April 7, 2014

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

How great Thou art! Sing, my soul, sing!
Lord, may my mouth join the chirping of the robin in praising you today.
With all my inmost being, I thank You for an endless list of blessings: for healing, for exciting opportunities, for tips of daffodils peaking up, for sunshine, for millions of migratory birds filling our skies with your praises. For chapels filled with smiling faces and PWOC filled with friends. For warm slippers and bouncy puppies. For sap dripping into buckets and snow dripping into the earth. For baby calves and fawns and lambs and the happy giggles of baby people. Yes Lord, You satisfy us with good things and it makes us feel young and alive.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

The smarter our communication technology gets, Lord, the more we know of the oppressed, and yet the more helpless we feel to fix it all. We trust in You for ultimate justice. We pray for the oppressed of the world; especially the little girls caught in the sex slave industry. Lord, move the workers to go to the field.

...The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Lord we can't enjoy anything when we are under the cloud of 'unforgiven.' And we can't do anything on our own to get away from that cloud. How utterly amazing! How truly wonderful that You would throw those sins so far away that they can never be found again. How much You must love us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

In an instant, it can all be over for us. Teach us to number our days. Lord, surround the families of the Ft. Hood fallen. Heal the wounded. Heal the frightened hearts. Thank You for the heroes You sent in. Thank You for the chaplains and the priesthood of believers who are serving You right there, right now. Thank You for the good doctors. Please give our leaders wisdom in how to confront these problems.

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children--with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. 
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

And that is what we trust in. That is the only truth we can stand on. Our only hope. Your love and Your sovereignty.

Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 
Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.

Oh how awesome it will be to hear the angels! For now, we will be content with hearing your little ones sing, with seeing the stars glitter for You, with joining the songbirds in Your praise.

Lord we pray for the children of Fort Drum this week. Every day is a new exciting opportunity to them; protect their joy and optimism. May they see the God who wraps Himself in light. And may they love Him.

Thank You God for good elections in Afghanistan! You do work wonders in the heart of nations. We pray for their continued success, for our warriors' safety, and for their quick return home.

Again and again we are reminded of the wars a soldier's heart must battle. Please help them find their refuge in You. God please restrain the demon of suicide.

In this season of remembering resurrection, may we Your people show the way to the lost around us! Lord, flood Fort Drum with hope in You! Help us to live beyond our little to-do lists today; starting with praise for You.

Praise the Lord, my soul! Amen and amen!