Lord, tend the garden of my soul.
Pull out the weeds, plant your truth.
Amend the soil, replace bad habits with the fruit of your Spirit.
Fertilize me with your Holy Word, Water me with your Spirit.
Let your light shine strong and true to the darkest recesses of my soul.
May my roots go deep into the soil of your Truth and Life
If I bloom Lord, may those who see me- only see You.
My Grandmother has passed away. At the end of life, it is customary to remember all the days before- to think about- what is my legacy?
I can tell you what my Grandmother’s Legacy was to me. A life spent loving God, serving God, sharing God, living a life honoring Christ. She modeled, in so many ways, a life that said God is first in my heart.
I remember waking up in the morning when we were staying with them for family holidays or trips- and finding her sitting with her Bible and devotional book and her breakfast. I knew not to disturb her when she was having her quiet time with God.
I had the thought- and wrote it down in one of my journals I kept as a kid, that Grandma always reminded me how important it is to spend time with God every day, and to put Him first.
My Grandma was a hard worker, and she was tough. Not that she was lacking in tenderness- there was a sweetness so beautiful in her too- but I admired her work ethic- and how much joy she took from serving her family.
Boxes full of cards can be found in storage here at the house. Many of them are from Grandma and Grandpa. Their messages were always heartfelt and tender- talking about missing me, being proud of me, how much they enjoyed being with me and my children. Their joy over my marriage to Phil.
It matters. The love of the women who have gone before me. They have modeled for me what a Godly woman looks like.
Proverbs 31:10-12,25-31
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
I am humbled and honored to have known women who love the Lord and serve Him all the days of their life. To have had the chance to talk to my grandmother about being a Mom, to hear her wisdom and advice- to pray with her.
Through the jumble of emotions, there is joy. I know Grandma is at peace, she is in the arms of Jesus. Her suffering is no more- and I know I will see her again someday.
I am singing the song below at my Grandmother’s funeral.
Before I went to Walmart yesterday with the kiddos, I was praying for some opportunities to chat with people in the store, or just smile and make eye contact with people, inviting conversation.
I was walking through the store and had almost wrapped up my shopping, when I saw a lady just coming in the store. When I made eye contact with her and smiled, she immediately started talking to me.
She quickly starting sharing things about her family. We had a nice chat for about ten minutes, and then we said goodbye and she went to shop and I got bought my things and went home.
After I got home and was working outside in the garden, I started to feel some regret from how I handled the situation.
I wished I would have prayed with her, or at least asked her if she wanted to pray. And then I wished that I had asked if she went to church somewhere and invited her to come to church with me.
Sometimes I miss my college days, when I was so bold in my witness- I remember saying- and writing in my journal- “They just need Jesus.”
But as I have gotten older, and I have seen more pain and hurt, and have dealt with questions I can’t answer- I think I have lost some of my boldness. Why? My faith in God is stronger today than it ever has been. I have witnessed answers to prayer, have seen God’s provision in our lives- I feel the freedom of His forgiveness and have felt the Holy Spirit working in my life.
So why do I hesitate to share? Though I may not be certain of the why- I know that I want to always be willing and paying attention- so that I do not miss another opportunity to share about Jesus.
He has transformed my life- and having children has fanned the flame of my desire to know Him more into a roaring blaze at times- I feel so desperate for God’s help. I want to raise our children to know God and love Him, to serve Him every day of their life. I want to protect them from the evil in this world.
But I know that I can’t always be with them. What a comfort it is to know that God is always there for them! That He loves them even more dearly than I.
So, my prayer today is one for boldness. That I may be faithful to share God’s good news with everyone I meet.
He calls us to share with others- and how they respond isn’t our responsibility- but we must always be ready to share- no matter where we are- even in Walmart.
1 Peter 3:13-18
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
If God has truly changed us, if we are living in peace and freedom- with an eternal hope- then shouldn’t we want to share that?
I pray that we will be bold to share our testimony with others, and to live out our faith daily- to willingly submit to being changed into Christ’s image (2 Cor. 3:18).
Prayer Tree
Why do we focus on the things that separate us? We spend so much time and energy reading books and listening to people talking about how our side is right and the other side is wrong that I think sometimes we forget what is truly important.
Political division has the potential to turn brother against brother, friend against friend. Do we hold more tightly to political beliefs than to Jesus Christ? Do we hold more tightly to our political position than our love extends to others?
Roman 12:9-21
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[ says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Are we more concerned with being right- our side is superior- than we are with trying to live out what the Bible teaches us? There is so much that we don’t know in this life (God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways)- so many things we can speculate about.
Would Jesus have been a liberal or a conservative? When people ask questions like that- it makes me angry.
Why? Because it focuses on what divides us, and it can keep us from loving fully- when we argue political position rather than following Christ’s example.
Just live out the Gospel. Can’t we all agree on that?
Is our pride in being right more important than loving and serving those around us?
Do you making sweeping judgments about a political group- lumping everyone together?
Do you mock and belittle their position- taking pride in your superiority of thought?
If you truly feel that a brother or sister in Christ is being deceived, do you pray for them in love and reach out to them? Or do you think about how ignorant they are? What is going on in your heart?
I have wrestled with this so much over the years, but the older I get the more I find that those things that preoccupy my thoughts have nothing to do with political position and everything to do with obeying God’s Word and serving the people He has called me to serve.
If we all just sought to be obedient and use the gifts that God gives us- to support and love each other-despite our differences- to not turn away from each other in anger but give each other the benefit of the doubt…
We can’t know another person’s heart. Yes, we can watch for fruit- (Matthew 7). But I think sometimes we are so set in our position- that becomes our focus- ideology supersedes our love for people. (Look up confirmation bias and belief perseverance- be aware of our tendency to cling to our own position- even in the face of evidence that is in direct contradiction)
When we post something on Facebook or other social mediums- are we more concerned with being right and flaunting our position or making fun of the other side- or are we seeking to love, encourage- and “spur one another on to love and good deeds?” (Heb. 10:24)
As I post this, I am thinking these things over seriously concerning my own actions- and praying that I will be seeking to encourage- to share my passion- to spur on my brothers and sisters in Christ and not focus on what divides us.
This does not mean that we water down truth- or we have to compromise our convictions. We must endeavor to be obedient to God’s Word- even though that may cause tension or division at times.
Please hear my heart- take some time to think about your motivations when it comes to your political convictions- and how much energy are you extending to prove you are right- are you motivated by pride?
If you have said things that have hurt a friend or co-worker, and now regret it, will you seek reconciliation? We can disagree politically and still respect and love each other. We can focus on the things that unite us in Christ.
If you have other thoughts to share- I would encourage you to comment on this post.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Making a plan, keeping the schedule, crossing things off the list, sometimes it can seem like days are filled with so much of going from one thing to the next we don’t really have time to think about it.
But do you ever have days when you can feel a whisper or nudging- go open your Bible, or pray about that…but you are so preoccupied with what you are trying to do that you don’t even really notice? God is trying to break in- but you can’t hear Him or see what He’s trying to do because you are too busy getting in your own way?
Well, that’s what happened to me yesterday. I was so preoccupied by certain tasks I was trying to get done, that I didn’t stop to spend time with God- to really put it all down and just sit with Him.
I took some “quiet time” but it was really about 15 minutes of reading a devotional and it was encouraging- but afterwards I still felt unsettled in my spirit- I still needed more- but I pushed those thoughts and feelings away and just continued to work.
Today, this morning, I finally took the time (in part at home, in part at BSF). I stopped and really listened- and He comforted me. He encouraged me- He met me right where I am.
Here are some of the meditations from 2 Corinthians that blessed me so richly today- and I pray that they will encourage and strengthen you as well.
How do we respond to trouble in our lives? Do we run from it, avoid it, ignore it, eat or drink alcohol to numb ourselves from the pain of our circumstances? Or do we embrace it, seek to not just endure our trials but do I enlist?
Enlist means to join the cause- fight the good fight- participate in the battle- go on the offensive- not just slump our shoulders under the burden but take courage- have faith in God and stand firm.
Our troubles, the cracks in our jar- reveal Christ’s glory. See 2 Corinthians 4:1-15.
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Trials are opportunities for the light of Christ to shine through our brokenness.
So let us shine, may the light of Jesus light us up- may we have on us the fragrance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 2:14-17).
Today has been a challenging day- I knew I needed to spend some time in prayer and meditation on God’s Word to bring peace to my troubled heart, and to encourage me.
Waiting…yes, I have been learning about waiting for over a year now. And still I wait- for answers- and some answers are coming- but slowly- and I am not good at being patient.
This devotional from Andrew Murray was so encouraging to me today. This quote especially:
“And if you ask: How is it, if He(God) waits to be gracious, that even after I come and wait upon Him, He does not give the help I seek, but waits on longer and longer? There is a double answer. The one is this, God is a wise husbandman, who “waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it” (James 5:7). He cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory.”
He goes on to talk about the great blessing of waiting through trails and storms, our sense of time is different than God’s. We must trust Him with the pace of events, and anticipate His faithfulness, even when it seems a long time coming.
This has calmed me today- for sometimes I become discouraged or weary in my waiting- longing for an answer or a sign- and yet even as I write this God continues to encourage me. Even in the midst of waiting, I feel His Presence.
Sometimes I must believe as an act of will and trust that my emotions will follow.
I pray that you may find courage and strength in the Lord- as you wait, or as you endure trials. He is faithful.
I have always been a passionate person. Those things that I feel strongly about- I have a hard time discussing them without becoming animated in my whole person- gesticulating and voice rising in a torrent of zealous words.
One of the disadvantages to this tendency, however, is that my emotions sometimes have far too much say in my life.
They ruin days when I cannot shake them, or drag me down by whispering repeated helplessness in my ear.
Feeling emotions deeply means that you get those high highs, but sometimes- and to the detriment of all those around me- I get some very low lows.
James 1:2-8 comes to mind often when I am feeling inconsistent in my emotional state- when I am allowing them to dictate too much in my life- and not persevering in faith and trust in God- letting His Words bring peace to the storm in my brain.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
I don’t want to be double-minded and unstable. I am thankful for the passion God has given me for life and the calling He has placed on my life. But sometimes, I need to choose another course to follow than the one my emotions are dictating to me.
I give them too much power and control- and they end up taking me places where I do and say things that I regret.
So, if you struggle with out-of-control emotions at times, know you are not alone- and I pray that today we will call out to God for help and use His Word to fight when those emotions try to push us around.
Stand firm- these verses came to me as I wrapped up this post- I pray that they encourage you.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
There are times when things happen to people, tragedy strikes, a young person dies, a parent with young children dies- and I wonder why God? Why did this happen? Why didn’t you heal them?
I know that you can, and sometimes you do, but why not this time?
Have you ever felt that way? I have been angry at God sometimes for this very thing- wondering why some children grow up in homes where their parents abuse and neglect them, while others are showered with love and attention in abundance. How can God stand it?
I can’t see a pattern. Tragedy seems to strike randomly, without rhyme or reason.
In Sacred Parenting, Gary L. Thomas says that he feels God chooses to heal- not based on faith or obedience necessarily- but perhaps this is “God’s providential choice, offered without explanation or apology.”
He continues, “here is where the Lord seems to beckon us to what the ancients called the spiritual discipline of surrender. Paganism seeks to manipulate divine forces to serve human will: Do the right thing, and you obligate God to respond in a certain way. Authentic Christianity seeks to surrender the human will in order to serve and give glory to the divine God.”
I remember reading this and thinking, I don’t know how I feel about this portrayal of God. Then he goes on to talk about how mysterious God is, there are so many things that we can’t explain or understand.
So when people mourn, we mourn with them, for the desperate sense of sadness and injustice. That this was not how it was meant to be, sadness and death, tragedy.
There are no easy answers to the questions that arise, and to try to provide them is more for ourselves than for those who are grieving- we want to have a reason- or good answers.
The Bible teaches us how to respond to tragedy and grief in our own lives and those around us- but it does not explain the why. Why tragedy strikes certain families and not others. We don’t know.
Trust enters the picture- we have to choose to trust God with all the things we can’t know, and believe that He loves our children even more than we do.
He loves us more than anyone else- so when we can’t see the reason and we can’t understand- that gives us all the more reason to cling to God because we know that He understands- not only the depth of our grief and sense of injustice, but He also sees the whole picture and we can trust Him with all that is outside what we can know in this life.
I don’t know. Even after writing all of this, I feel as though it all seems inadequate? How can I truly know or comprehend how I might respond to grief until I go through a horrible tragedy?
Can we understand the depth of sorrow nor how one navigates it without ever entering into it ourselves? So I wonder, what has brought comfort to those who have gone through the most awful tragic situations? How have they responded?
A professor from the one of the schools I attended recently lost his daughter to a pulmonary embolism- completely unexpected, without warning- she died at 32. Here are some of his thoughts (these are links to articles on his blog)
I hope that you find comfort in the words of someone who is presently working his way through grief- and understands the depth of pain that can come from unexpected loss.
If you have links or thoughts to share that would help those who may be grieving, please leave a comment.
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Years ago I read Joyce Meyer’s book Battlefield of the Mind. It changed my life- because something came through to me with such marvelous clarity- I have never forgotten it. We have power over our thoughts, not the other way around. We give our thoughts power when we entertain them.
Thoughts are how so many bad things can start. Thoughts about body image and weight, thoughts about someone else and how much they have or how good things are, and whether or not that is fair. Or maybe it’s judgmental thoughts like “I can’t believe they would do that”- or parent their kids that way- or well, fill in the blank.
Then we give voice to them- and that gives them even more power. I realized that I had been doing this in my own life- and recalled moments when I had these feelings and thoughts about friends and acquaintances. I heard a sermon shortly afterward and the following statement is a good summary of the message.
We are not fully able to enter into joy with others in their blessings, to celebrate promotions or accomplishments, to fellowship fully in our hearts, when we harbor bitterness and envy.
It can start out so small- just a little thought “I don’t see how they deserved that promotion, I work just as hard as they do” or “she probably is just naturally skinny and doesn’t have to work at it, it’s not fair.” Or how can they be a __________ (enter in a political party or group you don’t agree with).
I believe that if we fail to address and be aware of our thoughts and the power they have over our lives, we can spend our days being controlled by our thoughts- to such extent that our witness is compromised and we are unable to faithfully serve Christ.
We are so distracted by unfairness or circumstances benefiting others more than us. Or maybe it is just that we think someone doesn’t manage their money well and we feel that they should give more to the church. Or we see them playing games on FB, and assume that they are neglecting their responsibilities or shouldn’t be spending their time doing that.
But we are each accountable for our own choices- not the choices of others.
We can urge our friends to be faithful to what Scripture calls us to- but the choices are up to each of us individually- and we are accountable to God for the choices we make during our time here on earth.
And it is hard for us to know what is truly in the heart of another person. Sometimes it takes years of friendship and fellowship, to discern intentions behind actions.
Why are we so quick to assume the worst of each other?
What I hope and pray- we will love each other despite our differences and focus on the values that we share- and rejoice with each other. Celebrate together, and laugh together. Don’t let the things that divide us prevent us from fellowship.
See the passages below- let us live in peace with one another.
2 Corinthians 13:11-12
11Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:12-15
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,”so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
God’s Word always says it better than I could ever say myself.
God bless you, and may you share joy with someone today.
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Some days it just seems like everything goes wrong. Plans that I had been looking forward to get messed up, argument with my husband…from the moment I get up- everything is messed up.
I see what’s happening and try to take a deep breath and not get upset, but I feel myself on the edge of tears. And all the things that have been just below the surface threaten to overthrow me.
When times like this come, I am so thankful for the Psalms. I can usually find at least one that resonates with how I am feeling- and I have learned to pray, right away, to ask God for help. And maybe that’s all I can do, cry out to Him in my pain and tears and regret for not handling things better- for getting upset at the people I love the most.
Some would say it’s weak to ask for help- but I believe it takes more courage to admit when we are at the end of what we have- when we have been beaten down by our circumstances and need someone to fight a few rounds for us- to give us a break- some rest.
I need to sit out on the sidelines for a while- and just bask in who God is- to feel His love and to get recharged. To remind myself that although I feel alone He is here with me.
This is the first season of my life when I have been alone almost every day all week. Besides my husband, I usually don’t interact with another adult human being- except at Bible Study on Wednesday mornings and choir practice on Wednesday evenings.
For a socialite- this has been agony. At times I feel so overwhelmed by loneliness, I feel like I could die from it. (Not literally but I can be a little dramatic sometimes, esp. when I am feeling sorry for myself)
Sometimes we take the things that are not quite right in life- or the problems of a season- and let them get so big in our minds that they actually can defeat us for a time. We lose focus of all the blessings and instead see only our pain.
I know that I do this at times- and I feel very convicted of that attitude for two reasons.
1- there are so many who at this moment are suffering through things that I can not even imagine. My discomforts are pinpricks compared to their gaping, bleeding wounds.
2- what Jesus Christ suffered for me- and what I have in Him should be cause for celebration no matter what this life throws at me. For I have eternity with God to look forward to- a hope that should transcend all that occurs in my life.
But I lose sight of these things sometimes. I need to shift my focus on others rather than self- because that’s another danger in this line of thinking- it distracts us from being an effective servant for Christ.
We get tripped up being consumed with ourselves and our present trials- and we miss out on who God may be wanting to use us to love on and bring hope to- and that may be just what we need to get out of a “funk.” To just show a little love and tenderness to someone else who is hurting.
Even though it may fight against our own will (and pride), yet refusing to let pride keep us from saying we are sorry- truly- from our hearts- for the wrongs we have committed.
So I will leave you with my Psalm for the day- as I go to play Chutes and Ladders with my daughter. I hope and pray that it encourages you to take heart and hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31
1 In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
