Day 11 Psalms 131 — 143
Psalms 131
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother’s breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. ————————————————————————
Father, restore my innocence.
Psalms 132
A Song of Ascents.
1 Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured;
2 how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 "I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 Lo, we heard of it in Eph’rathah, we found it in the fields of Ja’ar.
7 "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!"
8 Arise, O LORD, and go to thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy might.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let thy saints shout for joy.
10 For thy servant David’s sake do not turn away the face of thy anointed one.
11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: "One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies which I shall teach them, their sons also for ever shall sit upon your throne."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
14 "This is my resting place for ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself his crown will shed its luster." ————————————————————————
Father, by faith may I inherit Your kingdom.
Psalms 133
A Song of Ascents.
1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life for evermore. ————————————————————————
Father, may we be one.
Psalms 134
A Song of Ascents.
1 Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the LORD!
3 May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth! ————————————————————————
Father, send the Spirit to motivate me to pray morning, noon, and night.
Psalms 135
1 Praise the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD,
2 you that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious!
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and of beast;
9 who in thy midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who smote many nations and slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Thy name, O LORD, endures for ever, thy renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.
14 For the LORD will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they speak not, they have eyes, but they see not,
17 they have ears, but they hear not, nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Like them be those who make them! — yea, every one who trusts in them!
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD! O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD! You that fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the LORD! ————————————————————————
Father, may every minute and detail of my life give You praise.
Psalms 136
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2 O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
6 to him who spread out the earth upon the waters, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
7 to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
8 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
10 to him who smote the first-born of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in sunder, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
17 to him who smote great kings, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
18 and slew famous kings, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures for ever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures for ever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures for ever.
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures for ever. ————————————————————————
Father, You’ve been so good.
Psalms 137
1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
7 Remember, O LORD, against the E’domites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, "Rase it, rase it! Down to its foundations!"
8 O daughter of Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall he be who requites you with what you have done to us!
9 Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! ————————————————————————
Father, may zeal for Your house consume me (Jn 2:17; Ps 69:10).
Psalms 138
A Psalm of David.
1 I give thee thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing thy praise;
2 I bow down toward thy holy temple and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness; for thou hast exalted above everything thy name and thy word.
3 On the day I called, thou didst answer me, my strength of soul thou didst increase.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, for they have heard the words of thy mouth;
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou dost preserve my life; thou dost stretch out thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and thy right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfil his purpose for me; thy steadfast love, O LORD, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of thy hands. ————————————————————————
Father, may I invite others to praise You.
Psalms 139
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me and known me!
2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou dost beset me behind and before, and layest thy hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, "Let only darkness cover me, and the light about me be night,"
12 even the darkness is not dark to thee, the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with thee.
13 For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well;
15 my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
16 Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.
19 O that thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God, and that men of blood would depart from me,
20 men who maliciously defy thee, who lift themselves up against thee for evil!
21 Do I not hate them that hate thee, O LORD? And do I not loathe them that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! ————————————————————————
"Probe me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts" (139:23).
Psalms 140
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men,
2 who plan evil things in their heart, and stir up wars continually.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the poison of vipers. [Selah]
4 Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 Arrogant men have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net, by the wayside they have set snares for me. [Selah]
6 I say to the LORD, Thou art my God; give ear to the voice of my supplications, O LORD!
7 O LORD, my Lord, my strong deliverer, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further his evil plot! [Selah]
9 Those who surround me lift up their head, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into pits, no more to rise!
11 Let not the slanderer be established in the land; let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
12 I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the afflicted, and executes justice for the needy.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence. ————————————————————————
Father, may I love my enemies.
Psalms 141
A Psalm of David.
1 I call upon thee, O LORD; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice, when I call to thee!
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice!
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD, keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 Incline not my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties!
5 Let a good man strike or rebuke me in kindness, but let the oil of the wicked never anoint my head; for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that the word of the LORD is true.
7 As a rock which one cleaves and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are toward thee, O LORD God; in thee I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
9 Keep me from the trap which they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked together fall into their own nets, while I escape. ————————————————————————
Father, may I have "no love for the world, nor the things that the world affords" (1 Jn 2:15).
Psalms 142
A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.
1 I cry with my voice to the LORD, with my voice I make supplication to the LORD,
2 I pour out my complaint before him, I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint, thou knowest my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 I look to the right and watch, but there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me, no man cares for me.
5 I cry to thee, O LORD; I say, Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
6 Give heed to my cry; for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors; for they are too strong for me!
7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to thy name! The righteous will surround me; for thou wilt deal bountifully with me. ————————————————————————
Jesus, free me
Psalms 143
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications! In thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for no man living is righteous before thee.
3 For the enemy has pursued me; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that thou hast done; I muse on what thy hands have wrought.
6 I stretch out my hands to thee; my soul thirsts for thee like a parched land. [Selah]
7 Make haste to answer me, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not thy face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of thy steadfast love, for in thee I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to thee I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies! I have fled to thee for refuge!
10 Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God! Let thy good spirit lead me on a level path!
11 For thy name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In thy righteousness bring me out of trouble!
12 And in thy steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am thy servant. ————————————————————————
Father, teach me to do your will.
