Ordinary Time 
Pause
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; / naught be all else to me, save that thou art– / thou my best thought by day or by night, / waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
from "Be Thou My Vision," ancient Irish poem, translated by Mary Byrne (1905)
Listen
I put all my hope in the Lord. He leaned down to me; he listened to my cry for help. He lifted me out of the pit of death, out of the mud and filth, and set my feet on solid rock. He steadied my legs. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise for our God. Many people will learn of this and be amazed; they will trust the Lord. Those who put their trust in the Lord, who pay no attention to the proud or to those who follow lies, are truly happy!
Psalm 40:1-4
Think
Do you ever get a really great song stuck in your head? Usually for me, it is the ultra-repetitive radio hit or eight seconds of a jingle-like song that ends up on repeat. However, on occasion, I’ll get one of my favorite songs or a song with a key phrase in the lyrics that I need to be reminded of. On these occasions, it feels as if God has “put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise for our God,” as it says in our section of Psalm 40. It always gives me a boost to have reminders of God’s love float into my consciousness.
One verse of the psalms that always gives me a lift is Psalm 119:104: “Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey.”
What can be your reminder of praise?
Sarah Karber
Pray
God, remind me of your great love through song and psalm. Let me hear the constant refrain of your steadfast love. Amen.
Go
Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts.
Ephesians 5:19
