Of David.
1 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 evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
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 seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
My Understanding: My Lord is my light (truth), my salvation and the stronghold of my life. Jesus Christ left his home in heaven, he came to earth to be born of woman and to take on human flesh. He suffered as we suffer, and so much more. We can’t even possibly imagine the pain he went through physically, and the pain of unjust suffering, let alone the pain of taking upon himself the sins of the entire world. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed (see Isaiah 53).
We come to faith in Jesus Christ by God’s gift of grace given to us so that we can believe, repent (turn from our sins), and turn to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. When we come to him in such faith, he pardons us and he forgives us our sins so that we can live with him forever, and so we can be free from the control sin has had over our lives. Jesus came to set us free, not only so we can go to heaven one day when we die, but so we can be free to walk in victory over sin while we still live on the face of this earth. He came to give us new life in Christ Jesus so that we no longer walk in the ways of the flesh and of the world.
Through faith in Jesus Christ, and through what he did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, we can have confidence that God is with us, that he will never leave us or forsake us, and that he will continue to deliver us from our foe, Satan, who is bent on trying to bring us back under his power. When Satan comes against us, we do not have to be afraid of his attacks, because Jesus Christ already conquered him when he died on the cross and when he rose from the grave. So, he is a defeated foe! And, we just need to daily put on the armor of God (see Ephesians 6) so that we can take our stand against our foe, the devil.
• The belt of truth buckled around your waist (arming ourselves with the truth)
• The breastplate of righteousness in place (being in a right relationship with God)
• Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace
• The shield of faith, with which to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one
• The helmet of salvation (to protect our minds from Satan’s accusations)
• The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (fight lies with truth of word)
• Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests
• Be alert (watchful; discerning), and always keep on praying for all the saints
Instead of fearing Satan’s attacks against us, we can be confident in our relationship with Jesus Christ and in knowing that we have eternal life in heaven with God, and that Satan cannot separate those who are truly the Lord’s from their relationship with Jesus Christ or from his love for us. We can dwell in the presence of the Lord all the days of our lives, and gaze upon all his beauty and majesty. In days of trouble, hardships, and difficulties, he will keep us safe in our relationship with him. He understands our pain and sorrow, and he will be with us to give us comfort and healing. Then, we can sing and make music to the Lord.
The Lord is our helper. Even if everyone else forsakes us and rejects us, he will receive those who are truly his into his bosom, and there he will care for us, guide us and direct us, and show us his ways, and lead us in a straight path. He often allows us to go through times of great suffering in order to drive us to his breast, and to move us to a closer and more intimate relationship with him, and to lead us to follow him in all our ways, so that he can teach us his ways, and so he can direct us in that straight path. So, when we go through such times, we just need to yield our lives and circumstances over to him, and trust him to work in them and in us what he wants to do in order to make us into the people of God he wants us to be. Lord, move me to obey you in all things.
O Sacred Head Now Wounded
Text: Attrib. To Bernard of Clairvaux; trans. by Paul Gerhardt and James W. Alexander
Music: Hans L. Hassler, 1564-1612; harm. by J.S. Bach, 1685-1750
Tune: PASSION CHORALE, Meter: 76.76 D
O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown:
How pale Thou art with anguish,
With sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
Which once was bright as morn?
What Thou, my Lord, has suffered
Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love for Thee.
Be near when I am dying,
Oh, show Thy cross to me;
And for my succor flying,
Come, Lord, to set me free:
These eyes, new faith receiving,
From Thee shall not remove,
For he who dies believing
Dies safely through Thy love.
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