Search This Web Site:

Craig L's Blog

Commonplace Holiness

Tag: Praying the Psalms

  • The Individual and the Community – Psalm 25

    The Individual and the Community – Psalm 25

    I’m still continuing my introduction to Psalm 25.

    I have commented here and here about the themes I see in Psalm 25, but I haven’t said a word so far about the structure of the Psalm. This hardly seems right. It is a bit like putting the cart before the horse. But, I wanted to give you an idea why I find this Psalm so interesting.

    The structure is interesting too. This is one of those alphabetic psalms. The first verse begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the next verse with the next letter, and so forth. (Other alphabetic psalms are 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145.) The last verse of Psalm 25 is outside this structure.

    (more…)
  • Rediscovering Hope – Psalm 25

    Rediscovering Hope – Psalm 25

    I want to make some additional introductory remarks about Psalm 25. I said last time that Psalm 25 is a psalm for the Waiting Time. I haven’t always seen it that way. I first became aware of the prominence of this “waiting” theme  in this psalm through Peter Craigie’s commentary. Even without Craigie’s conjectural reading, the theme of “waiting” is still found in the repeated use of the Hebrew term קָוָה (qāwāh, v. to hope in; to hope for, wait for, look for) in verses 3 and 21.

    Verse 3
    גַּ֣ם כָּל־ק֭וֶֹיךָ לֹ֣א יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ יֵ֝בֹ֗שׁוּ הַבּוֹגְדִ֥ים רֵיקָֽם׃

    “Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.”

    Verse 21
    תֹּם־וָיֹ֥שֶׁר יִצְּר֑וּנִי כִּ֝֗י קִוִּיתִֽיךָ׃

    “May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.”

    I think it’s worthwhile to take a moment to notice the close relationship between the concepts of “waiting” and “hoping.” This relationship is (I think) not immediately apparent to the modern reader.

    (more…)
  • The Waiting Time – Psalm 25

    The Waiting Time – Psalm 25

    “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.” (Psalms 25:1-3 NRSV)

    Several years ago, I began thinking of Psalm 25 as a Psalm for the waiting times.

    There are lots of Psalms — and other passages of Scripture — like this, but I hadn’t always seen Psalm 25 this way. Here is what I mean. Many times in the Hebrew scriptures we are exhorted to “wait on the LORD” — and we are told the advantages of such an approach to life. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalms 27:14 NRSV) “For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.” (Psalms 37:9 NRSV) “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope….” (Psalms 130:5 NRSV).

    (more…)
  • Steadfast Love and Faithfulness – Psalm 57:3

    Steadfast Love and Faithfulness – Psalm 57:3

    יִשְׁלַ֤ח מִשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ וְֽיוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי חֵרֵ֣ף שֹׁאֲפִ֣י סֶ֑לָה יִשְׁלַ֥ח אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים חַסְדּ֥וֹ וַאֲמִתּֽוֹ׃

    “He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me [Selah] God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.” (NRSV)

    God’s deliverance is signified here by these two words:

    •     steadfast love חָסַד
    •     faithfulness אֱמֶת

    And, what can be said? There is a great depth of meaning here. These words are deep and beautiful because of the meaning they gain through their frequent use in the Scriptures. The nature of God’s deliverance may not be known in detail. It never is. But, we know how God acts. We know something of God’s character. “God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.” That’s all we need to know.

    (1.)
  • On Having Enemies – Psalm 57:3

    On Having Enemies – Psalm 57:3

    יִשְׁלַ֤ח מִשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ וְֽיוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי חֵרֵ֣ף שֹׁאֲפִ֣י סֶ֑לָה יִשְׁלַ֥ח אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים חַסְדּ֥וֹ וַאֲמִתּֽוֹ׃

    “He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah. God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.” (NRSV.)

    Recently I posted some thoughts about the first phrase in Psalm 57:3: “[God] will send from heaven and save me….”

    The next phrase (“he will put to shame those who trample on me”) points up one of my long-standing problems with the Psalms. When I first began to read the Psalms, as a young man, I was put off by the recurrent theme of “enemies.” Praying to God in the midst of confusion and need I could understand. Praying to God in times of distress and suffering I could understand. But, the frequent and recurrent theme of persecution by enemies was something with which I could not connect. Or, maybe I just didn’t want to connect with it.

    (more…)
  • God Will Send From Heaven – Psalm 57:3

    God Will Send From Heaven – Psalm 57:3

    How removed is heaven from us? How far does God have to come to help us?

    יִשְׁלַ֤ח מִשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ וְֽיוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי חֵרֵ֣ף שֹׁאֲפִ֣י סֶ֑לָה יִשְׁלַ֥ח אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים חַסְדּ֥וֹ וַאֲמִתּֽוֹ׃

    “He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah. God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.” Psalm 57:3 (Hebrew: verse 4) (NRSV)

    My first reading of this is: “God will send help from far away.” And, there is some basis for this reading. But, that’s not the whole story.

    (more…)
  • God, Who Gets Things Done – Psalm 57:2

    God, Who Gets Things Done – Psalm 57:2

    There is one other thing I should say about Psalm 57:2 (which, by the way, is verse 3 in the Hebrew text):

    אֶקְרָא לֵֽאלֹהִ֣ים עֶלְי֑וֹן לָ֝אֵ֗ל גֹּמֵ֥ר עָלָֽי׃

    “I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (NRSV)

    As I said last time: this expresses the intention to pray. The initial cry for help, is followed by a statement of intent: a general statement telling us why the Psalmist cries out to God. It’s not just a momentary thing: it’s a way of life.

    What I want to point out is the brevity of that final phrase:

    (more…)
  • Characterizing the Walk With God – Psalm 15:3-5

    Characterizing the Walk With God – Psalm 15:3-5

    So, the question Psalm 15 raises for us is this: Lord God, what is it like to be the kind of person who is fit to live in Your Presence from day to day?

    We are invited into a life in the presence of God. And, by the grace of God we are enabled to live lives pleasing to God. What are we told about this kind of life? It is a life of wholehearted devotion and a life of inner integrity.

    I am reminded of a verse from the New Testament: “…if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NRSV). Walking with God means continually walking in the light of God. There is a kind of honesty and openness and transparency to it. Our hearts are open to God and to others — insofar as that is possible for us. Now, notice the qualities of the person who walks with God in this wholehearted devotion.

    (more…)
  • Living in God’s Presence — Psalms 15:1

    Living in God’s Presence — Psalms 15:1

    Don’t miss the invitation just because it comes to us in the form of a question.

    Psalms 15:1:
    מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָ֫וִ֥ד יְ֭הוָֹה מִי־יָג֣וּר בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ מִֽי־יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן בְּהַ֣ר קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃

    “O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?”

    We are invited into relationship with God: into the presence of God. A question is addressed to the God of Israel, using his personal name יְ֭הוָֹה: (which may have been pronounced”Yahweh”) who can live in Your presence?

    (more…)
  • A Prayer of Blessing – Psalm 106: 4, 5

    A Prayer of Blessing – Psalm 106: 4, 5

    There was a time when I thought it was selfish and improper to pray for a blessing on myself. I should pray for others. I should put others first. God would bless as it was deemed appropriate.

    I can thank Bruce Wilkerson’s book The Prayer of Jabez for changing my mind about that. Not that I’ve read the (little) book. I never did. I didn’t need to. It was once quite popular — a Christian fad during 2001 and several years after. I used to hear about the book continually. People would quote from it, and summarize it, and refer to it. Other people denounced the book and it’s sudden popularity. Since then the whole phenomenon has been largely forgotten.

    Anyway, back then, I got curious. So, I looked up the actual prayer of Jabez in the Bible. It’s in 1 Chronicles.

    (more…)