The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online:
Morning Evening
Psalm 3:1 & 3:
“Lord, how many adversaries I have!
how many there are who rise up against me! …
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me;
you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head.”
There is a tradition, when praying the Psalms, that whenever a reference to “enemies” or “adversaries,” is made, of understanding and viewing such enemies not as people, but as spiritual enemies, of harmful influences and thoughts, or even as evil itself. This tradition has been a great help to me through the years: when praying about enemies and adversaries like the ones referred to in Psalm 3, I make the mental shift of praying against all manner of evil and harmful influences. I can pray fervently, then, for God to “strike down” these “enemies” and “adversaries.”
Lately when I pray the morning Psalms, I can’t help but view our enemies and adversaries as referring to the dangerous coronavirus we are battling. Not only do I believe we ought to be in prayer to eradicate this virus, but we can pray boldly with the Psalmist for God to act on our behalf. We may feel surrounded by our adversaries, but, like the Psalmist, we can faithfully pray and petition God, who is our shield, glory, and seek refuge there.
Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime, we pray.
In Christ,
~Rebecca+
Morning Evening
Psalm 3:1 & 3:
“Lord, how many adversaries I have!
how many there are who rise up against me! …
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me;
you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head.”
There is a tradition, when praying the Psalms, that whenever a reference to “enemies” or “adversaries,” is made, of understanding and viewing such enemies not as people, but as spiritual enemies, of harmful influences and thoughts, or even as evil itself. This tradition has been a great help to me through the years: when praying about enemies and adversaries like the ones referred to in Psalm 3, I make the mental shift of praying against all manner of evil and harmful influences. I can pray fervently, then, for God to “strike down” these “enemies” and “adversaries.”
Lately when I pray the morning Psalms, I can’t help but view our enemies and adversaries as referring to the dangerous coronavirus we are battling. Not only do I believe we ought to be in prayer to eradicate this virus, but we can pray boldly with the Psalmist for God to act on our behalf. We may feel surrounded by our adversaries, but, like the Psalmist, we can faithfully pray and petition God, who is our shield, glory, and seek refuge there.
Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime, we pray.
In Christ,
~Rebecca+
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