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

I Give You Power

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." - John 15:4

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." - Psalm 28:7

Dear God,

You give me power and strength. You give me everything I need to face anything, whether good or bad. But I have to stay close to You. I really do not feel strong right now. And I am having a hard time trusting You to take care of things, but God, You have compassion for the least of these and I know You would not allow harm to come to them, so I ask You again to make sure those republican monsters do not cause them harm by stripping away our healthcare. By trusting You to do what is right in this situation, I can be ready for what happens. You are in control of everything that takes place in my life. And you do constantly protect me from dangers. So God, I am leaning on Your power right now. Today is yet another day in which I need You to intervene in a huge way. And thank You for intervening yesterday.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Trust and Thankfulness Keep You Safe

Psalm 141:8 - But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! 

Colossians 2:6-7 - Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

I Peter 5:6-7 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

Dear God, trust, the protection against worrying and obsessing. Thankfulness, the protection against criticizing and complaining. Sister sins waiting to entangle me. Keeping my eyes on You means I am trusting You. I choose to trust You. Right now. Right here. On this very day. In this very hour. I choose to trust You every day. For the rest of my life. Trust is hard. It is not easy. Especially after having it shattered by the ones who were supposed to be the most trustworthy. Abusive parent. Misleading pastor. But, God, as hard as it may be, I am trusting You. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Let Go and Know God

Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Colossians 4:2 - Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

II Peter 1:3-4 - His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become par takers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Dear God, thank You for the work You are doing on the path toward what will hopefully be reconciliation with Tom. Thank You for constant protection and provision even if my family doesn't know how it will happen or when it will happen. Thank You for love, steadfast and eternal and unconditional. Thank You for life. Thank You for doctors who invest in my care. In Jesus' Name, Amen!