“…the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed. But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.”
Psalm 92:7,8
The world is full of violence, injustice, evil, selfishness, suffering and death. To focus on these is to bring gloom, depression and hopelessness. But we look up to you instead, O Lord Jesus, for you are the Judge, you will bring justice and are doing it even now, in allowing the consequences of our wrong choices to discipline us.
You are on high, you see all from a perfect perspective, understanding the motives as well the meaning of men’s actions. You look into our hearts and weigh all according to truth. You patiently and wisely let us go our way with our tiny view of life, allowing us to bump into walls, fall in to pits and sink into mire so that we can “come to ourselves,” understand the wrongness of our own view and finally surrender to yours. Then you lift us up and put us on solid ground.
You work to reveal to us truth, to help us know that you are the source of all wisdom, all knowledge, all understanding and insight. You dwell outside of time, see the future fully and are able to graciously guide us in all, if only we will follow you.
You shine your light into our lives, but sadly we naturally prefer darkness, clinging to the ways of the wicked where there is pitch-blackness, where we cannot know what makes us stumble (Pro. 4:19).
In contrast, you Lord Jesus, are light itself, offering illumination to our understanding, light to our path, brightness to our day. With you, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever more brightly til the full light of day” (Pro. 4:18).
You, Lord Jesus, are to be exalted, to be worshiped, to be lifted up on high and obeyed forever. You are the Almighty One of limitless strength: “Your arm is endued with power, your hand is strong, your right hand exalted” (Ps. 89:13). There is no one able to fight against you and win; you are the Most High King and will bring all time and history to your desired conclusions. “For surely your enemies, O LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered” (Ps. 92:9). We can trust in you, rest in you, have confidence in your plan when ours fall apart, fail and prove futile. To you belongs all worship and exaltation.
Prayer: “Praise you, O Lord God Almighty, King of glory. To you we bow down, giving you honor, praise and exaltation for your invincible might, your impenetrable power and your innate self-sustaining strength. You are God, you are Lord, you are Sovereign—and have made yourself our King, undeserving as we are. We rise up to obey you, for you are worthy. Help us to please you in all we do today. Amen.”
