Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
God saved us, not because of
works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Tit. 3:5 ESV)
Make the sign of the cross as you
say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
A Morning Prayer
O God, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, to You be all glory and honor today and every day eternally! I rise
from sleep, and am reminded that one day I will rise from death because of Your
salvation. I make my bed, and remember that You make all things news. Amen.
I Believe …
I believe that I cannot by my
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but
the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers,
enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it
with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and
richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He
will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers
in Christ.
This is most certainly true.
The Reign of the Lord's
Anointed
2 Why do the nations rage[a]
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the
heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break[b] them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break[b] them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.[1]
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.[1]
There is a theory that at one
point Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 were combined to form one psalm. The reason they
think that is that verse one, which asks, “Why do the nations rage and the
peoples plot in vain?” could also be translated, “Why are the nations in a
commotion and the peoples muse emptiness?” The word that I translated muse in
this context, means groan, growl, utter, and, by extension, meditate. And, in
case you are wondering, it is the same word that is used in Psalm 1 to say that
the righteous one meditates on God’s Law day and night.
I’m not arguing that the two
psalms were once one. Actually, I don’t find it overly important. But I am
intrigued by this idea that Psalm 1 says that the righteous one meditates on
God’s teaching, and the peoples who belong to nations which are in commotion
are meditating on empty, worthless, meaningless things. Could it be that the
things we talk to ourselves about matter in our life, happiness, and sense of
God’s love and blessings in our lives?
There is a concept in counseling
called, “self-talk.” Self-talk is the internal dialogue that goes on in your
mind, although it can be outloud. Some self-talk is positive, like when someone
evaluates something he or she did and thinks, “I did pretty well with that.”
Some is negative, like when a person looks in the mirror and thinks, “Ugh, I’m
so dumb! Why can’t I get anything right?” Both can have powerful effects on a
person.
I’m not writing about psychology
here, though. I’m writing about our spiritual lives – lives that come to us
through faith in Jesus. Faith, which comes by hearing and hearing by the Word
of Christ. Psalms give us words to tell ourselves about God – as do the rest of
Scripture. Here we find ourselves encountering God, who is completely
unimpressed by the foolishness and turmoil of the world, and the rebellion of
its rulers. What does it do to you to meditate on God as the ruler over all?
What does it do to you to remember that you are blessed (and, yes, that’s the
same word as from Psalm 1:1, another reason these may have been one psalm)?
What does it do to you to remember that you are blessed when you take refuge in
the Lord … and in the Son?
Question for Meditation
What does this reading teach you
about Jesus, what He said and did, or what He wants His followers to believe?
What does it teach you about God’s love and forgiveness?
What does this reading lead you
to be thankful for?
What behavior, thought, or
attitude does this reading challenge? What sin does it lead you to confess?
How might you pray for God to
have a richer impact on your life through this reading?
Prayer
Pray
for your spouse, parents, family, and friends – and for your enemies.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily
bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Benediction
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ
himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good
hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work
and word. (2 Thess. 2:16-17 ESV)
[1] English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV®
Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a
publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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