A Plea for Justice

Most of the psalms, hymns, and readings in this morning’s service could be summed up in a single word: “Help!” We ask the Lord to rescue us from a foreign throng (Blest Be The Lord, My Rock, My Might—Psalm 144), and we cry out “Save your servant! preserve my life!” (Turn Your Ear And Answer—Psalm 86). We are warned to be watchful for the prowling devil and to prepare for great suffering (1 Peter 5:8-9). We read from Psalm 7 “save me from all my pursuers and deliver me” (Psalm 7:1). We respond by singing “Other refuge have I none” and “Leave me not alone” (Jesus, Lover Of My Soul), and later, “Come hear my plea” and “Lord, my help, make haste, I pray” (My God, My God, Come Hear My Plea—Psalm 22). We conclude by singing back the first half of Psalm 7, pleading for salvation from our foes, “lest they should tear me like lions with prey” (O Lord, My God, I Take Refuge—Psalm 7). But all throughout the service, we also find reassurance in God’s providence. “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them” (Psalm 34:19). Christ is our anchor in every high and stormy gale (My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less). He promises us that “I will be with you, your troubles to bless” (How Firm A Foundation), and that He will answer whenever we call (The Lord Ever Hear You—Psalm 20). The benediction sends us out with great hope, that even in the bleakest moments we must “see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today” (Exodus 14:13). —Henry C. Haffner