Filling the Emptiness
I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4 RSVCE
O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me!
2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou dost beset me behind and before, and layest thy hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Let only darkness cover me, and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to thee, the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with thee.
13 For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well;
15 my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. Psalm 139:1-15 RSVCE
In our loneliness and despair, in our earthly desire to be understood, only God truly knows it. And only God can save us from that emptiness and despair. Only God can truly be a source of strength that helps us through the constant challenges of life.
Dear God, thank you for being presence. Thank you for providing guidance when I don’t ask. Thank you for being a still small voice, if only I will listen. Thank you for giving me the will to follow, and thank you for your mercy when I go my own way.
If it is your time and your will, please bring peace. Dear God, please be with those in the Middle East who want an end to chaos and terror. If it is your time and your will, please return the hostages from October 7 and please protect the innocents in this escalated conflict and in others around the world. Please be with our leaders and our potential leaders, and please be with our voters, since we all have very difficult decisions this year. Please provide discernment.
Please help me to give my burdens and anxieties to you. Please help me to trust your plan. Please help me with my lack of patience and my tone. Please be with those seeking the restoration of freedom, especially freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of medical autonomy. Please help me to put my faith only in you.
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. In your name I pray. Amen.
O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works!
10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually! 1 Chronicles 16:8-11 RSVCE
“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.’
24 “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed, all who were incensed against him.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory.” Isaiah 45:22-25 RSVCE
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. …
26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. Proverbs 14:10, 26-27 RSVCE
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; 2he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; 3he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23 RSVCE
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go hence. John 14:26-31 RSVCE
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. 7 Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. 8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. 1 Peter 5:6-10
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Luke 12:22-26
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Thank you! Beautiful readings✝️❤️🐾🐾