Psalm and Prayer of the Day August 27

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Psalm 81

God’s Appeal to Stubborn Israel

To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of Asaph.

1 Sing aloud to God our strength;
    shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the tambourine,
    the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
    at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
    an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph,
    when he went out over[a] the land of Egypt.

I hear a voice I had not known:
6 “I relieved your[b] shoulder of the burden;
    your[c] hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you;
    I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.Selah
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
    Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
    to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
    and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
    and their doom would last forever.
16 I would feed you[d] with the finest of the wheat,
    and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Prayer:

Gracious and attentive God:  We begin our day with thanksgiving and praise because we know you hear and answer our prayers, love and care for all you have created.
Especially we thank you for the gift of loving and supportive relationships with family and friends…
For the beauty of this world and great diversity present in it…
For the opportunity to serve you today as your Spirit guides us….

We also begin this day knowing the world is suffering natural disasters as well as human-made disasters.  It seems this beautiful world and what is in it can be both tough as nails and resilient while also being delicate and fragile.  We pray for the world today and those who suffer.
We pray for those who are affected by the virus Covid 19 – those who are ill, those who grieve their dead loved ones, those who are separated from their loved ones, those who are now without jobs…
We pray for those who are involved in education along with students and their families…
We pray for those devastated by the hurricane now hitting the gulf coast and those who will be offering aid even before the storm goes away…
We pray for those suffering from the hands of injustice in its many forms; for those who are turning to violence, for those condoning violence, for those who suffer due to the violence, for those whose job it is to quell the violence….
We pray for Kenosha, Portland, St. Louis, and other communities in need of reconciliation and healing…
We pray for those we love and for your peace to grace this world today.  Amen.