Psalm 19: This is a prayer about wonder
Take a step outside. Go on.
We can wait.
Are you outside yet? Feel the hot, blow-dryer, summer breeze on your face?
Now, look up. Soak in the sky. Take a good long gaze at the blue. Now read these words:
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Augustine, a pastor and bishop of the early church, has been attributed as saying, “God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.”
Nowhere else in Scripture is this idea more evident than this poem-prayer, where the first half catches David in the wonder of creation and the second half in the wonder of God’s Word.
Have you been caught by the wonder of God today?
Psalm 20: This is a prayer for trust.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
What do you trust in? You have a lot of options. For David, chariots and horses represented military strength. When a nation looks for safety and security, it counts how many weapons it has.
What do you trust in for safety and security? Money? Your intelligence? Your morality? Your reputation? Your connections?
According to David, there’s just one thing worth trusting in.
Psalm 21: This is a prayer of blessing for the king.
We see in this poem-prayer a close relationship between God and king. The king is strengthened, empowered, and ultimately, dependent on God.
We no longer live in an age of kings. Do there are leaders among us. Do you pray that they would be dependent on God?
We do live an an age that is suspicious and distrustful of authority figures. Bosses. Parents. Professors. Politicians.
Can you pray today for someone who leads you?
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