MY PSALM 153:
O Lord of the Universe,
I come with humble heart before Your throne,
Knowing that in Your mercy, You hear my pleas,
Prepare my paths, provide for my every need.
You created the heavens and the earth
And pronounced them good
And I echo that,
Admiring the light that shines by night
And the sun that warms the day.
I thank you for Jesus, the Light of the World
And the Light of eternity,
For without You in my life,
I would know darkness and despair.
Precious Holy Spirit,
I ask You to be part of every conversation in this day,
To guide me in pathways of Your choosing,
To provide a barrier
Against sin of thought, of motive, of speech, of action,
Keeping my mind, body, soul, and spirit pure in Your sight. Through the mercy of Christ’s sacrifice.
Thank you for Your provision and protection for me
And for my loved ones, the hedge that surrounds us all.
Be present at every conversation.
Be alive in every Word of Scripture
In every lyric of music today
To strengthen my faith.
Be ahead of my every pathway,
Leading me to those You want me to touch with Your hands of mercy,
Influence through my words,
Bring to Your Throne in prayer,
And love through my actions.
Protect those who need You in a special way today,
The poor, the insensitive, the sick in body, mind, and soul,
And help me to be a beacon of light in dark places,
Soften our rhetoric,
Call to our minds songs of praise and thanksgiving
And passages from Your Word
For You are the source of my strength,
And in You I have my being, my purpose, my mission.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen
SCRIPTURE (EPHESIANS 3: 14-21):
For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
THINK ON THESE THINGS:
When I read these words, or listen to them in song in a worship service, I am motivated to shout, “Hallelujah, Amen,” which as a Presbyterian doesn’t happen very often. But I can live my life this way, can’t I, as a Hallelujah, Amen to His Glory? Just think: God has unleashed His Power, His awesome and eternal Power, through Jesus Christ our Lord’s sacrifice for us, and we can know this sustenance and this kind of positivity every day! It motivates me to live every moment and redeem every situation for His honor!
Now you know and I know that we are broken vessels, and that motivation alone does not make this happen. Every day circumstances try to steal this fervor and whatever our goals are, they glimmer less brightly every time adversity or busyness or nonchalance get in the way. And even when we do “perform,” our motivation is often out of necessity, duty, anything but love. Sometimes we even resent not being noticed for what we accomplish in service. We are messed up. We are not perfect and can drive ourselves crazy or into despair if we think we have what it takes to live abundantly and effectively for Christ each moment.
But, when we renew our strength by reading His Word, by thinking on the things of God, by serving His people, by constant prayer, even about the little things, even while we’re waiting at a traffic light, we can be in touch with this Ruler of the Universe who does all things well. We never need to doubt He is further away than the Spirit’s Presence. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you
with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:15-19)
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