Ugh. These late Rangers games are making me very tired. But I’m glad I stayed up for last night’s 10-3 finish! Once again, the Rangers came on strong in the 9th inning. They could win it today, and seal their first trip to the World Series.
I just got goose bumps.
But it’s far from over. We must remember…the IS the Evil Empire we’re dealing with, here.
Psalm 119:169-176
169 Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word!
170 Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word.
171 My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.
172 My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.
Today, we finish the longest chapter in the Bible. Once again, very unique as each line of each 8-verse section begins with…wait. How do I say this properly? The first letter of each line of a section begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section features a different letter, in consecutive order. Of course, this doesn’t show up in our English translations. It is also, essentially, a “hymn” proclaiming the benefits and wonders of God’s Word. In almost every verse, the Word of God is mentioned in some for or other; “law,” “precepts,” “commands,” “word,” “promise,” etc.
The psalmist completes this magnum opus with a “beautiful but humble prayer,” and in it, makes five requests. “Let my cry come before you;” “my lips pour forth praise” (the NIV translates this in the form of a request); “my tongue will sing of your word” (ditto); “let your hand be ready to help me;” “let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.”
“The psalmist, awed by the magnitude and depth of the divine revelation, recognizes his own need for renewal and revival.” In some ways, I’m a lot like this psalmist. I could never claim to have kept all of God’s laws, but I delight in God’s words and love to sing his praises. I am also very aware of my weaknesses and me need for God’s hand to sustain me.
“The psalm concludes at the end of the Hebrew alphabet, but the song plays on…in overflowing praise to God for His exquisite, awe-inspiring, magnificent Law!”
(From A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen)
MORNING NEEDS
O God, the Author of all good,
I come to you for the grace another day will require for its duties and events.
I step out into a wicked world,
I carry about with me an evil heart,
I know that without you I can do nothing,
that everything with which I shall be concerned,
however harmless in itself,
may prove an occasion of sin or folly,
unless I am kept by your power.
Hold me up and I shall be safe.
Preserve my understanding from subtlety of error,
my affections from love of idols,
my character from stain of vice,
my profession from every form of evil.
May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore your blessing,
and in which I cannot invite your inspection.
Prosper me in all lawful undertakings,
or prepare me for disappointments;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with food convenient for me,
lest I be full and deny you and say, Who is the Lord?
or be poor, and steal, and take your name in vain.
May every creature be made good to me by prayer and your will;
Teach me how to use the world, and not abuse it,
to improve my talents,
to redeem my time,
to walk in wisdom toward those without,
and in kindness to those within,
to do good to all men,
and especially to my fellow Christians.
And to you be the glory.
(From The Valley of Vision)
Prayers from the Presidential Prayer Team
THE ECONOMY
The White House has ruled out a temporary ban on the repossession of homes, despite a growing row over alleged
lender malpractice, stating such a ban would have “unintended consequences.”
Attorneys General from all 50 states announced a joint investigation into whether major U.S. banks used faulty or
fraudulent documents to foreclose on delinquent homeowners.
Pray about the entire issue of foreclosures and the burdens placed upon American families and their shelter.
Father, I praise you for your Word, in whatever form it comes to us, be it commands, promises, laws, decrees, precepts. I thank you that, all through my life, you have given me a delight for the Bible. I have enjoyed reading it for as long as I can remember. I firmly believe that you placed this desire within me before I was born, and you have sustained it in my by your Holy Spirit for my whole life. I was chosen as one of yours, and you have kept me, and made sure that I followed you. I praise you for this in deepest humility.
I pray that I can approach my fellow man with the same depth of humility, realizing that I am nothing without you. I am most definitely better than no one. It is you who have made me what I am, and I recognize that. Give me humility in all of my dealings with all people, even my own family, even my own daughters. Help me to be a humble parent as I feebly attempt to show them how to live. Help me to be the servant husband that I need to be as I love my wife as you love the church. What a daunting task that is!
Thank you for your provision in our lives, Lord. Everything we have comes from you. I pray that all people would recognize the truth of this.
I pray for Stephanie’s day at school today, Lord. She has been struggling a little lately with some depression and anxiety. I pray for the calmness of your Spirit over her.
May we echo the prayers of the psalmist from Psalm 119. Let us sing for joy for the word of God!
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 