1 God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
2 So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory.
3 My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life.
4 So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name, I will lift up my hands.
5 You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.
6 When I think of You as I lie on my bed, I meditate on You during the night watches
7 because You are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.
8 I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life will go into the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the power of the sword; they will become the jackals’ prey.
11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by Him will boast, for the mouths of liars will be shut.
Psalm 63:1-11
1 Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
2 Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline, but the lips of the wise protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox.
5 An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness utters lies.
6 A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive.
7 Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech.
8 The sensible man’s wisdom is to consider his way, but the stupidity of fools deceives them.
9 Fools mock at making restitution, but there is goodwill among the upright.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no outsider shares in its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will stand.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
13 Even in laughter a heart may be sad, and joy may end in grief.
14 The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves, and a good man, what his deeds deserve.
15 The inexperienced one believes anything, but the sensible one watches his steps.
16 A wise man is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool is easily angered and is careless.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man who schemes is hated.
18 The inexperienced inherit foolishness, but the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil bow before those who are good, the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.
20 A poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but there are many who love the rich.
21 The one who despises his neighbor sins, but whoever shows kindness to the poor will be happy.
22 Don’t those who plan evil go astray? But those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.
23 There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the foolishness of fools produces foolishness.
25 A truthful witness rescues lives, but one who utters lies is deceitful.
26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence and his children have a refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death.
28 A large population is a king’s splendor, but a shortage of people is a ruler’s devastation.
29 A patient person shows great understanding, but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness.
30 A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.
31 The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker, but one who is kind to the needy honors Him.
32 The wicked one is thrown down by his own sin, but the righteous one has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom resides in the heart of the discerning; she is known even among fools.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 A king favors a wise servant, but his anger falls on a disgraceful one.
Proverbs 14:1-35
9 But what does “He ascended” mean except that He descended to the lower parts of the earth?
10 The One who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.
11 And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
12 for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.
15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ.
16 From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Ephesians 4:9-16
4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand.
Revelation 8:4