... 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,
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.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, You [are] my God. Early I will seek
You.
My soul thirsts for You, My flesh longs for
You in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. To see Your power and Your Glory, [so as] I have seen You in the sanctuary. Because Your lovingkindness [is] better than life, my lips shall
praise You. Thus I will bless You while
I live. I will lift up my hands in Your
name.
My soul shall be satisfied as [with] marrow and fatness. My mouth shall praise [You] with joyful lips. When
I remember You on my bed, meditate on You during the watches. Because You have been my help, therefore under
the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows hard after You. Your right hand upholds me. But those [who] seek my soul, to destroy [it],
shall go to the lower parts of the earth.
They shall fall by the sword. They
shall be a portion for foxes.
But the king shall rejoice in God. Every one that swears by Him shall glory. But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be
stopped.[2]
[1] David
is determined to worship early in the day.
We do not know if he kept vigil through the night, or if he arose early
to begin worship. The Greek names for
the traditional watches are Esperinos (6
PM), Apodeipnon (9 PM), Mesonyktikon (midnight), Orthros (3 AM), The Hours (6
AM, 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM). We suspect
that when the psalmist prays seven times a day (Psalm 119:164) that the reference
is to keeping these watches with one off for rest.
David yearns for God and His company: “My
soul thirsts for You … My soul shall be satisfied … My soul follows hard after …
the king shall rejoice in God.” These opening
statements correspond to these endings: “I will lift up my hands in Your name …
I will rejoice … They shall be a portion for foxes (or jackals) … shall be
stopped.”
David is not in Jerusalem, he is in the
wilderness, and he is homesick for the Shekinah, the Glory of
God. There can be no question about, Who
is David’s best friend?
Even the memory of the Shekinah, the
Glory of God and the protection of the overshadowing Cherubim wings (Exodus
25:18-20; 1 Kings 6:23-28) and Seraphim wings (Isaiah 6:2) filled David with exceedingly
great satisfaction.
Wherever David is, the Shekinah, the
Glory of God is his leader. This leadership
alone is the source of David’s victory.
This is the same as the Holy Ghost’s leadership among us today.
Those who love God will have the last words
of rejoicing and glorying as the wicked are silenced.
[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in
Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by
Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or
ND. They are designed and intended for
your free participation. They were
freely received, and are freely given.
No other permission is required for their use.
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