Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Text: Psalm 110
The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries. He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.
Devotion
“Sit at My right hand,” that is: Rule in My power over all things in heaven and on earth. “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all” (Psa 103:19). “This: ‘Sit at My right hand’ is infinitely rich in comfort for the Lord’s Church for all time. Whoever can grasp and keep just this one passage in his heart is lifted above all painful anguish, and it is the same whether the enemies are many or few, strong or weak. He can comfortably look on their raging and their fruitless efforts. He says with Johann Arndt: ‘I know One who sits at God’s right hand. He is strong enough against all my enemies and all my misfortune'” (Hengstenberg). – The Lord said to My Lord: “Sit on Your throne, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” It is said, and it remains. All His enemies shall be laid either at His feet or under His feet. Believe it and you rule with Him, or don’t believe it, but it’s still true. – “The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion,” the Psalmist says to the Messiah: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies!” Yes, we see the enemies, we hear the roar of the unbelievers, but who sees the throne of His omnipotence in the midst of this? Be calm! “The cause of truth triumphs only through defeat.” Above the Crucified One is written: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” and it remains though the chief priests rage. He ruled in the midst of His enemies without their knowing it. That’s how He still rules. The enemies will always mock Him in His members. Suffer we shall, and reign with Him. Enemies always around, it seems that they win, but He rules in the midst of them. Their noise only shows us His victorious, ruling presence, just as the sea’s violent spray surges against an immovable rock.
And He does not lack people when He needs them. Here in the psalm they are compared with morning dew. Early in the morning you see only dewy teardrops on the ground. Now that the day has come, thousands and millions of “pearls” lie in the grass, gentle, pure, iridescent, sparkling in the sunlight. They are like magic, they were prepared and were there before we knew it. So it is with the Lord’s people. In countless numbers they are there at the right time, pure and beautiful, fresh and shining in the sunlight: in the Lord’s grace. Of themselves they are nothing. He is their all. Where is the beauty of the dew without the sun? They are willing, happy, cheerful, ever young, even in their old age. For He is not only King, but also Priest according to God’s eternal oath, always interceding for us and dressing us in holy dress. – Are you in this multitude, that is formed in the humble days of the Church to stand glorious with Him on the day of His power? Is Christ the King of your heart? Is His merit your glorious dress and His strength your armor? Woe to everyone who stands against Him! He crushes kings on the day of His wrath, the great and proud spirits who make war against His kingdom. He fills the land with dead bodies, – pray that it not happen to our people! There are already many bodies and very poisonous deadly spirits. Take your stand. To which side do you belong?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, rule in our hearts. Help us to believe in Your power and grace. Clothe us with Your purity, and arm us with Your righteousness. Let Your power be our strength, Your merit our comfort, Your love our life, so that we willingly serve You and bravely strive with You. Amen.
Hymn
He rules on high, His throne shall never
Like earthly empires pass away,
His kingdom stands and grows forever,
Till all creation owns His sway.
The world may seek and love its own:
I love my Jesus, Him alone.
His pow’r, against all foes prevailing,
Shall in its strength forever stay;
His throne, in glory never failing,
Shall stand when time has passed away.
Let others love whate’er they will,
My heart prefers my Savior still.
Scheffler/Brorson: Begone! vain world L 415:5-6 LHy 445:4 tr. C. Døving and Supplement to German Psalmody;
tune: Wer weiß wie nahe (ELH 111); alternate hymn: All hail the power ELH 49:4-5