Living in the Spirit
July 4, 2018
Scripture Reading: Psalm 48
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defense.
Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
He will be our guide forever. –Psalm 48:1-3, 12-13
As a Christ follower, I must confess I cringe every time I hear something like “we do not need thoughts and prayers we need action.” While I agree with the intent, I mourn the state of faith when prayer has lost its place in our lives. All actions of people of faith need to be guided by and through our communion with God. The fact that “thoughts and prayers” have become the politically correct way of getting away with doing nothing of any consequence does not take anything away from our relationship with God who sustains and enables us to step out in faith and take the actions needed to create a world ruled by love.
Prayer without action is an oxymoron, contradictory in nature. In some instances, the action may be intentionally working to change our own behavior bringing us to wholeness. In most instances, it will drive us to a oneness with others that leads to justice for all.
Prayer: Holy One, help us remember that you promised to guide us forever. Grant us the courage to follow your guidance. Amen.