... 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.
Psalm 128:1-6[1]
A Song of Ascent.
Blessed [is] everyone who fears the Lord; who walks
in His ways: for you shall eat the labor of your hands. Blessed [are]
you. [It is] well with you. Your
wife [is] as a fruitful vine by the
sides of your house. Your children [are] like olive plants round about your
table. Behold, thus shall the man be
blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord shall bless
you from Zion. You shall see the good of
Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes,
you shall see your children’s children, [and]
peace on Israel.[2]
[1] As
with Psalm 127, the truth of this Psalm hangs on the presence and protection of
Yahweh, the Presence of the Shekinah in the midst of His
people. Today that Presence consists of
the work of the Holy Ghost in the heart, which will not be fully realized until
the Second Coming of Christ.
As far as earthly reality is concerned, Job shows us the
balance: for Job’s wife and children all turn against him. It is only as Job traverses the Valley of the
Shadow of Death, clinging tightly to the hand of Jesus, Who went before him,
that Job realizes the promises of this Psalm in resurrection. Characteristically, as with Job, many of our
children turn away from God. No one can
claim of Job that he did not fear Yahweh.
So we commonly complain of “the generation gap” and “the post-modern
era.” It is all too painfully clear as
the reins of power pass to the next generation, that they intend to throw away
the standards of their elders (Psalm 2:1-3).
Only a handful return. Jesus
explains the nature of the true family (Matthew 12:46-50). Only the true doers of God’s will are true
children. All others vanish. Therefore, our hope as seen in this Psalm is
that others will see the genuine fear of God in us, and come to imitate that
fear in faith. It is our spiritual
children in The Church, who are the fulfillment of this Psalm’s promises: not
our physical children. This is what the
Presence of the Holy Ghost in us protects and preserves.
Lest we despair, we recall from Matthew 12, that Jesus’ brothers
were unbelievers, and evidently even His mother was lead somewhat astray. After the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and
Ascension; after the Day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Ghost, with
the birth of The Church: the faiths of Jesus mother and brothers blazed forth with
great brightness. So we must always hope
and pray for the conversion or revival of our earthly children. Where there is life, there is still hope.
[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations,
please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. 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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