Sorry seems to be the hardest word

Our Daily Bread
It wasn't one of his classic songs in my mind, but Elton John recorded a nice song called "Sorry seems to be the hardest word".  The song is slow and pensive.  The words are sad and longing for reconciliation.

Have you ever felt that way in your relationship with God?  I know I have.  We feel separated.  We feel alone.  We lost the joy of our salvation due to our sin.  Sin separates us from God.  A book I am reading says that separation from God is the most serious of human conditions!

God is there.  Even though he knows your sins, he is waiting to talk to you about them.  He will forgive you if you sincerely repent.  Restore that relationship today.  Don't waste another moment of this brief life.

Lord, thank you for the power of repentance and grace.  Please help us open our hearts to you and restore our relationship with the Almighty God!

Psalm Sunday
There are two parts to Psalm Sunday this week: Psalm 107 and my personal psalm.  Here is my psalm:

Praise God for his deliverance!
  For delivering me from my health issues as a child and teenager.
  For delivering me from temptation.
  For delivering me from the bitterness and hate that life can bring.

Praise God for his mercy!
  He has shown me his mercy each and every day.
  He showed his mercy in helping me recover from the sins of not taking care of myself.
  He showed mercy in healing me from emotional challenges I faced in my life.
  He showed mercy in the ways of dealing with others.

Praise God for He is faithful.
  He reveals himself to me when I truly seek him
  He comforts me when I need him.
  He teaches me when I am open to learning.
  He restores me when I am too exhausted from the daily battle.

Pondering the works of the Almighty God is the theme of Psalm 107.  Like the people of Israel, we often need reminded of God's workings in our lives.  Praise God!  Read this psalm out loud... with feeling!

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
    and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
    and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
    he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
    and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
    they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
    his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
    that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
    in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
    they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
    the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
    and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert,
    flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
    because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
    and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
    and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
    that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
    and he did not let their herds diminish.
39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
    by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
    made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
    and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
    but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
    and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit - Romans 15:13