Thankfulness from Psalm 68

O God,

When you marched through the dry wasteland,

the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain

before you, the God of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

You sent abundant rain, O God,

to refresh the weary land.

There your people finally settled,

and with a bountiful harvest, O God,

you provided for your needy people.

When Ordinary Time Isn't So Ordinary: Psalm 71

I've not been too faithful with this prayer blog since Easter--I've simply been going other directions with my prayer life. A week ago, however, the day my 70-year-old father underwent quadruple bypass surgery after cardiac arrest, I went to Psalm 71, often called the Psalm for the Aging and prayed it for my dad. He's doing very well in this period of recovery, but even before the surgery, I already felt peace, that his renewal was a certainty. Something whispered to my heart while I read this Psalm as a prayer--all the while picturing my own dad and all those years he made music at the organ bench for various churches or directing their choirs. I saw the verses about praising in song and it became all the more his Psalm. I heard that voice whisper that I need not fear his death during surgery, that even as this Psalm sees the far side of 70, so would he...

Psa 71:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
Psa 71:2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
Psa 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou [art] my rock and my fortress.
Psa 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Psa 71:5 For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my youth.
Psa 71:6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise [shall be] continually of thee.
Psa 71:7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou [art] my strong refuge.
Psa 71:8 Let my mouth be filled [with] thy praise [and with] thy honour all the day.
Psa 71:9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
Psa 71:10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
Psa 71:11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for [there is] none to deliver [him].
Psa 71:12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
Psa 71:13 Let them be confounded [and] consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered [with] reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
Psa 71:14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
Psa 71:15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness [and] thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof].
Psa 71:16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, [even] of thine only.
Psa 71:17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
Psa 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come.
Psa 71:19 Thy righteousness also, O God, [is] very high, who hast done great things: O God, who [is] like unto thee!
Psa 71:20 [Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
Psa 71:21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
Psa 71:22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, [even] thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
Psa 71:23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
Psa 71:24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

Easter with the 23rd Psalm

1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD
forever.

Trusting God through Psalm 31

In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
​​Let me never be ashamed;
​​Deliver me in Your righteousness.
Bow down Your ear to me,
​​Deliver me speedily;
​​Be my rock of refuge,
​​A fortress of defense to save me.
​
For You are my rock and my fortress;
​​Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
​​Lead me and guide me.
​Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
​​You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
​
I trust in You, O LORD;
​​I say, “You are my God.”
15 ​​My times are in Your hand;
​​Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
​​And from those who persecute me.
16 ​​Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
​​Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
17 ​​Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You;
​​Let the wicked be ashamed;
​​Let them be silent in the grave.
18 ​​Let the lying lips be put to silence,
​​Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
​
19 ​​Oh, how great is Your goodness,
​​Which You have laid up for those who are in awe of You,
​​Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
​​In the presence of the sons of men!
20 ​​You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
​​From the plots of man;
​​You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
​​From the strife of tongues.
​
21 ​​Blessed be the LORD,
​​For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
22 ​​For I said in my haste,
​​“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
​​Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
​​When I cried out to You.
​
23 ​​Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!
​​For the LORD preserves the faithful,
​​And fully repays the proud person.
24 ​​Be of good courage,
​​And He shall strengthen your heart,
​​All you who hope in the LORD.

Amen.

Lenten LoveSongs

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for You are my defence, and the God of my mercy.

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the child of thine handmaid.
Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast helped me, and comforted me.

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Teach me to do thy will; for thou [art] my God: thy spirit [is] good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake.

Amen.

Lenten Psalm Medley

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.


I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.
LORD, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
I said to You, "You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing."
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise You, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set You always before me.
Because You are at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.


I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory.
Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.
I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night.
My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

Skipping Through the Psalms for Lent

Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

For You are good and Your love endures forever; Your faithfulness continues through all generations.

We give thanks to You, LORD, for You are good; Your love endures forever.

Joyous Meditation on Psalm 72

Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king's Son.
2 He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
3 The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear You
As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
7 In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.

12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.

15 And He shall live;
And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.

16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And men shall be blessed in Him;
All nations shall call Him blessed.

18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
19 And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

Offering Spontaneous Praise Like a Psalmist

May the words of C.S. Lewis in his Reflections on the Psalms inspire spontaneous praise.

The most obvious fact about praise--whether of God or any thing--strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless (sometimes even if) shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise--lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game--praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least...

I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: "Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious? Don't you think that magnificent?" The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they really care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can't help doing, about everything else we value.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.

Now think on those things that delight you to the prompting of praise...and give voice to your heart's enjoyment of them, directing it as your thank offering to their Creator.

A Prayer for Community on Psalm 84

This prayer comes from the group study section of the book Desiring God, by John Piper:

Lord of Hosts,

Your Dwelling places are altogether lovely.

May it be that as people read and study and discuss Your Word

together that they might long and yearn to be in Your courts

where they might see and savor You.

Cause the hearts, even the bodies, of Your people to be filled

with rejoicing in You, the living God.

Even the birds of the air rest in Your presence and find comfort and

security and joy in Your altars, O Lord of Hosts, our King and our God.

So too are all who dwell in Your house;

their joy is as unceasing as their praise.

A Prayer of Hope on Psalm 117

May all the nations praise Your name, O Lord.


May all the people of the earth praise You.


May we hear You Spirit, whispering


You love us with unfailing love,


and faithfulness that endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

Contemplation on Psalm 29 for Baptism of the Lord

O God,

May Your angels give You honor

for Your glory and Your strength.

May they worship You in the splendour

of your holiness.

If I go near the sea, then I observe as

Your voice echoes and thunders over the sea.

But if I go near the forest, I observe as

Your lightning splits and shatters

even the oldest and mightiest of trees.

And if I go near the mountains, I observe as

they shake and dance

and lava reshapes even their ancient forms.

And if I go near the desert, I observe as

even the most featureless deserts

can shake and slip their sands

at a word from You.

May I always remember as I consider the larger work of Your hands,

As I contemplate the massive change that nevertheless springs from the Changeless One

That all stands unchanging in this one point:

You rule over all, and what a wonder

that You give me access to that fathomless strength You hold.

Always..Your blessings lead to peace.

Epiphany First Professed, Psalm 96

A prayer for those days when much of what is not real seeks to prop itself against what IS real.


O Lord,


Give me the energy, the vision, the desire


To sing a new song to You


Even in days that grow redundant with the lifelessness of winter.





Now especially is a good time to sing a new song to You.


I know that if all the earth is to sing Your praise, it means


That even as one sings it easily in their growing days of high summer,


Another must sing as easily in the heaviness of winter.


Even as one throws open, and the other hunkers down,
A song still rises.


So it is good, it is necessary, for both to recognize:


You are ever worthy of praise!





I will stir myself up, lift my eyes to the heavens.


Surely You made them as well.


They are beyond the work of my hands; and


My own glory is less attached to them.


There I see a purer view of Your splendor and majesty.


Grant that I might worship You in that splendor,


the splendor of holiness.





May this be the year when I become a part of that wave of song,


Voices saying to the nations: the Lord reigns.


For when I say this, I affirm my own joy in knowing...


I am no accident. Neither is anyone else.





Give my hands work to do that will bring that holy balance to Your creation:


when the heavens will rejoice;


when the earth will be glad;


when the sea will resound;


and the fields be jubilant.





May I sit beneath the trees of the forest and hear them sing for joy.


May I attach all this goodness to this very hope and assurance:


You come to judge the world in righteousness


and people in equity and truth.


Amen...

Concluding the New Year Cycle with a Breath Prayer on Psalm 117

A breath prayer to offer when reflecting both on solitude and on community:

Your merciful kindness is great toward us;

Your truth endures forever.

New Year's Supplication on Psalm 90

Lord...

Through all the generations, You have been our home.

If we will pause and remember,

We will see that despite our best efforts to hide them,

--efforts even beyond our conscious knowing--

You nevertheless spread our secret sins out before You.

You see them all;

so our lives end in one great groan.

And this only if we have been given the grace of self-awareness.

This only if we embrace a mustard-seed of humility.

What are we to do about this tragedy?

When we see that Your wrath is as awesome

As the fear You deserve. How do we respond?

Do we bury our tiny treasures until the day of accounting?

Is this how a bud displays its appointed loveliness?

Do we shield ourselves from a scorching sun?

How would You have us make the most of our time?

(That tiny march of days, so like the one-day life cycle of a grass blade

in Your timeless economy.)

Oh, Lord, come back to us!

How long will You delay?

Take pity on Your servants.

Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love

So that we may sing with joy to the end of our lives.

Give us gladness in proportion to our misery.

Replace the evil years with good.

Let us see Your miracles again;

Let our children see Your glory at work.

Show us Your approval,

And make our efforts successful.

Amen.

New Year's Prayer on Psalm 8

O God,

Help me this new year to take Your commissioning seriously and soberly.

You have given me dominion over the works of Your hands.

How astounding is this?

Through my life may Your blessings flow over the sheep and oxen,

over the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air and the fish of the sea.

Through my soul may You be glorified

when I gaze at the heavens, the moon and the stars

the work of Your fingers.

May this be the year when I say:

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!