25:19-22 (NRSV)
19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all its troubles.
[1]
Lord,
How many are my foes? And how many of them live within my own psyche? Fear, anger, ambivalence, guilt, shame, faithlessness, ancient memories that still get in the way of fruitful living, how many are my foes? As Jesus exorcised demons from the lives of those whom he physically touched, take my inner foes away.
And the external foes, there are a few. Help me to remember that most of my external foes are people who have been taken over by their own personal internal enemies.
But there are others, women and men who hate or ignore you and have little use for me because of my intention to be faithful to you. Selfishness and stinginess and the unfailing quest for power and money have driven some to be full participants in the causes of evil.
So, with the ancient poet, I pray, “guard my life and deliver me… for I take refuge in you.”
Lord, you have given us two great weapons in the struggles of life, integrity and uprightness. Too often these “Kingdom Instruments” have been too little used and too often ignored. Too often, integrity and uprightness have been under valued and underdeveloped. Too often, perhaps, that has been true of me.
Nurture those great virtues in my own soul. I have no expectation of achieving any kind of perfection but if you could just grow those great virtues a little within me, perhaps the world will be a little blessed.
Take care of your church and your people God; take really good care of them.
A personal word: Saturday I attended a wedding and Sunday afternoon I returned to the same Christmas decorated sanctuary for a funeral. Take care of you people, O God, take really good care of our people.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Pray, in the manner of the ancient poet, to be safeguarded from all of your foes.
Ask God to nurture the habits of integrity and uprightness in your life.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you to God.”
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all its troubles.
[1]
Lord,
How many are my foes? And how many of them live within my own psyche? Fear, anger, ambivalence, guilt, shame, faithlessness, ancient memories that still get in the way of fruitful living, how many are my foes? As Jesus exorcised demons from the lives of those whom he physically touched, take my inner foes away.
And the external foes, there are a few. Help me to remember that most of my external foes are people who have been taken over by their own personal internal enemies.
But there are others, women and men who hate or ignore you and have little use for me because of my intention to be faithful to you. Selfishness and stinginess and the unfailing quest for power and money have driven some to be full participants in the causes of evil.
So, with the ancient poet, I pray, “guard my life and deliver me… for I take refuge in you.”
Lord, you have given us two great weapons in the struggles of life, integrity and uprightness. Too often these “Kingdom Instruments” have been too little used and too often ignored. Too often, integrity and uprightness have been under valued and underdeveloped. Too often, perhaps, that has been true of me.
Nurture those great virtues in my own soul. I have no expectation of achieving any kind of perfection but if you could just grow those great virtues a little within me, perhaps the world will be a little blessed.
Take care of your church and your people God; take really good care of them.
A personal word: Saturday I attended a wedding and Sunday afternoon I returned to the same Christmas decorated sanctuary for a funeral. Take care of you people, O God, take really good care of our people.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Pray, in the manner of the ancient poet, to be safeguarded from all of your foes.
Ask God to nurture the habits of integrity and uprightness in your life.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you to God.”
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
Friday, December 5, 2008
psalm 25
Psalm 25:11-18 (NRSV)
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the Lord?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity,
and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring mea out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
[1]
Lord,
We live between promise and peril. With the poet I pray, “pardon my guilt, for it is great.” Peril: the possibility that misdeeds and mistakes will ultimately lead to destruction. And promise: we live with the assurance of pardon. We live between the two.
And this amazing promise, those who walk with the Lord will abide in prosperity – some day.
But the poet is not yet living in the state of prosperity. All is not well. He writes, “I am lonely and afflicted.” His heart is troubled and he is distressed. And he is pleading for forgiveness.
Peril and promise, despair and hope, fear and faith, the poet gives it all to you Lord believing, at least hoping, that you will receive the contradictions of his heart with grace and that you will bless him with your presence.
You know the peril in which we now live and we beg your help. Restore the prosperity that you promise.
You know the despair of so many of our neighbors. Restore your hope within us.
You know the fear that distorts our ability to see the world clearly and relate to one another lovingly. Grow within us the faith that leads to salvation.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Confess your guilt and fear to God and ask for the pardon and faith that you need.
Attend to the promise of prosperity and allow that promise to grow within your heart and mind.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
a Or The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the Lord?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity,
and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring mea out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
[1]
Lord,
We live between promise and peril. With the poet I pray, “pardon my guilt, for it is great.” Peril: the possibility that misdeeds and mistakes will ultimately lead to destruction. And promise: we live with the assurance of pardon. We live between the two.
And this amazing promise, those who walk with the Lord will abide in prosperity – some day.
But the poet is not yet living in the state of prosperity. All is not well. He writes, “I am lonely and afflicted.” His heart is troubled and he is distressed. And he is pleading for forgiveness.
Peril and promise, despair and hope, fear and faith, the poet gives it all to you Lord believing, at least hoping, that you will receive the contradictions of his heart with grace and that you will bless him with your presence.
You know the peril in which we now live and we beg your help. Restore the prosperity that you promise.
You know the despair of so many of our neighbors. Restore your hope within us.
You know the fear that distorts our ability to see the world clearly and relate to one another lovingly. Grow within us the faith that leads to salvation.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Confess your guilt and fear to God and ask for the pardon and faith that you need.
Attend to the promise of prosperity and allow that promise to grow within your heart and mind.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
a Or The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
Thursday, December 4, 2008
psalm 25
Psalm 25 (NRSV)
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Lord,
Because you are good, you give instruction to sinners and you lead the humble. Your goodness causes you to reach out to sinners, to the lost, to the mistaken and to the willfully wrong. You do not keep yourself separated from sinners but reach into the orbits of their lives with wisdom and grace and the offer of pardon. You are always whispering in the sinners’ ears, “There is a better way.” You go to the bars and the boardrooms, into the streets and the bedrooms of the broken, into the lives of those incarcerated in jails and chained by habits of futility and self-destruction. You give instruction to sinners.
And who can receive the gift of instruction? Only the humble! You lead the humble, you teach the humble. What you offer to all sinners is received by the humble, by sinners who are open to the possibility that they may be wrong and in need of fresh instruction and guidance. Only to those who realize the need for guidance and grace are able to receive it, or so implies the poet.
So Lord, I pray for renewed humility. Open my soul to a new awareness of your presence and grace and help me to go where you lead and to embody that which you teach.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Speak your sin to God and ask for the pardon that he has promised.
Ask for the courage to be humble enough to receive the grace of God’s guidance and instruction.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Lord,
Because you are good, you give instruction to sinners and you lead the humble. Your goodness causes you to reach out to sinners, to the lost, to the mistaken and to the willfully wrong. You do not keep yourself separated from sinners but reach into the orbits of their lives with wisdom and grace and the offer of pardon. You are always whispering in the sinners’ ears, “There is a better way.” You go to the bars and the boardrooms, into the streets and the bedrooms of the broken, into the lives of those incarcerated in jails and chained by habits of futility and self-destruction. You give instruction to sinners.
And who can receive the gift of instruction? Only the humble! You lead the humble, you teach the humble. What you offer to all sinners is received by the humble, by sinners who are open to the possibility that they may be wrong and in need of fresh instruction and guidance. Only to those who realize the need for guidance and grace are able to receive it, or so implies the poet.
So Lord, I pray for renewed humility. Open my soul to a new awareness of your presence and grace and help me to go where you lead and to embody that which you teach.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Speak your sin to God and ask for the pardon that he has promised.
Ask for the courage to be humble enough to receive the grace of God’s guidance and instruction.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
psalm 25
Psalm 25 (NRSV)
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Lord,
Even as I ask for guidance, I ask as one who knows that he has no right to ask. I seek your guidance because you have invited me to do so. You have made the offer. You have asked me to accept the gift that comes from you.
As I extend my hand to receive the gift of guidance from you, I am mindful, with the poet, of the sins of youth and maturity and I ask that you will continue to be merciful. Do not allow my mistakes, either old or new, to get in the way of following you as the One who knows the way through this life.
Lord, your mercy and kindness are grounded deeply in the essence of your character. You are God and you are merciful and it is with this assurance that I ask that you will remember me. “According to your steadfast love, remember me.”
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Give thanks that mercy, kindness and pardon form the shape of God’s heart.
Ask God to be your companion through the course of your day and week.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Lord,
Even as I ask for guidance, I ask as one who knows that he has no right to ask. I seek your guidance because you have invited me to do so. You have made the offer. You have asked me to accept the gift that comes from you.
As I extend my hand to receive the gift of guidance from you, I am mindful, with the poet, of the sins of youth and maturity and I ask that you will continue to be merciful. Do not allow my mistakes, either old or new, to get in the way of following you as the One who knows the way through this life.
Lord, your mercy and kindness are grounded deeply in the essence of your character. You are God and you are merciful and it is with this assurance that I ask that you will remember me. “According to your steadfast love, remember me.”
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Give thanks that mercy, kindness and pardon form the shape of God’s heart.
Ask God to be your companion through the course of your day and week.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
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