Category Archives: Psalms

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 15-

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©Shiloh Photography*

 

Psalm 15

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly
and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue;
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? 
Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 
 
You know my ways, O Lord,
You know that I am not blameless.
You know my heart and discern my thoughts.
How I have sinned against you,
when many, many times I don’t do
what I know is right;
What you have demanded from me.
My sins of omission are many, O Lord.

From my mouth not only sweet water drips,
but bitter one, like the one in Marah;
water that doesn’t heal but brings death.
My words do not always build those whom I love,
many times with my words I them bring down.
The words of my mouth are a fire;
a world of unrighteousness.
They stain my whole body,
and set on fire the entire course of my life.
So hard to tame this tongue,
this small member who boasts of great things.

The thoughts of my heart are not always according to Truth;
I sin when I entertain thoughts that encourage
fear and doubts.
I sin when I set my mind on earthly things;
when I think on what is not honorable,
on what is unjust,
when my thoughts are not on the things that are pure,
when my my mind is busy thinking on all those things
that are not driven by love,
that are not excellent,
and not worthy of praise.

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? 
Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 

I like to tell myself that I do not evil to my neighbor,
but in my omission,
in my passing by and not stretching my hand out towards her,
in my neglecting him,
am I not sinning?
Am I not guilty of not doing evil against him,
when I remain blind to his needs?

O Lord, so many friends you have given me,
and I am not always a godly influence.
I do not always pray fervently for them,
I do not always give them wise words.
I do not always love them without reproach.

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? 
Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 

Father, I have said that I honor those who fear you,
but have forgotten what someone just reminded me,
that “honor must start in the heart, but if it ends there,
it isn’t honor.
Honor must be expressed through words,
symbols, actions, or gestures.
Honor is among the most incarnational of the virtues.
It must have feet and hands.”

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? 
Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 

O God, I hold tight to the anchor of my life,
to the Word of Life,
and yet hard winds come,
and temptations arise against me,
and I do not always remain unchanged,
unmoved;
the seams of my robe are torn,
and I feel undone; not longer of one piece.

He who does these things shall never be moved. 
 
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? 
Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 

But God, even though I am a broken vessel,
I will sojourn in your tent.
I will dwell on your holy hill.
Not because of my deeds which are filthy,
but because of my Jesus,
my Savior,
my Redeemer.

He has done all these things.
He shall never be moved.
It has pleased Him to forgive me,
and call me his own.

He  took the penalty of my sins,
my guilt he bore on the cross.
His righteousness is my mine.
In my place He stood,
and now I live.

O Father,
to be able to call you Father!

Thank you for Jesus,
for the forgiveness of my sins,
and the hope of eternal life.

Amen

Becky

*used with permission

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 11-

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©Shiloh Photography

 

Psalm 11
To the choirmaster. Of David.
In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
if the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.

Father of all Comforts, I come to you with a most grateful heart because you have opened a way for your children to approach you. You have invited us to come and lay our hearts open before you. Thank you for opening a way to your Throne of Mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Father, so many times when the trials come, and I cannot see clearly what is it that you are doing, and the hand of my enemies, those sins that hunt me, rise with fury against me, my heart wishes to flee.

And I see this same things happens to my fellow brothers and sisters; when the devil attacks, many times we just want to flee away. How fool of us! Instead of running to you, instead of praying more and reading the bible more, and meditate on it even more. Instead of running to our Strong Tower, we long to flee! And then we found ourselves in a desolate place where all is cold and quiet; and there in the hiding place we have made ourselves, we cry to You and ask why You are not close, why You feel so distant. We are full of fears, full of doubts and the longer we stay there, the farther you seem to be, and yet we don’t open our Bibles, we don’t pray, we just grumble and despair. Our foundations seem to fall apart, our faith is weary. What can we do now? Father, we are yours, we cannot remain in the dark of own hiding place much longer, we belong to you, O Father of Light, help us see that every time we flee from our enemies, if we don’t flee towards You, the pain will only grow deeper and become unbearable, and our faith will start to shatter into a thousand little pieces. O Holy Spirit draw us to the Father!

Wonderful Father, you have shown us where to find You, you have opened the way for us, You have bid us to come to you. Many situations may swirl around us, and yet You remain the same. Sovereign God, always sited in your throne, in your holy temple. Nothing moves You, nothing can hinder your plans. You are above all of us reigning sovereignly. Your eyes are watching us, even there when we are alone in that secret hiding place that we have foolishly made “far away” from You. You see us and test us. How long until we come to our senses and understand that is in You, only in You that we will find rest? It is only when we abide in your presence that we can fight and conquer sin. It is not in running away from You with shame and guilt that we will be safe; but it is only when we come to you in prayer, asking forgiveness for our sins, that we will be safe, that we will be strengthen, that our foundation will not be destroyed but made even stronger.O Father, draw us near to the cross, draw us to Jesus, draw us to see to empty tomb and our Savior risen! Strengthen our faith, O Lord!

We pray, destroy our enemies, O Lord, and help us fight the good fight of faith. Help us hate all wickedness and love righteousness. Help us run to you in times of need.

O Lord, that we may behold your face.

Amen

Becky

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 8-

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Psalm 8

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

 

O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

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

O my Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Among your people, your name is exalted,
among the nations, all of them, Your name is great.
Your name is above all those who love you,
and above all those who hate you.
Your name, Your character,
is majestic because it is who You are.
Your name is majestic;
Rock of Ages,
Great I Am,
Conqueror,
Victorious,
King of Kings,
Strong Tower,
O Lord, You have established strength,
over your enemies.
We pray for our babies and infants,
for our sons and daughters,
let your praise be in their lips,
let them sing of the glories of your Name!

Lord, seeing your creation,
the perfection of it;
seeing the order with which you have created all of it,
draws me to your feet.
Father, why did it please you to look at me?
Why did you turn your eyes toward me to save me?
I am one. So little. A sinful one. Guilty.
And yet, You are mindful of me?
You care for me?
Lord, that is amazing!
Your name is majestic:
Savior,
Merciful Father,
Messiah,
Intercessor,
Mediator,
The Amen.

O LORD,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Amen

Becky

Related Series: Celebrating the Excellencies of His Name

 

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Praying the Psalms -Psalm 119: 25-32-

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Shiloh Photography

 

Psalm 119:25-32
(ESV)
Daleth
25 My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O LORD;
let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!

Lord, I come to you, to your Word, still clinging to the dust, to my humanity, to my weakness. My sin is in front of me, and I want to be pure of heart. God, I need your Word. I need your Word to change my life, to turn my thoughts, the way I see life, all of it turn it upside down. O LORD, give me life according to your Word. Set your eyes on me and give me life as I read the Word, as I memorize and meditate on them. Give me life as I consider one by one your words.

Answer my prayer, Lord. Teach me, please, teach me your statutes, help me to live by them, to treasure them, to make them mine. To be able to see all through the lens of Your Word.

Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. That is the only way my soul will find rest when sorrow comes. O Lord, strengthen me according to your Word. Strengthen my inner being, so that I can fight effectively with the Sword in my hand and in my mouth, against my flesh, against the assaults of the devil, against this world and all the pleasures it offers me.

Have mercy on me, LORD, and put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! Give me grace to learn obedience and deliver me from evil.  Oh Father, I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I want to set your rules, Your Word before me. I do not want to depart. I want to abide in you, in your Word. Help me, Lord.

Lord, I cling now to your testimonies, let me not be put to shame. Help me live what I memorize, help me be a doer and not a fool that disobeys.

Enlarge my heart, Father, and I will run in the way of your commandments.

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh,

Amen

Becky

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 63-

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Psalm 63

    A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
 5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
 9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

God, my God, sometimes it is your will to bring your people to a dry land. Sometimes coming to the desert means passing through trials, other times it means that we feel as if You were distant and we were forsaken.

What to do Lord, in times like this?

What to do when the heat is burning, the mind can’t think clearly, the heart is weary and the eyes can’t see clearly?

What to do when You seem afar?

Should we hide ourselves under a rock in the desert, and just wait with the face hidden between the hands until the fiery sand storm passes by?

David was there, in the desert, running away to save his life. He was weary in a land where his thirst couldn’t be satisfied. But in that desolate place he called on you. In the wilderness he lifted up his eyes and looked upon you, in your Sanctuary, and saw your power and glory.

Jesus was also brought by Your Spirit to the desert, no water touched his lips for forty days, and yet in the driest land, where the Devil met him and tempted him, He found strength and vigor in your Word. You alone satisfied Him.

Father, I don’t ask that you won’t take me to a dry land. I just pray that when you take me there, I will call upon Your Name. That during the dry seasons, my flesh won’t fall into sinning seeking to be satisfied with other things rather than You and your Word.

God, don’t ever let me forget that your steadfast love is better than life. Better than breathing, better than all the beautiful moments I might live; better that the best gift it has pleased you to give me. Better than a song in the night and times of joy. Better than all the kingdoms of this world, better than all those things that promise me satisfaction but draw me far away from You.

Even when the winds blow hard against me, when the sand storm won’t let me open my eyes, I ask you, God, my God, lift my head and let me see your power and glory. Even when my eyes are cracking from lack of water and my mouth doesn’t find a way to pronounce a word because its dry, even then, let me sing your praise.

Lord, I will bless you as long as I live. And not because of my will power; not because I try hard, but because You have promised that nothing, not even the most dreadful deserts will be able to separate me from your perfect Love.

Thank you for hope, thank you because You don’t keep your people forever in the desert land. You always bring us to a time of feasting and rejoicing; a time when our soul eats at your table and is always satisfied. Thank you because you always provide times in which our lips can’t contain your praises. Times when joy overflows, and gladness is our companion.

Night comes, always, as a gift from Your hand that we may rest and think, and meditate on your Word and in all we have said and done. Night is a gift from you always. In the times of desolation as well as in the times of prosperity, night comes and we come to our bed and You are there.  And no matter, Lord, in which season of my life I am in the night, I always see how You have been my constant help. How you have kept me and my children in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you, my God. I cling to you as much as a woman clings to her man; as much as much as a the baby to her nursing Mom. I cling to you in the desert and in the land in which honey and milk overflows. In both places I need you or I die. Uphold me with Your right hand. Sustain me when I am weak, hold me tight when I am fainting.  Hold me with Your mighty hand when temptation comes, when the devil tempts me.  Give me victory and fill my mouth with your praises, that I may rejoice in You and be satisfied in You alone, my God and King.

Amen

Becky

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 17-

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Psalm 17
A Prayer of David.
Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
God of Mercies, how I thank you that your mercies are new every morning,
that I can come to you, before the Holy, Holy, Holy,
through the blood of the Lamb.
Thank you for Jesus, 
Thank you, because if what He has done  for me,
you turn your ear and hear my cry.
Thank you because you turn your ear ti my prayers.
Lord, cleanse my lips.
You have cleansed me, and that is a miracle!
That with your eyes you see not my sin, 
but the righteousness of Christ in me…
O Lord, there are no words to express my gratitude.
You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
Thank you for Jesus. My Lord and Saviour,
the only One who has never sinned,
who when in the midst of a heavy suffering,
did not opened his mouth to sin!
Father, forgive me, forgive those hidden sins in me,
and teach me, 
and help me.
You have visited me at night, 
in my bed, you have reminded me of your Word 
that pierces the hearts of men.
Your Spirit has stirred up my conscience, 
Help me to hold fast to your paths,
Help my feet not to slip.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
God, what a wonderful thing this is,
that I can call upon you and know that you will answer me!
father, incline your ear to me;
hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
to me, to my husband,
to my children, to my children’s friends.
Stretch your hand and save us from our sins;
stretch you hand and hold our lives…
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
Father keep me, keep my family, your Church;
keep us as the apple of your eye.
Hide us, hide us, hide us,
in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked, 
the temptations of our heart,
the lust of the flesh,
the desires that are not according to You.
O God, hide us under your wings,
that we may be safe,
and find perfect contentment there.
They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.
Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
Father, let me not forget my enemies,
those who have wronged me,
I pray for them.
I pray for those who are like lions,
trying to destroy your Church,
Father have mercy on them and save them.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. 
This promise, these verses,
Lord, how comforting they are.
To behold your face in righteousness,
to be satisfied,
to fight sin no more.
How I long for Heaven, for You!
In Jesus, my Righteousness,
Amen

Becky