Christian Reflection and Prayer

When and how do you pray?

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises
to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing
love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,
accompanied by the harp and lute and the harmony
of the lyre. You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done
for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.
Psalm 92:1-4 NLT

Giving thanks morning and night

What a way to start the day! The verses in Psalm 92
represent one of the first prayers on the priests' lips
on the Sabbath day: "You thrill me, Lord, with all you
have done for me!"

What if before you read your morning paper, before
you head out the door, before you start the countless
tasks you have to do for each day, you determine that
you're going to start your day with praise for how God
has "thrilled" you? Right now, you have the chance to
start afresh. A new day is before you. Why not start
things off right with a regimen of praise instead of the
old routine? In prayer today, proclaim his unfailing love,
and tonight, before going to bed, praise him again for
his faithfulness.

(Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers)

Verse

Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:17

Voice

People do not choose rebellion; it is forced upon them.
Revolution is an act of self-defense.
C.T. Vivian


Prayer

O God, give us the courage to seek justice, rescue the
oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.
May we always be willing to learn to do good. May we
always be willing to rebel against the unjust structures
of our world. Amen.

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was
lost, and is found." And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:24

Zella Jackson Price had already lost a son during a
premature birth.

Because of that she was deeply concerned when, only
seven months into her next pregnancy, she was rushed
to the Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis. About an
 hour after the baby, Diane, was born, the doctors paid
her a visit and said things didn't look good for the 2.3
pound baby.

As this was 50 years ago and before modern medicine
had made great strides in the care of early births, Price
was not shocked when a nurse came in and said, "Your
daughter has passed away."

Looking back on that day, Price says, "I experienced the
same sinking feeling when they told me my son died, so
I didn't question it. I left that hospital thinking another one
of my babies had died. I felt that sense of loss, and I was
heartbroken. But I did what anyone else would do: I went
home and went on with my life."

Price ended up having three more babies; all of whom have
done well.

That's the way Price's life might have stayed if it hadn't been
for the fact that the children of adopted Melanie Diane
Jackson wanted to find her biological parents. They wanted
to surprise their mother with that information for her 50th
birthday.

So if you've stayed with me so far, you already know the rest
of the story.

Somebody at the hospital had goofed. Maybe a lot of
somebodies goofed a lot of times. Price's baby didn't die.
No, she was adopted some 50 years ago. Her baby was told
her mother had abandoned her.

But that was then and this is now. Now mother and daughter
are reunited. To paraphrase our text above: for this my
daughter was dead, and is alive again; she was lost, and is
found. And they began to celebrate. DNA samples have
proven they really are mother and daughter. No doubt, no
uncertainty.

Oh, there's one other thing they did: they gave thanks to God.

When Price found out her daughter was alive, she said, "To
God be the glory!" Price's grandson, Samuel, said, "All the
glory goes to God." And that's the way it should be: the Lord
getting praise for this reunion of family.

But there's one more thought I'd like to give you before this
devotion ends. Many of us are surrounded by God-given
children and grandchildren. They are healthy; they are happy,
and we have never been separated.

It occurs to me that if a family which has lost 50 years together
can celebrate, maybe we who have always been together ought
to do the same ... and more. Let us give thanks to our Heavenly
Father, and our dear Brother and Savior Jesus, for His ongoing
protection and grace.

THE PRAYER:

Dear Lord, grant that I, a blood-bought member of Your family of
faith, be faithful. Further, let me be thankful for all the tragedies
that have never happened in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)