A LAMP TO MY FEET. A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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The Lord is my light and my salvation—

so why should I be afraid?

The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,

so why should I tremble?

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Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness

while I am here in the land of the living.

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Wait patiently for the Lord.

Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

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– Psalm 27:1,13-14 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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The Lord is my light…He is to me the source of light – a light that guides and leads me.

Where darkness means distress, trouble, and sorrow; light is the opposite, and God furnishes us with His caring light that makes troubles disappear,

and our way bright, manageable and joyful.

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…and my salvation – the Lord is my Saviour, my Deliverer, my Redeemer.

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so why should I be afraid?

If God is on my side, then when should I fear.

He is more than abundantly able to protect me,

and my faith makes me confidently trust in Him.

The Lord is my Shepherd and my Friend – of this I am convinced.

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The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger…

In itself life is feeble, and is easily crushed out by trouble and sorrow,

but the Lord protects me and gives me life.

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…so why should I tremble?

As long as God is my fortress and strength, there is nothing to fear.

No one has power to ruin my life if I allow the Lord to defend me.

If I place my full trust in Him, then I am not afraid, because I know that I am safe.

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Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness…

In times of trials, I have confidence in God

and I believe that He will carry me through;

that He will sustain me through my life, in every circumstance.

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Wait patiently for the Lord.

Trust in the Lord;

rely upon Him;

come to Him in trouble and danger;

and wait faithfully and full of hope for His intervention.

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Be brave and courageous.

Be strong.

Do not give up.

Do not let your resolve weaken.

Do not be dismayed – always and in everything, hope and trust in the Lord.

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Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Yes, in all moments of suffering and difficulty,

instead of feeling helpless and rejected,

instead of sinking down in despair,

instead of giving up all effort,

we move on with our life, always following God’s path,

waiting expectantly but not impatiently

as we place our trust solely in Him.

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PRAYER…

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Lord, You are my light and my salvation;

You are my fortress and my strength.

Lord I trust in You.

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TODAY’S WORD – a prayer, a cry of emotional anguish…

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Save me, O God!

The water is up to my neck;

I am sinking in deep mud,

and there is no solid ground;

I am out in deep water,

and the waves are about to drown me.

I am worn out from calling for help,

and my throat is aching.

I have strained my eyes,

looking for Your help.

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Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I had hoped for sympathy, but there was none;

for comfort, but I found none.

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…I am in pain and despair;

lift me up, O God, and save me!

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– Psalm 69:1-3,20,29 (GNT)

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PRAYER…

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Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Saviour,

come quickly to guide me through my pain and despair.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Your righteousness will last forever,

and Your law is always true.

I am filled with trouble and anxiety,

but Your commandments bring me joy.

Your instructions are always just;

give me understanding, and I shall live.

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Because Your love is constant, hear me, O Lord;

show Your mercy, and preserve my life!

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…Your compassion, Lord, is great;

show Your mercy and save me!.

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– Psalm 119:142-144,149,156 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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Pray, pray, pray unceasingly and with all your heart, to the Lord.

Never give up,

remembering that this is what Jesus Himself taught. (Lk 18:1-8)

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Pray in faith, knowing that God loves you and is near you.

Pray in faith, believing the promises of God,

embracing them with persistence even though the answer is not immediately forthcoming –

God will answer at the best time and in the best way.

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PRAYER…

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I place myself in Your hands, O Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;

yes, I prayed to my God for help.

He heard me from His sanctuary;

my cry to Him reached His ears.

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He reached down from heaven and rescued me;

He drew me out of deep waters.

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– Psalm 18:6,16 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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God not only delivers us, His faithful, out of our troubles in due time,

but He bears us up in the meantime.

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When we call upon the Lord in our suffering,

we find Him ready to help.

In our anguish, we must not rely on our own strength, nor merely on human help,

but we need to look at God, and pray to Him, and invoke Him to help us.

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Our earnest cries for help always reach His ears

and the Lord draws us out of those troubled waters that threaten to overwhelm us.

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PRAYER…

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O Lord, my God and Saviour,

during those terrible moments of deep anguish,

please send Your Holy Spirit to console me, to counsel me, and to help me see Your helping hand, accept it, and reach up and grab it.

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Thank You, O faithful and loving God, thank You for always being there for me.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Seek the LORD and His strength;

seek His face continually.

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– Psalm 105:4 (JUB)

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REFLECTION…

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Search for Him;

always, everywhere and in everything seek His face, His presence, His strength;

Seek the Lord continually!

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Call humbly upon the Lord

and He will, in one way or another, reassure You.

But do not try to justify yourself and your actions to Him.

The Lord knows you inside out,

He knows what is in your heart,

He knows your weaknesses and desires.

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He also knows your strengths,

and it is on these that he wants to build you up,

to change you were you need changing,

and to renew you and bring you closer to Him.

The Lord will help you be humble

and to listen less to yourself,

and to become more mindful of Him, His presence, and His counsel.

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Seek the Lord, all who are humble,

and follow His commands.

Seek to do what is right

and to live humbly. (Zeph 2:3a)

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QUOTE…

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"The humble of the land are those who seek God with humble hearts,

to do Him the reverence due to a Father from His children;

who obey His commandments, confess their sins, and strive not to sin again;

who seek to do what is right, and to be humble…””

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– St. Bonaventure

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PRAYER…

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Lord, I seek Your face. I need You.

Forgive me, Lord.

I love You.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Lord, Your constant love reaches the heavens;

Your faithfulness extends to the skies.

Your righteousness is towering like the mountains;

Your justice is like the depths of the sea.

People and animals are in Your care.

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How precious, O God, is Your constant love!

We find protection under the shadow of Your wings.

We feast on the abundant food You provide;

You let us drink from the river of Your goodness.

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You are the source of all life,

and because of Your light we see the light.

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– Psalm 36:5-9 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.” (Jn 8:12)

Christ applies this image to Himself in two ways:

He is the light which enlightens our minds,

for He is the fullness of divine Revelation;

and He is also the light which enlightens our hearts

to enable us to accept this Revelation and live according to it.

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Jesus asks us to follow Him and become sons of light,

however He knows that many of us will reject this light

because we do not want our evil deeds to be uncovered.

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“There are two fundamental attitudes

that every man can adopt every time that a new day of work and human relations begins:

either to choose good or give way to evil.” – Pope Saint John Paul II

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We should never stop asking the Lord to help us choose good over evil

and to always seek the light of God, the “source of all life”.

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God is good.

He is a living fountain that quenches

and a light that illuminates the faithful.

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QUOTE…

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“When we are thirsty, we look for a fountain;

when we are in darkness we look for light. […]

Not so with God: He is light and fountain.

He who shines for you to enable you to see,

flows for you to enable you to drink.”

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– St. Augustine

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PRAYER…

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O Lord, my God, remove from me all fascination of the darkness of evil

and grant that I will always seek Your face and be enveloped forever in the light of Your grace.

Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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We put our hope in the LORD.

He is our help and our shield.

In Him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in His Holy Name.

Let Your unfailing love surround us, LORD,

for our hope is in You alone.

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– Psalm 33:20-22 (NLT)

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QUOTE…

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"But those who trust in the Lord for help

will find their strength renewed.

They will rise on wings like eagles;

they will run and not get weary;

they will walk and not grow weak.”

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– Isaiah 40:31

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PRAYER…

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Lord God, we thank and praise You for so loving us that You sent us Your only Son, our Saviour, our Healer.

Our hearts leap up with joy in You, in Your wonderful deeds, in Your unconditional love.

Father, grant that we may be faithful to the end and victorious in all things

and that we may follow in Jesus’ footsteps,

through Your Spirit, who consoles, counsels and blesses us along the way.

Lord, help and protect all who have hope in You, who call out to You, and who long to rejoice in You.

Amen.

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Lord, don’t be angry and rebuke me!

Don’t punish me in Your anger!

I am worn out, O Lord; have pity on me!

Give me strength; I am completely exhausted

and my whole being is deeply troubled.

How long, O Lord, will You wait to help me?

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– Psalm 6:1-3 (GNT)

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The Lord hears my weeping;
He listens to my cry for help
and will answer my prayer.

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– Psalm 6:8b-9 (GNT)

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PRAYER…

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Lord, have mercy on me because I am worn out; I am frail and weak.

Show me the way out of my predicament; the way forward

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I deserve to be rebuked, reminded of my imperfections, corrected.

I know that You do so out of love for me…but don’t punish me, Lord.

Rather, take over my whole being,

remove my weaknesses

and give me strength.

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My soul is frustrated, enraged, resentful;

it is angry at itself, and also in pain.

Lord, I yearn for Your intervention

that will make the darkness that has overcome my soul, bright again.

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How long, Lord, before You help me?

I need You to help me, I cannot go through this on my own.

You are my only hope.

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My Lord, I know that You can see the tears inside my heart,

as it weeps with sadness

as well as out of fear that I am offending You as I try to cope with my difficulties.

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How long, Lord, before You help me?

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And yet, my Lord and Saviour, I know that You are listening to my cry for help,

and that You will answer my prayer.

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PLEA…

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How long, Lord, before You help me?

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TODAY’S WORD…

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From the depths of despair, O Lord,

I call for Your help.

Hear my cry, O Lord.

Pay attention to my prayer.

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I am counting on the Lord;

yes, I am counting on Him.

I have put my hope in His Word..

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– Psalm 130:1-2,5 (NLT)

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PRAYER…

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Hear my cry, O Lord; please listen to my call for help!

I place all my hope and trust in You.

I need You, Lord!

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TODAY’S WORD…

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Answer me when I pray,

O God, my defender!

When I was in trouble, You helped me.

Be kind to me now and hear my prayer.

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When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace;

You alone, O Lord, keep me perfectly safe.

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– Psalm 4:1,8 (GNT)

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PRAYER…

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Lord, help me remain rooted in Your love, whatever my circumstances,

and grant that I will keep my entire self focused on You.

Hear my prayer, Lord.

Answer me, Lord, please quiet my mind!

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