Praying the Psalms

Jump to end of psalm A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer. 1) With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord. 2) I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3) When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 4) Look on my right hand and see— there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me. 5) I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6) Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 7) Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me. Psalm 142 Not included in the Revised Common L...

Jump to end of psalm A Song of Ascents. 1) I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? 2) My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3) He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4) He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5) The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6) The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7) The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8) The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. Psalm 121 2nd Sunday of Lent, Year A Proper 24, Sunday between October 16 and October 22, Year C This much beloved song is frequently turned to in time of crisis or trouble. I remember it as the first scripture read in James Chapel on September 11, 2001, shortly before I headed ...

Jump to end of psalm For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song. 1) May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. 2) May you blow them away like smoke— as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. 3) But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. 4) Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. 5) A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6) God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. 7) When you, God, went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, 8) the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Is...

Jump to end of psalm 1) Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? 2) The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 3) “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.” 4) He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. 5) Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6) “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” 7) I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. 8) Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9) You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10) Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11) Serve the L...