Daily Devotion – July 12, 2021 – The Rev. Barb Spaulding

Psalm 85:8-13 (NRSV)

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.

The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.

Devotion

In these longer daylight hours of summer, I often awaken easily, literally and spiritually without alarm. In quiet moments, like the psalmist, I listen to God. Open to a word of peace, I turn my heart to the giver of a new day. With thanks for the gift of faith, I sense the nearness—the reality—of salvation, wanting my day to begin rightfully, in the fear of the Lord.

In great or small ways, any given day, God’s glory may be real in my setting. God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, aligned like the plumb line in Amos’ vision (7:7 ff), can launch me into the new dawn. With the psalmist, the one who listens to God’s promises or maybe even sings them, is awake to God. Whether we know it or not, are we this day, then, preparing a pathway for God’s way in our world?

Prayer

Righteous One, awaken us to the grace that can shape and fill this day with your faithfulness. Amen.