Category: psalms

In the school of prayer with Eugene Peterson

 

Here are some extracts on the topic of prayer by Eugene Peterson from his book, Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer.

 
 

I

What is essential in prayer is not that we learn to express ourselves, but that we learn to answer God. The psalms show us how to answer. (p. 6)

II

The practice of Christians in praying the Psalms is straightforward: simply pray through the Psalms, psalm by psalm, regularly. … That’s it: open our Bibles to the book of Psalms and prayer them – sequentially, regularly, faithfully across a lifetime. This is how most Christians for most of the Christian centuries have matured in prayer. Nothing fancy. Just do it. The praying itself is deliberate and leisurely, letting (as St. Benedict directed) the motions of the heart come into harmony with the movements of the lips. (p. 7)

III

All the psalms are prayers in community: people assembled, attentive before God, participating in a common posture, movement and speech, offering themselves and each other to their Lord. Prayer is not a private exercise, but a family convocation. … the believing community at worship, at regular times and in assigned places, is the base of prayer. All the psalms were prayed in such communities. … The primary use of prayer in not for expressing ourselves, but in becoming ourselves, and we cannot do that alone. (p. 18-19)

IV

Human beings are in trouble most of the time. Those who don’t know they are in trouble are in the worst trouble. Prayer is the language of the people who are in trouble and know it, and who believe or hope that God can get them out. (p. 36)

V

We do better to simply enter the sequence of psalms as they are given to us in the Psalms, go from one to the next, one day to the next, one week to the next, taking what comes, learning to enter into what comes, whatever, practicing a sense of the presence of God, deepening that awareness into colloquy* with God. (p. 108)

 
*  colloquy: dialogue, conversation, heart-to-heart

So I answered

Psalm 40:1-8, The Message (translated by Eugene Peterson)

I waited and waited and waited for God.
    At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
    pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
    to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
    a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
    they enter the mystery,
    abandoning themselves to God.

Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
    turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,”
    ignore what the world worships;
The world’s a huge stockpile
    of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
    compares to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
    and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
    account for you.

Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
    that’s not what you’re after.
Being religious, acting pious—
    that’s not what you’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears
    so I can listen.

So I answered, “I’m coming.
    I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
    you’re throwing for me.”
That’s when God’s Word entered my life,
    became part of my very being.
 

From the blog
In the school of prayer with Anselm
In the school of prayer with Michael Mayne
In the school of prayer with Ignatius of Loyola
 

Our help is in the name of the Lord

 
Psalm for Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, RCL Year A

Psalm 133

A litany: a sung response alternating with spoken word (preferably with feeling)

 

 

 
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth

v 1-3
1 If the LORD had not been on our side—
      let Israel say—
2 if the LORD had not been on our side
      when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive
      when their anger flared against us;

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth

v 1a, 4-5
1a If the LORD had not been on our side
4 the flood would have engulfed us,
      the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters
      would have swept us away.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth

v 6-7
6 Praise be to the LORD,
      who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
      from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
      and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth

 

From the blog
my help / your protector
First steps
Prayer poem: Not forsaken
 

Good, how good

 
Psalm for Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, RCL Year A

Psalm 133

A litany: a sung response alternating with spoken word (preferably with feeling)

 

 

 
Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

v 1
1 How good and pleasant it is
      when God’s people live together in unity!

Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

v 2
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
      running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
      down on the collar of his robe.

Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

v 3
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
      were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
      even life forevermore.

Good, how good, so good, so pleasant
when the people of God come together as one

 

From the blog
Theme: Good news  [prayer sheet]
Quiet my heart
Change … like little children
 

Seek the Lord and His strength

 
Psalm for Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, RCL Year A

Psalm 105:1-6 (optional ending: 16-22)

A litany: a sung response alternating with spoken word (preferably with feeling)

 

 

 
Seek the Lord, keep on seeking
Seek His presence; seek His strength

v 1-2
1  Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
      make known among the nations what he has done.
2  Sing to him, sing praise to him;
      tell of all his wonderful acts.

Seek the Lord, keep on seeking
Seek His presence; seek His strength

v 3-4
3  Glory in his holy name;
      let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4  Look to the LORD and his strength;
      seek his face always.

Seek the Lord, keep on seeking
Seek His presence; seek His strength

v 5-6
5  Remember the wonders he has done,
      his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6  you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
      his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

Seek the Lord, keep on seeking
Seek His presence; seek His strength

 
OPTIONAL ENDING
v 16-22 (about Joseph in Egypt)
(Refrain)

 

From the blog
Guest post: Memories of the hurricane
All my days and forever
Interpreting the times
 

I call on you, my God

 
Psalm for Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, RCL Year A

Psalm 17:1-7, 15

A litany with a sung response alternating with spoken word (preferably with feeling).

 

 

 
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer
 

v 1-3
1  Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
      listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
      it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2  Let my vindication come from you;
      may your eyes see what is right.
3  Though you probe my heart,
      though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
      my mouth has not transgressed.
 

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer

 
v 4-5
4  Though people tried to bribe me,
      I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
      through what your lips have commanded.
5  My steps have held to your paths;
      my feet have not stumbled.
 

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer
 

v 7, 15
7  Show me the wonders of your great love,
      you who save by your right hand
      those who take refuge in you from their foes.
15  As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
      when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
 

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer
 

From the blog
On Writing Prayer-Poems
We bring our stories
In the school of prayer with Brother Lawrence
 

Wait … strong, courageous, stubborn


 
 

Whatever befall, I know this for sure:
      I shall see the goodness of the Lord
            in the land of the living.
So wait for the Lord;
      be strong, be courageous, be stubborn;
      but wait for the Lord.

 
 
excerpt from Psalm 27
from The Lincoln Psalter by the poet, Gordon Jackson
 

From the blog
Change from the inside out
Grow how?
Big strong tree
 

Who do you work for?


Cooking/social event with my work colleagues  (Photo: Irene Bom)

 
This November I celebrate ten years as a Church of Scotland minister of word and sacrament. It’s a significant part of my life, but so is my work as a software developer.

I’m following in the footsteps of the apostle Paul who supported himself and his team by earning his keep as a tentmaker.

Not only did tentmaking provide an income, it also gave Paul a unique opportunity to interact with people at all levels of society: customers like the well-to-do and the military, his suppliers, other market stallholders as well as the general public. During his lunch break Paul would preach to whoever was willing to listen. Moving from city to city, marketplace to marketplace, the seeds of the gospel were sown and the church grew.
 

For reflection

In one of his letters Paul gives us a clue to his motivation when he writes, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col 3:23-24)

How might God use us, with our gifts and connections, to serve him in the workplace? Or, to quote Nick Abraham, how do we “grace” our workplace and “represent the gospel well”?
 

Digging deeper: God’s perspective on work

Website: https://www.theologyofwork.org
Biblical reflections on work: Labor Day is …
Blog post by Nick Abraham: 5 Ways to Grace Your Workplace
 

23rd Psalm for the Workplace

The Lord is my boss, and I shall not want.

He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.
He gently reminds me to pray
and do all things without murmuring and complaining.
He reminds me that he is my source and not my job.

He restores my sanity every day and guides my decisions,
that I might honour him in all that I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of emails,
system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks,
gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors,
and an aging body that doesn’t cooperate every morning,
I still will not stop…..for He is with me!
His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through.

He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me.
He claims me as His own,
even when the company threatens to let me go.
His faithfulness and love are better than any bonus check.
His retirement plan beats every 401K* there is!

And, when it’s all said and done,
I’ll be working for Him a whole lot longer…..
and for that, I BLESS HIS NAME!!!

from re-worship.blogspot.com

* 401K: U.S. retirement savings plan

From the blog || Psalm 23 in different guises
Theme: Spurred on by prayer (PRAYER SHEET)
Quiet near a little stream

HW18 #6: He suffered abandonment


(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)

 
Mark 14:50
Then everyone deserted him and fled.

 

 
Psalm 22:11
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

 
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Prayer for Holy Week

Jesus said,
“Can you be baptised with the baptism I must be baptised with?”

Lord, we seek to feel your sadness,
we seek to share your tears.

O Christ, help us to become one with you.
In your defenceless love,
    teach us the grace of self-offering.
In your weakness,
    teach us the grace of acceptance.
In your betrayal,
    teach us the grace of forgiveness.
In your testings,
    teach us the grace of believing.

source: Prayer Rhythms: Fourfold patterns for each day (The Celtic Prayer Book, Volume One), by Ray Simpson, p. 288
 

HW18 #5: He suffered treachery


(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)

 
Mark 14:43-45
Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him.

 

 
Psalm 22:12-13
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

 
2 Timothy 4:11
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for Holy Week

Jesus said,
“Can you be baptised with the baptism I must be baptised with?”

Lord, we seek to feel your sadness,
we seek to share your tears.

O Christ, help us to become one with you.
In your defenceless love,
    teach us the grace of self-offering.
In your weakness,
    teach us the grace of acceptance.
In your betrayal,
    teach us the grace of forgiveness.
In your testings,
    teach us the grace of believing.

source: Prayer Rhythms: Fourfold patterns for each day (The Celtic Prayer Book, Volume One), by Ray Simpson, p. 288

From the blog: 2017 Windows on Holy Week
(with photos of the Holy Land by Kate McDonald)