Focus

Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.

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Read

Psalm 9:1-14 (NRSV)

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the LORD sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Be gracious to me, O LORD.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
so that I may recount all your praises,
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.

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Reflect

An anthem my choir has sung many times over the thirty-three years I have served as a musician at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Germantown is a direct quote from today’s psalm, “I Will Give Thanks,” by Allen Pote. This dynamic piece of music moves with a vigorous piano accompaniment, and ends with an Amen where the voices are layered on beginning with the lowest voices and ending with the highest ones. That way of layering sounds in music creates a powerful conclusion that says, “We mean what we sing!”

Do you mean what you say? Do you truly give thanks to God for all things? How about the bad things? How did you feel at the time, and do you still feel that way now? How can you change those bad feelings and use them for good?

Those questions are personal, and only you can answer them. As for me, I strive to live with a thankful heart, and have used my mistakes and the bad things that have happened to try to change. I’m a work in progress and I know God is working with me!

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Pray

God, help me to be thankful in all things! Amen!

Go with God.