20 “I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;
21 my hand shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him,
the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;
and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, “You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”
27 I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him,
and my covenant with him will stand firm.
29 I will establish his line for ever,
and his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my ordinances,
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with scourges;
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love,
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant,
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His line shall continue for ever,
and his throne endure before me like the sun.
37 It shall be established for ever like the moon,
an enduring witness in the skies.”
Selah
- Light a candle to remember Christ’s presence with you.
- Sit five to fifteen minutes in silent meditation paying close attention to the deep breath.
- Forever God will keep steadfast love for you.
- As you follow the breath today, consider the Psalm you would write about God’s steadfast love for you. (King David’s Psalm is set before you as an example.)
- How is God strengthening you?
- How is God tempering enemies?
- How is God’s steadfast love raising you up?
- Where is God setting your hand?
- You cry out, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”
- In Christ you are born again as a new creation.
- God will forever keep steadfast love for you.
- With which transgressions have you or our your children forsaken God?
- God will forever keep steadfast love for you.
- Your identity in Christ endures like the sun and is a witness like the moon.
- Rest in God’s peace.
- Write down the words that come to you.
- Allow these words to sing in your heart.
- Forever God will keep steadfast love for you.
- Give thanks to God for this time in prayer and for any new insights you have received.
- Share as you feel led in the reply box below.
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Sunday, July 22, 2012, the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Psalm 89:20-37
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
If you use these prayers in other groups, please give credit to author. Permission to use in not-for-profit settings The Rev. Lil Smith, M.Div., DASD