Psalm 143 (CEB)
Listen to my prayer, Lord!
Because of your faithfulness, hear my requests for mercy!
Because of your righteousness, answer me!
Please don’t bring your servant to judgment,
because no living thing is righteous before you.
The enemy is chasing me,
crushing my life in the dirt,
forcing me to live in the dark
like those who’ve been dead forever.
My spirit is weak inside me—
inside, my mind is numb.
I remember the days long past;
I meditate on all your deeds;
I contemplate your handiwork.
I stretch out my hands to you;
my whole being is like dry dirt, thirsting for you. Selah
Answer me, Lord — and quickly! My breath is fading.
Don’t hide your face from me
or I’ll be like those going down to the pit!
Tell me all about your faithful love come morning time,
because I trust you.
Show me the way I should go,
because I offer my life up to you.
Deliver me from my enemies, Lord!
I seek protection from you.
Teach me to do what pleases you,
because you are my God.
Guide me by your good spirit
into good land.
Make me live again, Lord, for your name’s sake.
Bring me out of distress because of your righteousness.
Wipe out my enemies because of your faithful love.
Destroy everyone who attacks me,
because I am your servant.
Today's Reflective Questions
- Do you have a gnawing in your soul that will not go away?
- Do you wish to be a part of what Jesus was about so much that you want to live His life and share with others what He had to say?
- Do you have a desire to understand or know something through the power of the Holy Spirit?
This Week's Lenten Focus: Discernment
This Lenten season, Bishop David Wilson, along with some conference staff and members of the laity, are inviting the people of the Great Plains Conference and beyond to “Pay Attention to God’s Voice” during this season of Lent. The theme for this week is Discernment.
“To come into silence is to come into the presence of the Divine.” (John O’Donohue). The Spiritual Discipline of Discernment calls us into the presence of the Divine. During the Lenten Season, we follow the steps of Jesus into the wilderness as we wander around in the barren land. We open our souls (discernment) to hear from Him during these days and hours of self-examination and repentance. We lean into discerning the Words we hear and how we will live as Resurrection people each and every day.
Rev. Hollie Tapley
htapley@greatplainsumc.org
and
Cesar Duran
cduran@greatplainsumc.org
Invitation to Go Deeper
Each day this week, use the provided Lenten passage and the three questions above to listen and discern what is revealed to you during your time of examination and repentance.
Prayer for Reflection
Thank You, God, for hearing my cries to You. Your faithfulness uplifts me each morning and carries me throughout the journeys of the day. Amen.
