Wednesday, January 24, 2024  

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Scripture Reading
Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.

Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.

Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!”

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.

The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.

Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

I walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;

I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”

What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.

O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (NRSV)

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Reflection

During a recent bout with insomnia, I turned to my phone’s podcast app and started browsing for something to listen to. I stumbled across All There Is with Anderson Cooper and listened to season two, episode three titled “A President’s Grief.” Anderson sat down with President Biden to discuss their personal losses and how they have dealt with them over the years. The President talked quite a bit about his faith, and how he leans on it and on God during the losses and grief that he has experienced. It was very moving (it is worth a listen).

I personally have not experienced the losses that both Anderson and President Biden have, but I’m sure many of us can relate to them. There have been times when I’ve felt like I was in a pit, filled with fear and anxiety, grieving various things. We can grieve over big and small things, and that is okay.

I’m not sure what had occurred in the psalmist’s life, but this writer reminds us that we can call on God during our times of trouble, and God will walk with us through it. God is devoted to each and every one of us, and loves us more than we will ever be able to comprehend. This psalm also reminds us to praise God for this unfailing love. How can we repay God for all the goodness that God provides for us? There are so many ways — acts of kindness, helping our neighbors, reaching out to those who are in need, even a simple phone call or a text can help us to show God’s love to others and show our appreciation of God’s presence.

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Prayer
Gracious God, I am so grateful that I can call on you in times of need, despair, grief, and anxiety. You are with me in my most vulnerable moments. Help me to show my devotion to you by treating others with love, compassion, and empathy. Amen.

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Written by Briana Belding-Peck, Family Ministry Coordinator

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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