O my forgetful soul,
Awake from your wandering dream;
turn from chasing vanities,
look inward, forward, upward,
view yourself,
reflect upon yourself,
who and what you are, why here,
what you must soon be.
You are a creature of God,
formed and furnished by him,
lodged in a body like a shepherd in his tent;
Do you not desire to know God's ways?
O God,
Injured, neglected, provoked Benefactor
when I think upon your greatness and your goodness
I am ashamed at my insensibility,
I blush to lift up my face,
for I have foolishly erred.
Shall I go on neglecting you,
when every one of your rational creatures should love you,
and take every care to please you?
I confess that you have not been in all my thoughts,
that the knowledge of yourself as the end of my being has been strangely overlooked,
that I have never seriously considered my heart-need.
But although my mind is perplexed and divided, my nature perverse,
yet my secret dispositions still desire you.
Let me not delay to come to you;
Break the fatal enchantment that binds my evil affections,
and bring me to a happy mind that rests in you,
for you have made me and cannot forget me.
Let your Spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ,
for I am slow to learn;
And hear my broken cries.
2 For I said, "Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness."
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.
36 His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies." Selah
God can be counted on to keep his word. In this day and age when contracts are not taken seriously, legal loopholes are taken advantage of freely, marriage vows are broken right and left, and even promises between friends are not kept, God stands alone as one who WILL keep his promises!
I will strive to uphold my promises, both with other people, and with the Lord. Inevitably, I will let both God and man down. But God is faithful, as he has proved time and time again, both in Scripture and in my life.
Psalm 88:10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
"Departed souls may declare God's faithfulness, justice, and loving-kindness; but deceased bodies can neither receive God's favors in comfort nor return them in praise. The psalmist resolved to continue in prayer, and the more so, because deliverance did not come speedily. Though our prayers are not soon answered, yet we must not give over praying. The greater our troubles, the more earnest and serious we should be in prayer. Nothing grieves a child of God so much as losing sight of him; nor is there anything he so much dreads as God's casting off his soul."
"Oftentimes, blessed Jesus, do we forsake you; but do not forsake us, O take not your Holy Spirit from us!"
I pray, Lord, that you would help me be more faithful in keeping my word, keeping promises, keeping my covenant with you. I'm not a huge promise-breaker. I typically do keep my word. If I say I will do something I usually do it. However, there are still times when I fail. I pray for those times to be even fewer. Let me be one that takes covenants and promises seriously. Let me be an example to those around me. I praise you, Father, OUT LOUD that you have kept Christi and me together for almost 25 years, now. And I pray for another 25 years (at least). I praise you, also, that my parents have recently celebrated 53 years of marriage. These are the kinds of testimonies that are rare these days. Let us be a beacon for the younger generations, declaring that covenants are serious.
And I do pray, dear Father, for my soul to awake from its "wandering dream." To turn from "chasing vanities." Oh, my soul, praise the Lord! I do, sincerely, desire your ways, dear Father! Teach me your ways, that I may walk in your truth! Unite my heart to fear your name! How long shall I neglect you, Lord? "Break the fatal enchantment that binds my evil affections, and bring me to a happy mind that rests in you, for you have made me and cannot forget me."
Father, I pray for our worship tomorrow as Wings of Freedom meets together. Let our worship be from our hearts. Let our hearts be completely unfettered from personal desires and wants. Let us be free from worldly distractions. Teach us from your holy words!
I continue to pray for comfort for the family and friends of Dave Osborn in this time of tragedy. I pray that many of his recent friends will find you during their time of sorrow.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton (Arizona) granted an injunction preventing Arizona from enforcing key provisions
of a controversial immigration law, stating �the law should be put on hold until the courts study and rule on the law.�
A federal judge has ruled that Augusta State University, Georgia, may remove a Christian student from its graduate
counseling program for her belief that homosexuality is morally wrong.
Pray for our judges across this nation to seek wisdom from the Lord.
Grace and peace, friends.