from my newest book, Life-Changing Water soon to be published, this is a psalm of loneliness. In this section of the book, I deal with the lack of water, needing God. We cannot live without water; the Christian cannot live without close relationship with the Savior.
My Psalm 216
Almighty Father, Provider of all good things,
We praise Your Name and worship at Your throne.
You give us all we need in this life,
And that plentifully.
You grant us food, clothing, purpose, and joy
When we live according to Your plan.
From the very beginning,
You planned that we would live together,
First, as husband and wife,
Then in families,
Now in communities and faith groups
Where we know and are known.
We thank You that we have each other.
We thank You for friendships, for fellowship with others,
And for the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We praise You for corporate worship
Where we join with other brothers and sisters of faith
To pray, to praise, to sing, and to listen to Your Word.
We thank You that Jesus chose a group of disciples
To show us how to communicate with others,
Sharing common goals.
We thank You for His loving family.
We thank You that He came to dwell among us
So that we might know You more fully.
We thank You for those we love in this life.
I thank You for loving parents and siblings.
I thank You for my brothers and sisters of faith.
I thank You for a huge cloud of witnesses,
Those who have grown me up in my understanding
And have loved me as one of Your own.
I thank You for friendships which help me know love.
I thank You for purpose, that of loving others.
I thank You for opportunities to serve You
Through loving others
And pray I may reflect Your care, concern, and wisdom.
I pray I too can be a fisher of men,
Bringing others to Your throne,
Serving as a daily servant of Yours in my daily life,
Telling others of Your love for the lost, the lonely,
For we are all lonely, in the true sense,
Until we find our place in Your Kingdom.
Help me to seek those who need to know You
Because the joy of knowing Your love is all I need
In this life and the next. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
A career teacher, with forty years of teaching language arts/English, Betty Jackson enjoys wordsmithing, writing, and reading as a vocation and avocation.Retirement is her "age of frosting," a chance to pursue postponed hobbies with gusto. She especially sends kudos to the Space Coast Writers Guild members for their encouragement and advice. Her five books, It's a God Thing!, Job Loss: What's Next? A Step by Step Action Plan, and Bless You Bouquets: A Memoir, And God Chose Joseph: A Christmas Story, and Rocking Chair Porch: Summers at Grandma's are available at Amazon.com. Ms. Jackson is available to speak to local groups and to offer her books at discount for fundraising purposes at her discretion. She and her husband soon celebrate their 47th anniversary, and have lived in New York, New Jersey, Iowa, and now the paradise of Palm Bay, Florida. Their two grown children and daughter-in-love, all orchestra musicians, and our beautiful granddaughters Kaley and Emily live nearby. Hobbies, and probably future topics on her blog: gardening, symphonic music (especially supporting the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra as a volunteer and proud parent of a violinist, a cellist, and an oboist), singing, book clubs, and co-teaching a weekly small-group Bible study for seniors. She volunteers and substitute teaches at Covenant Christian School, and serves as a board member of the Best Yet Set senior group at church. Foundationally, she daily enjoys God's divine appointments called Godincidences, which show God's providence and loving kindness.