I lift my eyes to the heavens

June 23, 2026 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Kadisha Valley, Lebanon via Wikimedia Commons

I lift up my eyes to the one who dwells in the heavens.
I lift up my eyes as Abraham lifted his
when he wanted to see the eternal promise and seed.
I lift up my eyes to count the stars of heaven,
believing that you are a generous God.
Like Isaiah, I raise my eyes to contemplate the power of the Most High.
Like Nebuchadnezzar, I lift up my eyes to you.
Then my mind is restored and I can bless the Lord of heaven, the Most High.

Before a stinking grave, I lift up my eyes to the Lord of everlasting life.
Like Jesus, I lift up my eyes, asking that all people know the true God.
When I meet a mute or deaf person, I lift up my eyes to the Lord of heaven.
When I need bread and fish, with a thankful heart I raise my eyes.

Like Stephen, I bow down on my knees. Then
I lift up my eyes to see heaven open up in the midst of a bloody age.
On the fields of Samaria, I raise my eyes to see a great harvest
in which Arabs and Jews are saved.
I lift up my eyes to be transformed and to become a divine tool
for changing the oppressor
and for helping the oppressed and the poor.

Like the eyes of servants looking towards their masters
and maids towards their ladies,
so my eyes will be lifted up to God,
seeking mercy and compassion.
Today I will not look backward like the wife of Lot.
I will not stare blindly like the servant of Elisha
who did not see the angels of God.
Unlike Asaph, I will not look at the strength of evildoers.
But like John at Patmos, I will turn towards the voice that speaks to me,
in order to behold your greatness.
O God who lives in the heavens, I lift up my eyes to you.

Yohanna Katanacho, 1967 – , Palestinian Israeli evangelical theologian
Praying through the Psalms

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Psalm 123

To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

remembering the poor

March 20, 2026March 14, 2026 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Feeding the poor, Rudolf Hirth du Frênes via Wikimedia Commons

O God, when I have food,

help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.

Samuel F. Pugh, 1904 – 2007, Disciples of Christ minister, United States

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2 Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to make all grace abound to you,
so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times,
you may abound in every good work.

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Questions

What organization can you support that will allow you

to remember the needs of others in a tangible way?
How and when can you offer your support?

my neighbor has injured me

November 21, 2024 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Photo by Rana via Pexels

My Lord Jesus Christ,

my neighbor has injured me,

hurt my honor by talking about me,

and interfered with my rights.

O God, hear my complaint.

I would gladly feel kindly toward my neighbor,

but I cannot.

How totally cold and insensible I am.

O Lord,

I am helpless and forsaken.

If you change me, I will be sincere.

O dear God,

change me by your grace,

or I must remain as I am.

Amen.

Martin Luther, 1483-1546, German Reformer

Prayers of the Reformers

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Psalm 41:9

Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me.

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Son of God, deliver us

October 11, 2024October 10, 2024 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Photo by Johannes Plenio via Pexels

You who guided Noah over the flood waves:

Hear us.

You who with your word recalled Jonah from the deep:

Deliver us.

You who stretched forth your hand to Peter as he sank:

Help us, O Christ.

Son of God, who did marvelous things of old:

Be favorable in our day also.

Scots Celtic Prayer

The Westminster Collection of Christian Prayers

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Psalm 93:1-5

The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.
Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
and cannot be shaken.
Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
The floods have risen up, O Lord.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the Lord above is mightier than these!
Your royal laws cannot be changed.
Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.

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deliver those who have fallen into sin

March 3, 2021March 2, 2021 / Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Deliver, O most merciful God,
those little ones of thy flock who have fallen into sin.
Remember not their offences,
but set them free from the snare of the enemy.
Prosper with the help of the Holy Spirit
the endeavors of all who are seeking to train them for good.
Grant that following after humility
and being made partakers of thy heavenly wisdom,
they may be strengthened to the performance of thy will
and may be restored to the perfect fellowship of thy saints;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Robert Leighton, 1611-1684, Scottish minister and scholar
2000 Years of Prayer

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Hebrews 3:12-13

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart

that turns away from the living God.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,”

so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

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