January 18
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BLESSED IS EVERYONE WHO FEARS THE LORD
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
You shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
Your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!
-Psalm 128:1-6
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Wisdom psalms are called as such because they are like the genre used in Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. Wisdom literature tends to give us comparisons of life choices made by those who turn back to God as a contrast to those who obey him. Psalm 128 gives us a clear overview of the blessings that someone who fears the Lord, can experience. We see a picture of the bounty of a good family and a long life that dedicated and faithful believers will receive.
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ADORATION: Praise to you our Living God. You are a generous giver who makes sure that those who bring you honor are blessed. You are so faithful and the source of all things.
CONFESSION: Whenever I fail to honor you, please forgive me. My flesh may be working against my desire to please you, grant me mercy when those times happen.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your bountiful blessings to all those who keep a straight path to you and to all those who make you first in their lives.
SUPPLICATION: May your grace abound to those who faithfully carry their crosses and live their lives to please you. May you grant strength to those who struggle to follow the only road that leads to you. May those who are lost, find their way to discover your unconditional love and come back to you Lord.
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REFLECTION
• What blessings have you received as a result of your reverence for the Lord?
• How is “fear of the Lord” the beginning of wisdom as stated in Proverbs 9:10?