Proper 8
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
We have heard with our ears O God,
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free; -
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.
You are my King and my God;
you command victories for Jacob.
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes,
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever.
Alternate Image
The Singer listens to a couple of old soldiers tell their war stories. Times when they were frightened and scared, hiding in their bunkers. Times when they were sure they were going to be killed at any moment. Times when they were positive their army was going to be defeated. But each story ends with a miraculous intervention that saved their necks. Each time when there seemed no hope, they were rescued. They do not talk about the courage and skill of their comrades in arms. They are not praising the cunning and strategy of their officers. They do not mock the ineffectiveness of their enemies. They do not credit their good fortune to lucky stars or serendipity. They merely thank God for allowing them to live. They boast of God's faithfulness when they had lost their own. The Singer joins them in a song of praise.
Reflection
When I was a little boy on an Iowa farm, what I liked best about chore time were the stories that were told me while chores were done. Before or after chores my mother told me stories of knights in shining armor and their daring exploits; (the knights bore remarkable similarity to my older brother and myself). My brother would tell me stories he had learned or created while he pitched silage down to the cows. And my father told me stories of our family while he milked. Parents have the responsibility of telling stories to their children. The function of stories is to teach. Stories of family history are often the most interesting because they are about us. However, if those stories only boast about the family and their skills, the stories only build false hopes and vanity. Stories that talk about the pilgrimage we all travel in life, and how God sustains us on that pilgrimage, build character, and sense of adventure, and best of all, faith. Consider, who are the heroes in your stories? Are your stories about God's sovereign providence or about little gods seen in looking glasses?
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free; -
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.
You are my King and my God;
you command victories for Jacob.
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes,
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever.
Alternate Image
The Singer listens to a couple of old soldiers tell their war stories. Times when they were frightened and scared, hiding in their bunkers. Times when they were sure they were going to be killed at any moment. Times when they were positive their army was going to be defeated. But each story ends with a miraculous intervention that saved their necks. Each time when there seemed no hope, they were rescued. They do not talk about the courage and skill of their comrades in arms. They are not praising the cunning and strategy of their officers. They do not mock the ineffectiveness of their enemies. They do not credit their good fortune to lucky stars or serendipity. They merely thank God for allowing them to live. They boast of God's faithfulness when they had lost their own. The Singer joins them in a song of praise.
Reflection
When I was a little boy on an Iowa farm, what I liked best about chore time were the stories that were told me while chores were done. Before or after chores my mother told me stories of knights in shining armor and their daring exploits; (the knights bore remarkable similarity to my older brother and myself). My brother would tell me stories he had learned or created while he pitched silage down to the cows. And my father told me stories of our family while he milked. Parents have the responsibility of telling stories to their children. The function of stories is to teach. Stories of family history are often the most interesting because they are about us. However, if those stories only boast about the family and their skills, the stories only build false hopes and vanity. Stories that talk about the pilgrimage we all travel in life, and how God sustains us on that pilgrimage, build character, and sense of adventure, and best of all, faith. Consider, who are the heroes in your stories? Are your stories about God's sovereign providence or about little gods seen in looking glasses?
