Psalm 21

Psalm 21 (NRSV)
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace
when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth,
and their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against you,
if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
[1]

Lord,

Some day in some way, you are going to make this world right. All that violates the two great commandments will be removed and all that is in harmony with those great commandments will be fulfilled and all of your people will live together in peace and love. This is the singular promise of your Kingdom and you invite us to live as though it were so now. You invite us to do those things that help to create peace and love.

But how far away we are now! The American economy seems on the verge of collapse and our leaders, for the moment, are stymied. Clearly greed has been the reigning god of the season and we will now all drink from the bitters waters of her well. Some have acquired wealth beyond all imagination and the rest of us will pay for their excess. I can feel the prayer of the next Psalm, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken us?”

If your kingdom is to prevail, if love and peace and justice are to reign, then some things will have to go and some gods will have to be defeated. Greed will have to be disciplined and reigned in and defeated. And those who have knelt at the altars of greed will have to change or be changed for the sake of the rest of your people.

Dear Lord, let it be so and let it begin in me.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to shape your attitude and behavior according to the values of God’s Kingdom.
Seductive as the god of greed is, ask God to keep you from Greed’s worship.
Pray for our nation’s leaders in this time of crisis.
Name 5 thing for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

Psalm 21

Psalm 21 (NRSV)
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
and in your help how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire,
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your help;
splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
[1]

Lord,
Help me.

This psalm (21) rejoices in the victories that you give. “You (Lord) have given him (the king, the poet) his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.”

The next psalm (22) begins, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”

And Psalm 23 begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

Each psalm is ripe with the emotions of the moment. In moments of success, the poet celebrates your faithfulness. In seasons of danger, the poet wonders aloud, where in the world are you? And the next psalm declares, “The Lord is my shepherd.

So, as I pray through the psalms, the invitation seems to be clear. You invite me to offer to you the current truth of my heart and soul. I am invited to say in times of success, “Thank you.” In times of uncertainty and danger, I may say to you “Help.” In times of confusion, I may say, “I really don’t understand” and I may say, “I doubt it.” When the soul is dry, I may say, “Why have you forsaken me?” When illness and death intrude, I am invited to ask for healing and help. And, I may always say, “Praise belongs to you. The heavens and earth belong to you. And though I doubt, still I believe.”

I believe that above all, you invite a living and honest conversation, a relationship grounded in the reality of life. If I am wrong, forgive and correct me.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Speak to God the truth of your life now and ask God to give you the grace that you need in this season of life.
Ask God to strip all pretention from your prayers and to help you to see yourself as God sees you.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.



[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

psalm 20

Psalm 20 (NRSV)
6 Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.
9 Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.a
[1]

Lord,
You can bet your life (as though you, the Lord God could “bet your life”) that I want to believe the prayer of the poet, “I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand.”

Lord, I’m in a new place in life trying to do a new thing in a new way and I need all the help that I can get. You know the reasons for my doubts. I have experienced unanswered prayer. My nephews are dead and family members have experienced what must be glimpses of hell. While you did not protect us from evil, you walked through the torments of evil with us and saw us through.

Still I believe that you help your people, those who call on you. As I engage my new assignment, I ask for your help. I ask for your wisdom and energy so that the work of your kingdom might be advanced. I believe that you have a “victory” that will contribute to the mission of your kingdom. I believe that you will answer my prayer.

Jesus said, “ask and you will receive.” I believe. Let it be so.

Lord, I pray for my country. We have “horses and chariots” like no other in the world and still the headlines scream that we are on the verge of disaster, crumbling from the inner rot of greed and corruption. Have mercy O Lord, have mercy.

The poet says that “they will collapse and fall.” I pray that the “they” is not “we”.

Lord, answer our prayers.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Place your personal mission before God and ask for the victory that God would give.
Pray for out nation.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen
a Gk: Heb give victory, O Lord; let the King answer us when we call

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

Psalm 20

Psalm 20 (NRSV)
1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings,
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

Lord,

I’m reminded of an Irish blessing. “May the road rise up to meet you and the wind be always at your back.” I take this Psalm as a “Psalmic Blessing.”

Jesus once said, “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

And where in the Christian writings does it say, “You have not because you ask not”? We are clearly invited to place the dearest desires of the heart before God.

Lord, I ask that you lead me to give careful attention to my petitions and requests. I ask that you will inform the desires of my heart.

As the poet sets his requests in the context of sacrifice and offering, set my requests in the context of worship and faithful discipleship.

And, Lord, I ask that you will fulfill my petitions.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to shape the fundamental desires of your heart and to fulfill them.
Name 5 things that you want, pray that your desires are consistent with the character of Christ and ask God to open the doors necessary to their accomplishment.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name.
Amen.

[1]

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

Psalm 19

Psalm 19 (NRSV)
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
[1]

Lord,
Countless sermons have begun with this verse and rightly so. But this morning I pray that my life will begin with these words, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Words, the flowers of the heart; roses and dandelions, orchids and thistles, words bless and curse, heal and wound, help and hurt – let the words of my mouth be acceptable today.

Meditation, that to which we give our attention, those to whom we listen, the focus of our thoughts and fantasies, the pondering and wondering that we do – let my meditations be acceptable to you today.

Lord, you are the One to whom I pledge my ultimate loyalty, the one to whom I am, both by choice and necessity finally accountable.

My rock, you are the stability in my life, the One who cannot be broken, the One upon whom I finally rely.

My redeemer, You, God of heaven and earth, You are the father of Jesus, the one in whom salvation is found. In Jesus, we find the final testimony that your love is beyond measure. You have redeemed us for yourself.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to so breathe God’s Spirit into you that your words and meditations will be pleasing to God.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

psalm 19

Psalm 19 (NRSV)
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent;d
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

Lord,
Your ordinances are “more desired than gold”, “sweeter than honey.” Jesus once talked about a treasure buried in a field that cost the buyer everything and was worth it. Your law, your words, your instruction, your way, your salvation is worth it – more desired than gold and sweeter than honey.

You make it clear that those who live according to your ordinances discover great rewards and those who know your words avoid life-destroying mistakes.

Allow me an observation or two. Lord, correct me if I am wrong.

Too many of us claim to love you and your ordinances and words and claim to hold the Holy Scriptures sacred and all the while do not know you nor your words nor your Son.

And too many of us know scripture but never really know the character of Jesus and believe that the words about you and the words about Jesus are the same as knowing your character and living with your Spirit. That is the way it seems to me. Lord, let that not be the way it is with me.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to help you to know not only the ordinances of God but also the Spirit of God.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
[1]

d Or from proud thoughts

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

Psalm 19

Psalm 19 (NRSV)
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.


Lord,

That which comes from you revives, makes wise, gives joy, enlightens, endures and is entirely right.

Does it follow that what revives, is wise, grants joy and enlightens always comes form you? Careful Joe, what looks like wisdom and joy may merely be attractive counterfeits. Of course, we attribute some things to the Lord that the Lord would clearly reject. Be careful as to what is attributed to the Lord.

Even so, the poet is clear that all that comes from You, Lord, is given with the clear intention of blessing and enriching our lives. You are for us and not against us. You created us for joyful and abundant living and you give us the resources necessary, the resources of your “law”.

As for me, I know that a law or rule or insight or instruction comes from you when it is consistent with Jesus, his life, instruction, and behavior. He is the fulfillment of the law, the law’s highest expression, the “word made flesh.”

For your gifts, for the way of life revealed in your law and fulfilled in Christ, O God, thank you.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to help you to attune your life with the “law of God” as fully revealed in Jesus.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thanks you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.

Psalm 19

Psalm 19 (NRSV)
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmamenta proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voiceb goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavensc he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hid from its heat.

Lord,
How magnificent is this? I stand nearly speechless. The heavens tell, there is no speech, yet their voice is heard. My, oh my, I get it. The poet points towards that which is beyond speech and defies description. There is something holy in the sun and moon, in day and night, in the stuff of life and in life which inhabits stuff. Pure literal description is essential for some forms of communication. There can be no science without it. But the poet knows of things which lie beyond the capacity of pure literal description. He points toward that which words cannot describe and neither mind nor heart can define. The poet points us towards God, that for which the only sound is a gasp and the only word is “Ahhhhh.” After that, we use thoughts, words, concepts, poetry, and art to point towards the Ineffable, the Indescribable, and the Felt but always in part. The heavens and the earth tell the glory of God.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Sit quietly before God and live within the Mystery and confess that we can know only in part.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.


a Or dome

b Gk Jerome Compare Syr: Heb line

c Heb In them

Psalm 18

Psalm 18 (NRSV)
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from strife with the peoples;c
you made me head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me;
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.
49 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
[1]

Lord,
I celebrate the poet's victory. I celebrate his deliverance. I celebrate your faithfulness. And I fully understand his attitude “I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.” In his anger that turned to hatred with a surplus of adrenalin spilling through his veins and the yearning for revenge dominating his spirit, he ground them into dust and threw them out like garbage into the streets. Who cannot understand that?

I understand that you work with the people you have, as they are. I fully understand, by looking in the mirror, that human perfection is not guaranteed by the intent to be faithful. Sometimes we get better but for most of us perfection is reserved for heaven.

But you have given us Christ and I do not see the poet’s response as the response that Christ would make in similar circumstances. With Jesus' focus on reconciliation, forgiveness and love even for the enemy, I think that he and his disciples would behave differently in victory, regardless of the enemy’s behavior. And I pray that America, populated with Christians and shaped by Christian tradition would behave differently too.

The war with Germany was brutal in ways beyond description and, following victory, America responded with the Marshall Plan. We rebuilt Japan. We have normalized relations with Viet Nam.

Lord, as we move forward with the current wars, grant us the wisdom of your spirit. Grant us peace through reconciliation and justice.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to grant you a Christ-like spirit in the midst of conflict.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In the name of Christ,
Amen.

c Gk Tg: Heb people

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

Psalm 18

Psalm 18 (NRSV)
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock besides our God?—
32 the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer,
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand has supported me;
your helpb has made me great.
36 You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.

Lord,
Today is 9-11, the anniversary of the attack on The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and the thwarted assault on the capital. The images of the planes striking and buildings collapsing and fires burning and ashes everywhere and living people running for their survival and others seeking and mourning the dead, those images will never be erased form memory. No doubt, some who suffered are men and women who are faithful to you Lord. For all who still suffer, please give your grace in super-abundant measure.

Tell me again how your way is perfect, how your promises prove true and how you are a shield for all who take refuge in you. Please do not regard my question as skepticism or cynicism or irreverence or even disbelief. I just want to know and I wish to be faithful. I want to believe if I can know what to believe. How do you provide?

I have experienced your provision in my own life. In times of serious uncertainty, that which was needed has been provided and I believe that you are the source of that provision. Once we were involved in a serious roll-over auto accident and we all escaped without injury, your protection.

And yet, a lot of people died on 9-11.

So Lord, this is what I believe today. I submit it for our corection and improvement. I believe that you provide what is needed to meet the tragedies and difficulties that come. You do not always prevent tragedy and you clearly do not protect us from all difficulty, but you never abandon us and you always show us the way through. You give us what we need to cope and thrive even when thriving means thriving on the other side of the great river.

I believe Jesus when he said, "I am with you always...."

Keep your spirit with me, even when I fail you. And in failure, please forgive me.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God for the grace to meet both the tough and the good times in life.
Pray for all who suffer the aftermath of 9-11.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen.
b Or gentleness

psalm 18

Psalm 18 (NRSV)
.
25 With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26 with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27 For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 By you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Lord,

I am reminded of the teaching of Jesus that we are forgiven only as we forgive others. The poet believes that our God-like behavior is the window through which we can see your character: Our loyalty reveals your loyalty, our blamelessness allows us to see your own, our purity becomes the window through which we can see yours.

Thank you that you reveal yourself also to the disloyal, the rightly blamed, and the impure. “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

However, the poet is on to something profound. Those who have received much will receive even more. Those who have absorbed your character and live your character will see even more of you. And those who refuse first insights and first lessons will be denied that which comes later.

The poet is quick to speak of humility. Living the character traits of God is more than a self-help exercise. They are the gifts of a relationship with you and come ultimately only from you. So, the poet confesses his humility in the midst of his grand victory celebration.

“It is you “who light my lamp;” you who “lights up my darkness.”

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Give thanks for the light that comes only from God.
Ask for light in the midst of your darkness.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen

Psalm 18

Psalm 18 (NRSV)
Psalm 18
Royal Thanksgiving for Victory
(2 Sam 22.1—51)
To the leader. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.a
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Lord,
I love the phrase, “he delivered me, because he delighted in me.” I love to believe that you take delight in me, that you take delight in each of your children. Jesus caught this spirit when he proclaimed that you know each of us so intimately that you have counted the hairs of our heads. That kind of intimate knowing only comes out of powerful loving. I gasp to think of the way in which you pay attention to us and in the way that you delight in us…in me. I can hardly take it in.

Now I’m struggling. The poet is convinced that he has been rewarded for his righteousness. Maybe so. But I also remember the Apostle’s teaching that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. What am I to make of that? And is it a contradiction? I’m certain that somebody can explain it away. That’s what we do with apparent contradictions. Perhaps, even though we all sin, you reward the higher achievements in righteousness? It’s not that anybody can claim absolute righteousness but the higher grades are rewarded. Then, I wonder, how to explain Job?

Lord, I really don’t know. So how about this? Help me to do the right thing in the right way at the right time and forgive me when I am wrong. And, in the words of the old preachers, let Christ’s righteousness stand in for me. If I cannot come to you as one who is righteous, allow me to come before you as one who has been forgiven.

And when this forgiven sinner needs help, please hasten to my rescue.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to guide you through this day, to do the right thing in the right way at the right time.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen.

Psalm 18

Psalm 18 (NRSV)
Psalm 18
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.a
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Lord,
I’ve never had an experience like this, smoke and fire and glowing coals. Perhaps because I have never been in the poet’s fix, I’ve never experienced that kind of rescue. For whatever reason, it’s hard for me to identify.

My moments of rescue have been less dramatic: a friend appears at just the right time, a stranger proffers a deed of unexpected kindness,a quiet “coincidence” seems to make things just right, an insight “out of the blue” reveals something never before seen. These are the rescue moments that I know.

And, if I be honest, there have been times in the midst of the danger and rescue that I did not recognize your hand. I was simply trying to get out of the mess. Only in prayerful reflection did I recognize your spirit seeing me through. Accept both my confession of spiritual blindness and my profound gratitude for allowing me to see that which truly was and is.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Name the danger that you now experience and ask for God to see you through.
Give thanks to God for the escapes from danger that you have experienced in the past.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen.


20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26 with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27 For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 By you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock besides our God?—
32 the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer,
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand has supported me;
your helpb has made me great.
36 You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from strife with the peoples;c
you made me head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me;
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.
49 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
[1]

a Gk See 2 Sam 22.14: Heb adds hailstones and coals of fire

b Or gentleness

c Gk Tg: Heb people

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989