Tag: Northumbrian Community

Praying the Psalms: Wed, 04 Jul – Psalm 4 ~ Have mercy on us!

Praying the Psalms

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning Reading: Psalm 4 (NLT)

Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord.

Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
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Morning Prayer:

Lord God: Have mercy on us and hear our prayers –

+ For, by your grace, you have declared us innocent…. Lord, have mercy.
+ For you have given us relief when we were in trouble…. Lord, have mercy.
+ For you have set apart the godly for yourself…. Lord, have mercy.
+ For you hear us when we call out to you…. Lord, have mercy.

Lord God: Infuse our hearts with gladness –

+ For you are the source of all our joy…. Lord, fill us.
+ For your joy provides us with security…. Lord, fill us.
+ For your joy is unspeakable, and full of glory…. Lord, fill us.
+ For your joy is endless, renewed every morning…. Lord, fill us.
+ For your joy satisfies us and consecrates our minds…. Lord, fill us.

Lord God: In you we are safe, grant us your peace and rest for our souls. Amen.
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“Sure of This (Psalm 4)” – The Shiyr Poets


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Praying the Psalms: Tue, 03 Jul – Psalm 3 ~ Rescue us!

Praying the Psalms

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning Reading: Psalm 3 (NLT)

O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!”

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.

Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people.
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Morning Prayer:

Lord God: Watch over your people in these perilous times, especially those suffering great persecution and deprivation. Hear our cries –

+ For all who are surrounded by enemies with their plots and traps…. Lord, rescue us!
+ For all who are ridiculed because of their faith and practice…. Lord, rescue us!
+ For all who are harassed and oppressed by godless people…. Lord, rescue us!

Lord God: You are our deliverer, our refuge and hiding-place in any time of trouble!

+ Shield and protect us from harm, coming from any direction…. Lord, watch over us!
+ Surround us with your glory, even in the midst of our troubles…. Lord, watch over us!
+ Raise our spirits and strengthen our hearts, our hope is in you…. Lord, watch over us!

Lord God: Displace our fears with the assurance of your perfect love!

+ Give us holy calm, that we may sleep restfully through the night…. Lord, fill us!
+ Give us holy courage, that we may confidently face every challenge…. Lord, fill us!
+ Give us holy strength, that we may tirelessly press on through the day…. Lord, fill us!

Lord God: Victory comes from you! Defeat our enemies and bless us – to the glory of your name. Amen.
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“Watching over Me (Psalm 3)” – The Shiyr Poets


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Praying the Psalms: Mon, 02 Jul – Psalm 2 ~ Kiss God’s royal son!

Praying the Psalms

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning Reading: Psalm 2 (NLT)

Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.

“Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the Lord declares,

“I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”

The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:

“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’”

Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!
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Morning Prayer

Sovereign Lord: you have made your royal son – Jesus Messiah – Kings of kings, the hope of Israel, the hope of all the nations.

+ Fill us with joy-filled expectation of his imminent return….
+ Free us from despair and fill us with confident hope….
+ Shape us through fidelity to his Kingship, his rule and reign….
+ Inspire in us a passion to advance his Kingdom, beginning with us….
+ Open every guilty heart to receive your mercy and redemption….

Press on King Jesus – ruler of all nations, until every knee bows and tongue declares: “You are Lord!” We await your return; come quickly.
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“Why Do the Nations Rage” – The Shiyr Poets


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Praying the Psalms: beginning Today

“Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5:18b-20 (NLT)

Dear Readers –

On Friday, 29 June, we completed our one year Bible Reading Plan, with the exception of the Book of Psalms. Psalms was omitted because we substituted the Gospel Reading from the Lectionary on Sundays. We began reading through the Bible on 01 July 2017, so, today – Saturday, 30 June – we begin reading through the Psalms to complete our one year Bible Reading Plan.

The Reading Plan we have been following was designed to read through Psalms in 52 days. However, I would like to go more slowly so that we can enter into a spirit of worship and prayer which was the Psalmists’ intended purpose. So, we will be praying through the Psalms daily through the end of the year, approximately 150 days, with Sundays devoted to the Gospel Reading from the Lectionary as before.

Walter Brueggemann (Praying the Psalms) says that the Psalms are not the voice of God addressing us, but rather contain the voice of a common humanity addressing God. When you pray the Psalms, you are praying together with believers throughout the world and throughout time.

But we are also praying with Jesus, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Psalms, The Prayer Book of the Bible) notes –

“All prayers of the Bible are such prayers which we pray together with Jesus Christ, in which he accompanies us, and through which he brings us into the presence of God. Otherwise there are no true prayers, for only in and with Jesus Christ can we truly pray.”

So let us join with Jesus and “make music to the Lord in our hearts” as the Spirit allows us to enter into God’s presence each day by faith through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for following along with me and for liking and re-blogging various posts.

+ May God bless and protect you,
+ May God show you mercy and loving-kindness.
+ May God be good to you and give you peace,
+ Through His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Art Chartier
The Peanut Gallery
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Please refer to the charts below to see where we have been, and where we are going. We have been following a Year Through The Bible Plan adapted from Samaritan’s Purse.

Praying the Psalms: Sat, 30 Jun – Psalm 1 ~ Oh, the joys of the godly!

Praying the Psalms

+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Opening – (Northumbria Community)

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning Reading: Psalm 1 (NLT)

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
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Morning Prayer

Heavenly Father: Show me how to enter into the heart of Jesus as I begin this journey through the Psalms. Deliver me from my own poverty of heart, that I may delight in your Word and allow its richness to shape my life.

Guide me along the path of godliness:

  • that my mind may be enriched…. Lord, hear me.
  • that my heart may be joyful…. Lord, hear me.
  • that my life may be consecrated…. Lord, hear me.

Deliver me from sin and wickedness:

  • that my attitude may be genuine…. Lord, hear me.
  • that my effort may produce good fruit…. Lord, hear me.
  • that my future may be secure…. Lord, hear me.

I ask this in the name of Jesus, who intercedes on my behalf before your throne of grace. Amen.
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“Psalm 1” – Sons of Korah


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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!