Praying the Psalms - Worlds Of Wonder

Psalm 8 (part 2)

3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

Father God--I think I get what David was talking about. The night sky is so vast. The creation is vast that you have made and sustain. In contrast to the moon and the stars my concerns seem so small. Any yet you sent your only Son to this place. Amazing.

5-8 Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps. 9 God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.

Father God--You created the world that surrounds me. The universe that you created is amazing and astounding. In the middle of it all you placed man. So often we mess it up. We overlook our mandate to care for and superintend your created order. Or, we want to somehow equate ourselves with the animals that we are supposed to watch over.

Father God--You call me to your work, your mission and your grace lived out in a world that is amazing and hauntingly beautiful. In it’s best moments creation echos to me of your grace.

Praying the Psalms:Answering Machines and Seperation Anxiety

Psalm 8 1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.

Father God--Household name...reminds me of the recording on our answering machine. “Hello, You have reached the Brown’s house leave a message.” We are a part of your household...but no answering machine at your house. When we call home you are always there.

Remind me today that I am a part of your household. It really should change everything. Let that simple fact of grace infuse everything today that I come into contact with.


Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.

Father God--I have been around babies being fed and taken care of a lot lately. What a blessing! I reminds me of what the writer is talking about...the sense of safety, of priority and focus that babies bring with them. The songs and the laughter over silly and yet somehow sacred things of raising little ones remind me of you.

Maybe atheist’s and the like could be daycare owner’s. Little ones teach me so much about my own stuff. The elemental things like laughter, joy and hope. It can be summed up but somehow left wanting by the term “separation anxiety.”

Father God--Do I ever get separation anxiety from you? I haven’t thought of it that way before. Is that something I can pray for? I have a feeling it is was what Wesley and the others meant by conviction.

Father--Can you give separation anxiety to those who are far from you in our community? Can you help your people let people know that there is a place that can meet that deep need? Your church should be all that can be summed up in the term "household" of God.

Praying the Psalms: Even when Evil Men Rule

Psalm 7 (Part Two)

9-11 Close the book on Evil, God,
but publish your mandate for us.
You get us ready for life:
you probe for our soft spots,
you knock off our rough edges.
And I'm feeling so fit, so safe:
made right, kept right.
God in solemn honor does things right,
but his nerves are sandpapered raw.

Father God--David was aware of your work in his heart...molding, shaping, and sustaining. He has it exactly right. Your work continues in this heart of mine, not easy work... but making fit what once was useless. Remind me in those times when I am "thick as a brick" that you are working in this heart of mine. There is no wasted material. You want to use everything that comes into my life to mold and shape this heart of mine.

11-13 Nobody gets by with anything.
God is already in action—
Sword honed on his whetstone,
bow strung, arrow on the string,
Lethal weapons in hand,
each arrow a flaming missile.

Father God--There will come a time when you close the book on evil. There will come a time when tyrants will fall and playing the angles will end. You are at war with evil even when I am unaware of it the battle rages around me. I can trust in the fact that evil men are in a fight they can not win.

14 Look at that guy!
He had sex with sin,
he's pregnant with evil.
Oh, look! He's having
the baby—a Lie-Baby!

15-16 See that man shoveling day after day,
digging, then concealing, his man-trap
down that lonely stretch of road?
Go back and look again—you'll see him in it headfirst,
legs waving in the breeze.
That's what happens:
mischief backfires;
violence boomerangs.

Father God--You know the days that I live in...a time when the values which held things together are in transition. It is a time of opportunity and danger on all sides. It is a time that is not sustainable...a violent, and unjust age. I have a feeling that David felt the same way...at odds with the people that surrounded him.

17 I'm thanking God, who makes things right.
I'm singing the fame of heaven-high God.

Father God--In the end, there is praise. Praise is a faith statement. Praise flows out of trusting you to work even when I am in between the cracks in the sidewalk of active intervention. I may not see the end of the chain of events that result in the judgement of those who trap the righteous. or the judgement of the current despots who are in power. I can in the mean time, back at the ranch, praise you who makes things right.

In this day that will begin in a couple of hours let me rest in your grace...and goodness trusting you to keep me safe in this coming day even as the battle rages around me.

Praying the Psalms--Innocents?

Psalm 7

A David Psalm

1-2 God! God! I am running to you for dear life; the chase is wild.
If they catch me, I'm finished:
ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,
dragged into the forest and left
unlooked for, unremembered.

3-5 God, if I've done what they say—
betrayed my friends,
ripped off my enemies—
If my hands are really that dirty,
let them get me, walk all over me,
leave me flat on my face in the dirt.

Father God--Truth and honesty are what stand in the end. Looks and perception look good on the outside, but there must be reality that stands behind them. Accusations are one thing, but reality is another. I wonder if we will be surprised in the end by what the truth is? Power does not make right. It is just power. You are the one that vindicates and who's judgement will stand the test of time. David here is calling for you to vindicate him.

Father--I wonder if David thought of this psalm when he was told of Uriah’s death? In the end David and I both stand in need of your grace. Here in the heat of being pursued David appeals to you for vindication of the present that he was experiencing.

6-8 Stand up, God; pit your holy fury
against my furious enemies.
Wake up, God. My accusers have packed
the courtroom; it's judgment time.
Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel,
throw out the false charges against me.
I'm ready, confident in your verdict:
"Innocent."

Father--You know the end from the beginning and right now I ask for your forgiveness for those places where I will miss the mark, absolutely make a mess of it. Prepare me now for the changes that will need to take place to avoid the future pitfalls and footfalls that might lead me away from your grace.

The enemy surrounds and the powers that are arrayed against your people are mighty...but you are the Ancient of Days, Mighty and Holy with no shadow of turning. You know me Lord, so much better than I know myself. Whenever I walk toward the light shadow casts away from me.

Father--David appeals to you as being an innocent. He was a young man here. Age, experience and raw life brings me to the place where I can only claim grace but never innocence. Grace at the foot of the cross of your only begotten Son is the only thing that I claim.

Tonight this is as far as I will go. I know that David ends with praise to you...and I know that evil needs to be confronted. As I write this the Arab Spring results are bearing fruit in early autumn. Kadafi's reign in Libya is coming to an end.

Tyrants rise and fall with propaganda making what they do appear right. I am not the one to judge...I am just the one tonight to pray for your people in Libya who are not safe because evil is being corner on their door step. Keep your children safe. Are my brother’s dieing tonight as a tyrant's rule comes to an end?

Thank you for the relative safety that I experience right now. Thank you for the chance to serve you in this place. Make this place a place of grace and hope because of Your mercy received.

Praying the Psalms - Honest to God

Psalm 6

A David Psalm

1-2 Please, God, no more yelling, no more trips to the woodshed.Treat me nice for a change; I'm so starved for affection.2-3 Can't you see I'm black-and-blue, beat up badly in bones and soul? God, how long will it take for you to let up?

Father God- I think I get how David felt. Sometimes it feels like the discipline with never end. It reminds me of the times when I would be asked if I wanted my spanking now or later. A bit of a no win answer if you ask me.

Why did this psalm come up now Lord? Is there a message in the timing? These last few weeks have been a roller coaster of thoughts, feelings and circumstances for this journeyman.

David felt black and blue when he wrote this.What I know from the past is there are seasons of growth and change. Is correction a part of the process of grace? Absolutely! Do I like it? No. Doesn’t sound like David did either. Honesty was David’s default position...the place where given time and the work of your Holy Spirit he always returned to.

4-5 Break in, God, and break up this fight; if you love me at all, get me out of here. I'm no good to you dead, am I? I can't sing in your choir if I'm buried in some tomb! 6-7 I'm tired of all this—so tired. My bed has been floating forty days and nights on the flood of my tears. My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears. The sockets of my eyes are black holes; nearly blind, I squint and grope.

Father God--There he goes again...honesty and bruised in the soul is all right there. Ok, so he used poetic license a bit here, he was saying how it felt to him as he went through the process. When you are growing me, Lord, it feels as if the hurt will never end. The enemies that surrounded David were both an instrument of God’s using and at the same time out for their own ends.

When am I going to get that part Lord? That no matter what happens you are working at making the lemons into lemonade? The very people who while out for their own ends are being used by you to hone and polish your work in my life. All I need to do is co-operate, open my soul to the direction of the Spirit’s work. So often that is not my response.

8-9 Get out of here, you Devil's crew: at last God has heard my sobs. My requests have all been granted, my prayers are answered. 10 Cowards, my enemies disappear. Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

Father God--There will come an end to those who are the present cast of characters that surround, confront and confound me. There will be an ongoing process of change as to who the “enemies” are. David prayed that they would go away and be disgraced...that is a great start, but you call for more from your people don’t you?

Matthew 5:43-45

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves.

In this day, let my default position be honesty tinged with grace to those I encounter.

Praying the Psalms: Time to Party

A DAVID PSALM

Psalm 5
005 [5.1-3] Listen, GOD! Please, pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries? King-God, I need your help. Every morning you’ll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.

Father God--David was beginning his day much like I am. He was laying out the hurt and the praise right on the alter. He laid them in his mind and heart on the place where they were offered to you...a place where they would be consumed and gone. I like that picture. There are too many things that I bring to the alter, only to pick them back up. I worry about them and they end up consuming too much of me David had it exactly right. He let go of them right where they could be consumed.

[5.4-6] You don’t socialize with Wicked, or invite Evil over as your houseguest. Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you; you shake your head over Mischief-Maker. GOD destroys Lie-Speaker; Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.

Not everyone has the luxury of letting things go into your hands...Remind me, Father, of the load that some are carrying with no relief in sight. I can go on a rant about the people that are filled with hot air and are blood thirsty, truth benders. But bringing them before you in prayer provides me with a way to let go and let you work. It looks like David was a master at that process.

[5.7-8] And here I am, your invited guest— it’s incredible! I enter your house; here I am, prostrate in your inner sanctum, Waiting for directions to get me safely through enemy lines.

Father--Thank you for this time and this day that I can start with you. The sun calls me to the possibilities for this day with you with me. I wait here in the silence knowing you will lead, speak and guide through the maze of responsibilities that await me.

[5.9-10] Every word they speak is a land mine; their lungs breathe out poison gas. Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mudslides. Pile on the guilt, God! Let their so-called wisdom wreck them. Kick them out! They’ve had their chance.

Father God-- Keep me safe in an environment that many times I only have the slightest glimpe of the dangers that surround. I can relate to David’s feelings...

[5.11-12]But you’ll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration. You are famous, GOD, for welcoming God-seekers, for decking us out in delight.

Father God--You are the one I run to. There is protection, provision and partying in your plans for your people. Celebration surrounds you...welcomes are your speciality. Why party when enemies are surrounding? You are my protector.

Peterson, Eugene H. (2006-06-15). The Message Remix 2.0: The Bible In contemporary Language

Notes to the Lord:Father is Listening

Psalm 4

004 [4.1] When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, you gave me room; Now I’m in trouble again: grace me! hear me!

Father--David came to you in the middle of his need. Almost like a child, in a play ground fight...asking you to take up his cause. I can relate to the need for grace. I need it all the time. I can relate to the need for answers. The reality is I want you to take my side much like a spoiled child demanding my way.

There is and element of fox hole praying here, Lord. I know the feeling I have been there often. It is a slice of life prayer...David could have been writing this on his ipad as he sat in the park on Broadway.

[4.2] You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn? How long will you lust after lies? How long will you live crazed by illusion? [4.3] Look at this: look Who got picked by GOD! He listens the split second I call to him.

Father God--David knew about those who wanted him to fall. There is protection in your grace. You listen and intervene in the way that you think is best.

[4.4-5] Complain if you must, but don’t lash out. Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking. Build your case before God and wait for his verdict. [4.6-7] Why is everyone hungry for more? “More, more,” they say. “More, more.”I have God’s more-than-enough, More joy in one ordinary day [4.7-8] Than they get in all their shopping sprees. At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep, For you, GOD, have put my life back together.

Father God--There is a ongoing process of depending on you for the next step. You are seeking to deepen me. You want me to include you in my day and to send you just these kind of prayers in the middle of my everyday. It is true that in you I find peace and grace that can not be brought with more material things in my life. Sound sleep at the end of the day come from following after and and depending on you to put my life back together.

“Flash Prayers” is an excellent idea developed by Frank Laubach in his many books on prayer. He purposed to learn how to live so that “to see anybody will be to pray! To hear anybody, as these children talking, that boy crying, may be to pray!”11 Flashing hard and straight prayers at people is a great thrill and can bring interesting results. I have tried it, inwardly asking the joy of the Lord and a deeper awareness of his presence to rise up within every person I meet. Sometimes people reveal no response, but other times they turn and smile as if addressed. In a bus or plane we can invite Jesus to walk down the aisles, touching people on the shoulder and saying, “I love you. My greatest delight would be to forgive you and give you good things. You have beautiful qualities still in the bud that I would unfold if only you will say yes. I’d love to rule your life if you’ll let me.” Frank Laubach has suggested that if thousands of us would experiment with “swishing prayers” at everyone we meet and would share the results, we could learn a great deal about how to pray for others. We could change the whole atmosphere of a nation if thousands of us would constantly throw a cloak of prayer around everyone in our circle of nearness. “Units of prayer combined, like drops of water, make an ocean which defies resistance.”

Foster, Richard J. (2004-05-11). Celebration Of Discipline - 25th Anniversary (pp. 44-45).

As these feet take me through the coming day...let me pray flash prayers for those I encounter in this day...