Tag: peace

God Freely Gives us His Gift of Peace, True Peace that’s Eminently Possible. Romans 12:17 – 19.

Romans 12:17-19 Amplified Bible

17 Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for God’s wrath [and His judicial righteousness]; for it is written [in Scripture], “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Peace That Is Possible

The Bible is a wonderfully practical book.

Its wisdom is both rich and realistic, the longer we live, the more meaningfully we hear it speaking to our every situation.

As we age, many of us will realize that our parents were often correct in their warnings and wisdom; and as we walk by the light of God’s word, so it will be proven right in time, every time to this and to us and subsequent generations.

Paul displays this timeless, realistic wisdom here.

On one hand, this sounds overly simplistic: just try to be at peace with everyone.

It’s not difficult to understand.

But that is not all he’s saying.

The instruction is preceded by two qualifications: “if possible” and “so far as it depends on you.” The implication is clear; that it may not always be possible!

Paul is not providing a loophole here.

He’s not telling us to be at peace so long as we can control our temper or hold in our emotions, but otherwise we’re free to harbor bitterness. His call to us is to ensure that any ongoing conflict in our lives is in spite of us, not because of us.

The responsibility for ongoing animosity must never be traceable to reluctance for reconciliation on our part.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Amplified Bible

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. 18 But all these  things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. 21 He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].

But even if, as Christ’s Ambassadors, we’ve done our part, we need to realize that there will always be two situations in which peace may not be possible.

One is when the other party is unwilling to be at peace with us.

We may be dealing with someone intent on harming us and with no interest in resolving the conflict.

In that situation, it may not be possible to change that person or prevent their cruelty—but it will be possible for us not to fight back.

When we ensure that we are not contributing to the conflict, we are pursuing peace “so far as it depends on” us.

The other obstacle arises when the terms of peace are incompatible with principles of holiness, truth, and righteousness.

The writer of Hebrews had such a situation in mind when he instructed his readers, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

Hebrews 12:14-16 Amplified Bible

14 Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

These are not two disjointed instructions; our striving for peace and for holiness must definitely, unequivocally, not take us in separate directions.

The pursuit of peace is not to become the pursuit of peace at any price.

Some of us need to take care that our distaste for conflict and confrontation does not lead us to pursue peace at the cost of our integrity and righteousness.

One cannot change a heart; that is the Lord’s business.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 Amplified Bible

26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My ordinances and do them.

One must not compromise their integrity; that is the Lord’s chief concern. But God is giving you, me, an imperative, as much as it is up to us, that we pursue peace. Do you or I need to be prompted by this command to temper our words, change our behaviors, or make the first step toward repairing a conflict, today?

God Will Speak, God Freely Gives His Gift of His Peace

Psalm 85:8-13 Amplified Bible

8 
I will hear [with expectant hope] what God the Lord will say,
For He will speak peace to His people, to His [a]godly ones—
But let them not turn again to folly.
9 
Surely His salvation is near to those who [reverently] fear Him [and obey Him with submissive wonder],
That glory [the manifest presence of God] may dwell in our land.
10 
Steadfast love and truth and faithfulness meet together;
Righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 
Truth springs from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 
Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,
And our land will yield its produce.
13 
Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way [in which to walk].

Peace is a commodity that can only be found with time spent seeking the face of God. The world can’t offer us peace because it has nothing in which to place its hope, trust, and security. Kingdoms come and go. Leaders move in and out of power. What cultures and societies value changes like the passing of the tides.

Our only constant is God. He has been, is, and forever will be the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of all. All authority has been given to him. He governs the change of seasons. He thwarts the plans of our enemy. And He longs to offer total and sustained peace to all who will place their full hope and trust in him.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Our God has peace in store for us in every situation if we will choose to keep our mind stayed on him and trust him.

The world says that peace can only come when you’ve worked your fingers to the bone and have finally attained all you want. You can only have peace when you have enough money, friends, the right job, or the right spouse. You can only have peace if friends, family, bosses like you. Peace as negotiated with enemies.

James 4:7-9 Amplified Bible teaches us …

7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom.

God’s way is to draw you into himself and offer you peace in the midst of your circumstances. He doesn’t want you to wait until everything gets worked out before you can have rest—we submit yo Him, he’s offering you rest right now.

Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul . . . . You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:1-3, 5).

God longs to prepare a table for you in the midst of whatever trouble surrounds you. He is calling upon each, every one of us to keep our minds stayed on him no matter what may lie before us. And he is asking us to seek his face, not ours and find our rest in him rather than toiling and striving for a circumstantial peace.

Romans 8:6 says, “To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” 

Romans 8:5-8 Amplified Bible

5 For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose]. 6 Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever]; 7 the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God.

It’s by the Holy Spirit alone that you and I will find abundant life and true peace.

Stop looking for your fulfillment in the things of the world. Stop asking the world to offer you what it never had to begin with. Look toward your heavenly Father for the peace that surpasses all understanding. May you be filled with rest and peace today as you spend time in prayer seeking the face of God.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the truth that God is your sole source of peace and rest. 

Allow God’s word to mold and shape your perspective.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” – Psalm 23:1-3

“To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” – Isaiah 26:3

2. Where have you been running to for peace? 

Have you had much peace and rest in your life lately? Acknowledging your past pursuits will help you make present changes.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

3. Seek the peace coming from placing your hope and trust in God alone. 

Ask the Spirit to fill you with peace in the midst of your circumstances. Let your requests be known to God, and receive the peace that comes from casting your burdens on the loving and capable shoulders of your heavenly Father.

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:5-7

You will be robbed of peace as soon as you turn your trust away from God and begin to live in your own strength.

The only source of consistent peace is keeping your mind stayed on God.

You can trust in the reality of God’s desire and ability to help you.

You can wait on him if he tells you to wait.

You can move when he tells you to move. Offer your understanding, actions, and emotions to him, and allow him to be sovereign Lord over them all today.

Psalm 29 Amplified Bible

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.

29 [a]Ascribe to the Lord, O [b]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty and majesty of His holiness [as the creator and source of holiness].

3 
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
4 
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion (Mount Hermon) like a young, wild ox.
7 
The voice of the Lord rakes flames of fire (lightning).
8 
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 
The voice of the Lord [c]makes the doe labor and give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple all are saying, “Glory!”

10 
The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
11 
The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding; Finding that place of real Tranquility in God’s Presence. Philippians 4:4-7

Philippians 4:4-7 The Message

4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Our culture surrounds us with things that subtract from our ability to find peace and tranquility.

Let’s be honest—we live in an instant generation—we literally despise waiting for anything. Tranquility is not instantaneous and neither is it always welcome.

We would not be able to handle dial-up Internet.

Today, if it doesn’t load in less than two seconds, then something is wrong.  

Earbuds, iPads, social media, sports, shopping and work.

All of these contribute to our busyness.

They are not bad in and of themselves, but they detract us from our tranquility.  

Tranquility is an inner sense of calm that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

This is from God and, I believe, that it’s mostly found through relational, intimate prayer. 

Finding tranquility in moments of still prayer is not easy to do in our instant culture, so here are a few tips.

Slow down

In John Ortberg’s book, Soul Keeping, he suggests that the challenges of the world test the depths and elasticity of the soul.

Like a computer’s operating system, our soul integrates everything—the will, body, emotions and seeks harmony.

When we overload the system, it is bound to crash. 

We need to slow down.

We’re so busy doing life, that we forget about life.

In our packed schedules, we have one gear—fast.

Slowing down allows us to carve out intentional time to get alone with the Creator.

We can’t find tranquility in crammed calendars.

A friend of mine made an acrostic for the word, busy—“bent under Satan’s yoke.”

I like that.

I learned that slowing down for intentional times of prayer, increased my peace and ability to wait on God.

As it’s been said, we were created for camel time, for horse and buggy time.

Right up until 1900, mankind rode upon horseback or walked.

This allowed times for processing and time for prayer.

We had intentional alone time with God.

Nowadays, we shut our car doors, turn on the XM satellite, and away we go.

What is the concept of tranquility?

The noun tranquility means “a state of peace and quiet,” like the tranquility you feel in the woods, at the shore of a quiet lake or inside a beautiful cathedral.

Tranquility can also describe a person’s disposition …

What does tranquility in my heart mean?

I suggest it means a peaceful, calm state, without noise, violence, worry, etc.: living in peace and tranquility.

What is the spiritual meaning of tranquility?

It is a state of mind that transcends external circumstances, enabling we as individuals to experience serenity, harmony, and a deep sense of contentment.

Why is tranquility important?

Tranquility has also been suggested to improve mental health and reduce psychological distress by reducing stress and anxiety, allowing one to have more control over their thoughts, helping one to sleep better and to take more time to carefully consider, derive new solutions, to manage difficult situations.

What is the difference between peace and tranquility?

Peace is a broader concept that encompasses societal and global harmony, while tranquility primarily relates to an individual’s inner state of calmness and serenity.

Peace can involve resolving conflicts, while tranquility focuses on achieving a peaceful and tranquil state of mind.

Lets take it a step or two further …

What does the Bible say about tranquility?

10 
“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah. Psalm 46:10-11

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, 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 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. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:25-27

What is the meaning of divine tranquility?

Divine Tranquility is a graceful tribute designed to convey solace, compassion, and unwavering support during times of loss.

All this GOD depth of meaning to be found in that single word – TRANQUILITY!

Having read these meanings, have you the reader begun to feel any Tranquility?

Finding Tranquility in God’s Presence

Philippians 4:4-7 Amplified Bible

4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

n a world filled with uncertainty and turmoil, the peace of God offers us solace and tranquility.

It is a peace that surpasses all understanding, guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

To experience the peace of God, we surrender our anxieties and worries to him in prayer.

We present our requests with thanksgiving, knowing God cares deeply for us.

In God’s presence we find comfort, assurance, and a quiet confidence that he is in control.

The peace of God is not dependent on our circumstances but on our trust in him.

It is a supernatural peace that defies logic and goes echelons beyond our human understanding.

As we focus on the Lord and on his great mercy, care, and faithfulness to us, we find peace that transcends the chaos around us.

In every situation, let’s turn to God, seeking his peace.

May we cultivate a heart of gratitude, knowing that God is our truest source of strength and security. As we abide in him, his peace will guard our hearts and minds, enabling us to navigate life’s challenges with grace and confidence.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 Amplified Bible

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.
2 
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
3 
He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

4 
Even though I walk through the [sunless] [a]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
5 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with [b]oil;
My cup overflows.
6 
Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com

First, Foremost, Utmost, Uppermost: Our Full Contentment in Christ Jesus! Philippians 4:10-14

Philippians 4:10-14 The Message

Content Whatever the Circumstances

10-14 I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Sometimes we have the distinct pleasure of meeting a non believer or Christian who just exudes calm, peace, and contentment even though they are living with physical, mental, spiritual limitations or ailments that are difficult and painful.

Or maybe they are facing, have faced heart-wrenching tragedy in the past—and yet there they are, almost serene in their faith and utterly joyful on every level.

When we see such people, we sometimes conclude that God must have wired them really well.

We figure that such people must have been born right side, sunny-side up with a personality and disposition that naturally lends itself to a contented nature.

But if we think or believe that way, we are usually wrong.

Talk to such folks long enough, and you will discover what Paul wrote to the Philippian followers: their contentment is a hardcore, hard learned behavior.

You are not born with it. It does not come easily for anyone. But by grace we grow, we learn, we mature. And as we do, contentment becomes a way of life.

But it is not inevitable.

Many of us know someone who got trapped by their suffering long ago.

For a time, they turned inward and curdled into an angry, resentful person.

Not one of us can ever avoid some ­level of pain, hardship, or deprivation in life.

Our prayer is that when we find ourselves facing such difficult times, we can learn what Paul learned over the long haul: a contentment anchored in Christ.

Have I Really Learned How to be Contented in Christ?

Philippians 4:11-13 New Living Translation

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ,[a] who gives me strength.

From something to nothing.

From nothing to something.

From everything back to nothing.

From nothing thrust into everything.

But, can we really expect to have quite literally everything?

And still genuinely claim that we are content with our measure of success?

We live in a society permeated by discontent.

All kinds of Commercials condition us to be envious.

Can we be happy and content if we cannot afford those $$$$$$ Tesla vehicles?

Can we be content with even those “pseudo-cheap” electric cars or hybrids that are not big enough to hold a growing family and all of those groceries they need that will not travel more than a couple of hundred miles without recharging it?

Can we stand to be so limited in our abilities to go on those nice vacations which are well beyond the driving range of those tiny electric cars, and the insufficient numbers of charging stations for us to plug into when we’ll finally get ourselves to the middle of nowhere where there is nothing but peace, joy, contentment?

Can we be content with living in apartments when our dream is to buy a house but we cannot afford even an “as is house” because “as is” costs far too much?

The real issue, though, is not so much how we are limited or not limited by the financial bounds of society we live in but the state of our own hearts and minds.

Truth: we are drawn away from contentment by so much of “what our hearts desire” which clamors for our attention: titles, possessions, influence, or fame.

Yet all of these and more seek to rob us of any sense of joy in what our God has given us, persuading us that it will never be enough -the chase is never-ending.

Paul, though, from chief Pharisee to Roman jails could say not only that he was merely content but that he could be fully content “in whatever situation I am.”

This is what everyone is searching for!

What was the secret, then?

It was to ground his sense of self and his outlook on life in the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul didn’t champion a stiff upper lip in the face of hardship or offer a false gospel of self-sufficiency.

No, his contentment was the removing himself from everything, a result of bowing his heart and mind to God’s will, no matter what conditions he faced.

Philippians 3:7-9 New Living Translation

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[a] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

Not everyone has lived on both sides of the street.

Not everyone wants to live on both sides of the street.

Not everyone knows how the other half lives.

Not everyone wants to know how the other half lives on the other side.

Not everyone needs to know how the other half lives on the other side.

But Paul did.

He knew what it was to be successful, rich, educated, respected, warm and fed, he knew what it was to be cold and naked, beaten many times to within an inch of his life, threatened with his life, to be killed, and thrown into a Roman jail.

If he had derived contentment from his circumstances, his life would have been a constant roller-coaster ride, leaving him intoxicated by all of those wonderful luxuries one minute and thoroughly overwhelmed by their absence in the next. (Acts 9:1-19)

Under the weight of such an extreme life condition and transition, such a fickle spirit could, would have, neutralized Paul, making him unable to serve Christ.

Paul was a normal man with normal needs.

In a letter to Timothy from a dungeon in Rome, Paul wrote, “Do your best to come to me soon ….. Bring the cloak ..… the books, and above all the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:9, 13).

He had been deserted by others and lacked certain possessions.

Yes, Paul wanted things like clothing, books, and company—but he knew he would be fine without them, for his peace rested in something much greater.

Like the Apostle Paul, my own contentment, your contentment can and should ultimately be grounded in your union with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Refuse any worldly ambition other than the eternal ambition of belonging to Him alone remaining entirely unequivocally in His will and at His full disposal.

When you know Christ, how wonderful He is—that He is your all in all, more precious than silver, more costly than gold, more beautiful than diamonds, and nothing you have compares to Him[1]—the way you view your circumstances, and the measure of your contentment will be completely, finally transformed.

1 Lynn DeShazo, “More Precious Than Silver” (1982).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 English Standard Version

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

A Miktam[a] of David.

16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.[b]

4 The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.[d]
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being[e] rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption.[f]

11 You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Some days, dear God, we confess that our needs seem to outnumber our resources. But whatever the day brings, whether in our richness or from our poverty, from our healthiness or infirmity, in the end, help us to be content and joyful in you. In Christ, Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/