Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

 

Psalm 146: 1-7a

Praise the Lord.
1. Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed(N)
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,

 

Reflection

 

The chorus to one of my favorite gospel songs from
childhood starts, "God is the joy and the strength of
my life, removes all pain, misery, and strife.  He
promised to keep me, never to leave me.  He'll never,
never fall short of his word."  This song lifts my soul
and provides me with a reason to praise God at all
times.

 

     The psalmist encourages us to praise the Lord. 
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  African
descended people are not always able to experience
the goodness, joy, and peace of God because of
racial oppression and continuing acts of injustice. 
But despite the long history of racism, we are still
able to praise God because God created us in God's
likeness and image as taught by our ancestors
through God's word.

 

     God did not create race, racism, and oppression. 
God created humanity equal and good;  God is the
maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything
in them----God remains faithful forever.  God upholds
the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the
hungry.

 

Prayer:

 

God, thank you for being my all and all.   AMEN

(from the Covenant Home Altar, Velda R. Love author)