Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate Him flee before Him! As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before fire, let the wicked perish before God! But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!
Psalm 68:1-3
Most of the Psalms were written by David. David is a complex character. He is commemorated both as king and as prophet. He was a simple shepherd in his youth, then gained fame by slaying the giant Goliath, the Philistine warrior. He was anointed king. Then in his rule, he committed adultery and murder. He was called out by Nathan the prophet, and then his son Absalom died. The Psalms capture the emotions of David, from fear to sadness, to contrition, to joy, to hope. The book of Psalms makes for an excellent study, by the way. Most likely, you won’t get something out of all the Psalms but all of them will evoke some kind of emotion in you. A good exercise is to read each Psalm, write down the emotion that it evokes in you, and then make an index and come back to the relevant Psalm when you are in a particular mood or have a specific need. For instance, when I’ve done something wrong, I go to Psalm 50/51. When I need direction, I go to Psalm 143. When I need comfort, I go to Psalm 23. Make your own list and have that as a go-to when needed.
David uses the phrase “Arise, O God” thirteen times in the Psalm, as a plea for God to take action, or in asking God for help. For instance, in Psalm 3:7, David writes “Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For Thou didst smite all my enemies on the cheek, Thou dost break the teeth of the wicked.” This specific Psalm is about trusting God under adversity, and was written at a time when David actually was fleeing from his son Absalom. In this specific case, he was asking God for help. Psalm 3 is one of six Psalms that are read at the beginning of each Orthros service. The other Psalms are Psalm 38, a repentant sufferer’s plea for healing; Psalm 63, comfort and assurance in God’s presence; Psalm 88, a prayer for help when one is despondent; Psalm 103, a Psalm of thanksgiving for God’s goodness; and Psalm 143, another prayer for deliverance from enemies. Psalm 104 is used at Vespers each evening, the fifteen Psalms of Ascent, Psalms 121-135 are read at the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, Psalm 143 is read at Paraklesis and the Salutations service, and ten Psalms are read at the Great Compline. The funeral service was composed mainly around Psalm 119, Psalm 32 is sung at a baptism, and Psalm 128 is chanted at a wedding.
The Psalms also joyfully exalt the strength and power of God. In anticipation of the Resurrection, on Holy Saturday morning, Psalm 82:8 is sung as a hymn: “Arise, O God, just the earth; for to Thee belong all the nations!” Interspersed with this hymn are the rest of the verses of Psalm 82, verses 1-7. While this hymn is being sung, the priest scatters bay leaves all over the church as a sign of Christ’s victory over death. At the Resurrection Service, and throughout Bright Week, the hymn Christos Anesti/Christ is Risen is sung ten times, and interspersed with the singing are the first three verses of Psalm 68, a joyful hymn proclaiming not only that Christ is risen from the dead, but that His Resurrection is a cause of defeat for His enemies and a cause for joy for the righteous.
The cry of “Arise O God,” is the cry of all of us at some point in our lives. In fact, the critical moment of faith, when it becomes personal for each of us, is when we cry out “Arise O God,” because we realize that we have nowhere else to turn. We realize that all the things we rely on eventually will cease and the only thing we can truly put our faith and trust in is God. We spend a lot of our lives with our families, and that is a worthy thing to do. But when we are about to die, our family will not be going with us. This is why faith has to come even ahead of family. We spend a lot of time in our jobs, and this is also worthy, because God has given each of us a talent to contribute to the world, and whether we believe or not, the world works better when we all use our talents. No one works for eternity. At some point, each of us will be replaced in our jobs. We spend time on leisure and fun activities. Nothing wrong there either. However, at some point the fun ends and we are left to contemplate what was the meaning of our time on earth, was it to have fun or was there a greater purpose that we missed out on.
The cry “Arise O God” should be a daily one. Just as the sun rises and gives light to the world, we must allow God to rise on our lives and give us light and direction. We eagerly open our curtains to let the light of day into our homes and offices. Let us eagerly open the windows of our hearts and souls and let God’s light arise in them. Whether that is a plea for God to “Arise and Help!” or a prayer of joy “Arise O God and guide my life,” Arise O God is a worthy theme for every day in every life. And once we’ve made that cry “Arise O God and become the center of my life,” not only will life has more meaning and direction, we will have more confidence that God will continually arise over us not only on the good days but especially on the bad ones.
O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising up against me; many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For Thou dost smite all my enemies on the cheek, Thou dost break the teeth of the wicked. Deliverance belongs to the Lord; Thy blessing be upon Thy people. Psalm 3
Here is a question to ponder today: Have you ever prayed for God to arise in your life?
