…We prayed that he would give us a safe journey
and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled.
For I was ashamed to ask the king
for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us
and protect us from enemies along the way.
After all, we had told the king,
“Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him,
but his fierce anger rages
against those who abandon him.”
So we fasted and earnestly
prayed that our God would take care of us,
and he heard our prayer.
Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
All heaven will praise your great wonders, LORD;
myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
For who in all of heaven can compare with the LORD?
…
On the holy mountain
stands the city founded by the LORD.
He loves the city of Jerusalem
more than any other city in Israel.
When the LORD registers the nations, he will say,
“They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.”
Both day and night belong to you;
you made the starlight and the sun
You set the boundaries of the earth,
and you made both summer and winter.
Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The LORD called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name.
…you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
Manasseh…did what was evil in the LORD’s sight…
He rebuilt the pagan shrines…
constructed altars for the images of Baal
and set up Asherah poles.
He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens
and worshiped them.
He built pagan altars in the Temple of the LORD…
Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire…
He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft,
and he consulted with mediums and psychics.
He did much that was evil in the LORD’s sight…
Manasseh even took a carved idol he had made
and set it up in God’s Temple…
The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people,
but they ignored all his warnings.
So the LORD sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies,
and they took Manasseh prisoner…
But while in deep distress,
Manasseh sought the LORD his God
and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.
And when he prayed,
the LORD listened to him
and was moved by his request
So the LORD brought Manasseh back…
2 Chronicles 33:1-3, 4-7, 10-13
I am leaving you with a gift—
peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Remember what I told you:
I am going away, but I will come back to you again…
I alone am God,
the First and the Last.
It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth,
my right hand that spread out the heavens above.
When I call out the stars,
they all appear in order.
