Praying the Psalms

A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites. 1) Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. 2) beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 3) Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense. 4) Then the kings assembled; they came on together. 5) As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight; 6) trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor, 7) as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish. 8) As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever. Selah 9) We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. 10) Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your rig

Jump to end of psalm To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. 1) I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 2) I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3) When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you. 4) For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment. 5) You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6) The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 7) But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment. 8) He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity. 9) The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,

WARNING: A disturbing image showing brutal wounds of a self-liberated formerly enslaved man follows the psalm text. A Song of Ascents 1) Often have they attacked me from my youth —let Israel now say— 2) often have they attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. 3) The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long. 4) The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. 5) May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward. 6) Let them be like the grass on the housetops that withers before it grows up, 7) with which reapers do not fill their hands or binders of sheaves their arms, 8) while those who pass by do not say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!” Psalm 129 Not included in the Revised Common Lectionary. The shocking photo tells a small piece of the shameful histo

A Song of Ascents 1) Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways 2) You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you. 3) Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4) Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. 5) The Lord bless you from Zion May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6) May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel! Psalm 128 Not included in the Revised Common Lectionary. This is the hope, right? That walking in the way of the Lord will lead to peace and prosperity. It's a beautiful dream, and no one can be faulted for wanting the full goodness of life. Good work and good rewards. A marriage relationship that is blessed. The psalm speaks of fertility, but I i

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. 1) Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. 2) How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 3) But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 4) When you are disturbed do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah 5) Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 6) There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” 7) You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound. 8) I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. Psalm 4 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B I