Answering Christ’s Call by Accepting God's Grace

     The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?   When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me? I love you, O Lord, my strength.

 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.  The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;  the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.  In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.  From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

     The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—  the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.

     Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!

For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me?   Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?   Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

     Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.   Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?   Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.   No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

   

     The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.   He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.  The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.   He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.  As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;  for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

     But you, O Lord, do not be far off!   O you my help, come quickly to my aid!  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

     Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

     Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.  Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.

     Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.  You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.   As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!  On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!   How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand.  I awake, and I am still with you. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.  Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your rules.   

     The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.  Amen!!!