Praise the Lord, O my soul!
² While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
⁴ His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.

⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶ Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
⁷ Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.

⁸ The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

¹⁰ The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!

It is clear that the LORD God is our defense against any threat, whether temporal or spiritual, whether physical or mental, in life and in death. This doesn’t mean we won’t suffer. Christ has called us to suffer. But it does mean that the war that is being waged against the LORD God and His people, is already won. Praise the Lord! Let us pray.

Dear Father in heaven,

Blessed be Your holy name. Oh, that the godless would recognize your glory and be turned, for they are fighting a battle that they have already lost. If we are killed all the day long over this truth, Your glory, then so be it. The sufferings of my Lord and King, Jesus Christ, Your Son, are sufficient for the trials of my day. May the strength of Jesus Christ ever be with me, through the Holy Spirit who does not fail. Praise the Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.