Psalm 39:4-5

 

Psalm 39:4-5

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.

Help me to number my days, Lord,

And treasure every one.

For they are fleeting as the wind,

They’re here and then they’re gone.

While mountains stand for centuries,

The Moon, for eons more,

Mankind is born and then is gone,

Like waves on a lost shore.

We have a few years in the sun,

Then winter seeks us out,

But we must fill the “in between”

With life lived without doubt.

Now I have numbered many years

Upon this earth, it’s true,

And many of those years, Oh Lord,

I walked too far from You.

Yet, faith finally led me back

And now, at last, I see

How precious has each moment been,

And, those to come, will be.

Teach me to number my years, Lord,

But to not dread the count.

May winter find me faithful still,

No matter the amount.

Psalm 38:17-18 & 21-22

Psalm 38:17-18 & 21-22  
For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin… Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.

I know that my sins have been cleansed,
But there is still a cost.
This life will hold the punishment,
Though my soul is not lost.

For sin brings with it, consequence.
Though He removes the stain,
The damage is already done,
Those scars will still remain.

I know that I am shattered, Lord,
By the sins of my past,
And I can never be made whole,
Til I see You, at last.

But if You will forgive me, Lord,
And heal me through Your Grace,
Then all my broken, jagged shards
May yet reflect Your face!

Psalm 37:1-6

Psalm 37:1-6

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

I used to walk through every day
With my eyes straight ahead.
I thought I needed goals and plans,
But needed You instead.

Though we need plans to lay our path
And goals to get us there,
Neither will bring us home with joy,
Unless we learn to care.

It isn’t by racing to win
That we find fulfillment.
But when we stop along the way
For time, with loved ones, spent.

Or when we pause to glance around
At those bright morning skies,
And realize the purest gold
Is there, before our eyes.

The blossoms in a summer field,
An eagle on the wing,
Can cause a heart to race with joy
Or count a new blessing.

I think it’s not that there’s no joy
In working to a goal,
It’s just that joy is magnified
Within a grateful soul.

So, I’ll work hard upon this earth,
But take delight in You,
That I won’t pass like summer grass.
In You, I’m born anew. 

Psalm 36:5-7

 

Psalm 36:5-7

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

How great is the love of the Lord,

How vast is His Mercy!

Beyond the reach of heaven and earth

Is His great love for me.

I am as nothing, I am dust

Swept away by the wind,

And yet His love is beyond life

For it will never end.

The mountains rise, the oceans surge,

The heavens swell and soar,

Yet, in contrast, they’re minuscule,

For His love offers more.

He took the form of mortal man,

Then died that I might live.

He did this knowing I have naught

Equal in worth to give.

So, I will hide beneath the wing

Of Him whose love for me

Is greater than the mountains rise

And vaster than the sea!

Psalm 35:4-5

 

Psalm 35:4-5

Humiliate those who seek my harm. Defeat them all! Frustrate their plans to defeat me and drive them back. Disgrace them all as they have devised their plans to disgrace me.

Blow them away like dust in the wind, with the Angel of Almighty God driving them back!

I hear so many speak in rage

Of those they do not know.

Denigrating the innocent,

Letting their anger grow.

Tonight, I lift those angry hearts

Into Your tender Grace.

Please help them step away from rage

And find a healing place.

Please help them move past ridicule

And see humanity

In those who have done them no harm,

But simply disagree.

I’m tired of the bitterness

That sullies every day,

So, Lord, please lead them from their rage

And into Grace, I pray.