Psalm 31 (NRSV)
19 O how abundant is your goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you,
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of everyone!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under seige.
22 I had said in my alarm,
“I am driven fard from your sight.”
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
[1]
Lord,
The poet has settled his inner argument, at least for the moment. With a clear awareness of the dangers that surrounded him and with a glaring honesty about his own sense of uncertainty, he chose to remember your faithfulness and to trust himself into your loving care.
Lord, help me to love you with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. Help me to love you with reason and emotion and will. Help me to love you with behavior as much as with feeling. As the potter shapes the clay, shape my character so that I may be more like Christ himself.
Lord, the economic avalanche that has rolled over so many people continues its rumbling rush downhill. For all who are being buried in its destructive path, I pray your protection. Lord, see us through. And keep the words of the poet firmly planted in our hearts, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
PERSONAL PRAYERS
Speak your fears to God even as you remember God’s abundant blessings over time.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
d Another reading is cut off
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
psalm 31
Psalm 31 (NRSV)
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,b
and my bones waste away.
11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horrorc to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14 But 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 persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17 Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.
Lord,
The poet is having a really bad day and he is in a battle for his own soul. Despair or faith, which will claim his core identity?
Thank you for his honesty. He feels as worthless as worthless can be. He feels that everybody is against him and that his life has been wasted. Is there an objective reality to his complaint? I don’t know. It really doesn’t matter. He is honestly confessing the reality of his soul to You.
But he refuses to stop with whining. He chooses to remember your faithfulness and he deliberately baptizes himself in the recollections of your goodness and grace. He chooses to place his trust in you. He chooses to trust in you rather than allow himself to be defined by the despair of the day.
Lord, let it be so with me. I know well the dark times of the soul. There are seasons when the emotions of the poet are my emotions too. Let me choose with the poet to trust in you – to trust you. And grant me the joy and hope of that constant trust.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Give the darkness of your soul to God and ask for the ability to trust God.
Say with the poet, “But I trust in you.”
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1]
b Gk Syr: Heb my iniquity
c Cn: Heb exceedingly
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,b
and my bones waste away.
11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horrorc to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14 But 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 persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17 Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.
Lord,
The poet is having a really bad day and he is in a battle for his own soul. Despair or faith, which will claim his core identity?
Thank you for his honesty. He feels as worthless as worthless can be. He feels that everybody is against him and that his life has been wasted. Is there an objective reality to his complaint? I don’t know. It really doesn’t matter. He is honestly confessing the reality of his soul to You.
But he refuses to stop with whining. He chooses to remember your faithfulness and he deliberately baptizes himself in the recollections of your goodness and grace. He chooses to place his trust in you. He chooses to trust in you rather than allow himself to be defined by the despair of the day.
Lord, let it be so with me. I know well the dark times of the soul. There are seasons when the emotions of the poet are my emotions too. Let me choose with the poet to trust in you – to trust you. And grant me the joy and hope of that constant trust.
PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Give the darkness of your soul to God and ask for the ability to trust God.
Say with the poet, “But I trust in you.”
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1]
b Gk Syr: Heb my iniquity
c Cn: Heb exceedingly
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
Psalm 31
Psalm 31 (NRSV)
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6 You hatea those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
Lord,
I confess that this doesn’t feel very “prayerful.” I’m sitting in the Denver airport between flights and wanting to get this done! How is that for prayer? But it’s all I have and I will either write to you here or maybe, today, not write at all.
Years ago, Malcom Boyd wrote a little book of prayers called “Run with Me Jesus.” How about, “Fly with me Jesus?” So here I sit, wanting to meet you through the Psalm.
Help me to pray with the poet, “But I trust in the LORD.” The question that, like you, is always as near as the air we breath is this, “In whom or in what do you trust?” The presence or absence of trust shapes every decision and controls every attitude. When there is nobody to trust, anxiety prevails, the stomach roils, and every decision is pushed by the need to find a safe place. When anxiety and fear prevail, every decision will be a quest for security and the quest for security, by itself, is seldom sufficient for wisdom and never the ground for courage.
Idolatry is always the misplacing of trust. It is trusting something or someone as being more trustworthy than you.
The questions Lord, I have always been stalked by questions. How can I trust you? For what can I trust you? In what way can I rely on you?
This is the bottom line for me. I pray that I am right. Show me more. I trust you never to abandon me and to grant me the grace to meet anything that comes my way.
I place my trust in you.
PERSONAL PRAYERS
As God to grow the spirit of trust in God within you.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen
a One Heb Ms Gk Syr Jerome: MT I hate
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6 You hatea those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
Lord,
I confess that this doesn’t feel very “prayerful.” I’m sitting in the Denver airport between flights and wanting to get this done! How is that for prayer? But it’s all I have and I will either write to you here or maybe, today, not write at all.
Years ago, Malcom Boyd wrote a little book of prayers called “Run with Me Jesus.” How about, “Fly with me Jesus?” So here I sit, wanting to meet you through the Psalm.
Help me to pray with the poet, “But I trust in the LORD.” The question that, like you, is always as near as the air we breath is this, “In whom or in what do you trust?” The presence or absence of trust shapes every decision and controls every attitude. When there is nobody to trust, anxiety prevails, the stomach roils, and every decision is pushed by the need to find a safe place. When anxiety and fear prevail, every decision will be a quest for security and the quest for security, by itself, is seldom sufficient for wisdom and never the ground for courage.
Idolatry is always the misplacing of trust. It is trusting something or someone as being more trustworthy than you.
The questions Lord, I have always been stalked by questions. How can I trust you? For what can I trust you? In what way can I rely on you?
This is the bottom line for me. I pray that I am right. Show me more. I trust you never to abandon me and to grant me the grace to meet anything that comes my way.
I place my trust in you.
PERSONAL PRAYERS
As God to grow the spirit of trust in God within you.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen
a One Heb Ms Gk Syr Jerome: MT I hate
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Psalm 31
Lord,
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I’ve been in several worship services and have certainly prayed along the way but it’s been a long time since I have sat with the poet and contemplated your presence. It’s been a while since I’ve prayed the Psalm.
Why? I’ve been travelling a lot and I’ve been busy and it’s not been convenient. And, for reasons that I do not know, I found this Psalm to be intimidating. It’s feels long. I know that longer ones are coming but this seems like a lot.
And since I am confessing, I’m feeling a bit of repetition. The newness of the thing has worn off and you know how I with routine. I am addicted to periodic doses of adrenalin, the rush that comes with things new. Staying with things has never been the strength of my life.
Lord, make these moments fruitful. Grant to me your presence, your Spirit.
Psalm 31 (NRSV)
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
Lord,
The poet is praying for deliverance from defeat and failure. To speak the obvious, he wants to win. And he believes that he deserves to win, that he really should win, because his cause is your cause.
He is anxious and fearful and decidedly short of confidence. (Who hasn’t been in that place?) So he declares that he is taking refuge Lord, in you. He wants you to do for him what he cannot do for himself.
You, he prays, you are capable of stepping up and saving the day. In his anxiety, he deliberately speaks of your ability to save and he calls you his Rock and Fortress.
Lord, I don’t want to fail either. I don’t want to be caught in the net of frustration and incompetence. So, with the poet I pray, be my strength, my fortress, my rock, my protection and my guide. May your cause be mine and grant me victory in it.
PERSONAL PRAYERS
Give your fear and anxiety to God and ask God to be your rock and fortress.
Ask God to make the intentions of your life consistent with God’s purpose and character.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1]
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I’ve been in several worship services and have certainly prayed along the way but it’s been a long time since I have sat with the poet and contemplated your presence. It’s been a while since I’ve prayed the Psalm.
Why? I’ve been travelling a lot and I’ve been busy and it’s not been convenient. And, for reasons that I do not know, I found this Psalm to be intimidating. It’s feels long. I know that longer ones are coming but this seems like a lot.
And since I am confessing, I’m feeling a bit of repetition. The newness of the thing has worn off and you know how I with routine. I am addicted to periodic doses of adrenalin, the rush that comes with things new. Staying with things has never been the strength of my life.
Lord, make these moments fruitful. Grant to me your presence, your Spirit.
Psalm 31 (NRSV)
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
Lord,
The poet is praying for deliverance from defeat and failure. To speak the obvious, he wants to win. And he believes that he deserves to win, that he really should win, because his cause is your cause.
He is anxious and fearful and decidedly short of confidence. (Who hasn’t been in that place?) So he declares that he is taking refuge Lord, in you. He wants you to do for him what he cannot do for himself.
You, he prays, you are capable of stepping up and saving the day. In his anxiety, he deliberately speaks of your ability to save and he calls you his Rock and Fortress.
Lord, I don’t want to fail either. I don’t want to be caught in the net of frustration and incompetence. So, with the poet I pray, be my strength, my fortress, my rock, my protection and my guide. May your cause be mine and grant me victory in it.
PERSONAL PRAYERS
Give your fear and anxiety to God and ask God to be your rock and fortress.
Ask God to make the intentions of your life consistent with God’s purpose and character.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1]
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989
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