Oxygen from Psalm 18:46-50 (Rock Praise)

 46 The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock!   

      May the God of my salvation be exalted! 

 47 He is the God who pays back those who harm me; 

      he subdues the nations under me 

    48 and rescues me from my enemies. 

   You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; 

      you save me from violent opponents. 

 49 For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; 

      I will sing praises to your name. 

 50 You give great victories to your king; 

      you show unfailing love to your anointed, 

      to David and all his descendants forever.

(Psalm 18:46-50)

Living Lord:

You are the reason that anyone finds

meaning and purpose and strength for our lives.

You are the reason we know any joy,

Your life, not ours, is the great cause celebre.

Everything else is mere shadow and shade,

Lacking all substance, mere shadowy trade;

bantering, blustering, take this for that,

Measuring progress by who outdoes whom.

Time is mere fallacy and bitter illusion,

power is relative to the delusion.

Only what's done for the Lord God will stand

and not topple over when all the world shakes.

Enemies frustrate and cause me to dwell

In my own muck only this side of hell;

Wondering, fearful and planning revenge,

Fantasic fantasies defining existence.

Faith comes to displace such unadorned malice,

lifts high the cross and then passes the chalice,

making of enemies a new communion,

making a Kingdom presentable to God.

God is alive and His people endure.

God is the Rock to which all souls may moor,

Though all the world pass away in an instant,

His Word is Anchor, His Promise secure.

Psalm 18 ends with the clearest distinction;

Israel's kings have all gone to extinction,

all but one Servant, whose victory stands,

God's own Anointed, the Lord raised from death.

Christ has become the chief cornerstone;

Christ is the source of God's unfailing love.

Only in Christ will all violence cease,

making subservient all other loves.

Praise to the Lord, Praise to His Christ,

Praise to the One who became sacrifice,

fulfilling the Law, while we lost in our sins,

powerless, hopeless and all vagabond,

Heard the Good News, the Spirit's appeal,

Father God calling for us to get real;

Drop the pretending, the suffering, shame,

Drop at the cross our quest for acceptance.

Lord, keep us faithful when evil assails us;

May we be certain your Spirit ne'er fails us.

Lord, keep us thankful that you are our Rock,

You are the steadfastness of this frail world.

Amen