Psalm 5:1-12 (NRSV)
1 Listen to my words, O Lord;
attend to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths;
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions, cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favor as with a shield.
Prayer
Sometimes the only prayers we can offer are sighs, O Lord. From exhaustion, from lack of sleep, from all the chaos this season of the semester brings us, we sigh. And we know that you hear our sighs and our cries. Hear us now and provide for us. Renew our strength. Restore our hope. And send us boldly into the world anew this day. Amen.
Written by Rev. Margaret (Maggie) Alsup (she/her/hers),
College Chaplain and Director of Service, Lyon College (Arkansas)
Click here for the rest of today’s lectionary readings.