Rhythms of Grace
Gospel for Every Day
Each day, we slow down to align our hearts with God’s Rhythms of Grace.
This month/series, we examine the portrait of the Extraordinarily Ordinary Christian Life.
This week, we meditate on Real Love throughout Scripture.
Tuesday: Real Love in God’s Poetry
In our ordinary lives, we will have trouble. Psalm 63 is a portrait of steeping in God’s love, even - or especially - in the wilderness.
Psalm 63
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Good News Reflection
Slow down to meditate on the Scripture you just read using Look Up, Look In, Look Out:
Look Up: What does this show me about God’s love?
Look In: What does this reveal about my love?
Look Out: Where is Christ leading me in love?
How does the good news that I am worse than I think, but more loved in Christ than I could imagine, change the way I read these passages?
Prayer (From John 15:9-13)
Father,
Thank you for your love. By your spirit, teach me to abide in your love and keep your commands, that your joy may be in me, and that my joy may be full.
In the name of Jesus, who, in real love, laid down his life for his friends,
Amen.