Psalm 89

Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, ...
   ...  Blessed be the Lord forever!  Amen and Amen.

Lord, no matter my circumstance, the questions, the oppression; please help me to bless Your Name.

Psalm 88

O Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before You.  Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry!

Father, I praise You that You are also God of my salvation.  I am so grateful that You are never off-duty, You are always God and You always hear.  Please help me to pray prayers which are worthy of Your attention, which promote Your Kingdom cause, which bring You glory.   Keep me from prayers which concern only me; which seek to serve my need, want, self; which bathe me in comfort and luxury - as I am effortlessly addicted to the "niceties"  of this age.  I am so easily overwhelmed; but You are God, my God.  What You have for me, You will see me through, You will not leave me nor forsake me.  May I never grow weary of knowing that.  May I delight myself in You, regardless of the emotion, the adventure, the audience.  You, not me. 

Psalm 87

Lord God, I don’t really understand this psalm. I think it’s kind of cool that I don’t get this on a heart-level, even though I wish I had the knowledge to understand the significance of these words. What You have inspired me with in this passage is the fact that You have personal relationships with tons of other people throughout history and their stories are different from mine. Some so much so that I can’t relate to their praise of You. You are infinite. The mystery blesses me. Thank You for the unexpected revelation.

Psalm 86

Teach me your ways, O Lord,
    that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
    so that I may honor you.

Make it so, my Lord and my God.  Teach, illumine, grow me up for Your Name's sake.  And I praise You for Your Holy Sign of favor.  Thank You.

Psalm 85

Thank You Jesus, Truth has come from the earth as death was defeated by You.   Your supreme and ever-sufficient sacrifice yields the divine righteousness we could not attain yet desperately need.  In You, flawless and faithful love is superbly married to absolute and accomplished verity.  You are Peace and Righteousness, Love and Truth, God and Man, Sacrifice and Savior, Lord Jesus.  And You are for me.  I am awed and so grateful.  No words exist to adequately convey what You have done for me and my response.  I pray that my life will begin to reflect my gratitude, as all eternity could and should be spent in response to Your grace to me.  I thank You.  And that You would continue to provide me salvation that I may not return to my foolish ways.  O, Lord Jesus, please help me to recognize the tricks and lies of the enemy, the snares which are set to capture Your children, the ridiculousness of living in any way apart from You.  May I embrace Your words, model Your example and live in Holy Spiritual response to such temptations and falseness that Your glory will fill the land and that I would be free.  Only by Your hand, Your grace and Your Spirit, only for Your Name, Your Kingdom and Your purpose.  Lord, may I honor You today.

Psalm 84

A psalm of the descendants of Korah ... I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.  For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.   He gives us grace and glory.

This speaks to me for when I think of Korah, I think of the fiasco of Korah.  So the descendants of Korah bear that same association to me.  I don't know if they ever had a chance to be individuals, separate from their history, (oh, Lord, I pray that each one got to know You personally and they allowed You to redeem their stories and their heritage).  But here is their psalm proclaiming their preference to being a doorman in God's home rather than living it up in Evil-town.  They declare God as Lord, the Sun and the Shield; the Source of Grace and Glory.  They get that it's not status, not social standing, not stuff.  The sons of the chastened give praise to God the Lord.  Not bitter, not resentful, not whining or justifying. May my words be as worshipful and honoring, especially after correction.  May discipline increase my faith and praise, may godly and grace disciplines fill my life story and my legacy.  To the praise of Your very great Name.

Psalm 83

Then they will learn that You alone are called the Lord, that You alone are the Most High, Supreme over all the earth.

God, Lord of All, Your own people struggle with this knowledge, with obedience to this truth. Help us all to be still and know know know that You are God, the Sovereign Lord of the Universe, Creator, Savior and Covenant-Keeper. That the world may know, too.

Psalm 82

But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core. 

Oh, God, please help me remember to pray with this in mind, that the bad guys are wandering about in darkness. Please allow me to be sensitive to pray for the oppressors and not just against them. I lift the victims, the perpetrators, those willfully and ignorantly immune to the acts, those shaken and those doing the shaking to You. Please help Your Bride to lift up Your sacred standard, to magnify Your Name, to winsomely model Your characteristics to the darkness, to be the light You have called us and equipped us to be. Please supply the needs of those oppressed, give grace, comfort and peace to those hurting and shaken. Show Your might Self to those Who need Your presence. Reveal Yourself to those who act against Your purposes, Your people, Your Name that they may respond to You.

Psalm 81

Oh, that my people would listen to me!

Oh, Lord, help me to hear You better.  Holy Spirit, unstop my ears and settle my mind that I would comprehend the words You have for me.  Allow Your words to flood my soul, Holy Spirit cause a tsunami of Yourself that You may accomplish all that You have for me, in me, through me, of me - that You may be made famous, that Your Name would be known, that Your greatness would be proclaimed as I follow You, walking in Your path.  That I would experience and witness to Your perfect satisfaction of this hungry and needy life.

Psalm 80

Turn us again to Yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.  Make Your face shine down upon us.   Only then will we be saved.  Revive us so we can call on Your Name once more. 

O Lord God of Hosts, You have not turned, we have.  Please turn us to Yourself, again.  Holy Spirit, don't let us, me, turn away from my God, my Lord, my Savior.  

You are the sole source of salvation.  If You do not revive us/me, if You do not turn us, if You do not answer, we are undone.  You are the Name by which we are called.  Without You, we are lost.  Nothing. Thank You for not giving up on us.  I know You know the end from the beginning; but to this temporal, linear, step-by-step-kinda-gal, the fact that Your constant presence, Your immutable, unscrutable, indescribable glorious Self is with me - convicting, turning, drawing, loving, reviving, listening, answering, being with me - filling me with Your presence, peace, joy, love, mind, ... Your qualities, Your thoughts, Your purpose - just blows my concentration.  You are amazing.  I am graced, by You.   Thank You.

Psalm 79

Help us, O God of our salvation!  Help us for the glory of Your Name.  Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of Your Name.

You have established the covenant,made the pledge by Your Name,  fulfilled the promise, the promise we could not keep.  Your Name is at stake, Your Word is good and faithful.  You are our single salvation, our only help; for the glory and honor of Your very great Name - You save.  You keep Your Word.  Thank You.  Praise You.  All glory and honor to You.  And thank You that we are still praising Your greatness from generation to generation.  Even now.  May Your praise echo into eternity from our lines.

Psalm 78

We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. …He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands…. They repented and took God seriously.

How will they know unless we steward well the trust You have given us? We are part of Your plan to reveal Yourself. Find me faithful. That my generation, and the next may repent and take You seriously. That generations all over the world may set its hope on You! Lord, You are worthy!

Psalm 77

Your road led through the sea, Your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!

Lord, grant me sight, insight and discernment to see Your road, Your peregrination of peace, Your Highway of Holiness. May I journey with You on the way of Your design. God, I will not know about it unless You show me, I will not choose it unless You take me, I will not stay on it unless You escort me. Even when the road makes no sense to others, I want to travel with You. I want You to define my adventure, I want You to map my route, I want the pathway which pleases You. I choose, by Your grace, the odyssey of God – my God-yssey, the passage You have prepared or me. May I bring You glory and make You famous on the highway, the byway and the roadstops of my life.

Psalm 76

Human defiance only enhances Your glory, for You use it as a weapon.

Do You really have any enemies, Lord God?  You are glorious and more majestic that the everlasting mountains!  I know no one poses a threat to You, while they may believe they are against You, delighting in their actions and plans to foil their "enemy"; but their rebellion "only enhances Your glory, for You us it as a weapon."  Lord, You are surely Lord over all.  I thank You for Your grace-power and sacred wisdom in dealing with those who come against me as coming against You.  Lord, I pray that You would break my prideful inclinations like the fiery arrows that I would fear You rightfully.  May I honor You and make Your Name great in my day, my life, my legacy.

Psalm 75

For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.”

Lord God, You are our Power, our Strength, our Might.  Please increase in us, in me that You would be better displayed through Your children.  Have Your glorious way with me, for Your Name's sake and that i might live according to the call You have designed me for.

Psalm 74

Don’t let these wild beasts destroy your turtledoves. (for You care for the smallest details)
Don’t forget your suffering people forever.  (You never forget and You know suffering, have mercy)

Remember your covenant promises,  (You, my Covenant God, never forget, please help me see you in these circumstances.  May I increasingly trust Your Name right where I am)
    for the land is full of darkness and violence!  (and You are Light, You have made me light to this world, You are Peace and have invited me to be a peace-maker, too.  Lord God, grant me grace-strength and wisdom to be who You created me to be in this dimming and dangerous place.  I plead mercy for those areas of creation where darkness is blackness and violence is deathly; don't forget Your suffering people, Lord, I know how much more You think of them than turtledoves.  Meet them right where they find themselves, strengthen, encourage, comfort, revive them.  for Your Name's sake.  Lord, may i be useful to You for these times.  thank You.)

Psalm 73

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.  ... Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.   You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Lord, You save me every day, every moment.  I don't even know how well You save me.  I am so prone to wander, to stumble and slip; but You continually hold me and guide me.  Drawing me nearer to Your glory.  You are my Counselor, Your Word is my Counsel.  Thank You, thank You, thank You.  May I walk more steadfastly with You, that I may declare all the works of Your Name.

Psalm 72

One thing which strikes me hard is the focus that royal Solomon places on the poor and the needy and on justice, righteousness, sparing, delivering bringing peace to them.  What an unexpected path for a psalm of a former prince and current king to offer.  Only You God can instruct a person in truth, only You can give the right heart priorities.  To cause a sovereign to value the poor can only be by Your gracious wisdom and Spirit.  Make Your agenda mine.   Make my path as unexpected as You desire - just make sure it brings You glory.

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.  Yes, and amen, once again.

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. How sad for Sol to have penned these words, I know You gave him grace to walk through the grief and dawn of his reign.  I thank You for that tenderness.   Lord, I lift up those who are grieving today, who have suffered loss, who are facing an anniversary of loss, who can't see beyond or behind the loss.  Holy God of All Comfort, please grant them mercy and grace to wake up, embrace today, cry, laugh, see You, experience Your presence, sleep well, start again.  To engage.  To respond.  To trust.  Father, You know; please show them Your love, Your presence, Your kindness,  Your wondrous works today.  Blessed be Your glorious Name forever and ever and ever again and always.  My God.

Psalm 71

In You, O Lord, I put my trust, may I start each day with this declaration. You are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I choose this day to declare Your wondrous works and may I never cease declaring Your Name and Your wonders in each day You provide me. You, Who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again. I praise You for revival. I praise You that You give life, continually. I thank You for the troubles which You have shown me, for You are my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Need-Meeter, my Life-Giver, my Life-Restorer. My Reviver. Thank You. Have Your way with me.

Psalm 70

But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.

O Great God, my Sovereign and Lord, I am poor and I am needy. Please help me to never forget how needy and inadequate I am, how indebted to You I am. I praise You for Your Help and for Your sacred deliverance everyday. I am so grateful that You do not delay needlessly; but perfectly and purposely act and supply. You are gracious to me, You are generous, You are faithful. Thank You! I lift up to Your Saving Name those for whom I intercede for salvation, help, deliverance, wholeness. God, grant them heart vision to see their need, their utter insufficiency for this life and the eternal, grant them faith to believe the Answer is You, faith to receive Your Son, the Messiah, has their own, grace-bathed strength to respond and a sense of urgency to call on You today. O lord, do not delay. For Your Name’s sake, for Your Kingdom’s sake, for Your children’s sake. Lord, help, deliver, without delay. I praise You and look for Your hand today.

Psalm 69

But as for me, my prayer is to You …I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

Lord God, may my prayers always be to You. Let me not trust in the name of another or the deceptive power or attraction of another. My prayers belong to You. Alone. May I praise Your Name, magnify You with gratitude. That thanksgiving and praise would ever be in my heart and on my lips. Please stifle the grumbling and complaining – I am spoiled; but desire to be who You created me to be rather than who I think I am or what I believe I am entitled to. Why do some things matter so much. Grant me perspective born of godly wisdom and sacred priorities. Teach me to lay the crunchy outer things aside and to disregard that which pulls me away from Your Kingdom lifestyle. And Lord, I pray that I would let my heart revive in my pursuit of You. May I always seek You, always desire You, always find delight in You and Your Name. You alone, my God and my Father, my Savior and my Friend, my Counselor and my Seal. Seal me for thy courts above.

Psalm 68

Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah ... O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.  The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.  Blessed be God!

You don't have to; but You do.  You are more awesome than anything You do, anywhere You are, anyway You act.  You exceed Your characteristics.  I praise You.  I am so grateful that You would bother with revealing Yourself to the reckless, rebellion creation.  That You would love us and load us up with constant grace and blessings.  How You love us.  I thank You.  May I ever walk in response to Your persistent grace.

Psalm 67

Thank You Lord for this hymnal of Your chosen people. Thank You for preserving it for us.

God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That Your way may be known on earth ...

We need You to act in mercy that we may walk in Your way, that we may know Your way, that all things may be done on earth as they are in Heaven. That praising and gladness would accompany God’s reign and righteous judgments throughout all nations. Oh, Lord, grant them eyes to see and hearts to comprehend, spirits to respond to You. In mercy, please bless.

Psalm 66

Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. … If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

When my circumstances stink, when I am pressed, when the spiritual pressures bear down on me; I can shout for joy to God, I can sing the glory of His Name and make His praise glorious – o, God Spirit, teach me how to make Your praise glorious. It’s my choice – my privilege to focus on Him and not me. Not that the situation changes; but my attitude, my perspective, my outlook are improved as i willingly divert the attention from myself to my God. May i cherish my Lord rather than sin in my heart or the discomfort of my circumstances. I praise You, Father God, for You not only hear; but You listen to my prayers. Thank You so much for accepting/receiving my prayers and dispensing, bestowing, blessing me with Your steadfast love. Your love is too great for me to comprehend; but I need it. I need You. I praise You.

Psalm 65

Praise awaits you, our God  - let me not delay in praising You today.You who answer prayer - may i never stop praying to my faithful and attentive God.
I am forgiven, blessed and filled by You and Your pure goodness.  How can I thank You well?
Nature, creation, the very earth respond rightly to You; may it be true of me, as well.  You are worthy.

Psalm 64

... wicked evildoers ... sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. ... But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.

Man's arrows versus God's.  Man's words are instruments of destruction and death, poisoned with nefarious intent.  God apprehends the perpetrators of evil, those who would perpetuate wickedness and those same malevolent malcontents participate in the proclamation of God's works. 

Lord God, the purpose of the darts of the iniquitous is death; Your purpose is life.  Even the abhorrent will join the chorus of God's praise as a response to His actions against their arrows.  I can't begin to comprehend how this plays out, I don't know how God-haters will be turned into God-praisers; but I know that all will bow and worship.  I love how You exact worship from those who set their hearts against You.  You are worthy.  You alone.  Father, I desire to be a participant in Your culture of life, even though my tongue can be deal hurtful truculence and vitriolic rants.  I give my tongue, my heart and my mind to You, Holy One, that You may change them and guard them to the satisfaction of Your Name.

Psalm 63

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Lord, my experience with You and Your gloriousness in Your sanctuary is beyond compare.  You are omnipotent, omnipresent, omni-love, omni-faithful and omni-glorious.  I pray that I would completely believe, really live in response to the truth that Your steadfast love is better than life.  In and out of the sanctuary, not just on Sundays.  That my lips would ever-glorify You, beyond the corporate worship.  Outside the sanctuary.  That I would comprehend that I am Your sanctuary, that I would see You and behold Your power and glory in the dailyness of my little life.  I bring the sanctuary with me.  And You are in Your sanctuary.  I praise You.

Psalm 62

My salvation and my honor depend on God ...

Lord, it is a simple matter to trust You with my life, my salvation.  You are trustworthy and Your love is unfailing.  Oh, Father, how I struggle with the honor portion.  Yet this is where the living to You and dying to me is played out - how I actually trust You with my props, my reputation, my "name" - my honor.  I am sad that this is still an area where You must deal with me.  God, help me not to love me so much; that I may be freed to love You more - more responsively, more audaciously, more publicly, more genuinely.  Help me learn the art of self-forgetfulness.  Make me a better reflection of You - which really means I have to get out of the picture frame.  Oh, to know You and love You more.  Please make it so, Holy Spirit.  Grant me no rest, (even as I wish to rest now), as You cultivate that which will yield a life well-given to You.

Psalm 61

… lead me to the rock that is higher than I …

Holy Spirit, You Who teaches and reminds me of all things, Who gives me counsel, Who guides me into all truth, I thank You for Your faithful presence in my life and mind. Please, Holy Spirit, lead me out of myself and my affinity for the physical, the visible, the tangible; that I may recognize the Kingdom at hand. This world, my flesh and my reactions want to exalt the here and now; but in doing that, I will miss that higher place, the realm of eternality and Kingdom participation. I will choose the graspable rather than the attainable, if You do not lead me to the beyond-me, the divine cliff which sees and surveys from the sacred perspective. Remind me that I do not come to a Brobdingnagian terminus; rather a rock that is higher than I. I do not want to be defined, fettered and boundaried by this world. I want You. I choose Your path. Lead me. Take me. away from me.

Psalm 6p

You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.  You have shown our people desperate times; You have given us wine that makes us stagger....Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered....Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.

What You shake continues to quake.  Your power is staggering, we can't handle what is common to You.   Man's efforts may be much and mighty; but they are worthless to meet the need, the enemy, the problem.   They fail to avail.  Resistance in cooperation with You, Your love and Your excellent purpose yields triumph for Your children.   We need Your salvation, Your divine aid, Your deliverance. Only from You. Only by You.  Only for You.  I am Yours, have Your way with me.

Psalm 59

Deliver me, protect me, save me, meet me
My Strength, my Fortress, my God, our Shield, my Refuge
I watch, I sing, I praise, I receive Your love

Lord, may i remember what it is You do and what it is i am to do.  You are my Deliverer, my Protector, My Savior, the One Who Sees me and never forsakes me.  I am not these things, i am not qualified to do these things.  You have qualified me for Your salvation - thank You.  To You alone may i cry out, watch, sing, praise, and receive Your love in faith, expectant hope and audacious confidence.  None other; but You, my very great God.