Focus

As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.

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Read

Psalm 146 (NRSV)

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.

Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD!

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Reflect

To whom do you look when you need help? Where do you turn when justice is elusive? What is the source of your hope? If you answered anything other than God, you’re in trouble.

Politicians, celebrities, or sports stars may be influential for a season, but it doesn’t last. They think their success will be an enduring legacy, but memories fade. Only God endures.

If you’re looking for a hero, or searching for a savior, there are plenty of people who are eager to fill that role for you; but there is only one who is both willing AND able. Only God can save.

If you feel powerless or helpless or clueless or lifeless, don’t be fooled by the empty promises or easy answers you hear on TV or read on the computer. Only God can bring freedom, life, and wholeness.

The power that matters most is God’s power. The answers that have real staying power are God’s answers. The justice that will bring true and lasting peace is God’s justice. Everything else is a cheap imitation. Nothing—nor no one—else is worthy of our praise and worship.

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Pray

Lord, if we have made false idols
or bowed to worship earthly powers
or bought into worldly promises
Forgive us.

Plant a song in our hearts—
a song that praises you, and you and alone—
and teach us, Lord, to sing.
Amen.

Go with God.