Salutation
... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King: Prayer to the Holy
Ghost
O
Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill
all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and
cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
A Psalm of Asaph.
Truly God [is] good to Israel, to such as are of a clean heart.
But as for me, my feet were
almost gone. My steps had well near
slipped: for I was envious at the foolish, [when] I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
[There are] no pangs in their death. Their strength [is] firm. They [are] not in trouble [as other] men. Nor are they plagued like [other] men. Therefore pride circles about them
as a chain. Violence covers them [as] a garment. Their eyes stand out with
fatness. They have more than heart could
wish. They are corrupt, and
speak wickedly [of] oppression. They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the
heavens. Their tongue walks through the
earth. Therefore his
people return hither. Waters of a full [cup] are wrung out to them. They say, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in the most High?” Behold, these [are] the wicked, who prosper in the
world. They increase [in] riches.
Certainly I have cleansed my
heart [in] vain, and washed my hands
in innocence: for all the day have I been plagued, and punished
every morning. If I say, “I
will speak thus.” Behold, I should
offend the generation of Your children.
When I thought to grasp this, it [was]
too painful for me: until I went to the sanctuary of God. [Then]
understood I their end.
Surely You set them in
slippery places. You cast them down to
destruction. How are they [brought] to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors, as a dream when [one] awakes. Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their
image.
Thus my heart was grieved. I was pricked in my reins. So foolish [was] I, and ignorant. I was [as]
a beast before You. Nevertheless
I [am] continually with You. You have held [me] by my right hand. You shall guide me with Your advice, and afterward receive me [in] Glory.
Whom have I in heaven [but You]? [There
is] no one on earth I desire beside You.
My flesh and my heart fails. God [is]
the strength of my heart, and my portion forever: for, lo, those
who are far from You shall perish. You have
destroyed all those who go a whoring from You.
But [it is] good
for me to draw near to God. I have put
my trust in the Lord God, so that I may declare all Your
works.
[i] The
wicked do prosper in this world. 1% of
Americans control 40% of the wealth; while millions are without clothing, food,
or shelter. That statistic cannot be
merely accidental. There are days when
the believers and lovers of God can't get anything right; and envy of the
wicked is an easy pit into which we fall.
Asaph's advice is to go to church more, to pray more, to see the picture
through God's eyes. It is not God Who
needs to awake; it is we who are having this nightmare. This is serious: as serious as a heart attack
or a punch in the kidneys. I'm told that
a heart attack is like having an elephant sitting on the chest. A punch in the kidneys buckles the knees, so
that you fall to the ground with uncontrolled tears streaming from the
eyes. We need to be constantly reminded
that God is with us, even in death. We
need to draw near to God, because He is never far away, and because He is
supremely good.
No comments:
Post a Comment