+ DAILY PRAYER +
Wealth and the Fate of the Wicked For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm. 1 Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all you inhabitants of the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor together. 3 My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will be understanding. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will ?propound? my riddle on a lyre. 5 Why should I fear in ?times of calamity?, when iniquity surrounds me at my heels, 6 those who trust their wealth…
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 62:5-12
Psa 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
Psa 62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
Psa 62:7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Psa 62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psa 62:9 Those of low estate are but a breath;
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
Psa 62:10 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
Psa 62:11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
Psa 62:12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man according to his work.
Reading for Thursday January 9th Psalm 49
Wealth and the Fate of the Wicked
49 For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisdom,
and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will ?propound? my riddle on a lyre.
5 Why should I fear in ?times of calamity?,
when iniquity surrounds me at my heels,
6 those who trust their wealth
and boast about the abundance of their riches?
7 Surely a man cannot redeem a brother.
He cannot give to God his ransom
8 (since the redemption price for their life is costly
and it always fails),
9 so that he may stay alive forever
and not see the pit.
10 For he sees that the wise die,
together with the fool and brute they perish,
and leave their wealth to the next generation.
11 Within them they think their houses are forever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation.
They ?name? their lands by their own names.
12 But man cannot continue in his pomp.
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the journey of those who have foolish confidence,
and those after them who accept their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are destined to Sheol;
death will shepherd them.
But the upright will rule over them in the morning,
and their forms will be for Sheol to consume,
far from his lofty abode.
15 Surely God will ransom my life
from the ?power? of Sheol,
because he will receive me. Selah
16 Do not fear when a man becomes rich,
when the wealth of his house increases,
17 because when he dies he will not take away any of it.
His wealth will not follow down after him.
18 Though he congratulated his soul while he was living
—and people will praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 it will go to the generation of his fathers.
Never will they see light.
20 Humankind in its pomp, but does not understand,
is like the beasts that perish.
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
O Lord, graciously hear the prayers of Your people that we who justly suffer the consequence of our sin may be mercifully delivered by Your goodness to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us to do Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
