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Posts tagged with: Psalms

A crucifix sitting on a table

Prayers for Workers: When Your Unhappiness at Work Goes On and On

No matter what, I will trust in God’s unfailing love today.

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person studying with magnifying glass

Prayers for Workers: Facing Flattery and Boastfulness

This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

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Looking up into the silhouetted branches and gree foliage of sycamore tree

A Posture of Gratitude

Keeping your head down at work — while perhaps unavoidable on occasion — is not a good, long-term posture. Instead, Psalm 111 reminds me that thankfulness—an upward orientation — is the key to a truly human life, to truly human work.

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lady holding up peace sign in a crowd

Prayers for Workers: The Lord Loves Justice

Help me, I pray, to act with justice in my work. Even if I have little authority in my workplace, may I treat others fairly. And if you have entrusted me with authority over people, systems, facilities, or finances, may I lead with justice. Show me how I can model your justice in my workplace, so that you might love what I am doing.

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Prayers for Workers: Is There Room for God?

Is there room for God in my work today?

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The silhouette of a woman shrouded in darkness

Prayers for Workers: Avoiding the Pit

The Lord, who is known by his acts of justice, calls you to seek justice in every part of life, including your daily work.

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The space between skyscrapers that form the outline of a cross.

Who Are You Becoming?

The things we make wind up making and remaking us.

Work is like that. Not only is work something we do, but it invariably shapes who we become. That is another reason why our work is important to God.

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A young Afghan shepherd in the Arghandab River Valley, Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

What Makes a Good Leader?

Each of us has a history – personal, familial, organizational. Psalm 78 tells Israel’s history with stark honesty. No attempt is made to “spin” its story to make God’s people look good. The bulk of the psalm is a long litany of Israel’s failures despite God’s mercy and continued faithfulness. If for no other reason, I like this psalm because it reminds me that all my history can be faced. In a contemporary leadership culture that tends to hide its failures and weaknesses, this is refreshingly good news.

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Masai shepherd with sheep

For His Name’s Sake

The writer of the 23rd Psalm, traditionally attributed to King David, uses this image of a shepherd who is Yahweh himself, a Kingly Shepherd who leads us daily in paths just like he did for the Hebrews in their wilderness wanderings for forty years in the desert. David explains that God chooses to shepherd us “for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3c). What does this mean? Let’s first talk about God’s name, Yahweh.

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herd of sheep on a dirt road

Paths of Righteousness

When I think of the word “righteous,” positive connotations don’t come to mind immediately. For example, when someone is called “self-righteous,” that certainly isn’t a compliment! Thinking of people who are considered “righteous” may elicit a picture of someone adhering to rigid fundamentalism or legalistic religion. So, what did the Psalmist intend to convey with the phrase “paths of righteousness”?

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Maloja Pass, Bregaglia, Switzerland

Prayers for Workers: God’s Majesty and Our Authority

God has given you authority to make a difference in this world through your work.

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Prayers for Workers: Thanks and Praise to God

God made [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

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woman sleeping in bed

Prayers for Workers: Morning Prayer Before a Hard Day at Work

There are hard things ahead at work today, things I wish weren’t happening, problems I’d like to avoid, people I’d rather not confront. But faithfulness in my work means I must deal with what lies before me, whether I like it or not.

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Don’t Overindulge!

Reading just the first two verses of Psalm 23 reveals a good God who promises to shepherd you personally towards contentment and rest amidst an environment that is dangerous and uncertain. The Psalmist emphasizes that this abundance includes the physical, but also surpasses it, by saying that this shepherd “restores my soul” (23:3).

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Quiet Waters

Psalm 23 assumes you know that shepherding happened in a wilderness with rugged terrain, wild animals, thieves and even flash floods. This kind of difficult environment is where Jesus the Shepherd promises to be with us, lead us and fill us with goodness.

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