1 Praise the LORD!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Fill your heart and mind with powerful thoughts of praise and thanksgiving, for the Evil One is determined to flood your spirit with complaint and disappointment. If there is anything good and beautiful, think on such things, and then look about you with eyes cleansed by faith, to behold the wonder and the joy of life - the greening of the trees, the budding of flowers, the face of a child with an ice cream cone, the sound of a rumbling V8 (if ya' like cars) and the simple wonder of a cloud in the sky.
Holy Week, 2008
