Tag Archives: Praying the Psalms

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 96-

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Psalm 96

1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Spurgeon names this Psalm, A Grand Missionary Hymn. A Psalm with no division “for the song is one and indivisible, a garment of praise without seam, woven from the top throughout.” (1)

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Oh Father, our God, that your people around the globe may sing Psalms to you today. Fill our mouths to sing to you a new song! God, we thank you because we do not worship your creation, but instead, we join our voices with that of the earth, the seas, the heavens, the fields.  We exult your name today, O God!

Lord I pray that our song may be transformed into actions: That we may effectually bless your name by telling of your salvation from day to day. That we may declare your glory among the nations. That we may spread the word of your marvelous works among our neighbors.

Transform our song, O Lord, into actions today!

Lord, “Blessed are the eyes which shall see the kingdom, and the ears which shall hear its songs.  Hasten your advent, good Lord!” (2)

God, our Lord, we bless your name, your fame, your Word revealed to us. We delight in singing your praises, we take great delight in proclaiming all you have done in us. How you have changed our hardened hearts, how the gospel has transformed our lives. How we love you, O Lord! How we love to sing your praises!

Father, that each day this week, we may seek opportunities to transform our singing into actions. That by our deeds, our written, and our spoken words, we may always announce the glorious message of free grace among all the people, to those close to us and even to those afar.

In your presence we sing Psalms, because you alone are greatly to be praised. It is Your name that we love and fear because you are clothed in splendor and majesty; it is only in your presence, Lord, that we find strength and beauty together, kissing each other. And as we stand in awe before you, we are encouraged by your Spirit to sing your praises, to raise our voices and bless your name.

Mighty God, Merciful Father, you have saved your people to bring glory to your name, so that may  worship you and long for you. And today, as we sing your praises from every corner of the world, we also pray with one voice: Don’t haste your coming, O Lord! Come, Lord Jesus! We won’t be fully satisfied until we see your face, until “truth will dispel all evil in hypocrisy.”(3) Until our voices will mingle with that of the angels singing in Heaven.

Amen

Becky

[1], [2] Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
[3] Calvin, Commentary on the Psalms

Praying the Psalms.

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 13- How Long, O LORD?-

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Psalm 13

1  How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2  How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3  Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4  lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5  But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6  I will sing to the LORD,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

This weekend I have listened several times a sermon on Monergism by Dale Ralph Davis based on this Psalm. The sermon is entitled Faith: From Crying to Confidence. Friends, I cannot stress how much this sermon has blessed me; I encourage you to listen to it.

And based on this Psalm (and the sermon) I pray today…

O God, how much longer, how much longer?  Many friends of mine whom I love dearly, women who love you, who love your Word and are walking on your ways have recently lost their babies before they opened their eyes, even in their mother’s womb. LORD, we don’t understand, we just cry and at times try to hold our words back. At times we feel as if you had abandoned us. Father, O God, how long? What do you want to teach us, the body of Christ, when we see this and feel so helpless and alone?

O LORD, how much longer?   Don’t hide your face from us, don’t hide your face from my sisters’ faces who cry in the darkness. LORD, O LORD! Hear our cry! You alone can bring comfort to us. Please, Lord; please God, hear us and let your face shine upon us.

There are times when grief cannot find comfort in words, when we don’t know what to utter, what to say. There are times when the only question that springs forth from our troubled heart is, the same that David asked, “How long, O LORD?”

“How long? Ah!  how long do days appear when our soul is cast down within us!…Time flies with full-fledged wing in our summer days, but in our winters he flutters painfully.”(1)

How long? God, how long will we have sorrow in our heart all the day as we mourn the death of these babies who were to be born in Christian homes, in the Covenant? We need you to come Father, and look at us in our distress. We are in desperate need of you. We have cried many tears in the night, on our pillow, and swallowed hard… we have waited and waited, and waited and still do not understand your ways. We go to your Word and at times You seem far from us. How much longer until my friends, my sisters will find comfort in their sorrow?

How long will our enemies will see us having miscarriages while they go and put their babies to death? How long LORD? Remember that we are poor and needy, Oh LORD, take thought for us. You are our help and our deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

Do not delay, O God!

Teach us to pray when our heart feels devastated; consider and answer us O LORD our God, light up our eyes, lest we sleep the sleep of death, lest our enemy say, “I have prevailed over them,” lest our foes rejoice because we are shaken. Don’t delay, O God, my LORD!

Father, where can we go for answers? To whom shall we cry? We have nowhere else to go but to You. Remind us that “the mercy-seat is the life of hope and the death of despair.” (2) O God, I come boldly before you today, because I have trusted in your steadfast love. My sisters and I will keep coming to you, day and night we will keep on knocking and knocking at the doors of Heaven. LORD only in You, in your steadfast love, in whom You are is where we will find rest and our heart will rejoice only in your salvation.

This day we thank you because You are our Father, a Father who has promised not to forsake us but to have compassion on us. You have promised not to leave us in the pit of desperation. We have trusted in Your covenant, in your perfect love, O God, and run to hide under your wings. You have given us hope and your Word to sustain us. Thank you, O LORD!

In the night dark of the soul, I thank you because even though we don’t always see clearly, we are not blind. You have made your light shine on us and You have given us your Word and the Holy Spirit to comfort us and help us in our weaknesses. Thank you, LORD because we are not placing our faith on vain things but on who You are; and You are God, a merciful and faithful God who remembers His own, who is Sovereign and Omniscient. You are our Father and your promises are Yes and Amen. Father just as a shipwrecked mariner clings to the mast (3), so we do now, we cling to our faith, we cling to You in whom our soul has believed.

God, my Lord, put a song in our mouth, clear our throats from this crying so that we may be able to sing your praises. O Father, our Father thank you because you have dealt bountifully with us.

Our Hope is in You and we look forward for the coming of our Lord Jesus, for the day in which all our tears will be wiped away.

AMEN!

Becky

(1), (2), (3) The Treasury of David by C.H. Spurgeon

Praying the Psalms 

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 1-

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Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

 

O God, how great you are;
Your love for your own people surpasses all my understanding,
You have called us, Father, out of the darkness and into your light,
You have set our feet on the Way of Life,
and now you bless us for walking on it.
Lord, thank you because your children
do not walk anymore in the counsel of the wicked,
thank you that now they are standing on the Way of Life,
and not in the way of sinners.
Thank you, Father, because we sit no more in the seat of scoffers.
O Father, thank you, because you have transformed our hearts by your grace,
and now we find delight not in the world, but in your Law.
Thank you, because this is not something that we have done,
but you have worked it in us through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Now help us Lord, we pray,
help us not be distracted,
not to fall prey of the snares of the world,
the fears of our heart,
the sorrows of this life,
the prosperity,
and the blessings that come our way,

Help us to mediate with all diligence in your Word day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Father, these are wonderful promises for your children,
nothing we desire besides you and yet it has pleased You to give us great promises,
you have promised us that we, those who have been saved by your infinite grace,
will be planted…
planted and not pulled out;
planted by streams of water,
planted in Jesus which is the Living Water.
Than you, because you have promised that we will not have a bare life,
but that we will produce fruit to glorify your name.
Thank you, because even though our physical strength and our health may fall,
in our spirit we will be renewed day after day, and our leaf will not wither.
Thank you that it has pleased you to prosper our way,
to prosper our daily walk with you.
Father, do not let us forget about the wicked who are like chaff,
give us a compassionate heart, so that we may go to them,
and speak to them the Word that can bring them to repentance.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Lord, we intercede today for the wicked among us,
for those who hate your ways but love their sin,
Father, have mercy on them just as you had mercy on us.
My Heavenly Father, I worship you today,
I worship you because you have love me
and clothed me with righteous.
My God,  I can rest assure in this life,
until I see your face in Heaven,
because I have confidence that You, O LORD,
know my ways.
In Jesus’ precious and perfect name, I pray.
Amen.

Becky

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 40-

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Psalm 40

My Help and My Deliverer

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.

Lord, teach me to wait patiently on you, to  wait and not sin; to wait in You knowing that You will not leave your children in the pit of despair, or sadness. Thank you because you are our Saviour, You alone can bring us out from the miry bog. You know it is impossible for us to walk out on our own from situations like this one; Lord you remember our nature, our weaknesses and always have mercy on us. Help me wait for you with a humble and submissive heart.


Lord, thank you because you not only draw us out from the pit, but you set our feet upon a mighty Rock; upon Jesus Christ, the everlasting Rock, the foundation of our faith,  the Cornerstone of our lives; and you will, I have hope on this, You will certainly put a new song in our mouths. O God, don’t permit us to remain silent; help us to praise your name, even now.


Father, that your name may be exalted today, that your name may be glorified as I put my trust in you today; I pray that many will see and fear your name, and be saved. Use me a  vessel to bring glory to You.

Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.

Lord, what a wonderful promise this is, that you bless me when I put my trust in you. O Lord, I long for your blessing. Your blessing that comforts, that strengthens, that fills our souls. Father, open  my eyes to see your wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us and help us say as David said, “none can compare with you!”  Open our mouth not only to sing your praises, but to tell of your wonderful deeds; to proclaim your goodness and rest on you.

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

Only Jesus delights perfectly on your Law, only His obedience is perfect, we are so bound to this flesh that so many times find no delight in doing your will. Father, forgive us and work in us that we may be willing to obey with gladness. Father, help us see your glory in the cup You have set before us to drink. Let Jesus be our example and let us gladly walk on the Way He has set before us.

I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.

 God of all mercies, You are faithful, You are my deliverer, my soul finds hope in your steadfast love and faithfulness. You alone, O God are worthy to be praised for ever and ever. I don’t want to restrain my lips from declaring how wonderful you are, how good you are, how merciful you are.

As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.

Thank you, Father, because you will not restrain your mercy from me, from your own. What a comfort it is to know that your steadfast love and faithfulness will indeed preserve us through this dark valley.  When my heart fails, yours doesn’t. You are the Great I Am; and your promises are yes, and amen; and those are my only hope.

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

Yes, Lord, yes. Be pleased to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me! I need you, yes, every hour, every minute, every second, I need you! Come help us! Let all the snares of the devil be futile against me; let me stand firm until I see your face. Don’t let me be ashamed, don’t let Satan hurt me; make haste to help me, O LORD! 

But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

Father, my Father, I seek you. I seek you in the morning, at noon, and in the night. I lift my eyes to you, for only you can rescue me and restore in my heart the joy and peace that surpasses all understanding.  O God, that we may lift our hands and cry continually, “Great is the LORD!” 

Thank you, my God and my King that even though I am poor and needy, you don’t forget my name, you incline your ear and hear my prayer; thank you that you lift me up in your hand and think of me.


You alone, are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

In Jesus’ precious name,


Amen

Becky

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 130-

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Summer is here, and for me summer is the time to study the Psalms in depth. Last year I used Calvin’s commentary as my guide; and this summer I will be led through them by Spurgeon. This week I have been meditating on Psalm 130, and as I read Spurgeon’s commentary, I was impressed on the richness of this wonderful Psalm, and how much I need to pray it. This Lord’s day my prayer is based on this Psalm as well as on Spurgeon’s reflections.

Psalm 130

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!

Father of Lights, All Merciful King, let my life be a progression, an ascent to you. Never going back, but always growing, always from glory to glory until the day I see your face and find my joy fulfilled. Oh LORD, that I may always cry to you, no matter where I might be, no matter how depth the valley or how scary the storm; that you may always hear my voice calling your name which is mighty to save at all times. Let me walk this week whispering prayers, laying down at your feet, with an audible voice, my cares, my concerns, the deepest longings of my heart knowing that you hear me.

 

O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

Hear me, hear my prayer, O Father!  To know that you hear my prayer is my only hope, my only comfort in the valley. That I may not forget that you are a God who delights in hearing the prayer of his people, of his children! Lord, open my mouth, that I may utter all day prayers before you! Why should I keep quiet if you hear me? Why should I remain silent if my Heavenly Father has ears for my prayers?

 

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

Father, it is true, “none fear the LORD like those who have experienced his forgiving love. Gratitude for pardon produces far more fear and reverence for God than all the dread which is inspired by punishment”  O God, amen,  I fear your name, which is holy, because of your amazing grace has been manifested to me. You have seen my heart, you have searched within me and have not found anything good in me; yet, in spite of all my iniquities and for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Mediator, it has pleased you not to count me among the condemned, among those who have no hope; you have not marked all my iniquities, and now in Jesus I can stand before the Most Holy and find forgiveness. I bow with all reverence and fear your goodness.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

Father, because I know that you hear me, I can now wait on You knowing that if it pleases You to make me wait, I will wait with all my heart because those who wait on the Lord are blessed indeed!  Help me remember that the waiting itself is beneficial for my soul as it “tries my faith, helps me exercise patience, trains me in submission, and helps me endear the blessing when it comes.” Father, help me to persevere as I wait on you in the study of your Holy Word and prayer, because “Your Word O LORD, is a firm ground for a waiting soul to rest upon.” Father, give me the determination to wake up early every day, strengthen my body that I may wake up before my family, to pray earnestly for each one of them. That I may not be distracted by anything! That my first words every day bring glory to you. Lord, I want to seek you diligently, with all perseverance, wholeheartedly;  I want to wait for you even more than the watchman for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

God, you are my only hope; in you alone is steadfast love, and plentiful redemption! You have crowned me with these three, what else should I want?

I love you, O Lord, my Redeemer!

Becky

 

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 32-

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 Saying Grace
Blessed Are the Forgiven
A Maskil of David.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
O Lord, I am grateful, grateful because you have blessed me in spite of all my iniquities.
Thank you, because you have forgiven my transgression;
because my sin has been covered with your blood.
Thank you, because of Jesus’ sacrifice you don’t see my sin but Him, who is my Redeemer.
Thank you, because you don’t count up my iniquity, but count me righteouss through the blood of Jesus.
Don’t let me walk in deceit.
Draw me to you when I sin.
Give me a contrite heart,
a humble spirit willing to ask forgiveness.
Don’t let my heart be hardened, O Lord.
Don’t let my body grow weary,
let my find, at the foot of the cross,
forgiveness and hope.
Father, that I may come to you in prayer,
in prayer day and night.
That I may find you,
that I may find in You alone my hiding place,
my strong tower.
O Lord, preserve me,
surround me,
instruct me,
teach me,
counsel me,
and help me to obey,
to follow your voice today.
I am glad in you today, O Father!
You are my joy.
You are my song,
You alone are my God,
and in You alone my soul
is satisfied!
I am forever grateful for the song of deliverance which you have put in my mouth!

Becky

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