Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord, my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
Lord, please encourage those in Memphis without power tonight. We pray for MLGW, that their teams and line crews are able to get power back on for those impacted in north Memphis and eastern Shelby County form the recent storms. We pray for relief from the heat, at least for those most vulnerable to high temperatures, that they may be cared for. May they have someone to call for transportation to cooling centers or friends and family that can take them in.
Lord, You do not disappoint. We can focus on ourselves and our means, but You are God. We pray for this city Lord, for a spiritual awakening, for the Holy Spirit to pour out onto the streets. We pray Lord, for reckless driving and disrespect towards traffic laws to stop. Stop the 360s and burnouts in intersections. Stop the young men hanging out of windows while speeding on the highway. Lord, speak into their hearts that the danger they seek is nothing compared to the adventure You want to lead them on.
We are a lost people. We see Your glory and immediately cry out for reprieve. Don’t let us turn form You. Lord, open our eyes to the plight of our neighbors, speak truth into our hearts regarding who needs, and is willing, to receive our help, so that we may be Your hands and feet. We seek thriving community, Lord. We seek wholeness. Lord, may we seek You while we await the New Jerusalem. In Christ’s name, amen.