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.
Read
To the leader: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a deceitful heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own—who is our master?”
5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord;
“I will place them in the safety for which they long.”
6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.
Reflect
People use their words for many purposes – to talk to ourselves, to communicate with others, and with God. The psalmist claims that we become unfaithful, ungodly, flattering, and deceitful. We lie and boast through our words, and finally, God must intervene because of all the harm we cause through our words.
In what ways have the words of others affected you negatively? Likewise, in what ways have your words caused harm to others? Human beings are flawed. We cannot seem to help ourselves.
But here is our hope: “The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure.” When we make promises to others, are our intentions pure? Probably not always – because we are human beings. God alone is our protector. God is our primary truth-teller. We can trust God’s words.
In this world that is so difficult, we must remember who we are and whose we are. We are God’s children. We belong to God. Even when we claim to belong to a certain human family, to a certain church, to a certain nation, or even to a certain political party, we belong to God. God needs us to put God first. God is a God of truth, and that gives us hope in difficult times.
Pray
Oh, Adonai, help me to repel evil in myself. And help me to remember that others have no power to stop you! Their lies will not last; your promises and protection will last forever. I want no spirit but the Holy Spirit in my life! Amen.
Go with God!
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