From:
Date: March 19, 2021
Subject: It's March 19; Good Morning Union
“May the words of my mouth, and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
Psalm 19- Another psalm that I have fixed in my memory that I usually quote back to God on my morning walks, especially if it’s dark and clear so I can see the stars and the moon! It starts with being wowed by His creation, then wowed by His word, then wowed by His forgiveness, then ending in a prayer of commitment that is another of the four texts I pray back to God almost every morning on my back porch swing.
His creation is “out of this world,” literally!
His word is:
And it will:
His forgiveness makes me blameless in His eyes,
And my commitment to Him is my verse for today- “may my words and my thoughts reflect that I have been with You; wowed by Your presence and power.”
Psalm 49- An amazing song of perspective that the psalmist shares regarding wealth and blessings, riches and honor. My conclusion as I read it again this morning- wealth is not wrong in and of itself; the challenge is what do I do with wealth? Don’t horde it; share it while you can. I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul!
Psalm 79- the psalmist appears to be reflecting on the pain and confusion caused when Babylon came and destroyed Jerusalem, and the emotional response of the people asking why. The interesting thing I saw as I read it was that though they got no answer to their questions of why, they still ended with their willingness to focus on praising God. I’m not sure that can praise Him in crisis unless it has been practiced before the crisis!
Psalm 109- I actually didn’t like this psalm as I read it. It’s so negative, angry and vindictive; or so it appeared to me this morning. David appears to be angry at God and not afraid to let Him know it! But as he came to the end, again he seemed to find at least some resolution. Though he wanted God to strike down all his enemies, he arrived at the place where he was able to say, “They may curse, but You will bless.” It’s ok to be angry, even at God; it’s just not healthy, in my opinion, to stay there. They may curse, but I want to be like God and bless.
Psalm 139- This song contains one of the prayers I offer back to God almost every morning after my walk when I am spending some quiet time with Him on my back porch swing.
“Search me O God and know my heart,
Test me and know my inner (or anxious) thoughts
See if there is any offensive way in me,
Lead me in Your way everlasting.”
Have a great day connecting, through the good and not so good in life, with the Anchor through it all,
Pastor Rich
Quote for the day: “Fishing is not about the fish. It’s the time spent together catching them.”
PS Family Worship- 7:30pm in the church. Our own Dr Seth Pierce will be sharing with us.
PPS Afterglo- in the Atrium right after Family Worship. Music and hot drinks.
PPPS If you are interested in helping our student who lost pretty much all her possessions in the apartment fire this week, her classmates have set up a “Go Fund Me” account.
Also, thank you to all who have been bringing money by Campus Ministries. You all are the greatest!