Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
Baptism … now saves you, not as
a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 3:21 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 Lord, as this morning dawns, I
know that much has happened in the night. I think of the many terrible things
that I have seen and heard in the news this week and I know that there is much
trouble in the world. Sometimes those troubles and the troubles of my own life
are overwhelming. Nevertheless, as I arise I thank You for this new day. I
place my troubles and sorrows into Your hands, along with the troubles and
sorrows of this world. You are God and You love all of Your creation. As I
trust in You, all will be well in my soul, and You give me peace, strength and
joy to face this day. Amen.
I Believe …
You shall have no other gods.
You shall not misuse the name of
the LORD
your God.
Remember the Sabbath Day by
keeping it holy.
Honor your father and mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false
testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
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]
One of the aspects of this Psalm
that we cannot avoid is the language that reminds us of Jesus. “You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.” “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry….” We are quickly
driven to think of Jesus as our savior and king facing the powers and
principalities of this world to rescue his people and become our refuge. To
that end, I would share an extended quote with you from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s
excellent little book, “The Prayerbook of the Bible.” He writes –
If
we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible, and especially Psalms, we
must not, therefore, first ask what they have to do with us, but what they have
to do with Jesus Christ. We must ask how we can understand the Psalms as God’s
Word, and only then can we pray them with Jesus Christ. Thus it does not matter
whether the Psalms express exactly what we feel in our heart at the moment we
pray. Perhaps it is precisely the case that we must pray against our own heart
in order to pray rightly. It is not just that for which we ourselves want to
pray that is important, but that for which God wants us to pray. If we were
dependent on ourselves alone, we would probably often pray only the fourth
petition of the Lord’s Prayer. But God wants otherwise. Not the the poverty of
our heart, but the richness of God’s word, ought to determine our prayer.
Thus
if the Bible contains a prayerbook, we learn from this that not only the word
which God has to say to belongs to us the Word of God, but also the word which God
wants to hear from us, because it is the word of God’s dear Son. It is a great
grace that God tells us how we can speak with, and have community with, God. We
can do so because we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. The Psalms have been
given to us precisely so that we can learn to pray them in the name of Jesus
Christ.[2]
So, when you read a Psalm like
Psalm 2 and you think, this is about Jesus, that’s because it is about Jesus.
You actually approach the Psalms through Jesus who not only teaches you to pray,
but intercedes for you at the Father’s right hand.
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 those who are sick, injured, grieving, dying, lonely, bullied, and
experiencing injustice.
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 to him who is able to keep
you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his
glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time
and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25 ESV)
Question
How might seeing the Psalms as
Jesus’ prayers change your relationship with the Psalms?
[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.
[2] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, The
Prayerbook of the Bible, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 5, Fortress Press,
2005, p. 157
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