Good morning! I hope you are having a meaningful Holy Week and are finding the time to reflect on your spiritual journey this week. To assist you with that, our Lenten devotional for today comes to us from Julia Zellers. Julia is a Sophomore from Monument, Colorado, and she’s majoring in Political Science and Economics. If Julia’s name sounds familiar it’s because she’s involved in a number of ways across campus. She has served on staff for Frog Camp, been a Frogs First Leader, is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Program, is a member of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, is a member of the Honors Cabinet, serves as a resident assistant, is an active member of the TCU Catholic Community, and this summer she will be welcoming the Class of 2020 as a TCU Orientation Leader. And in the midst of all that (and more) she wrote me several months ago and asked if she could write a devotional for Lent. I’m thankful for Julia, and those like her, who take time in the midst of busy schedules to reflect, write, and share what God is laying on their hearts. I hope you’ll find her words for us today to be helpful in the midst of this Holy Week. After you read Julia’s devotional, I invite you to offer a prayer for the people of Brussels and all those impacted by today’s tragedy. I think you’ll find her concluding thought to be helpful as you pray. In Your mercy, God, hear our prayer…
Blessings on your journey,
Todd
March 22, 2016 By: Julia Zellers
Psalm 136:1-9
Praise the Lord, for he is good;
For his mercy endures forever;
Praise the God of gods;
For his mercy endures forever;
Who alone has done great wonders,
For his mercy endures forever;
Who skillfully made the heavens,
For his mercy endures forever;
Who spread the earth upon the waters,
For his mercy endures forever;
Who made the great lights,
For his mercy endures forever;
The sun to rule the day,
For his mercy endures forever;
The moon and stars to rule the night,
For his mercy endures forever.
In mass several weeks ago, Father Wilcox suggested reading Psalm 136 as a reminder of God’s mercy. I view Psalm 136 as a reminder to thank God and praise Him for He always loves us. This Lenten season, I decided to write a letter to God each night in my journal thanking Him for even the challenges in my life. When I read this scripture first, I remember to thank God in my prayers for the ground we walk on, the warmth from the sun, and the stars that light up the night; for without Him, those great wonders would never be.
Often times in our prayer, we spend time asking God to help us overcome challenges and help us fix problems, but I wanted to focus on turning my prayers into a conversation with God. And in that conversation I want to be thankful for His endless mercy for it helps me know that we can all face any hardship. This thought reminds me of another scripture, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Sometimes prayer is hardest when we face loss, adversity, or uncertainty, but He is good and His mercy endures forever. FOREVER.
God, so thankful I am for Your endless love and mercy. May our circumstances and prayers help us grow into the people You want us to be. In the Lord’s name we pray, Amen.
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