March 4, 2024 -- Psalm 117 -- The Beacon fires are lit. Will you respond?

Praise the LORD, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 117 ESV

Fans of the trilogy “The Lord of the Rings” will remember the dramatic moment when Minas Tirith was under a dire threat of war. Enemies of the great kingdom were gathering and had gathered, ready to make war. Then beacon fires are lit. These summon allies to battle. The chain of beacon fires are set ablaze, one after another, until the distant Kingdom of Edoras can see the final one nearest them. One of the heroes of the trilogy, Aragorn, seeing the bright beacon, runs from the guard tower, into the hall of King Théoden, he shouts: “The beacons are lit. Gondor calls for aid!” It is a dramatic moment. The question is this: will the king summon his people to go to war?

Psalm 117 is a beacon fire. The Name of the LORD is to be praised. It is a command that runs to all the nations of the earth. Enemies oppose the LORD. Those who hate the LORD are arrayed against His people. Prophets, Kings, and Priests have through-out the centuries faithfully summoned the people of God to divert their gaze from the gathering hosts of wickedness to behold instead the LORD of Glory. The reasons are given. The LORD has great, steadfast love. While evil will tear at and ultimately devour its own leaders and champions, the LORD will bless His people. Those who respond to the call to praise Him are named sons and daughters through the work of Jesus Christ. Second, the faithfulness of the LORD is never-ending. He Who begins a good work in you will see it through to completion. He is no fair-weather LORD and King.

The cross of Jesus Christ stands as the proof that the LORD and His redeeming love have won the day. It is the D-Day—the Designated Day, like June 6, 1944, when the troops took the beaches of Normandy. The tide of the war was turned. It was then just a few months until V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) May 8, 1945. Thereafter the final combatant, Japan, signed its full surrender on September 2, 1945.

We live as Christians between D-Day and September 2, final victory. The LORD is near. Therefore the people are summoned to praise the LORD. Such praise drives away the Devil, that roaring lion, diverting him from the attack. Christians extol the LORD-that is to glorify God. To glorify means: to serve Him. To renounce wicked and sinful ways. To remove from themselves anything in their minds, or in their hands, which are of enemy origin. To prepare the heart and head for victory in Jesus. The beacon fires are lit. Praise the LORD!

FOR COURAGE

O SAVIOUR, who didst set thy face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem to thy Cross and passion: help us, thy weak and wavering disciples, to be firm and resolute in doing those things that lie before us. Help us to overcome difficulties and to persevere in spite of failures. When we are weary and disheartened and ready to give in, do thou fill us with fresh courage and strength, and keep us faithful to our work; for thy name’s sake. Amen.

DIVINE SERVICE BOOK FOR THE ARMED FORCES, 1950, page 34

https://youtu.be/LgybEBy3rlM?si=cXHQus4m7lBXHf8U “Onward Christian Soldiers”

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