GATHERING
(If you are gathered in a group, you could begin with the following call and response.)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise!
THE CALL | Matthew 16:24-26 [ESV]
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
CONFESSION
Lord, we think on the unjust wounds you suffered at the hands of evil men. Like plowers making long their furrows (Psalm 129:3), they afflicted you with scars. That you, the Son of God, suffered such wounds is awful enough, but what is worse is they were brought about by our willful wrongs. Forgive us, Lord, of our sins that required such a payment. And yet you took this payment on willingly – what a humbling thought. You suffered this affliction from your foes that you might triumph over them (Psalm 129:2), not for your own sake, but for the sake of your people. We praise you that our adversary, and even death, will soon wither like the grass on the housetop (Psalm 129:6), and that, in you, they will not prevail over us.
ASSURANCE | Isaiah 53:2-3,5 [ESV]
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
WORD
Day 59: Psalm 91 (& 92)
Read: Psalm 91
2nd Reading: Psalm 92
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
This famous psalm has three parts. Vv 1-2 is the powerfultestimony of a believer who has found refuge in God because he has placed his trust wholly in God. Vv 3-13 are Spirit-filled affirmations that God will completely protecthim from persecution and the judgments of God. Then in vv 14-16, we hear the voice of God personally guaranteeing and putting his seal of protection on the promise for this man who loves him.
It is interesting that Satan quotes this psalm to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. Satan perverted the promise of vv 11-12 and tempted Jesus to hijack it and use it for himself
ABIDING
SING
- Psalm 129 – hymn version [recording] [melody sheet] (this tune is sometimes used for “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me” and “Go to Dark Gethsemane”)
- Psalm 129 – by Cardiphonia [recording] [chord sheet]
FRIDAY-Praying Psalm 129:6-8
This week, we will use Psalm 129 as a prayer template that we move through progressively each day.
“Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
nor do those who pass by say,
‘The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!’” (Psalm 129:6-8)
Give thanks to the Lord that he has defeated our adversary and even death and that they will one day finally wither away. Pray that the way of wickedness would quickly wither and fade.
SENDING
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in the God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilate;
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell;
the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the resurrection of the dead;
and the life everlasting. Amen.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 [ESV]
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.