LORD, HAVE MERCY

Psalms 50:3-6 LXX (51:1-4)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy;
And according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression.
Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my lawlessness,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You only have I sinned
And done evil in Your sight;
That You may be justified in Your words,
And overcome when You are judged.

Personal Challenge

We all sin, which is falling short of God’s expectations for us. Sometimes the sins are acts that we have committed. Sometimes they are things that we should have done and didn’t. Whatever the case, if we sincerly turn to God and repent of our sin, He will forgive us of our sin and have mercy upon us. The repentence, true repentence, is often the hard part but it is the part that opens the door for cleansing and renewal. Lord Jesus Christ, Son
of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Saint of the Week

St. Gabriel Urgebadze of Georgia

NEVER ALONE

Psalms 45:12 LXX (46:11)

The Lord of hosts is with us,
The God of Jacob is our protector.

Encouraging Words

We all have those times when we feel alone. Sometimes it even feels like we have been abandoned. This is never true for followers of Christ. God the Lord of hosts, is always with us. We can turn to Him to take those feelings of loneliness away. He is also our protector that we can always turn to for protection. Glory be to God!

BE STILL

Psalms 45:11 LXX (46:10)

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations;
I will be exalted in the earth.

Personal Challenge

Often, the most challenging thing for us to do is to slow down and be still. Our busyness, even if it is doing work for God, gets in our way of truly knowing God. We need to take time to be still and sit in His presence, quieting our thoughts, turning off our passions, and listening for His quiet voice. Sometimes even our prayers need to be muted as we listen to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

OUR REFUGE

Psalms 45:2 LXX (46:1)

God is our refuge and power;
A help in afflictions that severely befall us.

Encouraging Words

The Psalms are comprised of so many reminders of how much God loves us and cares for us. Whether we choose to believe in Him or not we are still made in His image, set apart from all the rest of creation. He is our refuge, the One, the place that we can run to for protection and solace. He is our source of power and life. Whatever life may throw at us, He is there to be our help. Glory be to God!

WHY SO SAD?

Psalms 41:12 LXX (42:11)

Why are you so sad, O my soul?
And why do you trouble me?
Hope in God, for I will give thanks to Him.
My God is the salvation of my countenance.

Personal Challenge

Are you a follower of Christ? Am I? Our world feels so chaotic and corrupted. Our times are filled with lies and misinformation. Yes, the times are bad but there have been other bad times, some of which have been much worse. So what are we to do? When our souls are sad and troubled, as followers of Christ, we can renew our hope in Him. We can give Him thanks that He is not only the Prince of Peace but also the salvation of our countenance. Glory be to God!

BLESSED IS

Psalms 39:5-6 LXX (40:4-5)

Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord,
And who did not look into vanities and false frenzies.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You performed,
And in Your thoughts there is no one who shall be likened to You;
I declared and said, “They are multiplied beyond number.

Personal Challenge

The message, the Good News, given to us by our Lord has been so corrupted over the last two millennea. Our Lord said nothing about establishing a nation to worship Him. To the contrary. He told us that He had ushered in His new kingdom. He never told us to abuse those who had different religious, personal, sexual, or
any other kinds of differences from His teachings. To the contrary, He told us to love our neighbor and to give of ourselves and our resources to support and care for them. He challenged us to put our hope in Him and not into earthly vanities and false frenzies. We have a lot of corrections to the doctrines of today that need to be made to return to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

HE HEEDED ME

Psalms 39:2-4 LXX (40:1-3)

I waited patiently for the Lord, and He heeded me;
And He heard my supplication,
And brought me up out of a miserable pit
And from miry clay;
And He established my feet on a rock
And kept straight my steps.
He put a new song in my mouth,
A hymn to our God;
Many will see and be afraid,
And shall hope in the Lord.

Personal Challenge

Life never seems to operate at the pace that we wish it would. We have a tendancy to be very impatient, especially with God. When we acknowledge that He knows the best timing for our needs then we begin to see His patience for us. He always comes through when the timing is best for us, and as you read through this Psalm you realize how much He blesses us for waiting patiently on Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios the Athonite

PATIENCE

Psalms 38:8 LXX (39:7)

And now what is my patience?
Is it not the Lord?
And my support is from You.

Personal Challenge

Where does true patience come from? It certainly is not from within ourselves. Our Lord is the source of patience. Sometimes it seems like God has spent my entire life waiting for me to trust Him and to submit to His plans for me. This is the way that it has been since the beginning of humankind. He has always, and continues to be, patiently waiting on us. That is how we know that our support comes from Him. Glory be to God!