Psalm 146: 1-2
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long
as I live;
I will sing praises to my
God all my life long.
Praising the Lord! Good old David....praising God. Good old David who was one of the greatest sinners of all time was intentionally praising God. David had an amazing relationship with God- Yahweh. In spite of David’s sinfulness, David understood Gods compassion and forgiveness first hand. David was literally telling his “soul” to praise God. Wow!
Praising God is a “Spiritual Practice.” Praising God requires intentionality because sometimes we don’t think about intentionally praising God. Sometimes we don’t even want to take the time because our lives are so busy. Take the time and give it a try. Just for today take a couple of minutes, close your eyes, and begin praising God. Breathe deeply several times and begin reading these two verses from the Psalm slowly several times. Now if you really want to try something new and different, try using the first line of the Psalm as a “breath prayer.” First close your eyes, take a few relaxing breaths...then inhale and pray “Praise”, then exhale with “the Lord.” Or inhale “Praise the Lord” then exhale “O my soul.” Pray these “breath prayers” over and over many times, practicing, until they become a mantra. These prayers will make their way to your heart and before you know it you may be praying these verses without even knowing it. It’s a wonderful way to pray scripture and it’s easy. Thanks be to God!
Gracious God,
Thank you for your Word that fills our hearts and lives with hope and peace. As David, your servant praised you, teach us to praise you every day. You, dear Lord, are worthy to be praised. All of creation praises You! Amen.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Luke 7:6-9
Luke 7:6-9
....when Jesus was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy of have you come under my roof; .....only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. ,....When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him,....Jesus said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
The centurion was a person who was most certainly used to taking risks. He was a commanding officer in the military. He was a take charge person, a person of enormous power. The centurion was also a person of compassion because he spoke on behalf of a slave. Obviously a slave he cared for. It was risky business for a Roman soldier of power, sending word to a Jewish Rabbi, asking for help. Who might have been watching? If the centurion lived in this day and age he most certainly would have been followed by the paparazzi. But because he took the risk, Jesus commended him for his faith and healed the centurion’s slave.
Henry Nouwen writes from his book, Bread for the Journey:
“Spiritual courage is following the deepest desires of our heart at the risk of losing fame, popularity, and power. It asks our willingness to lose our temporal lives in order to gain eternal life.”
Thanks be to God!
Gracious God,
Gift us with courage to stand in solidarity with persons who have no “voice” or “power” and People who risk being ridiculed, mocked, and even hated. Make us people who offer a compassionate presence, as your dear Son demonstrated in so many ways. Thank you for your compassion for all people. Thank you for your compassion to me. Help us be your “hands and feet.” Amen.
....when Jesus was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy of have you come under my roof; .....only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. ,....When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him,....Jesus said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
The centurion was a person who was most certainly used to taking risks. He was a commanding officer in the military. He was a take charge person, a person of enormous power. The centurion was also a person of compassion because he spoke on behalf of a slave. Obviously a slave he cared for. It was risky business for a Roman soldier of power, sending word to a Jewish Rabbi, asking for help. Who might have been watching? If the centurion lived in this day and age he most certainly would have been followed by the paparazzi. But because he took the risk, Jesus commended him for his faith and healed the centurion’s slave.
Henry Nouwen writes from his book, Bread for the Journey:
“Spiritual courage is following the deepest desires of our heart at the risk of losing fame, popularity, and power. It asks our willingness to lose our temporal lives in order to gain eternal life.”
Thanks be to God!
Gracious God,
Gift us with courage to stand in solidarity with persons who have no “voice” or “power” and People who risk being ridiculed, mocked, and even hated. Make us people who offer a compassionate presence, as your dear Son demonstrated in so many ways. Thank you for your compassion for all people. Thank you for your compassion to me. Help us be your “hands and feet.” Amen.
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