May 3, 2023 — Psalm 21 

“In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord, and in your help how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head. He asked you for life; you gave it to him—length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. 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. You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind. If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed. For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows. Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.” Psalm 21 

“The 21st psalm is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom that is and remains eternally and spiritually before God. At the same time, it also announces that those who reject this kingdom shall be destroyed.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther) 

It does not matter who we might identify as the enemy — man or the devil — G-d will be victorious. When Satan wars against the people of G-d on earth, we can always win with G-d on our side. He provides a way of escape for every testing and temptation that comes our way — Paul says just as much in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Faith is the key to our victory, through G-d, which will change the world. So long as we put our trust in G-d and not solely in ourselves or in the things of this world — we will be victorious. But when we allow doubt to rule our lives, then we allow Satan to be in charge.  

Faith will allow you and me to reach the finish line of our earthly struggle. There is victory in Christ. No matter how bad things may get, whether it is a virus, a job loss, a death, an accident, or a divorce, the greatest victory is the one that we will not see in this life. We often long to know more about heaven and eternal life, but for now we only have the brief glimpses that come from scripture. Our human minds cannot fathom the reality of the glory of that G-d is preparing for all people. Praise G-d for the grace that comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, our High Priest and our victorious King, wash us by Your blood, and plead for us with the Father, showing Him Your opened side and Your pierced hands. Preserve us in Your kingdom to serve You in true faith and piety. Restrain the enemies of Your Church, both visible and invisible, and keep us unto eternal life. Amen. 

Pastor Dave

May 2, 2023 — Psalm 20 

“The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans. 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. 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. Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.  They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright.  Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.” Psalm 20 

 “The 20th psalm prays specifically for emperors, kings, princes, governors, and all those who sit in any seat of authority. The psalm prays that God would grant them grace to rule peacefully and well, giving them good fortune and victory over their enemies. For wherever good earthly order is established by the reason and power of governors and princes, people do not earnestly and heartily pray for them. So that people might pray for them, the psalm declares that only the greatest fool, totally blind, would presume to rule land and people out of his own head.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther) 

“Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses; but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.” What are the things we turn to, as people of the 21^st century, that take us away from a closer relationship with G-d? We do not have chariots to take pride in — though some do take pride in their horses, or dogs, or other animals. And though the chariot may have been a form of transportation, whether for battle, or for pleasure, we do have our cars, boats, airplanes, etc. — those things that bring us pleasure. The Psalmist was surely thinking of the battle chariot — the means of transportation for battle. For us, as a major military might in the world, we may take pleasure in the number of nuclear weapons we have verses other countries. The danger here is the thinking that our military might may reduce our need for G-d when it comes to fighting battles. 

Do you believe that G-d is just as powerful and just as much in control in this the 21st century as G-d was in the time of the writing of this Psalm? Again it takes discernment to see G-d’s actions and activity in the world around us. G-d has not lost power — we have just ceded too much power to other voices and other powers. Take time each day to speak to G-d – to ask G-d for answers — and to listen for the voice of G-d. G-d cares so much for the children of G-d that no request is too small, and no child too unimportant to be heard and to receive an answer. 

What an amazing God we have!  

Prayer: Thanks be unto You, O God, King of kings, because You have granted a good and a free government to our land. What You have given graciously preserve to us and our children. And grant that the civil liberty that we enjoy may remind us to seek that spiritual and everlasting freedom which is found alone in the kingdom of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen. 

Pastor Dave