Thoughts for the Day

Give ear to my words, O Lord:
give heed to my sighing.
Listen the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.
The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers....

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exalt in you.
For you bless the the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favour as with a shield.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The presence of enemies is rarely absent from the Psalms of King David, and here they hover on the edges of the psalm as he prays to God in the words of this morning psalm, although we don't know the exact circumstances. David thinks of himself as a man under authority. He is a king, but the Almighty is his King, and his God - as he says, "my King and my God". This picks up the covenant relationship (the agreement made with Abraham and his descendants) that he has made with God.

At the end of the psalm David recognises that he is not alone. The danger has not been forgotten, but he recognises that he is joined by the whole company of heaven who praise God. He asks that he and others may 'ever sing for joy' in the presence of God among the righteous whom God covers 'as with a shield'.

When we are scared, or worried beyond sense, let us not forget that our praise and prayer to God is joined by the whole heavenly host. We are never alone, particularly at the Eucharist where as Orthodox Christians believe Heaven and earth meet.

Heavenly Father,
as king David turned to You
in the morning to praise You
and ask for help,
may we praise You each day
and take our petitions to You,
knowing that we are supported by
angels and archangels
and all who surround Your throne.
Amen.