Listen here.
Welcome to Devotions for Worship where we meditate on the
appointed Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. Thank you for being with
me today.
I am Pastor Eric Tritten from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in
Hudson, OH.
This coming Sunday is the 16 Sunday after Pentecost.
The Reading: 27:1-9– I will be reading from the English
Standard Version translation.
Of David. 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?
2 When evildoers
assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble
and fall.
3 Though
an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against
me, yet I will be confident.
4 One
thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
5 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 lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now
my head shall be 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.
7 Hear, O
LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have
said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do
I seek."
9 Hide not
your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my
help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
(Ps. 27:1-9 ESV)
Read again, slowly
Comments
This Psalm speaks beautifully, powerfully, and confidently
of God’s salvation through the first six verses, then it turns into a prayer …
a prayer we still use in some of our liturgy. David boldly talks about God’s
salvation and the certainty that God will defend him in every way against his
enemies. Then, when he turns to prayer, he asks God to graciously hear and save
him. It is almost as if for the first part of the psalm David is preaching to
himself (and to us!) about God’s mighty salvation and then he leads us into
prayer asking for what God has promised.
One of my professors at the seminary, Dr. Norman Nagel, used
to tell us that God loves it when we take hold of his promises and rub them in
his nose. It’s a strange image, but we have a bit of an example here of David
recounting God’s promises and then turning to God, displaying God’s promises
back to him, and saying please do for me as you have promised you would. It is
as if David grabs God’s promises and raises them to God’s face saying, “Here is
what you have said. Please, keep you word!”
This is a good model for us as we pray, to remember that we
too are recipients of God’s salvation. He has taken hold of us by his grace and
that is the heart of our relationship with him. He promises us forgiveness,
life, salvation, that we will overcome our enemies sin, death, and the devil,
and that he will defend our lives and, indeed, raise us from the dead. We then
take those promises and place them before the Lord asking, “Please forgive me,
protect me, deliver me from evil, lead me not into temptation, etc.” And he
gladly hears and says, “Yes, I will do all that I have promised.”
The last verse of the psalm gives us a great piece of wisdom
to counsel us when we pray. David writes, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and
let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” And we wait trusting the one
who has promised us salvation will see it through.
Prayers
Let’s use Psalm 27:7-9 for our prayer today.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to
me and answer me!
8 You have
said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do
I seek."
9 Hide not
your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my
help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
Amen
Thank you so much for using Devotions for Worship, I pray
that our time together has blessed you and given you something to meditate on –
some reminder of God’s grace to rattle around in your brain – for the rest of
the day.
One of the things we can do to help us meditate on God’s
word is to memorize it. Psalm 119:11.
Memory Verse: Isaiah 55:6-7 - "Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have
compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isa. 55:6-7
ESV)
Would you do me a favor? If you got something out of this
devotional time, would you like and/or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or
wherever you do social media? That would help me get the word out, and
hopefully help these devotions be a blessing to others.
God bless you!
Comments