March 19
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O LORD, BE GRACIOUS TO ME
Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the LORD delivers him;
2 The LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land;
You do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3 The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; In his illness you restore him to full health.
4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”
5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words,
While his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him;
He will not rise again from where he lies.”9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!
– Psalm 41:1-10
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This is King David’s lament to God that despite his fulfilment of his responsibilities to the poor, he is still suffering severely. He prays for God’s help and vindication. God honors the person who shows kindness and takes care of the poor. In this verse, we hear David’s deep sadness for a betrayal of a close friend (v9). In spite of all that he is going through, he still looks up to God for mercy and help and trusts the Lord who will repay all that good things he has done and how he has been faithful to him.
In our current global pandemic, we need to pray this psalm to God and have that expectancy that God is in control and he will do what needs to be done so people will bow down to his sovereignty. That, our protection and healing is in him alone.
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ADORATION: Praise be to the God full of mercy and love.
CONFESSION: Forgive us when we succumb to fear and panic in this pandemic.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your promise to protect all those whom you love.
SUPPLICATION: May all people recognize that their life is only in God’s hand alone.
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REFLECTION
• How can we stay expectant in the midst of life-threatening situations?