URC Daily Devotion Sunday 22 June 2025
Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.
You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
In the day of distress I will call
and surely you will reply.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
nor work to compare with yours.
All the nations shall come to adore you
and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvellous deeds,
you who alone are God.
Show me, Lord, your way
so that I may walk in your truth.
Guide my heart to fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart
and glorify your name for ever;
for your love to me has been great:
you have saved me from the depths of the grave.
The proud have risen against me;
the ruthless seek my life;
to you they pay no heed.
But you, God of mercy and compassion,
slow to anger, O Lord,
abounding in love and truth,
turn and take pity on me.
O give your strength to your servant
and save your handmaid’s child.
Show me the sign of your favour
that my foes may see, to their shame,
that you console me and give me your help.
Reflection
The Psalmist cries out in anguish, – ‘all the day long’. He feels poor and needy, and is aware of people who have taken against him. And yet he also has the sense of God’s love and mercy, and the way in which God listens and guides him, despite what he’s going through.
There are times when I hear people arguing that as Christians, everything should always go well with us. And yet I know personally the times of despair and anguish, at what I see in my own life or in the world around me. It feels like there is so much which could, or should, be better than it is. Conflicts across the world grow. Christian values of love and care diminish. A sense of individualism increases, while caring for the relationships with people – family, friends, in the community around, decreases.
It’s good to be open about struggles with the inner life or the many sad situations in today’s world, and to offer all this to God. After all, Jesus journeyed through the wilderness and to the cross, before coming to the new life of the Resurrection.
The Psalmist points to the way in which God is present, not just in the good times, but also in the times of struggle. He lets his life go into God’s hands, and sees where God’s love has lifted him up, and prays for this uplifting to continue.
Being a person of faith isn’t about life always being perfect. It is about God always being present. The Psalmist shows his humility and is realistic about all that he faces. He is able to let his life go into God’s hands, as he sees who God is, and the power of God’s saving presence. He doesn’t just take this for granted, but continues crying out in prayer, and placing himself again and again in God’s presence.
In the midst of it all, he continues with praise and thanksgiving.
Prayer
Loving God,
I give thanks for the goodness
and sustaining power of Your presence,
whatever I might be facing in my life.
May I live out Your love in times of struggle,
and not lose hope,
however difficult things might seem.
May I continue to pray and work
for Your love, truth and peace
to be more present, in my life,
in the life of those around me,
and across this troubled world.
Amen.