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Ordinary Prayer: Psalm 20

Psalms 20 and 21 are prayers for the king. It strikes me that they are connected in thought with David’s Psalm 18 in which he recounts and praises God for God’s deliverance from Saul.

Here is a paraphrase of Psalm 20. In it I was taken with the line in verse 1, “may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.” You may remember in Genesis 32 that Jacob wrestles with God and in that night match, Jacob clings and asks, “Please tell me your name.” To which the Unknown adversary responds, “‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him.” That scene obviously influenced my paraphrase or midrash. The Lord does not reveal to Jacob his name, and yet he blesses. The name of the Lord is not a talisman or a ‘spell’ that one invokes to gain power over circumstance. Nevertheless, the Lord comes to us, engages us, blesses us, and promises never to forsake us.

May the Lord come to your help when you need,
and may the one to whom Jacob clung, cling to you.
May help come straight from the holy place
and reinforcement come from Zion.
May God remember your service to him
and smile upon the gift you give him.
May God fulfill all your wants
and bring your plans to pass.

Pray, all of you, shout for joy because you’ve been saved,
and unfurl the banners for his praise!
Pray Lord, answer our prayers!
I’ve seen it, I know he saves his chosen king;
from his holy place above, he’ll send his answer,
and his fingerprints will be all over the salvation he works.

You know, some kings trust in their armies, their war machines and cavalry.
Not us, we trust in the Lord God who says we can call anytime.
Those others give way and fall down, but we rise up and stand tall.
Lord, we pray, save the king! Pray, answer us when we call.

© Randall Edwards 2020. This paraphrase of Psalm 20 is for Christ’s church. If it is helpful, please feel free to copy or reprint in church bulletins, read aloud, or repost. I only ask that an attribution be cited to myself (Randall Edwards) and this blog (backwardmutters.com).
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poetry

Ordinary Prayer: Psalm 19

The psalms are not the high-culture language of a life lived looking down on others. They are the down to earth lyrics of God’s people. The Psalms are words penned by some of them most famous Old Testament saints, and they have worked their way into the hearts of the church for millennia. Psalm 19 is one of those songs.

This is a paraphrase of Psalm 19.

The night sky is the word of your worth, O God,
and the daytime brings all your skill to light.
Day after day something new is said
and each night more news is shared.
You can’t get away from it;
everywhere you hear it and everything has something to say.
The news goes all ‘round the globe,
and its word goes from one end to the other.
The expanse above is like a blue tent
for the sun which runs straight across the sky
like a bridegroom to his wedding or a strong man into battle;
it delights to do so.
From his rising he crosses the sky
from one end to the other
and nothing can escape its heat.

The law of the Lord is just-right, giving life to life;
the word of the Lord is dependable and makes sages of plain folk.
The things the Lord says are right, they give joy through and through;
the commands of the Lord are clear and help one see;
Knowing the holiness of Lord makes one holy forever;
the measures of the Lord are straight and completely just.
You’ll want these more than money, more than the best investments,
and these are sweeter than any honey you’ll ever come across.

And what is more, You keep me safe in their warnings
and show me the great fruit of following them.
Tell me now, who can really see?
Who can disentangle a heart from the knots of wrong?
Who can clear up one’s inner self-deceptions?
Please don’t let me stumble into presuming upon you.
Don’t let sin gain leverage against me.
Only then will I be free of blame and innocent.
Let the words I say and the thoughts on which I chew
be what would bring pleasure to you, O Lord,
the one who holds me up
and the one who has my back.

© Randall Edwards 2020. This paraphrase of Psalm 19 is for Christ’s church. If it is helpful, please feel free to copy or reprint in church bulletins, read aloud, or repost. I only ask that an attribution be cited to myself (Randall Edwards) and this blog (backwardmutters.com
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poetry

Psalm 15: Who May Go and Stay?

Psalm 15 is hard news. It may come across as a such high standard of righteousness that its promises to be with God are unattainable and beyond hope of reaching. We read it, and move on rather than letting it do its work in us in prayer. So here are a few ways as to how to let it work in us.

Firstly, just admit it. You can’t do it, live up to it, or achieve it. You need help. Ask for it. Examine yourself according to it, and if you find yourself lacking, turn to God and believe. He can work this kind of integrity and truth in us. He desires truth in the ‘inmost place,’ and he is able to work truth there.

Secondly, Psalm 15 is a picture of the heart of faith. By this I don’t mean ‘heart’ as in ‘core.’ — the central part of faith, but rather I mean what faith loves. Faith longs to be with God, faith speaks sincerely, loves the truth and one’s neighbor. Faith is merciful and patient. It doesn’t love wickedness, neither is faith drawn to it. Faith loves what is lovely, and so faith esteems the honorable. Faith loves fidelity and so it keeps promises. Faith does not seek to undermine truth by letting it be bought and sold to the highest bidder. Faith over time leads to faithfulness, and faithfulness is righteousness — that person, rather than working to deserve getting God, is the person who is always pursuing God. Faithfulness and righteousness are indivisible.

Lastly, in reading Psalm 15, one must apply the gospel. God does not remain above and expect us get ourselves there or else. God is the one who is truthful. God descends, he ‘rends the heavens and comes down.’ He comes to us to take us to where he abides. God himself is the one who “swears to his own hurt and changeth not.” And so, what he promises those who in faith turn to him, he is able to bring about. He will do it. What is our part? It is to ‘abide in him.’ And in ‘staying with him’ we find ourselves immoveable.

Here is the ordinary prayer paraphrase of Psalm 15.

Who may go with you to where you stay?
Who may make a home in the House where you abide?

I”ll tell you who:
The one in whom there is no fault–
And from his heart, truth can’t help but leak out.
Who doesn’t murder with words
And they do not one wrong thing to their neighbor.
When his friend is pulled down, he doesn’t pile on,
And she can’t stand to look at what no one should,
But they hold in high esteem those who live knowing God is watching.
They are those who make a promise and keep it, even if it hurts;
She doesn’t lend demanding more in return,
And His good word can’t be bought.

They who are faithful shall stay, and no one make them move.

© Randall Edwards 2020. This paraphrase of Psalm 15 is for Christ’s church. If it is helpful, please feel free to copy or reprint in church bulletins, read aloud, or repost. I only ask that an attribution be cited to myself (Randall Edwards) and this blog (backwardmutters.com)

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Psalm 14: Ordinary Prayer

This is a paraphrase of Psalm 14 which you may read HERE.

In the inmost place of who they are,
They say, “There is no God.”
Not because they doubt,
But they imagine unthinkable things,
And do what no good person would think to do.

From the heights the Lord looks down on the children,
Looks for anyone who puts it together,
Who longing, seeks for the Other.

But they gaze at their navels,
Are turned in on themselves,
And not one does the good they’d hoped to.
It’s like they don’t even see
How the bad eats them up,
How they chew up others,
So consumed with themselves—
Just gorging on getting,
Never filled by the Lord.

There they are, feeding on fear,
Knowing something isn’t quite right,
You see, God is close to the just.

Go on, mock the plans of the poor,
But beware, it’s the Lord to Whom they run.

Now! Let it be now
That rescue comes from your Mount—
The rescue that rights and restores what was taken!
Let those who walk with a limp, rejoice.
Let the small people God loves, be glad.

© Randall Edwards 2020. This paraphrase of Psalm 14 is for Christ’s church. If it is helpful, please feel free to copy or reprint in church bulletins, read aloud, or repost. I only ask that an attribution be cited to myself (Randall Edwards) and this blog (backwardmutters.com
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poetry

Psalm 13 an Ordinary Prayer

This is the next installment in my psalms paraphrase project titled, Ordinary Prayer. In Psalm 13, which you may read HERE, David tells a story of personal struggle in which begins with his admission of his experience. It moves on to his cry to the Lord, and it concludes with his full awareness of the Lord’s covenant faithfulness to him which wells up in praise and song.

I wait and wait.
Do you ever think of me?
Will you ever look my way?
I spend the day in my head.
I try and work it out, but worry wears me out
And leaves me sad from morning till night.
How long will haters brag and have the upper hand?

Think of me and speak to me O Lord, my God.
Only you can lift my spirits.
If you don’t, I’ll just lie down and die,
And the haters will stand over me and gloat–
They’ll high five each other because I’ve been dropped.

But I have thrown myself on your strong, certain love;
My heart swells at the news of your salvation.
It swells into song — a song to you
Because you’ve done more for me, than I ever dared hope.

© Randall Edwards 2020. This paraphrase of Psalm 13 is for Christ’s church. If it is helpful, please feel free to copy or reprint in church bulletins, read aloud, or repost. I only ask that an attribution be cited to myself (Randall Edwards) and this blog (backwardmutters.com
Ordinary Prayer