Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Psalm 103:1 (ESV)
Yes! I WILL bless God’s holy name. When I think of the word “will,” it’s an action word. This lets me know we must put action into how we praise the Lord. Sometimes I praise him just because, sometimes I praise him because sadness is trying to overtake me, sometimes I praise him because he has manifested something great in my life, and sometimes I praise him for manifesting something great in others’ lives.
I will bless the Lord at ALL times; his praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 (ESV). I emphasized the words “all” and “continually.” There’s never a reason we can’t bless the Lord. So today, as walk through our day, let’s bless the Lord and forget not his benefits (Psalm 103:2).
Dear God, thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for forgetting that you are intimately acquainted with all our ways (Psalm 139:3). You know what concerns us, and you cover us with a shield. We ask that we would walk in your blessing and goodness today. Let your face shine on us. Open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones and close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do (Psalm 90:17).
We pray you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us each a heart of wisdom to hear your voice and make us strong by your huge favor and grace.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Arhonda Osborne MSN, RN, is the co-leader of the Delaware Nurses Christian Fellowship group.
Find encouragement by connecting and relating with other nurses or nursing students—that’s what NCF is about. Ask for prayer, pray for others, join a nurse group or attend a virtual event to strengthen your faith and nursing practice. Explore so many possibilities at ncf-jcn.org.
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A transforming moment
This year is my 30th year at the hospital as a nurse, and I have been reminiscing about my time there. I now see the new nurses with all of their energy and excitement, and I think of me at their age and how great it was to begin work in a hospital. I keep thinking of my patients over the years, the good, the bad, and the crazy ones.
Last night I worked, and something happened that I have never experienced before. I was caring for a young mother who was dying from cancer. So many times, we tend to look at the task at hand. The patient needs to be cleaned up or turned, given pain medication, or teaching many topics. Sometimes we are not "in the moment."
We were turning her to clean up the blood that was underneath her. When she turned, she moved up and laid her head on my chest. In that moment she was my sister, my mother, my child. It was the most perfect state I have ever felt. I held her tightly and told her it would be alright. We both knew it would not be alright, but it was all I could say. I cared for her like any patient I had, but she bonded more deeply with me.
I have had many oncology patients and many hospice patients. I have sat at the bedside of a dying patient after giving them pain medicine and held their hand. I have prayed with the priest when he gave the last rites, and no family was there, always preserving my empathy for each patient, and keeping a dignified distance to protect my heart because I knew I would lose them.
I know this is not the end; I know that Jesus is waiting in the wings, ready to bring them to a new place, a better place with no pain or suffering. Yet after all these years, I was caught off guard, and my dignified distance didn't have time to work. She had stolen a piece of my heart, and I know a part of her will stay with me forever. So please be kind to every soul you meet. Life is fleeting; that is what I have learned. I guess that is the final point.
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