Daily Devotion – July 7, 2020 – The Rev. Mary Leigh Boyd Hovland

Psalm 65 (NRSV)

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed,

O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.

When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.

Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.

By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.

By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might.

You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.

Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.

You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.

You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,

the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Devotion

Corrie ten Boom’s Christian family helped many Jews escape the Nazis. For many years I have carried her words in my heart: “Thank God for all things.” We are thankful because God always walks with us, lifting us out of the depths of adversity.

During the coronavirus crisis many are worried they will not have enough, so they strip bare the grocery shelves. But because of God’s love surrounding us, we can know the safety and comfort of being held in the arms of the Good Shepherd. Because we have seen God’s powerful presence in the past, God’s sustaining Word gives us hope, not only for ourselves, but for our communities, and for the world. God’s Word continues to go out to the ends of the earth, bringing love and hope to a hurting world. The rain of God’s Word promises never to return empty. That is our hope. Where can you see the God of hope present in your life today?

Prayer

God of hope, light our paths with your light, which never can be extinguished. In you alone we place our trust and hope. Thank you for being our hope. Amen.