Focus

Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.

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Read

Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 (NRSV)

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
…
The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
showing that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

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Reflect

After I read this passage, I remembered an elderly lady from the small country church that I attended for the first few years of my life. Ms. Henshaw lived right beside the church and walked over every time the door was opened.

She sure did love children. I don’t know if she had any children of her own, but she always had a smile and a stick of gum for the children who approached her—including me. Occasionally the preacher would ask Ms. Henshaw to play the piano during worship. It’s been over forty years, but if my memory serves me correctly, two of her favorite hymns to play were “We’ll Work till Jesus Comes” and “Nothing but the Blood.”

I have been blessed by many who are “getting on in years.” I am so grateful for these dedicated disciples who come to church each Sunday to teach, mentor, and love me and my children. They are indeed planted in the house of the Lord. Because of their example, I want to be more like Jesus.

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Pray

Gracious and loving God, thank you for the examples of faith in our community of believers. Be with each of them as they strive to be your disciples. We pray that you will grant them wisdom, patience, and guidance as they seek to do your will. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Go with God.