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