We sing praises to God, we sing praises! We sing praises to our king! For God is the King of all the earth! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne (Ps. 47).

You are our God; earnestly we seek you; our souls thirst for you; our flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So we look upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, our lips will praise you. For you have been our help, and in the shadow of your wings we will sing for joy. (Ps. 63:1-3; 7).

There are powerful enemies who want to wipe the memory of God’s people from the face of the earth. But those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abide forever. We call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and we are saved from our enemies. (Psalm 18: 3) As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong. O God, you do good to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! (Ps. 125:1-4)

We are confident that through our God we shall do valiantly! It is he who will tread down our enemies! (Ps. 60:12) We know that it is not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit (Zechariah 4:6) that we, your people will prevail against the enemy. For greater is He who dwells in us, than he who is of this world! (1 John 4:4) We submit ourselves to God and receive His grace to resist the devil, until he flees in seven directions! (James 4:6, 7, 8) We remain humble before the Lord, trusting he will exalt us in his time and his way. (James 4:10)

We will not lose heart, for our inner nature is being renewed day by day. These momentary afflictions we face today are preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Cor. 4:16, 17) Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death. We ascribe power to God. Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel – he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! (Ps. 68:19, 20, 34, 35)

Amen.