75. Saturday after Second Sunday after Epiphany.
Psalm 143. A psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground: he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me: my heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. Hear me speedily, O Lord; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
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“Thou art my God, and I am thy servant.” This is the foundation on which the afflicted and lamenting psalmist builds his hope. “I am a sinner, and this is the cause of all my misery; but thou must take pity on me, as thou art wont to take pity on all who are thine. No man is justified in thy sight, yet thou hast ever helped thy servants; this I remember from the experiences in my own life as well as in the lives of others. My enemies treat me with injustice, and they persecute me in order to satisfy their malice. This thou canst not permit, thou my God of righteousness. I have hid myself in thee; save me for thy name’s sake.” Great humility and a strong, trusting faith meet us out of the depths of his soul. — Dear reader; when you are in distress, cry to the Lord in the same manner, and he shall hear you for the sake of his truth and his righteousness. In his day of trouble the Christian says: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me and help me. Remember that I am thine, thou most gracious God and Savior. I am a wretched, needy sinner, altogether corrupt, incapable of that which is good, deserving of wrath and punishment; and thou couldst with justice cast me out forever. But still thou hast loved me, and bought me with thine own blood, baptized me, called me, and destined me to salvation. I am thine, and all who are mine belong to thee; thou hast taken us into thy house, and thou art our hiding place. But now, O Lord, my soul is like a thirsty land. Do not hide thy face from me; refresh me, and keep me alive for thy name’s sake. Thou hast promised to deliver me, if I call upon thee; hear me for thy truth’s sake, and do not let go thy hold of me. All is well, if I but have thy grace; thou art also my Savior, and I am thy servant.”
It is the nature of the children of God, that the more they suffer, the more do they yearn after the Lord. The others are embittered, or they harden their hearts, or they despair. Where there is no humility there is neither any trust in God, nor is there any heartfelt longing after him. But the lowly in spirit, the true believers, thirst after God all the more by reason of their sufferings.
Stretch out your hands to him; tell him that your soul thirsts after him and cannot let him go. Cling to his gracious promises. He has never thrust anyone away who has done this. All the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
Lord, give us humility and a childlike trust in thee. Make with the temptation also a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it. Give us victory, to the glory of thy name. Amen.*
What our Father does is well:
May the thought within us dwell;
Though nor milk nor honey flow
In our barren Canaan now,
God can save us in our need,
God can bless us, God can feed.
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.