Daily Scripture Reflection
Lord, my God, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence. My couch is among the dead, with the slain who lie in the grave. Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and might; Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens God’s glory. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. He gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love. O God, a new song I will sing to you; on a ten-stringed lyre I will play for you. May our sons be like plants well nurtured from their youth, For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you?” Or again: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me?” And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.” Of the angels he says: “He makes his angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame;” but of the Son: “Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions.” Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish, for I would be telling the truth. But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Much have they oppressed me from my youth, now let Israel say. May they be scattered in disgrace, all who hate Zion.
Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
For my soul is filled with troubles; my life draws near to Sheol.
I am reckoned with those who go down to the pit; I am weak without strength.
You remember them no more; they are cut off from your care.
You plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the darkness of the abyss.
give to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bring gifts and enter his courts; bow down to the Lord, splendid in holiness.
Tremble before God, all the earth; say among the nations: The Lord is king.
The world will surely stand fast, never to be moved. God rules the peoples with fairness.
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.
Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice before the Lord who comes,
who comes to govern the earth,
to govern the world with justice and the peoples with faithfulness.
Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised.
Who is like the Lord, our God enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth?
The Lord raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap,
seats them with princes, the princes of the people,
gives the childless wife a home, the joyful mother of children.
You give victory to kings; you delivered David your servant.
From the menacing sword deliver me; rescue me from the hands of foreign foes.
Their mouths speak untruth; their right hands are raised in lying oaths.
our daughters, like carved columns, shapely as those of the temple.
May our barns be full with every kind of store.
May our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;
may our oxen be well fattened.
May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, no outcry in our streets.
Happy the people so blessed; happy the people whose God is the Lord.
Much have they oppressed me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed.
Upon my back the plowers plowed, as they traced their long furrows.
But the just Lord set me free from the ropes of the yoke of the wicked.
May they be like the grass on the rooftops withered in early growth,
never to fill the reaper’s hands, nor the arms of the binders of sheaves,
with none passing by to call out: “The blessings of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”