The LORD God is the Creator of the ends of the earth. He has established laws in nature which govern all the processes of life–planting, growth, cultivation and harvest. These principles give us insight on how to conduct our lives, families, churches, and societies (to continue reading this essay, click on image above).
The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation, Psalm 27
Psalm 27 teaches us that genuine faith persists through moments of confident declaration and vulnerable petition. David reminds us that our relationship with God encompasses both triumphant praise and desperate pleading. In our contemporary struggles with uncertainty, fear, and opposition, we are invited to make seeking God’s presence our singular priority, desiring one thing above all else—to dwell in the Lord’s house forever. Even when circumstances and loved ones prove unreliable, God’s divine faithfulness transcends human abandonment, offering us a foundation more secure than any earthly relationship or institution. To wait on the Lord challenges our impatience and self-reliance, calling us to cultivate spiritual fortitude through persistent hope in God’s perfect timing and unfailing goodness.
Invocation
Heavenly Father, Lord of light and salvation, I acknowledge my need for your strength and guidance during life’s battles and uncertainties. Illuminate the darkness of my fears with your presence and establish my heart in the unshakable confidence that comes from dwelling in your house. As I seek your face, teach me to wait upon you with courage and patience, trusting in your perfect timing and unfailing goodness. Amen.
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.
Chronological Scripture Readings for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the entire Bible in one year in chronological order.
Sunday: 1 Sam. 22-23; Pss. 52; 57; 142; 1 Chron. 12.8-18
Lectionary Readings for Today
Our readings from the Psalms, the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Epistles are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary for this Feast Day.
Psalm: Psalm 27
Old Testament (or Acts [during Eastertide]): Gen. 15.1-12,17-18
Gospel: Luke 13.31-35
New Testament: Philippians 3.17-4.1
Click here for all of this week’s Scripture readings
Psalms and Proverb for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month.
Sunday: Psalm 16, 46, 76, 106, 136 and Proverbs 16
Unwavering Faith Amid Adversity.
On this Lenten journey, we should express complete trust in God as our ultimate source of protection, guidance, and salvation even when surrounded by enemies, dilemmas, and difficulties, Psalm 27.1-14.
Reflection
Psalm 27 is a profound declaration of unwavering trust in God amid life’s adversities. David expresses his complete confidence in the Lord as his ultimate source of protection, guidance, and salvation, even when he is surrounded by enemies and difficulties. Through alternating expressions of bold faith and earnest supplication, David shows both the strength and vulnerability of authentic spiritual devotion, which culminates in his call for the faithful to wait for the Lord with courage and patience.
Engaging God’s Word Today
In what areas of your life do you find yourself vacillating between bold confidence in God’s protection and anxious pleading for his presence? How might David’s example of bringing both to God in honest prayer reshape your approach to these struggles?
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,
Begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father,
through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became human.
Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who spoke by the prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin,
and we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Benediction
May you, risen Lord Jesus, be my light when darkness surrounds me, my salvation when enemies assail, and my stronghold when foundations shake. Teach me to dwell in your presence all the days of my life, finding refuge in your shelter and experiencing your goodness in the land of the living. Show me how to go forth with courage and strength, waiting on you to sustain me through every trial. Lead me, Savior, into paths of righteousness for your name’s sake. Amen.
Scripture Memory for this season
Ecclesiastes 3.1-2 (ESV):
1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;”
Scripture Engagement
As disciples of Jesus, the Churches of Christ the King strongly seek to engage the Scriptures to discover the centrality of Christ and his Kingdom in the prophetic and apostolic writings. You will find a rich treasure of resources on engaging Scripture at the Center for Scripture Engagement of Taylor University.
Book Reading and Reflection
“SILENCE IS THE home of the word. Silence gives strength and fruitfulness to the word. We can even say that words are meant to disclose the mystery of the silence from which they come. The Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu expresses this well in the following way: The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of the word is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.
“I would like to talk to the man who has forgotten words.” That could have been said by one of the Desert Fathers. For them, the word is the instrument of the present world and silence is the mystery of the future world. If a word is to bear fruit it must be spoken from the future world into the present world. The Desert Fathers therefore considered their going into the silence of the desert to be a first step into the future world. From that world their words could bear fruit, because there they could be filled with the power of God’s silence.”
~ Nouwen, Henri J. M., The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God through Prayer, Wisdom and Silence. Ballantine Books (A Penguin Random House Company), New York City, NY: 2003. Electronic Edition, Location 378.
Seedling Focus for the Season: A Time for Everything
Description: Just as there are seasons in nature, there are seasons in our spiritual journey, Ecc. 3.1-2.
On Eagles Wings Prayer Focus: A Long Time Comin‘
Jesus Anointed at Bethany, John 12.1-8.
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