August 19, 2023

Today's Reading: Introit to Pentecost 12: Psalm 28:1-2, 6-7; antiphon: Psalm 28:8

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:1-19, Acts 26:1-23

Psalm 28:7: “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The tenses matter.  David is calling out to God for help. Present tense.  Right now.  If God won’t answer him he’ll die.  Present danger.  There are wicked workers of evil around him.  Present tense. He’s in trouble as He prays this psalm.  

Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.  Past tense.  Before David ever cried out to God for help, the Lord had already heard.  Before they call, I will answer them, says the LORD.  

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  Present tense.  David, surrounded by enemies and about to die, is helped.  Present tense.  The help that brings him comfort can exist even in the present tense and danger.  It isn’t held out to the future.  It isn’t quarantined to a time you don’t need it anymore.  It’s present tense.  

The help David found comfort in, even surrounded by problems, was rooted not in the absence of problems but the presence of God.  God heard and worked even before the problem.  He has sent His Son to rescue you from every evil before you could ever call upon Him.  The prayers we pray are comforts, not because we need to make God work in the future to fix our present problems, but because He has already worked in the past, and His present Word reminds us of our help now.  That help lasts forevermore.  The rescue we have is eternal.  The victory we have is over the grave.  When you pray, don’t think of prayer as leverage to make God work. Use those words to remember God’s promises.  Everything that you’re asking for has been paid for. The help that you need is from a God not far off.  The rescue that you think can’t be today is already yours.  Blessed be the Lord, who has already worked to deliver us. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We all believe in one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Ever-present help in need, Praised by all the heav’nly host; All He made His love enfolds, All creation He upholds. (We All Believe in One True God, LSB 953:1)

-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.