Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed,
² O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.

³ When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
⁴ Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.

⁵ By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
⁶ By your^[a] strength you established the mountains;

 you are girded with might.
⁷ You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
⁸ Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

⁹ You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.

¹⁰ You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges,
softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.

The news each day tells the sad tale of a virus that is ravaging our world. There’s enough going around in our day and time to make us all shake and quake in fear. But as we pause and ponder the power of God, there is good news still being shouted.

Life has always had its challenges, and in his day and time, the Psalmist looked to nature and harvest as evidence of God’s providence and presence.

⁵ By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
⁶ By your^[a] strength you established the mountains;

 you are girded with might.
⁷ You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
⁸ Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

⁹ You visit the earth and water it,

In the midst of a pandemic, our area has also been experiencing a drought. But then, the other day, we got a good ole Florida thunderstorm, and a foretaste of the return of the rainy season.

We do need to pray to God for our world, our nation, and our neighbors. And we need to remember and witness the might of God as we hope for the days to come.

Prayer

Praise is due to You, O God. Hear our prayers and our praise as we trust You to continue to work mighty deeds in our midst. Amen.