1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
____________
What struck me today in this familiar Psalm is verse 2. David makes a connection between the praise of infants and children and the struggle against the enemy. He states that this praise actually silences the “foe and the avenger.”
It’s easy to dismiss the praise of children as “cute” or even entertaining. It’s enjoyable to have the children’s choirs and classroom choirs as part of worship. Every Wednesday morning (in normal times!), our chapel services bring together the entire student body for prayer, praise and worship. But that’s not as “important” as our Sunday worship, is it?
This Psalm would suggest that powerful spiritual warfare is being waged when children and infants are lifting praise, that our chapel services silence the devil, that our classroom choirs build strongholds against our enemy. Wow. That’s way beyond “cute.”
But it’s not just our organized school ministry. It’s our children’s church and other children’s ministry. It’s parents saying table grace with their children. It’s parents praying with their children and blessing them at bedtime.
My prayer today is one of thanksgiving for the praise of children and infants. I’m praying for all the children who will be praising the Lord this week, and for God’s presence in the spiritual reality and warfare that is taking place as they sing.
NOTE:
Worship Wednesdays at 7:00 PM and Sunday at 9:30 AM. Not in our sanctuary, but in your home. Please go to this page for more information: https://stjohnslutheran.net/live-streaming-worship-at-st-johns/
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