Father, I pray for peace for the family of this young man. I pray for comfort for the close friends and their families. May your hand be on all of us during this time. Please provide healing by your Spirit.
O God the Holy Spirit,
You who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
have mercy on me.
When you first hovered over chaos,
order came to birth,
beauty robed the world, fruitfulness sprang forth.
Move, I pray, upon my disordered heart;
Take away the infirmities of unruly desires and hateful lusts;
Lift the mists and darkness of unbelief;
Brighten my soul with the pure light of truth;
Make it fragrant as the garden of paradise,
rich with every goodly fruit,
beautiful with heavenly grace,
radiant with rays of divine light.
Fulfill in me the glory of your divine offices;
Be my comforter, light, guide, sanctifier;
Take of the things of Christ and show them to my soul;
Through you may I daily learn more of his love, grace, compassion, faithfulness, beauty;
Lead me to the cross and show me his wounds,
the hateful nature of evil, the power of Satan;
May I there see my sins as
the nails that transfixed him,
the cords that bound him,
the thorns that tore him,
the sword that pierced him.
Help me to find in his death the reality and immensity of his love.
Open for me the wondrous volumes of truth in his, "It is finished."
Increase my faith in the clear knowledge of
atonement achieved, expiation completed,
satisfaction made, guilt done away,
my debt paid, my sins forgiven,
my person redeemed, my soul saved,
hell vanquished, heaven opened,
eternity made mine.
O Holy Spirit, deepen in me these saving lessons.
Write them upon my heart, that my walk be sin-loathing, sin-fleeing, Christ-loving;
And suffer no devil's device to beguile or deceive me.
Thank you, Father, for that prayer!
1 O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. 2 Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! 3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. 4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength, 5 like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; 9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Scholars have grappled for decades with the subject of "bad things happening to good people." It is a "bewildering reality."
The composer of this psalm, Heman, has apparently been afflicted with some kind of disease that has drained his strength, and has caused his closest friends to avoid him, as well. He is lonely and feels forgotten.
His response is to cry out to the Lord. And lest we think that it is a sign of weakness to abandon all restraints and cry in agony to the Father, let us take as our example our own Savior, who, in the depths of his agony, cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34)
Father, I pray for the Holy Spirit's influence in my life! I am too easily distracted by "shiny" things, Lord. Constantly show me, by your Spirit, how horrible and ugly sin is. Keep me aware that my sin is what nailed Christ to the tree. Teach me to loath and flee from sin, as I should. Let my judging spirit be put to death! Let my cynicism die! Make me as a little child, O my Father! Lead me to the cross.
HEALTH CARE
Research suggests the babbling of infants with autism differs from that of children without it. The differences were
spotted with 86% accuracy using automated vocal analysis technology, not yet a diagnostic tool.
A vaccine patch having hundreds of microscopic needles which dissolve into the skin could cut out the need for painful
needles and boost the effectiveness of immunization against disease, according to Emory University researchers.
Pray for the researchers who continually investigate and test methods for improving the health of Americans.
Grace and peace, friends.