Such bounty given!

Psalm 13
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
 1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
         How long will You hide Your face from me?
 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
         Having sorrow in my heart daily?
         How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
 3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;
         Enlighten my eyes,
         Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
 4 Lest my enemy say,
         “I have prevailed against him”;
         Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
 5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;
         My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
 6 I will sing to the LORD,
         Because He has dealt bountifully with me. (NKJV)

In our lives we may feel like king David – that the Lord has forgotten us.  We have our problems – car accidents, loosing friends, divorces, parents loosing jobs – and the Lord seems to give us the cold shoulder.  The bad things keep piling up in our lives, and in the world around us – a shaky economy, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and typhoons – and the Lord seems to be silent.  To top it all our sins are before us, the devil seems to be around every corner to tempt us, and, all to often, our flesh fails us.  All our enemies – the people at school, the devil, the world, and even our flesh – seem to have obtained the victory.

The victory has been won (not by our enemies), but by Christ.  Christ at Calvary won our salvation by the shedding of His blood.  The blood, along with the water, was washed over us at the font, and now we own heaven and have the crown of life.  By the words of our pastor all our sins are forgiven.  We are filled with Christ’s true body and blood at the Supper.  All this vanquishes our foes, and continually secures for us our eternal home in heaven.

What joy!  All things harmful have been vanquished, and heaven is ours.  The Lord has done such great things for us, and just by continually giving himself to us – water, word, bread and wine.  All our enemies may seem to have obtained the victory, but truly Christ has done it and given it to us when we need it – every day!  Such gifts given, and such bounty received!