“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27

“The 27th psalm is a psalm of thanks. However, it also prays much and gives us comfort against the false teachers who give a false witness, blaspheming without any hesitation. For only entirely foolhardy saints would give a witness, bold and impudent, before God—from whom they have no command! Yet we see it daily: the more foolish and unlearned the people are, the more bold and audacious they are to preach and to teach the whole world. No one knows anything; they alone know all. They prepare themselves to make war and revolt against the true saints and God-fearers. This psalm belongs in the Second and First Commandments and in the First and Second Petitions.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

Wait for the Lord. This is a tough verse to hear these days — because we are all in a perpetual state of waiting. We are waiting for the all clear that we can visit and spend quality time with our neighbors, and family, and church family. We are tired of waiting for the Covid-19 “all clear” message to be announced — and it appears we will have to wait a little, or a lot longer. And so we wait — for a cure — for its demise — hopefully not our own demise — and yes, we wait not only for the Lord, but we wait with the Lord.

Waiting for the Lord is one thing — but waiting WITH the Lord is something more important to me. I have full trust and faith that the Lord will come one day either to redeem the world, or to take me to the place he has prepared for me. But while I wait, I wait with the comfort of the words that G-d has given to those who love the Lord. The Psalms are surely some of the greatest words of hope, of lament, and of anger that were written to and for G-d. And so while we wait, it is good that we are reading the Psalms — for they bring us the whole range of emotions that we feel while we wait.

These words help us to be strong in the Lord, and to give our hearts courage when all around us we see fear and worry. So, don’t only wait FOR the Lord, but invite the Lord into your daily routine and allow the Lord to wait with you.

PRAYER

Lord, our God, You are merciful and kind, true and faithful. Preserve us in Your Word, and guard Your Church against all oppressors and faithless leaders. Grant peace to our country, and wisdom to our government to protect right and truth, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

“Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you. I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites; I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides. Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty, those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.” Psalm 26

“The 26th psalm is a psalm of prayer that laments the false saints who want to be godly through the works of the Law and who condemn the saints who are godly only through God’s goodness and grace. This psalm accuses the false saints of willingly accepting bribes. For such saints are certainly pure servants of greed, whose God is their stomach, as St. Paul says (Philippians 3:19). But with all their spiritual hypocrisy and their worldly glory, they are destructive saints. Therefore, it is good to pray that they may not deceive us. This psalm belongs in the Third Commandment and in the First and Second Petitions, for it speaks of the worship of God and of His kingdom.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

“Vindicate me, O Lord….” This is the prayer of the betrayed, the falsely accused, the victim of evildoers.

This Psalm may seem odd. The Psalmist addresses G-d by declaring his blamelessness and innocence — yet we may not know what the Psalmist is being blamed for that he needs to prove his blamelessness. So, in addressing G-d, he confesses his sinfulness and blameworthiness. So, he confesses what we claim every Sunday — “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

We need to imagine a situation many of us have faced in one way or another. Someone has accused you of wrongdoing of which you believe yourself innocent. You have been treated unjustly or spitefully by your co-workers, boss, or friend, or even a member of your congregation. That’s the kind of situation the Psalmist was experiencing.The Psalmist’s claim of blamelessness is that he is innocent of the particular charge that has been alleged against him. He is claiming his integrity, not his complete and consistent perfection of behavior. But there is no way to know the entire situation. There is no evidence that justifies either his guilt or his innocence. But that is often the way of life.

But the Psalmist knows that there he has a G-d who searches the heart. There is a G-d who can properly judge our guilt or innocence. G-d is the judge of all the earth. G-d knows what we have done or not done, down the the the most hidden thoughts and motives. This is why we go to G-d with a contrite heart — for no matter what we say to anyone else, it is G-d who knows us more deeply than anyone else. And so we say along with the Psalmist: “redeem me, and be gracious to me.”

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, abide with us in these latter evil days. Grant to Your Church true shepherds and faithful pastors who preach Your Word in its purity, and who lead us in the way of truth. Preserve our souls from being deluded by worldly wisdom and the teaching of men who walk after their own thoughts, and keep up steadfast in Your Word to our end.

Amen.