“When Brothers Dwell in Unity”

Read Psalm 133

Glistening oil running down Aaron’s beard and refreshing dew from the cool northern mountains are two pictures (the first of how it looks, the second of how it feels) of a comunity in which men and women find themselves forgiven by God and open in love to each other.

PRAYER: Father, break down every barrier that my sin builds between me and others: barriers of envy, of pride, of inadequacy, of scorn. Then let me see and feel the pleasures of sharing the inner delights of forgiveness and grace with the others whom you are gathering into your family. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

by Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 170

“I Wait for the Lord”

Read Psalm 130:5-8

The long watches of the night through which soldiers guard cities and shepherds watch over flocks are compared with the wait of the soul before God. It is not the waiting of indolence but of alertness. Waiting is vigilance plus expectation; it is wide awake to God.

PRAYER: You, Lord, commanded disciples to watch and pray, and not long after you found them sleeping. I have similarly failed to stay awake to your commands and alert to your presence. Forgive my sluggishness and help me to make the most of the time. Amen.

by Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 167

“Out of the Depths”

Read Psalm 130:1-4

There is no trouble so severe that it cuts a person off from God; there is no sin so powerful that it removes a person from the greater power of forgiveness. The witness of the troubled, suffering and afflicted who prayed and found their lives changed by a loving God is encyclopedic.

PRAYER: “Lord, from the depths to Thee I cried: my voice, Lord, do Thou hear: unto my supplication’s voice give an attentive ear….I wait for God., my soul doth wait, my hope is in His word. More than they that for the morning watch, my soul waits for the Lord.” Amen.
(Scottish Psalter, “Lord from the Depths”)

by Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 167

“Our Mouth Was Filled with Laughter”

Read Psalm 126

Every regathering in Jerusalem — the great homecomings which were the feasts — recalled the mighty restorations that God had affected in Isreal: out of Egyptian bondage, out of Babylonian exile. The acts of restoration were impossible miracles. There was no way they could have happened — “We were like those who dream.” And yet they did happen; the laughter, the shouts of joy, and the hyms were present evidence.

PRAYER: I renew the memories of your work, O God, and know that whatever ills or truoble I fall into, there is a way out in Jesus Christ. I celebrate what you did in the past, and I anticipate what you will do int he future. Amen.

by Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 164

“The Lord Who Was on Our Side”

Read Psalms 124

The person who stands alone against the forces of evil doesn’t stand a chance. But, in fact, no one does stand alone; the Lord stands with his people, a stance confirmed in Jesus who said, “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

PRAYER: I bless your great name, Almighty God. I look back over past years and remember the help I have known from your hand. Thank you for your strengthe shared with me, for your power exercised in me, for your being on my side in Jesus Christ, Amen.

by Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 163

“I Was Glad”

Read Psalm 122

The Jerusalem temple in ancient times and the local church in our times alike gather and order a worshiping, praising people. Any road which leads to a congregation of God’s people is traveled with a glad heart.

PRAYER: I give you thanks, most gracious God, for the church in which I worship, the care with which it was built, the devotion with which it is maintained, the ministering uses to which it is put. For all this I thank yu, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

by Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 161

“Woe Is Me, That I Sojourn in Meshech”

Read Psalm 120

A man submerged in a culture swarming with lies and malice feels as if he is drowning in it: he can trust nothing he hears, depend on no one he meets. The longing for peace and truth sets him on a pilgrim search for wholeness in God. Dissatisfaction with the world of sin is preparatory to traveling in the way of discipleship.

PRAYER: God, in a world where more lies are told than truth, and where enmity is more common than peace, I thank you for your constancy and your fidelity. Give me the strength to be a peacemaker when those around me are scornful of your peace. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

by Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 160

“As Far as the East Is from the West”

Read Psalm 103

The experience of forgiveness provokes the activity of praise. In forgiveness our sins are personally confronted, not impersonally condemned. We experience God’s severity, but even more his grace.

PRAYER: Merciful Father, I used to try to hide my true self from you, assuming that if you knew all about me you would necessarily condemn me. Now I know that your knowledge is gracious and that deception is futile. Come to me with just the right mixture of severity and kindness. Judge me and save me, both at the same time, in Jesus Christ. Amen.

By Eugene Peterson, “A Year with the Psalms” p. 116