A prayer hymn written by Moses, a man who loved God.
1 - 2. Sovereign Creator, You are the source of life for everyone on earth. Even before this earth was created You were God, are God and always will be God.
3. - 4. People on this earth get crushed, they crumble and die even as you call to them to return to You. But each generation is a sad repetition of the previous one.
5. - 6. First people grow quickly and flourish like fresh, green grass. But by the end of their lives, like cut grass, they wither in shame, confusion and disappointment.
7. - 9. We try hard to prepare for You, but as You draw near to reveal more of Your passionate love to us, we are afraid we will die as we realize that everything about us - including all our guilty secrets - You see clearly as another sad story.
10. You gave us a full life and at times have even lengthened it. Yet we get proud or depressed, chose wrong or in other ways waste our lives, until we finally die.
11. Does anyone have any real idea how much You intensely love us? Does anyone really know what it means to truly reverence You in gratitude for Your love - life?
12. Harmonize us with You so Your wisdom will flow into our hearts
13. Creator God, how long will it take to come back to us. Enable us to know Your sorrow for and compassion to those who have loved You in return for Your love.
14. Fill us each morning with love we don't deserve so we can shout in triumph that You love to be with us and in experiencing Your love our whole day will brighten.
15. Make us to comprehend that You love to be with us which will counteract the lie we believed that you were against us.
16. - 17. Show us what You are really like so we can share it with our families. Let Your delightful love fill us so we can reveal who You really are through our lives.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Psalm 90
Friday, July 11, 2008
Psalm 86
1. An intercessory prayer written by David. Look at me Lord so I perceive that You hear me better. Please pay attention to me. I feel depressed and destitute, yet I yield myself to You. 2. I am trying to be like You so protect me, Supreme God. Be open to help me for I'm sure You are my only help. 3. Be kind to me, my Sovereign, for I am coming to You all of the time. 4. Give me JOY for I come to You with my life. 5. You, Lord, are good, ready to pardon and are sparing me. You are full of kindness to everyone who comes to You. 6. Listen, Lord, to my request as I speak to you my earnest prayer. 7. When I am having a hard time with others, I please give me Your answer. 8. There is no one else who is like You and who can do what You can do. 9 - 10. Everyone will eventually bow before you and agree that You really are Sovereign and Supreme. 11. Teach me now how You want me to be and live so I am at-one in Your will. 12. I raise my hands in worship to You, Supreme God as a symbol that I am completely Yours. I will honor and respect Your authority from now on.13. You have been so kind to me and have delivered me from eternal death. 14. Those who don't honor you are trying to get me to turn against You like they are, 15 -16. but You, my Sovereign Lord, have come along side me with Your passion and have chosen to reveal to me Your beauty as well as Your stability. Let me experience Your kindness and trustworthiness as You give me Your saving strength.
17. Give me a token of evidence You delight in me so those who hate me will be disappointed because You have protected and comforted me.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Psalm 43
2. My Supreme, Strong God and Defender, why do I feel You are failing me or letting me go? Why am I so distressed because of those who are hostile to me?
3. Let Your happiness and trustworthiness transport me into Your sacred, uplifting Presence where You reside.
4. Then I will come into agreement with the Almighty God who loves me to be in His presence. With music I will dance with intense emotions while lifting my hands to You in worship, O my Supreme God.
5. Why do you sink down in depression, O Self? Why is there so much tumult and clamor inside? Be patient and hope in my Supreme God. I will continue to raise my hands in worship to Him who delivers me, makes me joyful and is MY God.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Psalm 42
As the male is passionate for a female, so am I passionate for You, my Creator.
2. My whole being craves to see God. Oh! how soon can that happen?
3. Yet while I have intense heart longings, even with tears, folks keep asking me "Would God treat you this way?" or "Where is your God?"
4. When I think about those who asked me these questions it really frustrates me. Why? Well, I had reverently worshiped in church with them, I had sung with them in festival choirs and I had participated with them in processions of praise celebrating God's goodness.
5. Why am I so depressed, then? Why is my heart in such commotion? I choose to be patient and wait for God's will. I will continue to lift my hands in praise to the Creator God for setting me free and giving me victory by looking upon me.
6. Almighty God, I do get discouraged. But I am choosing to think about you and make mention of You to others, both when I am 'down and out' and when I get excited or elated over situations or things.
7. Your power surges over and around me like huge ocean waves.
8. Yet You, Eternal Creator, are kind and courteous all the time. Even in adversity Your songs encourage me and hymns about You revive me.
9. - 10. When I get discouraged I ask God, "Have You forgotten me?" Why do I get so oppressed by those who don't like me. They cramp, crush and defame me while taunting me with "Where is Your God?"
11. Why am I so depressed? Why is my heart in such a tumult? I choose to agree with the Almighty God. I lift my open hands in reverent worship to Him and focus on what He is really like, for He is the One who saves me, delivers me and makes me victorious!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Psalm 41
The Creator God will preserve the person who carefully considers the needs of those who are feeble and weak, particularly when he faces his own difficulties.
2. The Self-Existent One will support, comfort and keep him alive. God won't allow those who hate him to have their way against him.
3. Jehovah will support him when he is repulsive to others. He will change the circumstances when he gets worn, weak and anxious.
4. I said, "Creator, be moved to favor me and refresh me; I have missed Your will."
5. Those who hate me speak bad about me. "When is he going to die and people forget who he was and what he was really like?
6. When he comes to visit me his words are useless and more like a tempest. He collects what he thinks is trouble so that when he leaves he can tell others about it.
7. The who hate me get together to mumble magical spells against me. They fabricate the spells, plotting to hurt me.
8. They say, "An destructive spell is on him and now that he is down he won't get up,"
9. Even my covenant friend who I had confidence in and who had often eaten with me, betrayed me.
10. Self-Existent One, bend down in kindness to me as to an inferior. Then raise me up, so I can be safe of them.
11. I see that you favor me and are pleased with me because you didn't allow those who have been hostile toward me to get the better of me.
12. And as for me, You follow close to me and keep me close to you for ever.
13. Kneel before the Creator who is Almighty God of the overcomers forever.
So be it, and Amen.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Psalm 39
I said "I will guard my actions and be very careful of any comments I make when those who are abusive and violate others are in my presence."
2. I quit making even good comments - which gave me grief as well.
3. But just thinking about problems and complaining about them to myself stressed me out so much I finally started talking again.
4. Creator God, empower me to recognize my limitations as well as what I can yet accomplish in life, so I can understand my shortcomings.
5. Whoa! You gave me a 'handful' of days, so to speak. My whole lifetime is practically 'nothing' to You. The best a person is and does is at best transitory.
6. What a person does is like a shadow. They get uptight over just about nothing, they try to accumulate lots of 'things', but don't really know who will end up with them.
7. My Sovereign, what is in my future? I wait in You.
8. Snatch me away from anything that causes me to break away from You. Don't let me be disgraced by those who have already been stupid and fallen away.
9. I didn't say anything because of what You did.
10. Stop afflicting me, for I am about finished off by your power.
11. When you correct and instruct a person who has been crooked, beauty shrinks and disappears and everyone becomes empty.
12. Creator God, Hear my intense prayer song. Don't be silent when I - who am more like a stranger or temporary guest - weep.
13. Have compassion on me so I recover strength before my life ends.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Psalm 38
2. - 3. Like arrows, conviction settles deep into my heart and I get totally stressed out as You come near to show me where I have missed Your will for my life.
4. Where I have gone wrong overwhelms me as being stupid, dull and way overdone.
5. - 6. I became fascinated in casting spells but I only hurt myself - for they dwindled and vanished. That foolishness is now offensive to me, yet it depresses me all the time.
7. My stomach has 'shrunk'. My whole body (even my sex drive) is messed up.
8. I feel very sluggish - even to the point of collapsing. I moan because of the snarling, growling and contention going on inside of me.
(Prayer to God)
9. Sovereign Lord, You know what will really satisfy and delight me. You also already know everything about what I have just described.
10. I am shaky, weak, and can't even 'see straight' anymore.
11. My friends and co-workers don't like to be around me anymore and can't understand what is wrong with me. Even my family keeps their distance from me.
12. Those who have wanted to hurt me make up stories and spread gossip all the time.
13. -14. I acted as if I were deaf, not hearing what they were saying; and I have acted dumb, not answering them or arguing with them in an attempt to justify or refute what they said.
15. O Self-Existent One, I hope in You - my Supreme God who pays attention to me.
16. Of others I said, "They will find something to twist up and make fun of me about."
17. For I am ready to fall and I grieve and feel sorry for what I did all the time.
18. I choose to acknowledge my perversity. I am sorry where I offended God.
19. But those who are hostile and hate me are strong and there are lots of them.
20. Those who give evil for good are my enemies. I follow - yes, run after - the good.
21. Don't let go of me, my Creator: Almighty God, don't even go very far from me.
22. Please! hurry and eagerly surround me, My Sovereign ruler, my Rescuer.
