Focus

Prepare yourself to discern what is and what is not of God today. Still yourself so you can hear how God is calling you.

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Read

Psalm 145 (NRSV)

Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

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Reflect

From time to time I have said to my wife, “Keep talking, I am listening.” Truthfully, I probably was not fully listening, but that is another story. I know it is always dangerous to make assumptions; nonetheless, I assume that everyone reading this eVotion can recall at least one time in your life when you were sure that God was not listening to your prayers. In our minds, we somehow imagined God listening to millions of prayers at one time in various languages and think that somehow God did not pay attention to our request; it just got lost in the shuffle. Psalm 145 assures us that even we when think God is not listening, He has not forsaken us; in fact, verse 18 of this psalm promises us that “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

I want to encourage each of us to keep praying, even when we think God is not listening—maybe especially when we think God is not listening—keep praying, keep believing, keep holding on, and keep the faith. Just because it seems like God is too busy or even not concerned enough to hear our prayers, do not stop praying. In His apparent silence, maybe, God is telling us to “Keep praying, I am listening.” and He really means it.

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Pray

Gracious God, we praise You for Your greatness and Your goodness; we praise You for Your faithfulness in the past, and we trust You to remain faithful in the future. Amen.

Go with God!