Praying the Psalms: Sat, 08 Sep – Psalm 61 ~ lead me to the towering rock of safety

Praying the Psalms

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

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.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 61 (NLT)

O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude

For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name. Add many years to the life of the king! May his years span the generations! May he reign under God’s protection forever. May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him. Then I will sing praises to your name forever as I fulfill my vows each day.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Hear the cries of your people throughout the world – those who are overwhelmed by pain and suffering. You alone are their shield and defender –

+ those who are isolated from friends and family…
+ those who are held captive with no way of escape…
+ Those who are dislocated and dispossessed…
+ those who have trusted in you for safety…
+ those who have experienced your mercy in the past…
+ those who have experienced your deliverance in the past…

O Lord our God: You have made covenant with your people through faith in your Son, Jesus Christ. We trust in your promise of life abundant and eternal. Pour out your Spirit of mercy and truth that all your people may live safely in your presence – in Jesus’ name we ask it. Amen.
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“Psalm 61” – Terry Clark

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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, and 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: Fri, 07 Sep – Psalm 60 ~ restore us to your favor

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.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 60 (NLT)

You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses. You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor. You have shaken our land and split it open. Seal the cracks, for the land trembles. You have been very hard on us, making us drink wine that sent us reeling. But you have raised a banner for those who fear you— a rallying point in the face of attack. Interlude

Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power. God has promised this by his holiness: “I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors, and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings. But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant, and I will wipe my feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.”

Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will bring me victory over Edom? Have you rejected us, O God? Will you no longer march with our armies? Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: You are sovereign over the heights and depths of our lives. Raise up your people who find themselves in the depths of despondency –

+ Fix our minds on all that is good and true, instead of our troubles…
+ Fix our minds on sins forgiven, instead of past guilt past…
+ Fix our minds on your faithfulness to your promises..
+ Fix our minds on your readiness to show mercy over judgement…
+ Fix our minds on your banner of love, Christ crucified…

O Lord our God: Our hope is in you alone through faith in your Son Jesus Christ. Raise us with him from despondency to victory through your loving-kindness and for your glory. Amen.
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“O God, Thou hast rejected us” (Psalm 60) – Scottish Psalter, 1615

O God, Thou hast rejected us, And hast afflicted sore;
Thou hast been angry, but in grace| O once again restore.

Lo, Thou hast torn and rent our land, Thy judgments dread appall;
O heal her shattered strength before | She totter to her fall.

Thro’ ways of trial and distress | Thy people Thou hast led,
A bitter cup Thou givest us | Of misery and dread.

A glorious banner Thou hast given | To those who fear Thy Name,
A banner to display abroad, And thus the truth proclaim.

Give Thou Thy help against the foe, For help of man is vain;
Through God we shall do valiantly, The victory He shall gain.
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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

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

Praying the Psalms: Thu, 06 Sep – Psalm 59 ~ deliver 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.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 59 (NLT)

Rescue me from my enemies, O God. Protect me from those who have come to destroy me. Rescue me from these criminals; save me from these murderers. They have set an ambush for me. Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord, though I have not sinned or offended them. I have done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. Wake up! See what is happening and help me! O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, wake up and punish those hostile nations. Show no mercy to wicked traitors. Interlude

They come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths; their words cut like swords. “After all, who can hear us?” they sneer. But Lord, you laugh at them. You scoff at all the hostile nations. You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress. In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.

Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees, O Lord our shield. Because of the sinful things they say, because of the evil that is on their lips, let them be captured by their pride, their curses, and their lies. Destroy them in your anger! Wipe them out completely! Then the whole world will know that God reigns in Israel. Interlude

My enemies come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. They scavenge for food but go to sleep unsatisfied.

But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: Deliver us from evil and the wiles and deceit of evil people. Civil discourse and debate has broken down and wicked people seek to destroy our duly elected president –

+ they hate him with a deadly hatred…
+ they hate him because he was elected…
+ they hate him with a furious rage…
+ they hate him with malignant slander…
+ they hate him with relentless effort…
+ they hate him with deceit and cunning…

O Lord our God: Raise up people of faith and goodwill who can move us forward as a nation and help us become one people under God –

+ restore our civil and moral order…
+ reconcile us in Christ, to you and one another…

O Lord our God: Your sovereign hand has brought us to “such a time as this.” Work your will through the chaos and wickedness of these times. And bring our nation to a place where “every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,” all to your glory. Amen.
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“Psalm 59” (Deliver Me) – Bob Carlisle

Deliver me Deliver me | Oh God, from my enemies
Deliver me Deliver me | Oh God, from my enemies

They lie in wait for my life
The mighty are gathered against me
Prowling the night just like dogs
All through the streets of the city
I am not guilty of sin
Lord, Look down from on high
And come to my defense

Deliver me Deliver me | Oh God, from my enemies
Deliver me Deliver me | Oh God, from my enemies

They speak with curses and lies
Plotting their evil against me
Let them be caught in their pride
In anger consume them completely
Lord, I am so overwhelmed
Bring them down to their knees
Arise to my help

Deliver me Deliver me | Oh God, from my enemies
Deliver me Deliver me | Oh God, from my enemies
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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

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

Praying the Psalms: Wed, 05 Sep – Psalm 58 ~ Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word?

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.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 58 (NLT)

Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land. These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way. They spit venom like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen, ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play.

Break off their fangs, O God! Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord! May they disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands. May they be like snails that dissolve into slime, like a stillborn child who will never see the sun. God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.

The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then at last everyone will say, “There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: The world watches as our rulers pervert justice and defame the character of a good man –

+ in their zeal for power, they have increased the evils of our society…
+ in their zeal for power, they have sowed confusion and wickedness throughout the land…
+ in their zeal for power, they have ignored the guilt of their friends and relentlessly persecuted their enemies…
+ in their zeal for power, they have hardened their hearts against all reason and rebuke…
+ in their zeal for power, they have exposed their own wickedness and the corruption of their own hearts…

O Lord our God: The world watches as our rulers pervert justice and defame the character of a good man –

+ for the good of our country, restrain these evil-doers and revoke their power to do injury…
+ for the sake of fairness, judge these evil-doers with righteousness in accordance with your perfect will…
+ for the sake of truth, expose the lies and deceit of these evil-doers and put them to public shame…

O Lord our God: You are the righteous Judge over all the earth. Insert yourself in the deliberations of our rulers concerning the confirmation of a good man as the next Supreme Court Justice. May good triumph over evil, may truth triumph over falsehood, and may justice be restored as intended in the founding documents of our country. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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“Psalm 58” (Psalm 58) – Richard Bruxvoort Colligan

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Blessing – (Northumbrian Community)

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

Praying the Psalms: Tue, 04 Sep – Psalm 57 ~ my heart is confident in you, O God

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.
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Morning Reading: Psalm 57 (NLT)

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me.

My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.

I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey— whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth.

My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it.

My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.
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Morning Prayer

O Lord our God: you are our shelter in times of danger, the One who rescues us in times of trouble.

Hear the cries of your people who fear for their lives –

+ wicked people use lies and deceit to destroy them…
+ peril and calamity press in from every side…
+ ways of escape have been cut off…
+ apart from you, they are helpless…

Hear the confidence of your people who fear for their lives –

+ they trust in your deliverance…
+ they seek your mercy and truth…
+ they cling to your promises…
+ they rely on your strength…

O Lord our God: our hearts burn within us for you are our God, our Savior. Receive our worship and praise, and display your glory over the whole earth. Use our afflictions to bring honor to your name, that all may acknowledge your Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord to your everlasting glory. Amen.
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“Psalm 57” (My heart is steadfast) – Melody and Truth