Prayer – Lord, I know that You hear my prayers…my pleas for help to understand Your word…to make it come alive…and to apply it to my life day by day as I live to please You in everything that I think, say, and do. Help me and my friends to think before we speak or act that we would not offend You by offending others that are created in Your image. Once we’ve spoken words…we can’t take them back. We want to make You smile. What brings a smile to Your face, Lord?
O LORD, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry
for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips. Declare me
innocent, for you see those who do right. You have tested my thoughts and
examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing
wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands,
which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on
your path; I have not wavered from following you. I am praying to you
because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Show me
your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those
who seek refuge from their enemies. Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings. Protect me from wicked people who attack
me, from murderous enemies who surround me. They are without pity. Listen to
their boasting! They track me down and surround me, watching for the chance to
throw me to the ground. They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—like
young lions hiding in ambush. Arise, O LORD! Stand against them, and bring them
to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword! By the power of your
hand, O LORD, destroy those who look to this world for their reward. But
satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones. May their children have plenty,
leaving an inheritance for their descendants. Because I am righteous, I will
see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied. Psalm
17:1-15 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Meditate.
Eyes are precious and important. I was recently chatting
about eyes with a friend and commiserating about how children can go blind in an
eye when the problem of “lazy eye” is not addressed. In this passage David is
pleading with God for protection…guard me as you would guard your own eyes.
No one wants to lose an eye—especially not God who watches over everyone, and
see everything.
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| Heron in Flight Can you spot the heron? |
For the LORD watches
over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm
1:6
So Moses told the
people, "You must be careful to obey all the commands of the LORD your
God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the LORD
your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous
lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy."
Deuteronomy 5:32-33
For the LORD sees
clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. Proverbs 5:21
I think the verse that impressed me most…jumped out at me…was:
When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied. Jesus
described death as being asleep.
Then he (Jesus)
said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake
him up." The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon
get better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but
Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead."
John 11:11-14
Someday we will all die…unless we are around at the time of
the Rapture. Everyone who is dead will be resurrected, just like Jesus. If I
die before the Rapture, then this verse that David wrote will be very exciting time
to come alive. When I wake up. When I awake, I will see you face to face and
be satisfied. Yes. I will be satisfied! I will be overjoyed to see Jesus,
face to face. Now, even the very thought of it brings a smile to my face.
Verses of Salvation ~ This is all the more urgent, for
you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is
nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of
salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and
put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must
live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild
parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in
quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil
desires. Romans 13:11-14
Memory Verse of the Week ~ For the LORD watches over
the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm
1:6
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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