Daily Devotional • September 25
Psalm 34
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant,
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord
and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Which of you desires life
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Meditation
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
I’ve found there’s great power in positive thinking.
I am not condoning or affirming the message of the infamous book from the middle of last century, but urging myself and readers to confess with our mouths what it is that we believe in our hearts, in season and out of season. That is to say that I’ve found that when I say, out loud, even, that “all shall be well,” or that “God is faithful,” or, in moments of great distress indeed, “Lord have mercy!” While there isn’t a sudden stream of light from heaven and a turning of events, I am reminded of the larger scheme of things, and my attitude is shifted to remember the ultimate goodness of God, in the midst of everyday foibles.
As the mother of a toddler and an infant, there are many opportunities for repeating these mantras to myself, willing my desperate mind and heart into a more magnanimous mode. Just today, as the two-year-old threw himself on the floor of the museum for the upteenth time, all flailing limbs and screaming voice, I was reduced to joining him on the floor, infant lashed to my chest, and all three of us cried. “Lord have mercy!”
As the psalmist commits, may we seek always to have the praise of the Lord in our mouths, knowing that God’s deliverance, whether from a situation or just from a feeling which has us captive, is sure to come, and in the meantime, we are not alone.
The Rev. Emily R. Hylden lives with her husband, the Rev. Jordan Hylden, and three sons in Houston, Texas, serves as Upper School Chaplain at St. Francis Episcopal School, and is host of the podcast Emily Rose Meditations.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Episcopal Diocese of Texas
The Diocese of Osun North – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
The Rev. Emily R. Hylden lives with her husband, the Rev. Jordan Hylden, and three sons in Houston, Texas, serves as Upper School Chaplain at St. Francis Episcopal School, and is host of the podcast Emily Rose Meditations.
