Psalm 141

Set a Guard, O Lord, over My Mouth!

 

 

 

Again, David was in distress when he penned this psalm.  He prays for

• God's favorable acceptance (v. 1-2)
• For His powerful assistance (v. 3-4)
• That others might be instruments of good to his soul, as he hoped to be to the souls of others (v. 5-6)
• For God to graciously appear for his relief and rescue (v. 7-10)

David was a man of prayer, and he opens Psalm 141 with a plea before God that his prayers might be heard and answered. 

Verse 3 is a prayer that we should all probably pray before we get out of bed every day!

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips,
Do not incline my heart to any evil thing.
~ Ps. 141:3

When Jehovah sets the watch the city is well guarded: when the Lord becomes the guard of our mouth the whole man is well garrisoned. 

 ~ Spurgeon

Nature made my lips to be a door to my words, let grace keep that door, that no word may be suffered to go out which may any way tend to the dishonour of God, or the hurt of others.

~ Matthew Henry.

 

In verse 5, David teaches us to receive the reproofs of the righteous & wise.  Perhaps he is remembering the time the prophet Nathan came to him after his sin with Bathsheba that resulted in the physical deaths of two people:  Bathsheba's husband Uriah and the newborn son born to Bathsheba & David. 

Let the righteous strike me;

It shall be a kindness.

And let him rebuke me;

It shall be as excellent oil;

Let my head not refuse it.

~ Ps. 141:5

Then the Lord sent Nathan to David . . .
Nathan said to David, 'You are the man!'
So David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.'
~ II Sam 12

Let me never fall under that dreadful judgment of being let alone in sin!  ~ Henry

 

Has God placed righteous friends & loved ones in your life?  Verse 5 is a great one to meditate on and keep in our hearts - how well do we receive reproofs from righteous people in our lives?  May we respond like David and allow those reproofs & rebukes to lead us to repentance and a restored relationship with God.  My Bible notes that God's person is willing to accept discipline from good people!

 

As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.~ Prov. 27:17

 

 

Christians sharpen one another's graces, or stir up each other to the exercise of them, and the gifts which are bestowed on them, and to love and to good works.  ~ John Gill

 

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God hears my prayer
• Keeping our eyes fixed upon God and His word is our guard against sin
• God places righteous people in our lives for accountability & encouragement in our Christian walk 
• God is my refuge and protector from evil

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise the Lord that He hears my prayer . . . such an overwhelming truth to grasp that my voice reaches the ear of the God of the universe!
• I bless the Lord for the God-fearing people in my life with whom I can share accountability and the things of God 
• I praise God that He is my refuge and will not leave my soul destitute

PRAYER:
     Lord, I cry out to You, make haste to hear me!  Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You, and how my heart praises You that You do hear.  May my prayers be as an offering to You, made in supplication of my heart's desires, but bending and yielding to Your will.
     Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.  May grace rule my tongue, that no words uttered shall dishonor You or harm others.  Do not incline my heart to any evil thing.  I am so full of wickedness and pray that each day I will be molded more and more into the image of Jesus Christ, walking before You and others in righteousness.
     Father, I praise You for the Christian friends & family members in my life - what a blessing they are to me, and such a sweet kindness from Your hand!  Use them to stretch me, as You did Nathan in the life of David.  May we be instruments of iron to each other, sharpening and honing our knowledge of You and obedience to Your word.
     My eyes are upon You, O God the Lord, in You I take refuge.  Do not leave my soul destitute, but be to me a place of safety in a world of evil.  In Jesus' name I pray ~ Amen

Psalm 140

Preserve me from Violence

As in Psalm 138. David set before his seed God's promise as the anchor of hope (2Sa 7:1-17); and in Psalm 139, God's omniscience as our consolation in danger and motive for shunning evil; so in this Psalm he sets forth the danger from calumnious enemies, and our only safety in Jehovah, our strength.—Andrew Robert Fausset.

It is believed that this psalm was penned by David when he was being persecuted by Saul.  In this psalm,

1. David complains of the malice of his enemies, and prays to God to preserve him from them
2. He encourages himself in God as his God
3. He prays for and prophesies the destruction of his persecutors
4. He gives assurance to God's afflicted people

Spurgeon notes this:

With this sacrifice of prayer David offers the salt of faith; for in a very marked and emphatic manner he expresses his personal confidence in the Lord as the Protector of the oppressed, and as his own God and Defender. Few short Psalms are so rich in the jewelery of precious faith.

Spurgeon also reminds us that, though David expresses his anger towards his enemies, he leaves vengeance in the hands of the Lord:

It is to be noticed that concerning his enemies David was often hot in language through indignation, and yet he was cool in action, for he was not revengeful.  His was no petty malice, but a righteous anger: he foresaw, foretold, and even desired the just vengeance of God upon the proud and wicked, and yet he would not avail himself of opportunities to revenge himself upon those who had done him wrong.

September 11, 2001 - every American remembers that day.  No American will ever forget that day.  9/11.  The day terrorism struck on American soil, and many people lost their lives at the hands of evil, violent men.  Our lives were changed forever that day, and the events that took place that horrible morning perhaps help us understand the feelings David has expressed here in Psalm 140 regarding violent men who plan evil things in their hearts. 

Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who plan evil things in their hearts.
~ Ps. 140:1

Cross erected at Ground Zero, site where the World Trade Center once stood.

Thou hast covered my head
in the day of battle.
~ Ps. 140:7 

When our boys were little, we took them horseback riding at Shelby Farms.  A little ways down the trail on our ride, one of the horses got spooked and bucked my son off, then was rearing and pounding the ground with his hooves very close to my son's head, trying to trample him.  As I was watching in terror, my husband quickly threw his body on top of Michael's to protect him from the horses' hooves.  Even more so our Heavenly Father covers our heads in the "day of battle."

A captain or prince had always beside him in battle an armour bearer, whose duty it was "to cover his master's head", that is, to ward off with the shield the blows aimed at his head, and which, in the heat of the fight, had escaped his own notice.

—Benjamin Weiss

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God is our safety and protector from evil people
• God is our strength and salvation, and covers our head in the day of battle
• The Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise the Lord for His protection over me, and that evil people cannot ultimately prevail over me
• I bless the Lord that the upright shall dwell in His presence, and I am upright by my position in Christ Jesus

PRAYER: by pastor Bob Hostetler

Keep me, O LORD, out of the hands of the wicked;
protect me from people who find fault so freely with others
and have no insight into the deceit and hypocrisy of their own actions.

O LORD, I say to you, "You are my God."
Hear, O LORD, my cry for mercy.
O Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,
who shields my head in the day of battle-

do not grant the wicked their desires, O LORD;
do not let their plans succeed,
for the sake of your people,
for the sake of your righteousness,
for the sake of your reputation.

Let slanderers not be established in the land;
may disaster hunt down men and women who wreak havoc.

I know that you secure justice for the poor
and uphold the cause of the needy;
do it now,
do it here,
do it, please,
that the righteous may praise your name
and the upright will live before you.

Amen.

Psalm 139

Search Me, O God

It is widely held that Psalm 139 is the most excellent of all the psalms of David - it is a very pious devout meditation upon the doctrine of God's omniscience.  It is one of my most favorites for the comfort I gain in knowing and meditating upon God's knowledge of me and presence with me.

Psalm 139 makes 2 confirmations:

1. God is everywhere present, therefore He knows all
2. God made us, therefore He knows us.  This is a beautiful truth expressed in verse 1 - God's knowledge, while vast & comprehensive, is personal.

 God has a perfect knowledge of us, and all the motions and actions both of our inward and of our outward man are open before Him.  ~ M. Henry

When my boys were small, we had a bedtime story I would read to them entitled My God is Always With Me.  It is Psalm 139 put into childlike language and pictures. 

I still remember reading over and over to them these words, "When I go up, He is with me; when I go down, He is with me.  My God is always with me."  I can still see in my mind the pictures in the book of a small child being lifted by balloons, and then a picture of small child on the ocean floor.  A perfect reminder to any child of God at any age that His Presence is always with us!

Verses 13 - 16 are a wonderful Biblical resource to reference in a culture that does not acknowledge the sanctity of life at conception:

For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

My frame was not hidden from You,

when I was made in secret.

~ Ps. 139:13, 15



You saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

~ Ps. 139:16

 How satisfied are you with your body?  Your physical attributes?  Psalm 139 reminds us that we are made exactly as God would have us to be!

You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

~ Ps. 139:5-6

Don't you love the thought of verse 5!  I pray this verse frequently for my children - that the Lord would hedge (surround) them with His protection, and lay His hand upon them.  A good prayer for those we love

. . . and for ourselves too!

There is so much rich, glorious truth in Psalm 139 - another one of my favorite Bible verses is Ps. 139:23:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

~ Ps. 139:23

Do you struggle with anxious thoughts?  Ever felt overwhelmed with anxiety?  God knows your anxieties . . . He knows your heart and your struggles.  May we give them over to Him and find rest in our souls!

Biblical scholars claim that, of all David's courageous acts:  when he slew the lion, successfully encountered a bear, when he went out to meet the giant Goliath, David was most a man of courage because he was determined to explore the recesses of his own heart.  May we follow David's example and seek to know - and turn from - our own sin. 

When holy men perused themselves in God's light, they saw their sins of omission and commission, and prayed earnestly to be delivered from all.

—William Howels, 1832

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God is omniscient
• God is omnipresent
• God knows everything about me!
• God formed me and fashioned me to His exact specifications
• My days are written in God's book

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• There is praise for God in each verse of Psalm 139!  I praise Him for His omniscience and omnipresence in my life, that I can never escape His presence, that He knows me to the depth of my soul, that I am fearfully & wonderfully made, that my days are written in His book, and that God will lead me in the way everlasting.
• I praise God for His hedge of protection around me and those I love

PRAYER:

Father and Lover of life,

You know the depths of my innermost self,

And You understand me.

You protect me on every side,

Shielding me from all harm.

When You put me together

In my mother’s womb,

You knew all about me.

I thank You for the wonder of myself,

And I stand in awe

At all You have made.

As You know and love me,

So may I come to know and love You.

Guide me in Your ways ~ Amen

                    
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Psalm 138

God Answered My Prayer

The heading in my Bible over Psalm 138 is "God Answered My Prayer."  I saw a great quote last week regarding answered prayer, and it is a reminder that "no" is also an answer to our prayers sometimes !  

"True prayer never comes weeping home: I shall get either what I ask, or what I ought to have asked."
~ Robert Leighton

Psalm 138 is a beautiful psalm of praise - it is likely that it was penned by David and in it:

• he looks back with thankfulness upon the occasions in which he has experienced God's goodness to him
• he looks forward hoping that others would go on to praise God like him and that God would go on to do good to him

This is the first of a series of eight Psalms (Ps 138 - Ps 145), probably the last composed by David, a kind of commentary on the great Messianic promise in 2 Samuel 7:1-29:

And now, O Lord God, You are God and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 

~ II Sam 7:29 

 



   Regarding verse 3 above, Matthew Henry makes this observation:

  If God give us strength in our souls to bear the burdens, resist the temptations, and do the duties of an afflicted state, if He strengthens us to keep hold of Himself by faith, to maintain the peace of our own minds, and to wait with patience for the issue, we must own that He has answered us and we are bound to be thankful. 

~ M. Henry

Though the Lord is on high,

Yet He regards the lowly:

But the proud He knows from afar.

~ Ps. 138:6

We are reminded again in verse 6 that the Lord loves the humble but resists the proud! 

Give me the homely vessel of humility, which God shall preserve and fill with the wine of His grace; rather than the varnished cup of pride, which He will dash in pieces, like a potter's vessel.  

~ William Seeker, 1660

 Psalm 138:8 is one of my favorite Bible verses!  Don't you love the COMFORT and ASSURANCE found in that truth - that God will perfect that which concerns me.  A child of God can find great confidence in knowing that God will execute completely His plans for those who walk with Him.

  

 WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God is lovingly kind
• God is truth
• God answers my prayers - sometimes yes, sometimes no !
• God strengthens my soul
• Great is the glory of the Lord
• The Lord loves the humble but is far from the proud
• God revives me, and saves me with His right hand
• The Lord will perfect that which concerns me - He has a plan for me!

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise the Lord that He is in control - He has the plan and works the plan, and will perfect that which concerns me according to His plan.
• I praise the Lord that He hears, and answers, my prayers!
• I praise God for His lovingkindness and His truth
• I praise God for His great glory
• I bless the Lord that He regards the lowly . . . me!

 PRAYER:
      O God, I praise You with my whole heart!  I sing praises to You and worship You, praising Your name for Your lovingkindess and Your truth.  How I bless You that You hear - and answer - my prayers, and strengthen me with boldness in my soul.
     Great is the glory of the Lord, yet how I praise You that You regard the lowly . . . may my heart be always humble, before You and before others.  Revive me when I am in the midst of trouble, O Lord - save me with Your right hand.
     How I pray, Father, that You will perfect that which concerns me and that which concerns those I love.   Work out Your plan for each of us, that we may see Your hand in every detail of our lives and live with thanksgiving in our hearts.
     Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever.  Amen and amen!

 

Psalm 137

Tears in Exile

It is held by most Biblical scholars that this psalm was penned towards the latter end of the captivity of God's people in Babylon. The early lines of this psalm are very well known, as they describe the sadness of the Israelites, asked to "sing the Lord's song in a foreign land". This they refuse to do, leaving their harps hanging on trees.  The people of God were posted by the rivers of Babylon, in a strange land, a great way from their own country, where they were brought as prisoners of war.  The land of Babylon is now a house of bondage for God's people. 

Thoughts of Zion drew tears from their eyes.  The remembrance of the temple of their God, the palace of their king, and the centre of their national life broke them down.


We wept when we remembered Zion.
~ Ps. 137:1

 The people of Edom had looted the fallen city of Jerusalem and gloated over its destruction.  Spurgeon's commentary takes us to the last chapter of II Ch 36:14-20 where we find the melancholy tale of Judah's captivity. Many of their friends had been slain by the sword—the house of God was burned—the walls of Jerusalem were broken down—and they themselves were captives in a foreign land. No wonder that they sat down and wept when they remembered Zion.

So it is often with the believer when led captive by sin—he sits down and weeps when he remembers Zion. Zion is the place where God makes Himself known. 

The Chaldeans were cruel conquerors.  When they saw the tears of the Israelites, the Chaldeans taunted them to sing their sweet songs of Zion, perhaps the Songs of Ascent we recently studied.  Spurgeon makes this note:

It is the sweet presence of God with us that makes the soul of the believer sing.

But when that presence is away, the Lord's house is but a howling wilderness; and you say, "How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?"

This psalm is a vivid reminder of God and His word.  He warned His people . . . over and over . . . of what was going to the be CONSEQUENCES of their sin!  My pastor, Dr. Jimmy Young, posted a wonderful observation regarding this on my church's blog:

This morning, in my time with God, I ran up against a statement that Isaiah made that stopped me in my tracks:

“Who gave up Jacob to the looter, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey?”  ~Is. 42:24

Does that sting? I think it ought to, because what it says is that our heavenly Father is willing to turn us over to the plunderers when we refuse to obey. That little fact needs to be remembered. When we forget, we toy with sin, and end up in the hands of the plunderers… we get plundered.

I can’t speak for you, but I would rather avoid that. I am not suggesting that He boots us out of the family. But that verse states rather clearly that God is actively engaged in administering the consequences of our sin.

Guys, the advice I would give is this: we all need daily reminders of who God is and what He said. Without that, our memories fade, and the outcome is often disastrous. This is not fear-mongering. It is trying to explain why we can’t kick bad habits. We cannot, we must not forget the holiness of God.

“Sin is the dare of God's justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love."  ~ John Bunyan

"Above all, at its core, sin is offense against God. Why is it not only wrong but also foolish to offend God? God is our final good, our Maker and Savior, the one in whom alone our restless hearts come to rest.”  ~Cornelius Plantinga

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• Sin matters to God . . . and He will administer consequences of our sin!

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise the Lord that I am forgiven of my sins through repentance and faith . . . that even though I may suffer consequences of my actions, I am ultimately forgiven and will spend eternity with God because of Christ's atoning work!

PRAYER:

     O Lord, it is with a heart full of gratitude that I come before You, thanking You for the forgiveness of my sins because of Christ's atoning work on the cross.  How I bless You, Father, that You have regarded my lowly state, and reached down and plucked me from a life of sin and shame to a victorious life as a child of God!  May I never forget the words of Psalm 137 and remember Your hatred of sin  . . . that consequences will surely come, and that You will not be mocked! 

     You are a just & holy God, and sin is indeed a mockery of You.and a contempt of Your love.  May my heart be ever soft to my sin and repentance always forthcoming.  Receive me, O Lord, on the merit of Your Son Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray ~ Amen

      

Psalm 136

God's Mercy Endures Forever

Psalm 136 is a hymn of thanksgiving and commonly known as the Great Hallel (praise).  Its unique feature is the recurrence of the same refrain in each verse with the stress upon God's mercy, or covenant loyalty.

Forgetful as we are, things must be often repeated to us. By mercy we understand the Lord's disposition to save those whom sin has rendered miserable and vile, and all the provision He has made for the redemption of sinners by Jesus Christ.

The counsels of this mercy have been from everlasting, and the effects of it will endure for ever.  The Lord continues equally ready to show mercy to all who seek for it, and this is the source of all our hope and comfort. ~ Matthew Henry

Praise Him for what He is (v 1-3).

  Praise Him for what He is able to do (v 4).

    Praise Him for what He has done in creation (v 5-9).

      Praise Him for what He did in redeeming Israel from bondage (v 10-15).

        Praise Him for what He did in His providence toward them (v 16-22).

          Praise Him for His grace in times of calamity (v 23-24).

            Praise Him for His grace to the world at large (v 25).

              Praise Him at the remembrance that this God is the God of Heaven (v 26)

                  ~ Andrew A. Bonar



St. Athanasius of Alexandria



When, in the time of the Emperor Constantius, Saint Athanasius was assaulted by night in his church at Alexandria by Syrianus and his troops.  Many were wounded and murdered, but the Bishop of Alexandria sat still in his chair, and ordered the deacon to begin this Psalm, and the people answered in prompt alternation, “For His mercy endureth for ever.”

~ Christopher Wordsworth.

To Him who made great lights,

For His mercy endures forever -

The sun to rule by day,

For His mercy endures forever,

The moon and stars to rule by night,

For His mercy endures forever.

~ Ps. 136:7-9

"O sun! what makes thy beams so bright?
The Word that said, "Let there be light."~ James Montgomery

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• The Lord is good; His mercy endures forever
• God does great wonders - creation is a work of His wisdom
• God delivers His people with a strong hand and outstretched arm (power & might)
• God remembers His children in their lowly state - He knows my need!
• God rescues us from our enemies
• God makes provision for His people

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• As such a great psalm of praise, a meditation on each verse is an offering of my praise to God as I ponder His mercy - which endures forever - bestowed upon me!

PRAYER:

     O Lord, I give thanks to You for You are good!  How I bless You for Your goodness to me, and ask that You will continue to impart Your mercy and goodness in my lives and the lives of those I love. You alone are God, and You have shown Yourself great by Your works.  How I bless You each time I consider Your handiwork in creation - in the spring season when all the earth seems to come "alive," when at the beach and ponder the might of Your seas, when I see a full moon rising, when I hold a newborn baby.  You alone do great wonders!

     Father, thank You for Your deliverance to Your children of old - for the way You delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh and brought them into the land of Israel as their heritage.  How I bless You that You didn't stop with the Israelites, but that You continue today to deliver Your children, of which I am one!

     Thank You, O God, that You remembered me in my lowly state.  Who am I, that the God of the Universe would consider me!  I give thanks to You, O God of Heaven, for Your  mercy endures forever!  Amen and amen! 

Psalm 135

God Has Done Great Things!

Psalm 135 has been called a "mosaic" because it is mainly made up of selections from other Scriptures.  It is a Psalm of praise in which God's relations to His Church, His power in the natural world, and in delivering His people, are contrasted with the vanity of idols and idol-worship.

The first fourteen verses contain an exhortation to praise God for

• His goodness (v 3),
• His electing love (v 4),
• His greatness (v 5-7)
• His judgments (v 8-12),
• His unchanging character (v 13),
• His love towards his people (v 14)

This is followed by a denunciation of idols (Ps 135:15-18), and a further exhortation to bless the name of the Lord. Spurgeon's commentary reminds us that Psalm 135 is a song full of life, vigour, variety, and devotion.

For I know the Lord is great

And our Lord is above all gods.

Ps. 135:5

Suppose someone tested you on verse 5 above - how would you answer the question, "How do you know the Lord is great?"  Spurgeon's commentary notes these ways:

1. By observing nature and providence.
2. By reading His word.
3. By my own conversion, comfort, and regeneration.
4. By my overpowering communion with Him.

What would you say? 

I read somewhere once where someone was asked about their conversion to Christ and proof of the existence of God, and all of the answers the new believer provided were met with cynicism and doubt.  Finally that person simply stated, "I can't deny the change in me."

No region is too high, no abyss too deep, no land too distant, no sea too wide for His omnipotence: His divine pleasure travels post over all the realm of nature, and His behests are obeyed. ~ Spurgeon

Many, indeed, disobey, and sin against the will of His precept; but none ever did, none ever shall, frustrate or obstruct the will of His purpose; for He will do all His pleasure, and in His way mountains shall become a plain.

~ William Slater (-1704)



He makes lightening for the rain,
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.
~ Ps. 135:7

Verse 7 reminds me of that poem Who Has Seen the Wind by Christina Rosetti - did you read it as a child? 

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

~ Christina Rosetti

Wind as always intrigued me, partly because it is so powerful yet invisible.  It is as if we could end Rosetti's poem by saying, "when the trees bow down their heads, GOD is passing by" !

WHAT CAN I LEARN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• God is worthy of my praise
• The Lord is good
• God's name is pleasant and endures forever
• God has a chosen people who are His special treasure
• The Lord is great and above any man-made idol
• The Lord does whatever pleases Him
• God's might & power are shown in nature / creation
• God delivers His people
• God is Judge
• God shows compassion to His children

HOW CAN I PRAISE GOD THROUGH THIS PSALM:

• I praise God for the way He reveals Himself through His mighty acts of deliverance and through His handiwork in creation.  As I type this, I am at the beach and listening to the roar of the waves crashing on the shore.  I always feel so close to God at the beach, because the power of the ocean is so huge and vast and such a reminder to me of the "bigness" God!
• I praise God that His chosen ones are His "special treasure" . . . and that includes me!
• I praise God that I can TRUST His sovereignty over all things, even when I don't understand them

PRAYER:

    My God, I will praise and extol Thee with heart and mouth to the utmost of my power. Oh, that without the interruptions which eating, and drinking, and sleep require, I could apply myself to this heavenly calling! Every mouthful of air which I inhale is mixed with the goodness which preserves my life; let every breath which I exhale be mingled at least with a hearty desire for Thy honour and praise. Hallelujah! Ye holy angels, ye children of men, and all ye creatures, praise the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

Amen and amen!

~ Christian Scriver Gotthold,1629-1693