“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.” Psalm 24

“The 24th psalm is a prophecy of the coming worldwide kingdom of Christ. It calls on the “doors” of the world, that is, the kings and princes, to make way for the kingdom of Christ. They and those who for the most part rage against Him (Psalm 2) ask, “Who is this King of glory?” as if they were to say, “This beggar! Yes, this heretic! This criminal! Shall he be a king and shall we yield and submit to him? We shall not!” In this way the psalm shows that God’s Word will certainly be condemned and persecuted. This psalm belongs in the First Commandment and in both the Third Commandment and the Third Petition.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

To serve our Lord Jesus, to serve the King of Glory, we face a spiritual battle every day. Paul says we are in a spiritual battle—but G-d provides our armor and our weaponry. And not only the armor, but our Lord provides the strength to endure. So how do we endure? Well, I would say that the beginning of our spiritual battle and will to survive is through prayer.

It is so interesting to me how similar we are to our Christian brothers and sisters from so many years ago. Yes, our technology has taken us to so much understanding of the world and the universe that our ancient brothers and sisters would just not understand. And yet, we still need the strength of the Lord and the armor of faith to help us get through each and every day. Why? Because we are in a battle between G-d and the Devil. Satan is so prevalent in our world, and so many people do not realize the power of evil that permeates our society. And, we could take the easy way out saying that Satan is not real. Or, we could take a stand and fight in the army of Jesus. Satan will make his side appear to be winning and he will make it look glamorous. But through the resurrection of Jesus we are assured that G-d has already won the battle. This means that no matter what we face and how dark our days may be, we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.

PRAYER

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child, Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled, A quiet chamber set apart, For You to dwell within my heart.

Amen.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalm 23

“The 23rd psalm is a psalm of thanks in which a Christian heart praises and thanks God for teaching him and keeping him on the right way, comforting and protecting him in every danger through His Holy Word. The psalmist compares himself to a sheep that a faithful shepherd leads into fresh grass and cool water. In addition, he shows the table, the cup, and oil also as images from the Old Testament worship and calls it all God’s Word, as it is also called rod and staff, grass, water, and the way of righteousness. This psalm belongs in the Third Commandment and in the Second Petition.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther)

This well-known Psalm is so rich with imagery of peace and blessing — it is my opinion that everyone should memorize this Psalm as a devotional exercise. Praying these verses back to G-d, and meditating on them verse by verse, can help us remember how good, how great and how merciful our G-d is for all G-d’s people.

In particular I want to lift up the verses: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.” We currently are being held in the fearful grip of the “Covid-19” virus — and people every where are scared. So many people all over the world either have been or may suffer with illness, loss, or pain. There has been nothing like this pandemic since the Spanish Flu in 1918. And yet, we are reminded by the 23rd Psalm that our G-d is a G-d of comfort. Our Lord holds all power over death and disease no matter what this world may bring to us. Our G-d is the only One who can take us by the hand through life’s darkest moments of suffering, bringing freedom and healing from the pain of life, straight into the glory and the hope of heaven that is reserved for all believers. We never have to fear, in life or in death, for G-d is with us — our G-d, our Shepherd who is our constant strength and redeemer.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, who alone is that one Good Shepherd, thanks be unto You for all Your spiritual and bodily benefits. Let the Word of Your salvation dwell among us richly, and suffer not that trusty staff, the word of Your promise, to be taken from us. And when the shadow of death spreads over us, conduct us safely to the fold of the perfected saints, the tabernacle not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Amen.