A third collection of biblical psalms rewritten for reflection and sharing. With blank pages for you to add your own thoughts, questions, prayers and reflections.
An extract from the book
Psalm 99
The Lord is so different from us,
surrounded by heavenly beings,
present in the clouds weighted with awe.
Heroes of the past glimpsed God from a distance
and stood back as they worshipped him.
Yet now Lord you have come close to us,
close enough that you choose to call us your friend,
close enough to embrace and forgive us,
close enough to envelop our brokenness
in your eternal love.
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord,
don’t worry about being perfect,
or having the best musical offering,
just raise your voices with gladness.
Come close to God and bless him.
And as you do so may you sense his joy,
his kindness, and his delight over you.
For God is good and
his love for you will never end.
Psalm 101
Help me with all my faults Lord,
I am acutely aware of them.
Save me from judging others,
or speaking words of harm.
Save me from spending time on that which saps life,
save me from the pride that leads to falling.
Lead me towards the good things please,
and may I be an encouragement
to others today.
I wish I could rid the world of the evils that haunt it,
but I cannot fix everything that is wrong,
so keep reminding me to bring these things to you,
the terrors that we find debilitating
and soul-destroying.
Help us to talk to you,
to pray and not give up.
Psalm 102
We are aware that our days
on earth pass quickly at times.
You last forever Lord,
but on earth we fade.
Thank you for the hope of life with you,
life eternal, life without limits,
a life of fullness and peace.
So hear our calls to you please,
hear our longings, spoken and unspoken,
let your endless life seep into our limited existence,
and may your promise of peace and justice
bring us strength, courage and hope.
Psalm 105
Remind us of the things you have done,
your kind wonders of the past.
Let those accounts of your miracles
lift our faith and spur us on.
Keep us going Lord,
taking one moment at a time,
and though we may not see the wonders of generations past,
take the scales from our eyes, so we may see you
in the ordinary happenings of each day,
glimpses of your glory in the regular and routine,
your holy presence with us now.
Psalm 106
Praise the Lord!
Though this world is broken,
a restless, twisting, turning muddle,
you are with us in the mire and the mess.
Your hand helped those who have gone before us,
you put the brakes on the rampant storms,
and settled the angry seas.
Calm our storms now please,
those that rage within and without us,
settle the anger and spite that can be so evident,
and let your songs of encouragement
spill from our hearts and lips.
Psalm 107
Lord you promise to satisfy the hungry soul,
to fulfil the deep longings within us,
please would you do that,
would you meet us in our need and hunger,
and in our desires for something more.
For something better than this world can offer.
Set free please, those of us trapped in darkness,
those caught in prisons of loneliness and hurt.
We cry out to you in our trouble,
deliver us from danger and distress.
Turn our deserts into springs of hope,
change the unforgiving grit of emptiness
to bright jewels of comfort and sustenance.