Psalm 118

I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

What is success?

Here it is a breaking out, a rushing out.

Think of a spring breaking out from rock;

Or a flower opening to the sun;

Or a savior emerging from the tomb.

Psalm 118

Psalm 88

Every day I call on you, O Lord;
I spread out my hands to you.
Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the shades rise up to praise you?
Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

The psalmist was being rhetorical, even ironic.

Yet many Christians believe that even, perhaps especially, the dead praise God.

In the Apostles' Creed we read that Jesus, "descended to the dead."

Many believe God's presence and steadfast love extends even beyond the grave.

Many believe the greatest wonder was worked out in darkness and silence.

Psalm 88

Psalm 54

With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

This is an interesting psalm to assign for Good Friday.

As we recall the tortured death of Jesus, what should me make of "delivered me from every trouble."

The freewill-offering of Jesus was profound self-sacrifice.

Jesus was not protected from every trouble, rather he was made more vulnerable.

There are twenty-three Hebrew words that, given context, can be translated as deliver.

This is נָצַל or natsal. In most contexts, I read this as a synonym for protect.

There is, though, a verse from Isaiah that may suggest what is meant here:

"But this is a people plundered and despoiled; All of them are trapped in caves, Or are hidden away in prisons; They have become a prey with none to deliver them, And a spoil, with none to say, "Give them back !" (Isaiah 42:22)

There is none to deliver them -- and they are plundered and despoiled because, "You have seen many things, but you do not observe them; Your ears are open, but none hears." (Verse 20)

Deliverance requires cooperation, even more: collaboration; our active engagement with God in co-creating. The means for transcending troubles is to make ourselves more vulnerable to troubles.

Psalm 54

Post 143

Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.

My wife and I were on our evening walk.

From some distant hillside we each heard a deep whine.

"It sounds like a Tibetan prayer horn," I said amazed.

"More like a chain saw," she suggested.

I am glad to have imagined the prayer horn.

I am glad to have been corrected.

May I find a path that is neither too steep, nor too low, but a level path that reflects the full reality of God.

Post 143

Psalm 74

Have regard for your covenant,
for the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of violence.
Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
Rise up, O God, plead your cause;
remember how the impious scoff at you all day long.

There is a legal gloss that might result in "plead your cause."

But this is only one possibility.

The Hebrew is רִיב or riyb, also means to contend, strive, engage.

It is the same verb found in Isaiah 27:8: "You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind."

Contend with us. Strive with us. Engage with us. And we with you.

Psalm 74

Psalm 94

Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who contrive mischief by statute?
They band together against the life of the righteous,
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
He will repay them for their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.

"He will repay them for their iniquity," does not capture the full reciprocity of the Hebrew.

God will cause wicked rulers to experience the evil they contrived for others.

Elsewhere we are assured of God's love and care for innocent victims.

There will continue to be, however, innocent victims.

To remind us, we have been given the cross.

Psalm 94

Psalm 51

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Three days ago our lips were the cause of wickedness (Psalm 141).

Today they offer praise.

The difference is the character of our heart: inner being, soul, mind, persona.

In each psalm we have been seduced.

Friday we were tempted to self-indulgence. Here we are self-sacrificing.

Psalm 51

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken word.
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers that do his will.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The Greek for blessed, as used in the beatitudes, can mean happy.

I don't perceive that meaning in the Hebrew.

While Jesus was often paradoxical, he avoided the oxymoronic:

Happy are those who mourn?

Happy are those who suffer?

What I perceive is a sense of being, specifically being in profound relationship.

Be in profound relationship with That Which Exists, O you angels,

Be in profound relationship with That Which Exists, all who struggle,

Be in profound relationship with That Which Exists, all created things,

Be in profound relationship with That Which Exists, O my soul.

Psalm 103

Psalm 43

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.

Two of the psalms assigned for today (also 42) close with this internal monologue.

Why, how, when, what, how long... the Hebrew מָה or mah is an all purpose interrogatory.

These are perpetual questions, never entirely resolved... at least in this life.

Yet we are to hope, wait, expect answers.

To hope in God is to have faith in possibilities beyond our understanding.

Psalm 43

Psalm 141

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not turn my heart to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work iniquity;
do not let me eat of their delicacies.

Translated here as delicacies, לָחַם or lacham means to devour.

But it is most commonly translated as to fight or do battle.

Evil can be delicate, delectable, it appeals to deep desires.

Evil promises to fulfill our longing, even as it deepens our addictions.

Evil enthralls, evil flatters, evil entices.

Psalm 141

Psalm 140

Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,
who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers.

In Hebrew evil is the outcome of breaking apart.

Good is wholeness. Evil is separateness.

Violent acts and poisonous words divide.

We are created for and encouraged to the opposite.

Psalm 140

Psalm 130

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

How should we wait?

The Hebrew is קָוָה or qavah.

This is to hope, expect, eagerly expect.

Psalm 130

Psalm 124

Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.

How often do we escape without noticing?

Just before being caught? Without recognizing the danger?

I have known a few close-calls. With a second's difference I might have been devoured. But a second the other way and I might not have seen any danger at all.

God of love help me be aware of your presence in every context.

May every sense I have be alive to your creation and intention.

Psalm 124

Psalm 23

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.

We may encounter deep darkness.

We may know the shadow of death.

We may encounter evil.

We may be broken, divided, and in pain.

But we need not be afraid.

Psalm 23

Psalm 17

If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.
As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.

Who could confidently claim that God would "find no wickedness in me"?

I am not sure even the Psalmist meant quite that.

What I read in the Hebrew is that the psalmist has been tried and tested. He has been examined and refined - as heat refines silver - until nothing is left.

Not only no wickedness, but nothing. It is a new beginning.

May I begin this day and each day empowered by God's grace.

Psalm 17

Psalm 7

Rise up, O Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake, O my God; you have appointed a judgement.
Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you,
and over it take your seat on high.
The Lord judges the peoples;
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.

I read the psalms as an expression of the human struggle to know God.

Mostly we impose on God human limitations or we make an idol of our fantasies.

Yet God is present, observable, and discernible.

From scripture and more we have some sense of an unfolding encounter with God.

We can mindfully engage God in the present moment.

Knowing God's judgment and future is, I think, beyond our capacity.

Psalm 7

Psalm 107

Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.

Somehow I heard Prince Charles read this psalm at the funeral of Lord Mountbatten.

The ceremony was on September 5, 1979. Standing at the great lectionary in Westminster Abbey, dressed in full uniform, the then young prince read the words with a dignity and feeling that has remained with me for over thirty years.

The psalm was especially apt. The Earl had been assassinated by bomb hidden in his boat by terrorists.

The psalm was followed by singing I vow to thee my country.

Authentic worship honors our human potential even as it calls us to deep humility.

Psalm 107

Psalm 103

Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

The Hebrew בָּרַך or barak means to bless, translated above as praise.

Praise is part of it. But it also means a range of acts that serves another.

Barak also means to kneel. Specifically it is the kneeling of camels to drink water.

Blessing is action on behalf of another that allows the actor to receive what is essential.

I praise, I give thanks, I care for another and through these blessings my best self unfolds.

Psalm 103

Psalm 119

Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
but your commandments are my delight.
Your decrees are righteous for ever;
give me understanding that I may live.

This Hebrew word for understanding is בִּין or biyn.

It usually implies close observation, discernment, and intelligence.

But in some contexts biyn also suggests caring and acting.

Objectivity does not always allow a full understanding.

There are realities that must be subjectively experienced to fully understand.

Psalm 119

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Hebrew has many names for God.

The two most frequent are 'elohiym and Yahweh.

There are many distinctions, but two stand out for me.

The 'elohiym, grammatically plural, are divine rulers: gods who control.

Yahweh is "that which exists", that who walks with us, that which creates.

When we are in trouble we often pray, as above, for the 'elohiym to take control.

We are encouraged to enter into relationship with Yahweh to avoid trouble or transform trouble as co-creators.

Psalm 46

Psalm 30

You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.

We need to give thanks.

We do not need to win the lottery.

We do not need to pass the test.

We do not even need for our disease to be healed.

But we desperately need to give thanks.

Only in thankfulness can we enjoy the abundance already received.

Only in thankfulness can we apply whatever knowledge we have.

Only in thankfulness can we live fully and creatively whatever our condition.

Psalm 30

Psalm 27

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

"I know with my own eyes the goodness of God from the liveliness of the earth."

We are surrounded by the verdant abundance of the natural world.

The Hebrew חַי or chay means living, green, flowing, active.

There is the promise of life renewed, restored, and fully revived.

But first we must notice.

Psalm 27

Psalm 90

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.

What is translated as "afflicted" is better understood as "humbled".

The last phrase is better translated as, "and for as many years as we have been the friend of the king."

The friend of the king -- a courtier, a royal dependent -- is constantly deferring.

The friend of the king exists to serve the king.

In serving others may I find cause to rejoice and be glad.

Psalm 90

Psalm 92

The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

I am not righteous, but I aspire to righteousness.

I aspire to be just and bring justice.

I seek to be myself, fully the self God intends.

I seek to love God, neighbor and myself.

I want to be whole and contribute to wholeness.

Psalm 92

Psalm 43

O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

The moonless night is dark, the sky full of stars.

Nearly straight above a faint red light shines.

Jupiter and Venus rendezvous in the West.

There are truths here, but they are not especially holy.

Where joy and praise meet, a more profound truth may be found.

Psalm 43

Psalm 82

Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’
They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I say, ‘You are gods,
children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
and fall like any prince.’

We are wicked. Yet we are children of the most high.

We are gods. Yet we are human.

We abide in paradox.

We betray our inheritance when we fail to protect the weak.

We betray ourselves when we do not actively love God and neighbor.

Psalm 82

Psalm 78

He gave his people to the sword,
and vented his wrath on his heritage.
Fire devoured their young men,
and their girls had no marriage song.
Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lamentation.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a warrior shouting because of wine.
He put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting disgrace.

The first verse shown above does not match my understanding of God.

וַיַּסְגֵּר לַחֶרֶב עַמּוֹ; וּבְנַחֲלָתוֹ, הִתְעַבָּר.

"He gave his people to the sword, and vented his wrath on his heritage."

When I input the Hebrew into an online translator, here's the result:

"And closed up the sword with him or his property, pregnant."

Nearly gobbly-gook.

The sentence consists of five words:

Cagar: To shut, close, closely join, shut up, deliver up, imprison (verb)

'am: Nation, people, kinsman, kindred

Chereb: Sword, knife, cutting tool

'abar: Pass over, cross over, pass beyond, leave, take away (verb)

Nachalah: Possession, property, portion, inheritance

Perhaps: The closely joined kindred were cut apart as by a sword, passing beyond their old inheritance.

Psalm 78

Psalm 42

Deep calls to deep
at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
have gone over me.

The rush of water is always changing.

Yet the cascade's iconic identity persists.

May we be as open to change.

May we have such profound integrity.

Seeking God's intent.

Psalm 42

Psalm 96

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ is coming.

Usually it is: Christ will come again.

But I understand he is already coming, unfolding, fulfilling.

Working with us, through us and even despite us to complete creation.

Psalm 96

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

...Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.

Worry, fear, envy, anger are not helpful.

Watchfulness, caution, attention, and action are very helpful.

Through my relationship with God fear can be overcome.

This does not mean I will be spared fearful experience.

But I can choose to be bold and confident by trusting in God.

Psalm 27

Psalm 73

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pain;
their bodies are sound and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not plagued like other people.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes swell out with fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues range over the earth.

I am envious.

I envy artists, old money, fine clothes, beauty, style...

It is mostly ephemera.

Many who I envy are troubled and unhappy.

We are all hungry and often settle for a sugar rush.

But we need something much more substantial.

We have been invited to a feast.

Psalm 73

Psalm 70

Let all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation
say evermore, ‘God is great!’
But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!

What is translated above as poor can also mean busy, preoccupied, distracted.

We are oppressed by petty demands, wasted time, and self-destructive habits.

God: That Which Exists: Reality, hurry to re-claim me to your truth. Do not delay!

Psalm 70

Psalm 119

I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

לְכָל-תִּכְלָה, רָאִיתִי קֵץ; רְחָבָה מִצְוָתְךָ מְאֹד.

Perhaps...

I have seen but a small part of the wholeness intended.

Your intention is exceedingly large.

May I find the time and place you have intended for me.

Psalm 119

Psalm 50

Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
to those who set a way
I will show the salvation of God.’

The Hebrew strongly suggests that we are to choose a way.

We are to choose a direction and make a journey.

The implication is that in making the choice and giving thanks we have done our part.

God cannot help the indecisive or the passive or those who complain.

God will guide those who move forward trusting in the love of God.

Psalm 50

Psalm 65

The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

We abide in abundance.

We are invited to participate in co-creation.

We are meant to be happy.

Psalm 65

Psalm 29

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!

Voice is certainly the most common translation.

But the Hebrew can also mean lightness or frivolity.

This is not the tone our psalmist seeks above.

But we also know this aspect of God: in the cricket's song, water dancing over rocks in the creek, or a light breeze tickling the tree's leaves.

That which exists, is becoming, is ultimately real is awesome and accessible,

Psalm 29

Psalm 138

The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

יְהוָה, יִגְמֹר בַּעֲדִי: יְהוָה, חַסְדְּךָ לְעוֹלָם; מַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ אַל-תֶּרֶף.

That Which Exists will complete the context.

That Which Exists is good, kind and self-giving.

Do not forsake powerful acts.

It is not clear if the last is aimed at God or the reader.

Psalm 138

Psalm 40

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.

I am surrounded, engulfed by miracles.

I have learned to filter, even neglect them.

Or I would be overwhelmed.

But today may I notice the marvelous works of God.

And give thanks.

Psalm 40

Psalm 50

Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
to those who go the right way
I will show the salvation of God.

This thanksgiving is a verb closely related to shooting an arrow or throwing something.

This right way is a verb closely related to setting, putting, or making something.

In each case a choice is made regarding where and how to act.

The Hebrew word most often used for sin - chata'- means to miss the mark, to lose our way, to become separated from where we ought to be or, perhaps, to not choose anyplace.

Dear God may my choosing recognize the sacred potential of each place and each act.


Psalm 50

Psalm 51

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

The psalmist asks for a clean, new, right, holy, and willing spirit.

Morally, physically, spiritually pure.

Prepared, secure, stable and ready for challenge.

Separate, unique, particular, sacred, and authentic.

Generous, noble, beautiful, and kind.

Psalm 51

Psalm 48

We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.

What is translated as victory is צֶ֫דֶק or tsedeq

The meaning is usually rendered as righteousness or justice.

The word appears in the Bible 119 times. This is the only translation as victory.

I'm not sure it is the best translation, but it is meaningful.

Righteousness, rightness, justice, honoring the individual are the sources of victory.

Psalm 48

Psalm 19

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

The law is torah: instruction, direction.

Torah emerges from yarah, which is to shoot, throw, cast or pour.

That Which Exists has poured me into this time, space, and condition.

I am completed here, plaster replaced by bronze.

I am fulfilled, consistent with God's intention.

Psalm 19

Psalm 63

O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

The victim of sunstroke dehydrates without noticing.

Death or at least unconsciousness can come suddenly.

I am thirsty. I notice I am thirsty.

I know where there is water to quench my thirst.

Will I choose to go?

Psalm 63

Psalm 30

You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy...

There is good cause to mourn.

Illness, anger, oppression, and evil are real.

They deserve our attention and action.

But they are not the whole reality.

For most of us, most of the time, they are not even the immediate reality.

The sun rises, new opportunities emerge, challenges arise.

We are invited to share with God in the co-creation of the day.

We are invited to dance with God to the music of the universe.

Psalm 30

Psalm 95

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

The Hebrew for joyful noise is יריעוor ruwa.

It is a word that depends on context.

Ruwa can also mean to shout in alarm.

It can even mean to shout in distress.

Be attentive to context, especially to cause for joy.

Psalm 37

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.

וְהִתְעַנַּג עַל-יְהוָה

Delight in That Which Exists.

Be happy, merry, ecstatic with the exquisite.

Take pleasure in the delectable, delicious diversity of life.

Allow God to draw forth what is delightful in you.

All of God's creation is full of light.

Psalm 37

Psalm 130

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.

I wait but I also watch, expect, and hope.

I bind together experience to understand the unfolding of That Which Exists.

That Which Exists, ultimate reality, intimate experience, all of nature, all that is sensible: each morning I arise and welcome another day in Your company.

In each day's struggle learning to discern Reality's revelation.

Opening myself to the revealing of God and the receiving of Love.

Psalm 130

Psalm 36

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

We need refuge and God provides.

We need sustenance and are given abundance.

We need water and are given the finest wine.

Yet we are so seldom satisfied.

Cultivate in us, O God, an attitude of thankfulness that we may take delight in all that we have received.

Psalm 36

Psalm 25

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.

The Hebrew translated as way is a road on which we walk toward a specific destination.

The Hebrew for path means the experience of traveling with others.

The psalmist asks to know both aspects of God's intention.

While I do not want to entirely lose the way;

I am in greater need of knowing the path.

Psalm 25

Psalm 150

Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

To praise is to shine, to flash forth light, as when the sun strikes a mirror.

Everything that breathes is to praise the Lord, reflect the Lord.

We are to reflect reality, the way of God.

As God is creative, we are to be creative.

As God is just, we are to be just.

As God is righteous, we are to be righteous.

Praising God in all we say and do.


Psalm 150

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

The Hebrew translated above as "present" is מָצָא or matsa'.

I have always read this as a temporal quality. It is not.

It is a verb meaning to find, detect, discover, learn...

In times of trouble God is a source of discernment and creation.

God's strength is ready to help us find a solution.

Psalm 46

Psalm 112

They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures for ever;
their horn is exalted in honour.

Who are the righteous?

Those who are generous.

Those who consistently honor others.

Those who give to the poor.

Those fulfilled in service to others.

Psalm 112

Psalm 72

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor...
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.

Scripture is full of concern for the poor, needy, weak, and oppressed.

These are of particular concern to God.

Each of us, king or not, are to share this concern.

We are to do what we can to create a just and righteous society.

We are to do what we can to deliver the needy and crush the oppressor.

Psalm 72

Psalm 85

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.

This is promise, assurance, and action.

Each day, every moment this is happening.

That Which Exists is giving what is good, our land is yielding its increase.

The way is already made, it beckons to take us.

To begin, to walk, to choose is up to us.

Psalm 85

Psalm 97

The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

To better understand God we consider God's creation.

We look to the power of nature, and typically turn to the most powerful forces in nature.

If we also understand Jesus to be God fully revealed in natural form, what then?

We might look in the mirror: there is the vulnerability and possibility of God.

In the life of Jesus we see God working through our pain with a very quiet power.

Psalm 97

Psalm 119

It is good for me that I was humbled,
so that I might learn your statutes.

What is rendered above as "humbled" is more commonly translated as afflicted.

The implication is to be bothered by some chronic condition, not in pain but preoccupied.

I have not achieved great things. In many ways I have lived on the edge of disaster. There is no reason to be self-satisfied.

Failure, weakness, and worry have brought me closer to God.

I would not mind taking leave of my sponsors, but I give thanks for their service.

Psalm 119

Psalm 19

Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

Reality unfolds.

The universe yields its mystery.

If we listen, we learn.

If we notice, we see.

With knowledge we give thanks and praise.

Psalm 19

Psalm 90

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be manifest to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands—
O prosper the work of our hands!

I have a strong tendency to focus on "prosper the work of our hands."

But this is an outcome of being satisfied with God's steadfast love.

I am the beneficiary of this love, but I am not always - even often - satisfied.

I am greedy, not for the care of a lover, but for the attentions of a sugar daddy.

You are generous and loving dear God, help me to give thanks and be satisfied.

Psalm 90

Psalm 91

Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling-place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

Sorrow, pain,and loss is likely.

But not evil: You will not be betrayed.

But not scourge: Your core will continue intact.

Because you abide with That Which Exists.

Because your essential identity is bound to God.

Psalm 91

Psalm 86

Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

Shoot me in the direction of Ultimate Reality.

Cause me to continue toward Truth.

Fulfill me as a vector between this ephemera and your eternity.

Psalm 86

Psalm 81

But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!

Linguists have found that even when we are trying to listen, we only hear about 70 percent of the meaning.

When we are distracted by almost anything the percentage drops quickly.

Most hours of most days I am not listening for God. Much may be offered, but I miss it.

In psalm 82, also assigned for today, it is written:

I say, ‘You are gods,
children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
and fall like any prince.’

We do not, however, choose to listen to God or act as children of God or live the immortal life God intended.

Psalm 81

Psalm 84

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
he bestows favour and honour.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
happy is everyone who trusts in you.

Blessed, happy, progressing, advancing, going straight ahead is everyone who has confidence in, commits to, trusts in That Which Exists: the reality of the unfolding universe.

Wickedness is the self-interested warping of reality.

We are each doorkeepers of reality, each of us are responsible for looking, listening, thinking, discerning, choosing and acting to advance what is real, what is most coherent with God's intent.

Psalm 84

Psalm 77

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.

Despite all the blessings I have been given, I continue to worry and fret.

My soul refuses to be comforted.

The Hebrew for this comfort is נָחַם or nacham.

This means to be comforted, consoled, to have compassion.

It also means to regret or repent. Perhaps comfort depends on repentance.

Psalm 77

Psalm 34

Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.

Do not say things that separate, divide, or break.

Do not do things that separate, divide, or break.

Bring together, heal, and make whole.

Psalm 34

Psalm 75

For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
but it is God who executes judgement,
putting down one and lifting up another.
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed;
he will pour a draught from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
But I will rejoice for ever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

Does the psalmist drink of the foaming wine?

Do the exalted drink of the foaming wine?

Do I?

The cup is offered to all.

The wicked drain it quickly and it is gone.

May I savor it slowly, in conversation and thanks.

Psalm 75

Psalm 73

Truly God is good to the upright,
to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

I am not pure in heart.

I stumble and slip.

I envy the arrogant.

Gracious God forgive me and help me.

May I walk with a sure foot your path.

Psalm 73

Psalm 42

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.

In most of today's psalms the perceived source of trouble is God's neglect.

But God is God, reality is reality.

How we respond is our choice.

We are to watch for the good and offer thanks.

There are terribly tough days, but in each day also abides a miracle.

Psalm 42

Psalm 119

I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I consider your decrees.
I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

I have sought your precepts: inquire, search, consult.

I consider your decrees: discern, understand, regard.

Your teaching unfolds, widens, grows large.

Psalm 119

Psalm 86

Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my cry of supplication.

For several days the psalms have shown a vengeful God.

Breaking teeth was yesterday's divine preoccupation.

Today, among other similar passages we read, "God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways."

I understand God would be justified to offer a crack or more.

But this is not my experience of God. Instead I have known patience, forgiveness, steadfast love, generous blessing and great joy.

Psalm 86

Psalm 3

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
I am not afraid of tens of thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
Rise up, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!

He may not be afraid, but he recognizes a threat.

Do I recognize the threat?

There is good. There is evil.

There is light. There is dark.

Am I willing to name the difference?

Can I recognize the essential difference?

Psalm 3

Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

We are all dying.

I would prefer the end of life to come sooner and quicker.

I am not unhappy, but I am tired.

Perhaps when death is truly near I will find a second wind.

But I do yearn to be where I can hear the trumpets of the Lord.

Psalm 84

Psalm 138

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Above the Hebrew בְּעַד - b'ad - is translated as purpose.

This transforms a preposition into an object, and an abstract object at that.

The preposition is generally used to indicate where or how action occurs.

A very literal translation of the verse: That Which Exists is completed through, behind, about, on behalf of.

God's purpose is fulfilled, sometimes indirectly, sometimes even by sinners, sometimes even by me.

Psalm 138

Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.

As a young man I dreamed of quicksand.

Wherever I walked, the surface gave way.

Nothing held, no progress could be made.

Metaphorically, the dream captured my reality.

Decades later I can join the psalmist in his song of praise.

Psalm 40

Psalm 84

Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise.

Where is home?

Where do we belong?

Is it a particular town, house, place?

Is there anyplace you feel truly secure?

The Hebrew for house -- bayith -- also means inward, within, indwelling.

Psalm 84

Psalm 49

Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.

וְאָדָם בִּיקָר, בַּל-יָלִין; נִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמוּ.

What humans esteem passes quickly, as beasts that perish.

Regardless of what I have - or lose - it is ephemeral.

Do not worry. Do not take pride. Abide in love and honor one another.

Psalm 49

Psalm 45

You are the most handsome of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you for ever.
Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your glory and majesty.
In your majesty ride on victoriously
for the cause of truth and to defend the right;
let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
Your throne is a throne of God, it endures for ever and ever.
Your royal sceptre is a sceptre of equity;
you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
daughters of kings are among your ladies of honour;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

Every time this psalm is assigned, I smirk and shake my head.

I doubt I have ever before chosen it for comment.

It is clearly a royal wedding song, a mostly secular piece.

It articulates a persistent archetype: the handsome, brave, and pure hero.

The hero honors God, is just and righteous; he has been anointed with the oil of gladness.

I do not conform to the archetype, yet God has given me much cause for gladness.

The hero personifies every physical grace, but what truly matters is loving God and neighbor with all our heart and soul and mind.

Psalm 45

Psalm 89

Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said:
‘I have set the crown on one who is mighty,
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;
my hand shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.

I have no idea how the Hebrew 'ezer became "set the crown".

In every dictionary to which I have access this is "given help."

But I'm ready to go with it: In helping us God has crowned us, this confirms our identity as sons and daughters of God, this proclaims our role as servant and leader, we are anointed for profound purpose.

Psalm 89

Psalm 98

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

Past, present, future are the tenses of English and the worldview of most English-speakers.

Ancient Hebrew is organized around whether the action is completed or not.

"For he is coming..." is nicely coherent with the Biblical worldview. It is a continuous action, unfolding until completed.

Psalm 89

Psalm 30

You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

Another translation offers, "and girded me with gladness".

The verb suggests dressing for battle.

Joy, gladness, mirth, and pleasure are the armor of righteousness.

Psalm 30

Psalm 31

Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.

I have studied the thirty-first psalm more carefully than any other.

But today I noticed something new.

Above are the final verses.

In the original Hebrew the second clause of the second verse is:

אֱמוּנִים, נֹצֵר יְהוָה; וּמְשַׁלֵּם עַל-יֶתֶר, עֹשֵׂה גַאֲוָה.

Rather than repaying the haughty, I read: completing or fulfilling the expansive maker.

The verb is shalam: to make whole, complete, fulfill.

The adjective/noun is ga'avah 'asah.  The doer, maker, worker, designer is rising up, emerging, lifted up, exalted.

The more negative translation is certainly possible, but not necessary.

And, at least for me - on this day - the more positive translation seems more coherent with the remainder of the psalm and my understanding of God.

Complete my doing, dear God.  Make it whole and beautiful and fulfilling of your purpose.

Psalm 31

Psalm 37

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart...
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant prosperity.

It is a very clear formula:

Trust, do good, be delighted. Security, prosperity - even the desires of your heart - will be given to you.

Some may assume this is a promise for the next life.

But there is an earthy immediacy to the Hebrew.

I expect the promise can be depended upon: If we are "all in".

If we fully trust, always do good, and are constantly delighted, I can imagine a transcendent state in which all that is promised is achieved.

I will probably continue to play my chips more conservatively, dissatisfied with my returns but unwilling to make a commitment to the winning formula.

Why is that?

Psalm 37

Psalm 119

My soul clings to the dust;
revive me according to your word.
When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
Put false ways far from me;
and graciously teach me your law.

On first reading, it sounds desperate:

"My soul clings to the dust."

But another reading and consulting the Hebrew suggests something else.

Too often I waste my life on rubbish: On regret, worry, offense, doubt, emotional debris blowing in the wind.

Revive me. It is but one Hebrew word: חָיָה or chayah.

The definition of this single word: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health, to live prosperously, to quicken, revive, refresh.

Help me to let loose of the dust and receive the blessings of this life, O God.


Psalm 119

Psalm 36

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

Each morning I read a meditation and each of the psalms assigned for the day.

I choose a few verses for special attention based on my emotional response.

This morning I read five psalms with no discernible reaction, nothing captured me.

I read each again. The first was full of self-assured righteousness.

The second asked God to punish the wicked.

The third sought protection from the wicked.

The fourth asked God to remove his eye of judgment.

The fifth was a song of praise to King David.

The passage above -- from the third reading -- still does elicit much response.

Surely, it should.

Psalm 36

Psalm 50

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and pay your vows to the Most High...
Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
to those who go the right way
I will show the salvation of God.

Confess, give thanks, shout praises, and enter into a covenant of peace with God.

With self-awareness, other-awareness, gladness and joy come to know God.

This is the liturgy of freedom, fulfillment, and deliverance.

Psalm 50

Psalm 115

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.

Over time language tends to become increasingly abstract.

This is especially the case with religious language.

שֵׁם or shem is name, but was originally a prominent place or unchanging marker.

כָּבוֹד or kawbowd is glory, but was originally heavy, weighty, and hard.

The identity and character of God is unchanging.

God is love and faithfulness.

Psalm 115

Psalm 20

May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.

And from Psalm 21:

In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
and in your help how greatly he exults!
You have given him his heart’s desire,
and have not withheld the request of his lips.

From Psalm 110:

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.’
The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

From Psalm 116:

I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.

The theme persists across other psalm assigned for today, in many other psalms, and in how most are in relationship with God.

We want God to give us what we want.

I do too. I am annoyed that God has delayed so long in awarding the lottery to me.

The genius of the psalms is how well they articulate our persistent humanness, the echoes resonate over 3000 years.

In the self-serving, struggling, even savage psalmist I often see myself.

But the psalms can also surprise, especially on close examination.

"May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfil all your plans."

In the original Hebrew this is:

יִתֶּן-לְךָ כִלְבָבֶךָ; וְכָל-עֲצָתְךָ יְמַלֵּא.

Nathan: grant, devote, consecrate, dedicate, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, produce

Lebab: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding, seat of courage.

O God, consecrate my heart, soul and mind.

That is a very different supplication.

Psalm 20

Psalm 16

You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Today's psalms are manic.

The twenty-second psalm cries out:

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

I know this draining until completely dry.

But God is always ready to re-fill.

The sixteenth psalm is not only speaking of spiritual joy.

This is overflowing pleasure, mirth, and gladness.

From God's right hand gushes beautiful, sweetly sounding music.

Filling my eyes, ears, every sense, heart, and mind.

Psalm 16

Psalm 18

He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

He delighted in me.

The Hebrew is חָפֵץ or chaphets

God takes pleasure - is curiously pleased - enough to bend down.

I recall the delight when my wife and I came upon a turtle laying her eggs.

And when a family of turkeys were surprised and exploded in flight.

At the close of a long day, I attended an evensong sung by two dozen seeming angels.

I am sure they are not always angels, but it was - they were - delightful.

From a troubled sleep, my enemies: pride, doubt, and more, awakened me with pain.

I struggled to escape my enemies and found the story of a young orangutang.

I was delighted, reclaimed my peace, and returned to sleep.

I am but an animal, often stupid, selfish, and even savage.

Still the Creator of the Cosmos delights in me.

Psalm 18

Psalm 40

Happy are those who make
the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after false gods...
Then I said, ‘Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.’

I will attend to That Which Exists.

I will not be distracted by self-delusion.

I will show, I am of That Which Exists.

Psalm 40

Psalm 5

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
For there is no truth in their mouths;
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
they flatter with their tongues.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favour as with a shield.

The enemies of the psalmist are external.

My enemies are much more internal.

Yet the words of the psalm are as good - better? - for me.

In Hebrew this particular enemy is sorek, literally choice vines or the best wine.

Our finest fruits can threaten us, if we mistake their source.

When we flatter ourselves for being clever and creative we are little more than rancid raisins.

When we sing in joy and thankgiving for what we have freely received, there is the chance for a great vintage.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4)

Psalm 5

Psalm 4

When you are disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’
You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.
I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

Agitation tends toward action.

It is often better to rest until the agitation passes.

Prayer tends toward asking.

It is often better to be silent and listen.

Psalm 4

Psalm 147

He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down hail like crumbs—
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.

I perceive God in nature.

In natural beauty, diversity, creativity, power, and mystery there is a clue of the divine.

As my children reflect something of me, nature reflects something of its Creator.

God transcends my perception and understanding, yet is present and palpable all the same.

Transcendence and immanence persist in shared time and place, perpetual paradox and assurance.

Psalm 147

Psalm 114

The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

The psalms assigned for today all point to divine strength and mortal weakness.

From this antinomy emerges a keen sense of human vulnerability.

In many ways the sense is accurate, I read Psalm 114 much differently since the earthquake-and-tsunami than before.

Yet the psalms and much more tell us That Which Exists loves and cares for us, and this is a reality I also know.

There is a great chasm between us and God, but we are invited and helped to cross its treacherous landscape and assured of being received on the other side.

Psalm 114

Psalm 96

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, כִּי בָא-- כִּי בָא, לִשְׁפֹּט הָאָרֶץ

Before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth.

A different rendering:

Face That Which Exists And Is Becoming, entering into our earthly struggle.

See and receive with great joy the reconciling of earth and heaven, creator and created.

Psalm 96