Righteous forever! Your righteousness and Your testimonies! A perfect North Star to guide me, never obscured by clouds only by vision dimmed by unwillingness. Where ever I go, where ever I am, no matter what the situation I am in, if I look to Your Word, it is righteous and true, never failing, the source of wisdom and understanding.

The reward that is promised here is if I turn away from evil and seek Your face. To be upheld by You, to be kept from shame in times of great evil and to enjoy the abundance of Your provision in times of famine, to know that I inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, to know that when I trip You are there to catch me and keep me from stumbling, that my children will be cared for by You, that the word of my mouth are Your wisdom and Your justice, that Your law is written in my heart, and that You will not abandon me to the power of the wicked. Praise You, Lord.

Oh, this is hard, Lord, it is so much easier to fret. To continue to trust in You as the world collapses around me, to continue to carry out Your directives for my life in the face of trials and temptations. To watch others live lives of idleness as You lay out areas of ministry for Betty and I. But the joy of being with You and in Your will far exceeds the temptations of the world.

I am dealing with arrogance, Lord, but is it the arrogance of others or mine? If mine; lead me in the path of repentance and transformation. If of others; lead me in the path of humility and love. And in all, give me the wisdom to recognize the source and respond appropriately.

This morning, this beautiful morning as I sat in my chair, reading, studying, meditating and praying Your word, the day was dawning. Your sun was rising and revealing all the beauty of Your creation before me as its light lifted the darkness. Mountains, fields, trees, colors, shadows, stone walls, fences, barns, flower beds, all shouting the glories of the creation with their own voices. Praising Your goodness. I am awestruck by the display and filled with joy.

Lord, the ability of the unrepentant heart to justify and excuse behavior is an ability without superior. I know, deep in my heart that a course of behavior is wrong, but I can explain and justify why it is appropriate at this time and in these circumstances. I can conveniently forget that You hate evil and abhor sin. I am a master of self-justification and delusion.

As I meditate on Your law, as I dwell on the beauty of Your word, as I make these the furniture of Your temple, then You manifest Yourself to me, and live with me. Thank You, Lord.

Praise You, my Lord and my Master, You are my strength, my refuge and my shepherd. You do carry me through the Wilderness of Man, You lead me step by step to carry Your message of hope and deliverance into a wilderness of despair and bondage.

As I go into this day, I need Your strength and shield. I need Your hand covering me and Your wisdom guiding me. Help me, Lord, to see exactly what is needed and to present those requirements with clarity and grace. Cause those who have the control of these resources to look with grace upon my requests.

Lord, protect me from those temptation which take root in my soul and lead to evil desires. Give me the strength, wisdom and discernment to recognize the very first sprouting of desire and the power to root it out, pull it up by its roots and discard it. Let these temptations not grow into those desires characterized by lust, greed, pride, self-will, impatience, anger, ...

I need You, Lord, every hour I need You. Be with me, O my Savior, be with me today. Guide my hand and my mind, let the meditations of my mouth be pleasing in your ears, let every step of my feet be set securely in Your path, let all that I am be used in Your service today.

Lord, to look upon You in the land of the living, to see Your goodness there, in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the here and now, to see and live in the not yet and the yet to come. Wait for You, wait for the full revelation of Your presence, give me strength and courage.

Seek Your face, Lord, O how I want to seek Your face, but sometimes it seems beyond me. Teach me and lead me in the way everlasting, I can feel the hunger for Your presence, let it grow in me. There have been tastes, little nibbles, I want it all, a full meal.

That sense of being manifest, Lord. Your word fixed in the heavens, You enduring faithfulness, the establishment of the creation, all speaking of You and by You to the world. There for all to see, and all do see for the vehement denials of many are the kicking against what they know to be true and know that they are powerless to change.

Here's the answer to my dilemma about the relationship with our ministry partners; You will hide me in Your shelter and conceal me in Your tent, but I am to sing and make melody with shouts of joy. Back to "Let the praise of God be ever in my mouth and a two edged sword in my hands."

So it is to be a day of praising You and blessing them

Years and years, Lord, years and years, You have demonstrated Your constancy and faithfulness. time after time, day after day, You stand between me and all assaults; if I remember to turn to You. This is a "no other gods before me" concept. I must turn to You for guidance and solace, You are at my side, but I must acknowledge Your presence and seek Your face. Then I can join with David and shout, "I am confident that my Lord is with me."

Thank You and praise You that I can turn to you in my distress, knowing that You will provide a level ground to stand on. I know that You stand between me and all the wiles of the Evil One, that Your grace is a might bulwark, an impregnable shield if I keep my eyes on You and seek Your Kingdom first in all my life. Praise You, Lord.

Lord, give me the boldness, give me the willingness to speak Your name, proclaim Your glory, shout of Your goodness, mercy and love to all and sundry. Let there be no lapse in my testimony, either by word or deed. Lord. cause me to be a big mouth for You.

David can make these positive statements, Lord, but I cannot. I don't need proving, I need improving. I don't need the testing of an assay to prove my worth; I need a quality control test to highlight my shortcomings. I need the continued teaching and leading of the Holy Spirit to rasp away at the flaws of my nature, to grind at those affections that stand between me and faithful obedience. Thank You, Lord, that I can come to You, pleading for relief, knowing that You take pleasure in seeing this child of Yours learn to walk in Your Kingdom.

Guard my soul, Lord, guard my soul. Guard it from the attacks of the Evil One who would destroy my testimony to the power of Your love and mercy. Guard it from those attacks which would discourage me and cause me to focus on my shortcomings rather than on Your strength. Lead me, Lord, to be an active agent for Your Kingdom.