Devotion • November 25
Today's Scripture
Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.
Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will.
Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. (NRSV)
Reflection
My typical bedtime routine:
My goal is to pray for family members, friends in need, decisions I must make that have no good outcomes, and challenges the nation and world must address. And for God to give me courage and wisdom to face all of this.
I would say I have “ambitious” prayer days in which I have conversations with God and achieve much of my prayer goals. I confess I also have “lazy” prayer days in which I am so tired or discouraged or my mind races in different directions and I cannot focus on God or anything.
On these days, I frequently rely on a mantra to reach out to God but also to calm me.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,” the phrase poet David uses at the beginning and the end of this beautiful psalm of praise is the phrase I repeatedly sing in my mind’s eye before I, hopefully, fall asleep. “Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul.”
Many of us were taught that prayer is about communicating with God. It is, of course. But prayer is also a way of communicating with ourselves.
God, I believe, hears my prayers, but someone else hears too — me.
Prayer
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Amen.
Written by Phil Calian, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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