Week of September 28, 2008, Psalm 25:1-9

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Psalm 25, the first nine verses – a psalm of trust and hope, asking God to teach and guide our steps:
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

Dear Lord, I come to You as a great God, able to do all things. I put my trust in You O God. I seek Your presence in my life, an awareness of You always with me. My hope is You, O Lord, so that whenever the tough times come, I look to You in trust and confidence that You are with me, that You are at my side.

Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. I seek Your presence always with me, always knowing You are guiding and teaching me.

I thank You for Your great love and mercy; You have shown patience with me, and You lead me in spite of my sinful ways; Lord, You instruct me and teach me. Help me to grasp Your ways, to see You clearly. My prayer is that I not rebel, but that I submit to You in all areas of my life. For You are good and upright. You guide me in what is right.

You remind me of Your covenant of love and presence with me always. Thanks, Heavenly Father, for Your power, Your peace, Your joy in my life. Amen.

May the Lord bless you as you go on your way. May He go before you to show you the way. May He go behind you to encourage you. May He go beside you to guide and befriend you. May He always be above you to watch over you. And may He be within you to give you peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God be with you now and always.

Week of September 21, Psalm 145: 1-8

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Psalm 145, the first eight verses:
1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

Dear Lord, in the midst of anxious times and personal fears, I still exalt You as my God and King. I will praise Your name forever and ever. Each day, no matter how I feel, I praise You and extol Your name forever and ever. For You are great, O God, and most worthy of praise. I cannot begin to fathom Your greatness, all of who You are. But I am excited to share with others all You’ve done for me, how You have worked in my life, and I speak of the power of Your awesome works, and forever I will proclaim Your great deeds.

Lord, thanks for Your abundant goodness, Your righteousness, Your peace. Thanks for how You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and how You are rich in love, how You love us so deeply.

Thanks, Jesus, for Your strength and comfort, for Your power and love, for Your peace during these times, and for Your presence with us always.


May the Lord shower you with His mercy; may the light of His presence be ever your guide; may He guard you and uphold you; may His Spirit be ever by your side. May He bless Your comings in and your goings out. When you sleep, may His angels watch over you; when you wake, may He fill you with His grace. May you love Him and serve Him all your days, and then in heaven to see His face forevermore.
In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If you have a message or prayer request, you can email me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God be with you now and always.

Week of September 7, 2008, Psalm 119: 33-40

Part of the lesson for Sunday is from Matthew 18, which includes verse 20, an often quoted verse: “… where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” And another part of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Psalm 119, verses 33 to 40. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible and each of the 22 sections begins with an ongoing letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The basic focus of the psalm is God’s word and the love that we have for God and for God’s word. Psalm 119, beginning with verse 33:
33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

Jesus, You are the Word made flesh. Your Word is embodied in all of who You are. Teach me, Lord. Teach me to follow Your word – Your Word to keep me safe, to encourage me, to comfort me, to build me up and strengthen me. Your Word, so much more than anything that the world can offer, is life itself when I realize that You are the Word made flesh, always with us. You are Emmanuel – God with us.

Through Your Spirit, You empower us to learn, to grow, to share our faith, our journey spiritually with others. Help us understand, Lord. Help us to grow, Lord. Help us to share, Lord.

Thanks, Jesus, for Your love, Your joy, Your presence with us always. Amen.

May the Lord bless you as you go on your way. May He go before you to show you the way. May He go behind you to encourage you. May He go beside you to guide and befriend you. May He always be above you to watch over you. And may He be within you to give you peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by emailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May God be with you now and always.