Psalm 34

Taste and See That the Lord Is Good 

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! 

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life and love many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. 

Dear God,

What would You have me learn from this passage? You help the righteous. You let the evil fall prey to their wickedness. God, may I be on the side of righteousness all my life. God, You hear the righteous. Please, keep intervening on behalf of the least of these with regard to healthcare and budgets in this country. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Psalm 31

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of my enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I a, in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many—terror on every side!—as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. 

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.

Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, "I am cut off from your sight." But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! 

Dear God, 

What would You have me learn from this passage? That You protect those who believe in and trust in You from the harm of those who don't believe in You. God, keep protecting the least of these when it comes to healthcare and budgets in this country. We need that more now than ever. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord Glory

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! 

Dear God, 

What would You have me learn from this passage? Your voice is strong! I will continue to cry to You for intervention for the least of these with regard to healthcare and budgets. And I will trust You that You will make sure no harm comes to the least of these. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Psalm 27

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation 

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 

One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. 

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 lift me high upon a rock. 

And now my head shall be 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.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord, do I seek." Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. 

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! 

Dear God,

What would You have me learn from this passage? You are light. You are salvation. You are a stronghold. If I truly believe these things about You, then I should not be afraid. My enemies will stumble and fall. I can trust You to protect me even when the battle rages around me and against me. God, I ask again that You continue to intervene on behalf of the least of these with regard to healthcare and budgets. And I thank You that You have taken me in when my human father abandoned me. God, help me as I learn to wait for You. Help me to be strong. Help my heart to feel courageous. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

Close as a Whisper

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - Psalm 145:18

"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you." - Joshua 1:5

And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind was an earthquake, but the Lord was not int he earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.- I Kings 19:11-12

Dear God,

You say You hear me even in a whisper. Today I ask that You intervene again on behalf of the least of these who the republicans are trying to harm through the budget proposals in addition to the healthcare situation in this country. Please intervene so that no one suffers. I don't understand why the republicans have become so hateful and antiChristian, but there must be something that You can do, God, because You are Almighty. So God, I lay it in Your hands today. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Worry Is a Waste

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?" - Luke 12:22-26

And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." - Revelation 14:7

Dear God, 

Worry is thinking about things at the wrong time. I hand over to You the concerns that millions of Americans have with regard to healthcare and budgets that make things worse for our country. I hand over to You the republican monsters and their hateful actions that go against Your Word with regard to the least of these and the elderly and the veterans. I hand these things over to You because I am but one person and I cannot handle these things on my own. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen