Psalm 36
To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie fallen;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Psalm 9
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben
A Psalm of David.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah
My oldest son is 33, my younger son is 31. And 29 years ago today, my father, my Daddy died. I remember the day as well as having lunch today. My brother and I sat together having his car repaired, we were in realism and denial. Couldn't have happened so soon. I was not really in my 30s.
In 1993, one didn't admit one's parent had committed suicide. In fact, my father knew this and left a note saying he had cancer. It wasn't the best idea, we knew his doctors. And ran into them from time to time. But this was his way of making the best of things. The cause of death was alcoholism. At the time of Daddy's death, suicide was the 13th leading cause of death in the USA. And all the people we knew who had suicide in the family usually said in lieu of flowers, please give generously to ... The Humane Society. Or a Home Nursing Group. Or a Church, museum or a zoo.
Today, 1 in 3 adults have a form of alcoholism. And now suicide in 9th nationally, since the Pandemic. Nationally, we had 2 friends each, before the Pandemic. Alcoholics are 30% more likely to commit some form of suicide.
Today, the Liturgical reading is Psalm 9. I read this and felt this was far too glum for today.
I've had very vivid dreams of my Daddy's home in Heaven. Profound conversation with my father and Grandmother. Psalm 9, one thing really did catch my eye in this unusual time and history.
Psalm 9
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben
A Psalm of David.
Euthanasia. Jack Kevorkian, the pioneer. When he found out his wife has breast cancer, she wasn't really old. He told her the odds and said instead of the chemotherapy, the fuss and the expense, he would kindly hook her up. She refused and they divorced. She lived. Euthanasia tends to get weird. Kevorkian did not die from suicide, but cancer and pneumonia.
The problem with suicide, no one really wants to remember you very well. My children didn't know my father well, he was in his alcoholism and last party phase. And instead, they know I deeply love my father and my sons consider Daddy never given a grandfather name or nickname, to be a personal failure who quit instead of fighting the good fight. Nothing really convinces them otherwise. And eventually, you have to concede this is true. Sobriety has a point, you can solve the most difficult things with sobriety, prayer and Jesus and determination to fight the good fight.
We can always flip the Bible open and read Psalms or the Gospels until something in God's own Word makes us understand, God Almighty, Abba Loves you. Understands you. If you let Him, He will help daily. Keep your eyes of your heart and soul open.
Psalm 9
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben
A Psalm of David.
Eventually, we will have grandchildren and they will be more detached and hear more of the stories of my father. The Lord promised us a remnant. But there is something lost. Lost. The songs of joy will have a Muth-labben. Never will my father's song be sung as well as if he had struggled on to tell his story. We will never completely know what the joy of a Muth-labben is. The joy is lost until Heaven in the songs we sing.
Call it Euthanasia or Suicide, I'm a survivor of my father's choice to die. And I would tell you of the clinical depression I've seen in my grandmother. My profound sorrow for a self-murder. And the years my sons don't remember how angry and upset I was. My father-in-law realized we were out of our depths, being so young and he helped. He was wise. My mother-in-law helped. My mother's office helped. My friends were in their 20s and the situation left them a little helpless and undone.
My family and I attended Survivors of Suicide. I'm not fond of the therapy group name, but this was extremely, powerfully helpful group therapy to understand the unique nature and terrible challenges to not give into despair.
This death isn't a choice I'd recommend to anyone, if you truly wish not to bring harm upon those who love you.
Psalm 36
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
It's up to us that in our light, we leave the Light for others to see. Surely goodness and mercy will follow... me. Let His Light Shine.
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and
I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Having a meaningful life is about loving the people God has given you. Having a meaningful life is enjoying the Blessings we have to work upon. Having a meaningful life is to know God's Promises and Blessings.
When we look at Genesis,
the brief story of God's Good Creation,
we learn God looked around Him
and found Good.
Jesus found Joy.
The streets of Heaven on earth
are paved with Blessings.
Abba, Father
We give You Thanks for Renewing our Blessings Daily.
Help us to Live and move and truly know the truth of our Blessings.
To build upon what You have Willingly Given.
To understand and to Please You as we live in these Blessings.
Jesus told His Disciples not to speak. The Kingdom of Heaven is said:
Matthew 13:45-44
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field,
which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has
and
buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
who, on finding one pearl of great value,
went and sold all that he had and bought it.
When we pray for a way to explain our Faith.
When we pray for a way to explain our Faith.
We Pray for the Wisdom of God.
And the timing of God. You have placed Your Spirit within us
who Believe and we sometimes know the time is not quite right.
Like the ancient symbol of Ichthus.
Like the woman who reached for the fringe of Jesus' robe.
Luke 6
17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place,
Luke 6
17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place,
with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people
from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon,
18 who came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases.
And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 1
9 And all the crowd sought to touch him,
for power came out from him
and
healed them all.
The Holy Spirit of God is Abundant. Inclusive.
The Holy Spirit of God is Abundant. Inclusive.
Thank You Jesus.
You seek to save the world in Jesus Christ.
We can pray and we will have the opportunity.
Jesus and His Holy Spirit will do this.
We love to have conversational prayer with You, Father, all the day in Jesus.
We love to have conversational prayer with You, Father, all the day in Jesus.
We will be empowered to pray for others
and to have His opportunities.
Thank You Father, You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Thank You Father, You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.
When we clearly perceive in life we are told to be quiet,
You have given us wisdom.
You give us the way forward to Pray in Jesus
and
He will provide.
We pray to have the Joy in the Lord for finding the Kingdom of Heaven first.
We pray to have the Joy in the Lord for finding the Kingdom of Heaven first.
To live lives of Love, Peace and Joy.
Knowing You cover those we Love in Jesus.
Knowing You cover those we Love in Jesus.
Bringing their hearts to You.
Covering the people You have given us.
Giving our Nation hope as we Trust in You.
Covering the USA, Pakistan and Ukraine,
all the Nations praying
for Your Steadfast Love and Mercy.
Thanking You, Father God.
Thanking You, Father God.
Your Plans are our Hope and Future.
We ask for all the Willing Blessings You would give
and rely on Your Steadfast Love and Mercy.
The Righteousness of Jesus Christ - Your Gift to us.
The Righteousness of Jesus Christ - Your Gift to us.
In Jesus, Amen.
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