On being a success
Save us, LORD, save us!
Give us success, O LORD!
May God bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD!
From the Temple of the LORD we bless you.
The LORD is God; he has been good to us.
With branches in your hands, start the festival
and march around the altar. (verses 25-27)
‘Yes, Lord, give me success! Make my dreams come true. Thump all those who are out to get me. Shower me with fame, riches and popularity. Give me the perfect marriage, a big house, wonderful kids, and fantastic exam results. Then I shall tell others how good you have been to me.’
Is this really what the psalmist is saying? There are those who think so, and who, accordingly, proclaim a message of the glorious now.
Yet this is not the experience of most Christians. Their life is not always a glorious success. Nor does it help when they are then told that the reason for so little success is a lack of faith in God.
Important to note here is that this psalm is the prayer of a warrior-king. Though we might not like the thought, fighting wars was a part of the king’s normal daily activity.
So, what the king is really praying is something like this: ‘Lord, in the place where you have put me, enable me to be faithful in my calling. Be with me in the everyday tasks of my life. Guide me, empower me. And to you I offer my thanks for tasks well done.’
It makes a difference, doesn’t it?
Amen. So let it be, Lord Jesus, for me. Amen
by Bob Kempe, in ‘God’s Promises for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 1999)
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