Psalm Devotion
April 1, 2020
I miss our gatherings more each week but plan to continue sending some words every Wednesday until we can meet again.
As
always, I invite you to spend a few moments now as you are reading to
pause, to see how you yourself are doing, and to welcome your own soul.
You might discover you're breathing a little better after you do so.
And then, think of your fellow pilgrims from our class.
Their joys.
Their fears.
Their memories.
Their struggles.
It is my prayer that the Spirit bind us together and deepen our worship in fresh ways as we face whatever the future is.
Tonight's
psalm-paraphrase hymn is another that is very well known to us, Martin
Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." It is a paraphrase of Psalm 46,
and I encourage you to read over the psalm which I have copied below
before looking at the hymn text again.
Much like Isaac Watts
in "Joy to the World," Luther brings the Christ to the foreground in his
adaptation. (I just realized the whole Trinity makes an appearance with
the first verse beginning with God, the middle verses focusing on
Jesus, and the last verse referencing the Spirit.) In addition, Luther
paints quite a strong picture of Satan. Neither Jesus nor Satan makes an
appearance in the psalm itself.
And that brings me to what feels
important on this particular evening: Luther's contrast of the Christ
and Satan. His hymn tells us Satan is very strong, is armed with hate,
and is bent on our destruction. But it goes on to say the name of Jesus
is stronger and the Lord of Hosts can do nothing but win the battle. I
need to hear this as we face this virus. Corona's way of working is
cruel and it preys on the most vulnerable. It can only be from Satan.
But God is always stronger.
May peace find you as evening falls.
Psalm 46, New International Version
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shield with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
No comments:
Post a Comment