Author: David Short

Saint of the Week

St. Gabriel Urgebadze

HE SEES

Psalms 9:35 LXX (10:14)

But You do see, You do perceive the suffering and pain,
That You might deliver them into Your hands;
Therefore, the poor man will be left to You;
You give help to the orphan.

Encouraging Words

Our God does see, and perceive, the suffering and pain in our world. He grieves because of it. Then you might ask why He doesn’t do anything about it. We are the cause of this fallen and broken world. He is delaying His return and the replacement of this world with His new world so that more can come to Him. The real question to ask is what are we doing to be His hands and feet to go to those who are suffering and tend to them. What are we doing to take care of the poor man and the orphan. If we are not stepping up to do what we can. Then we should not be embracing the label of Christian. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord,
have mercy!

OUR HOPE IS IN HIM

Psalms 9:11 LXX (9:10)

And let those who know Your name put their hope in You;
For You, O Lord, do not forsake those who seek You.

Personal Challenge

For those who truly know Jesus, they put their trust and hope in Him. That trust and hope is never put in a nation, a person, or an institution, but in God alone. We do this because we know that this trust and hope will never be forsaken. Glory be to God!

I WILL

Psalms 9:2-3 LXX (9:1-2)

I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your wondrous things;
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Personal Challenge

With all the chaos that is going in the world around us, it is important for those of us who are followers of Christ to come back to our roots in Him. He is the source of all wondrous things. It is imperative that we give thanks to Him with our whole heart, tell others of His wondrous things, be glad and rejoice in Him, and sing praise to Him. Christian nationalism does none of this. It is Christ and His kingdom that we celebrate. Glory be to God!

HOPE AND REJOICING

Psalms 5:12-13 LXX (5:11-13)

But let all who hope in You be glad;
They will greatly rejoice forever,
For You will dwell in them;
And all who love Your name will boast in You.
For You will bless the righteous;
O Lord, You crowned us with the shield of Your goodwill.

Encouraging Word

As followers of Christ, we put our hope in our Lord Jesus Christ and not in people, institutions, or any other thing in this world. hat hope will make us glad and give us reason to rejoice. Our Lord will dwell within us and we will boast in Him alone. He will bless us and crown us with the shield of His goodwill. Glory be to God!

IN THE MORNING

Psalms 5:4 LXX (5:3)

In the morning You shall hear my voice;
In the morning I will stand before You,
And I will watch.

Encouraging Words

The Psalms have so many encouraging passages. Every day begins with a morning, whether early or late, every day begins. If we start our day with prayer, we know that He hears our voice. What a way to start our day, standing before God and watching for Him. Glory be to God!

Saint of the Week

St. Maria of Paris

HOPE AND PEACE

Psalms 4:9 LXX (4:8)

I will both sleep and rest in peace,
For You alone, O Lord, cause me to dwell in hope.

Encouraging Words

As a follower of Christ, we are able to find true peace in our lives. We can rest in that peace even when the world around us is spinning in chaos. We are also able to have joy in our lives no matter what the circumstances are that with what is happening around us. We do this because our hope is in our Lord and that exceeds all understanding. Glory be to God!

HAVE MERCY ON ME

Psalms 4:2

You heard me when I called, O God of my righteousness.
You strengthened my heart when I was in distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

Encouraging Words

God hears us when we call out. He hears us and strengthens our heart, especially when we are in distress. One of the most repeated prayers in the Orthodox Church is, “Lord, have mercy!” We know that we do not deserve His love or His mercy. This is why we repeatedly ask for Hismercy. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me, the sinner!

SALVATION AND BLESSING

Psalms 3:9 LXX (3:8)

Salvation is of the Lord,
And Your blessing is upon Your people.

Encouraging Words

The salvation of all mankind, even all of creation, is of our Lord. Salvation from what? From death, eternal death. The most critical thing that was released upon mankind and creation when mankind chose to sin was death, or separation from God. Satan, the tempter, was given the keys to the prison of eternal death, separation from God. Jesus, our Lord, became a human being, lived a sinless life as a human, gave His life as an innocent man, and broke down the hold of eternal death by resurecting from His own physical death. By doing this, He bestowed an eternal blessing upon us and put death to death. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Love, have mercy!