Today is August 30.May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.    Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     Today’s reading is from Psalm 146.          He is the Maker of heaven and earth,           the sea, and everything in them—           he remains faithful forever.        He upholds the cause of the oppressed           and gives food to the hungry.           The LORD sets prisoners free,          the LORD gives sight to the blind,           the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,           the LORD loves the righteous.        The LORD watches over the foreigner           and sustains the fatherless and the widow...             This psalm makes a lot of statements about who God is: God is maker. Faithful. He upholds and nourishes and sets free. He gives sight, lifts up, and loves. God watches over and sustains. And he does these things not just for me or you. But for those in our world who are often unseen, vulnerable, and disregarded. Our news is filled with images of refugees standing at borders. Of fatherless children being mistreated. Of oppression, of hunger. The pain of the world is so hard to absorb… it can be tempting to turn away, or to feel paralyzed. Talk to God about how you feel considering this today in prayer.  Let’s listen again to this psalmist reflect on God’s character, and point us to God’s response. Let’s listen again, considering that you and I are called – as the church – to be the body of Christ in the world. His hands, and His feet… Every Christian is a part of the corporate church. Every Christian has the opportunity to reflect the heart of God to a watching world, and to a world that needs the care of God. Listen again and consider: how might you – as a representative of God through His body the church – become a more faithful representation of this psalm:   None of us are makers, we are made. And none of us can save the world, Jesus did. But we can partner with the work of Christ in the world. We can help to give food, to lift up, to love and watch over, to sustain… Invite the Lord, as David did, to search you and know you today. Invite the Lord to be present to you as you take inventory of your own partnership with the work of Christ. Invite the Lord, as we end our time of prayer, to speak to you about ways He might be inviting you further to be his hands, and his feet, in the world around you today. Music: "Form Us" - Vineyard Soul - (YouTube)

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