The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
You have granted him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.
You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever.
Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most Highhe will not be shaken. (Psalm 21:1-7, NIV)
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5,6, NIV)
Today, Lord God, the royalty in which we move through this life and this earth, praises You! We are not, by Your word, Lord Jesus, those whom You call servants, but friends! How we rejoice in the majesty that becomes us, and not by anything we are or anything we have done apart from faith, but that You loved us and welcomed us to see You as You are and to know that You with Your Father have a heart so generous that You would share with us even the nature and the stature that is Yours and is royal, of course. There is none beside You, but many who are, by Your Holy Spirit, in You, and Yours.
A crown of life is that which You have laid up for us, and of righteousness, and like King David in the wilderness, David who penned this Psalm and so many others, we are not enthroned on this earth, but our kingdom is sure and is above and is fixed and is replete with the joy of Your Presence.
Now, Lord, are hearts are generous with Yours, and we want for our dear friends, our dear families, our precious friends, that they, too, should share this glory, this life, this eternity, and this kingship with You – with us! Grant it this day, Father! All that _______________ may need in order to bow before Your unfailing love, to receive a crown that will not fade away. Grant us our hearts’ desire, for we know it is Yours as well and originally, that this soul will prosper in the blessings of royal life and right and splendor. Amen.
more royal than, apart from their faith…
The Nine Sovereigns
at the funeral of King Edward VII, by permission, Wikipedia, public domain, death of the artist, W. & D. Downey
Standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, King George I of Greece and King Albert I of Belgium. Seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King-Emperor George V of the United Kingdom and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.
Marketplace Monastics 