Respectful
Saturday Psalm #150
I praise you
for the capacity to praise you.
I praise you
that I can praise you in song,
and for the privilege of praising you
in harmony with others who praise you.
I praise you
under your great blue blanket of sky;
I praise you for your mighty acts
and your magnificent greatness.
I praise you with joyful laughter
and with quiet weeping.
I praise you with dance,
and I praise you by kneeling.
I praise you loudly
and I praise you softly.
I will praise you facedown
and I praise you with a fist pump!
I praise you with all that I have,
and all I am;
let every living thing join in!
Amen.
To Walk in the Day
Grant, Lord, that I may walk in the day,
and not stumble,
because I see the Light of this world (John 11:9),
in Jesus' name, amen.
(photo by Nordseher via pixabay.com)
Enter and Enlarge
My soul is like a house, small for you to enter, but I pray you to enlarge it. It is in ruins, but I ask you to remake it. It contains much that you will not be pleased to see: this I know and do not hide. But who is to rid it of these things?
(a prayer of St. Augustine of Hippo, from his Confessions, Book 5.1; photo via pixabay.com)
Today in Your Classroom
Through self-quarantining and semi-seclusion, you are teaching me to persevere and deny myself.
Through scarcity and need you are teaching me to recognize you as the source of my daily bread, to rely on you for the supply of all my needs, and to plan carefully and choose wisely.
Through delay and waiting you are teaching me patience and trust, reminding me that "in quietness and confidence" is my strength (Isaiah 30:15).
Through changing circumstances you are are teaching me (again) to pray, and to remember from whence my help--and help for my children and grandchildren--comes.
Through disappointment and difficulty, you are teaching me humility, contentment, and new ways of doing old things.
Through it all, Lord, I can see your hand, and your wisdom. Through it all, teach me some of that wisdom, the kind that comes only from you. Help me to learn such lessons well so as to learn the next one--and the ones after that--quicker and better, in Jesus' name, amen.
Through delay and waiting you are teaching me patience and trust, reminding me that "in quietness and confidence" is my strength (Isaiah 30:15).
Through changing circumstances you are are teaching me (again) to pray, and to remember from whence my help--and help for my children and grandchildren--comes.
Through disappointment and difficulty, you are teaching me humility, contentment, and new ways of doing old things.
Through it all, Lord, I can see your hand, and your wisdom. Through it all, teach me some of that wisdom, the kind that comes only from you. Help me to learn such lessons well so as to learn the next one--and the ones after that--quicker and better, in Jesus' name, amen.
Saturday Psalm #149
I will sing to you,
a new song,
an old song,
a slow song,
a fast song,
my own song,
anyone's song.
I will rejoice in you, my Maker;
I will be giddy in your presence, my King.
I will praise your name with dancing
(try not to laugh);
I will turn anything into an instrument of praise to you.
For you delight in your people;
you crown your lowly subjects with salvation!
I rejoice in honor from you,
I sing for joy that you listen to my prayers!
Your praise will be in my mouth,
your Word a double-edged sword on my lips,
to wield spiritual warfare
and send petty demons fleeing,
to bind them with fetters, with shackles of iron,
for it is my glory to be your lowliest soldier
in the struggle of the ages.
Amen.
For Seeds I Have Sown
let the seeds I have sown over the years,
no matter where they landed
or how long they have waited
find receptive soil at last
and bear fruit,
yield blessing,
and lead to eternal life
for all I have known,
in Jesus' name,
amen.
Make Them Prayerful
Today's prayer from the "31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids" app for iPhone and iPad...and my prayer today for my kids and my grandkids.
Farmer Thanks
Those caissons which go rolling along up and down the corn rows are panoplied with plows and not with powder.
We put up hay, make grass silage, seed sweet Sudan, that every one in thy image may have milk and meat enough.
So for those heavy lambs, healthful heifers, pink-combed pullets, and pigs well weaned we would give thee our farmer thanks.
Make us just as glad to share our blessings as to glory in our work.
Amen.
(excerpt from the book, The Farmer Gives Thanks; photo by klimkin via pixabay.com)
Saturday Psalm #148
I praise you under the night sky,
I praise you while driving into the sun.
I praise you for the faculty to praise you.
I praise you that my brain works (mostly),
that my tongue moves,
that my heart resounds with your praise.
I praise you for the sun you created,
and for the moon and stars you hung in place.
I praise you for the unfathomable expanse of the universe,
and for the mysteries of deep space.
I praise you for signing your work,
and making it reasonable for us to praise it.
I praise you for this clockwork solar system
and the ancient and future splendor of the skies.
I praise you for this earth,
its resiliency,
beauty,
majesty,
mystery,
efficiency,
and energy.
I praise you for the sheer numbers in your Creation:
20,000 species of fish,
6,000 species of reptiles,
9,000 birds,
1,000 amphibians,
15,000 species of mammals
and over a million insect species...that we know of!
I praise you for lightning and hail,
snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do your bidding,
for Kilimanjaro and the Piedmont,
for almond trees and pomegranate,
for wild horses and curious marmots,
tiny hummingbirds and great egrets,
for fall plumage and winter blankets,
for the strength of young men,
the beauty of young maids,
the wisdom of the old
and the patience of the aged.
I praise you, Lord,
for the joy of praising your name,
for the grace of beholding your splendor
in earth and sky.
I praise you, Champion of your people,
the praise of all your saints,
the joy of people close to your heart.
I praise you.
(photo via Pixabay.com)
Baseball is Back
Thank you for outfields of green
and the crack of the ball on a wooden bat.
For pitchers with eccentric windups,
for stolen bases
and diving catches.
For double plays
and double steals,
bunts and brushbacks,
squeeze plays and home runs.
For "cold beer here!" and ballpark franks.
For the seventh inning stretch.
For day games and night games.
For OBPs and ERAs,
pickoff plays and headfirst slides,
for opening days (even really late ones) and hope springing eternal.
Amen.
An Invocation Before Writing
O for a muse of fire
that would ascend
the brightest heaven of invention
(Henry V, Prologue, 1).
Come, King of Grace
Enlighten my heart, rule my life, and sanctify my thoughts so that they all may be reverent and pleasing to you. Surround me with your grace, that I may never be removed from it.
Come to me, Holy Trinity! Make me your dwelling and your temple. Spark in me the light of your knowledge, faith, hope, humility, patience, prayer, perseverance, and reverence. Amen.
(from Amish Prayers, compiled by Beverly Lewis)
Praise Belongs to You
Mighty God,
Transcendent,
Righteous,
Merciful,
and Just.
I praise you for being a mighty fortress,
a kind, forgiving Father,
a gentle, nursing mother,
a friend,
a king,
a warrior,
a shepherd,
a rose of Sharon,
a morning star,
a sun, and shield, a shelter,
all that I need, and all I aspire to be.
(image by Emmie_Norfolk via pixabay.com)
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