Thursday, November 30, 2006

My Soul Waits in Silence (Psalm 62)

My soul waits in silence for Christ alone, my Savior,
My Rock, my Fortress, in Whom I am secure.
The Lord will protect me from those who plot against me,
From their lies and their empty words.
He is my Rock and my Refuge, He will deliver me and restore me.
Let the whole world trust in Jesus and pour their hearts out to Him!
For what weight is there in men? What weight is there in riches?
Wealth and poverty are nothing in the midst of the Christ.
All things come from the Father,
Who rewards each for his works.
The power to build up or tear down riches is God's,
But moreso is the power of unfailing love.
Therefore, let your soul wait in silence for Christ alone, your Savior,
Your Rock, your Fortress, in Whom you are secure.

Psalm 29: The Psalm of the Seven Thunders/Voices

Give praise to the Lord
Give Him praise all you creation
Give praise to the Lord
Give Him glory and strength

The voice of God
Is over the waters
Is thundering over many waters

The voice of God
Is powerful

The voice of God
Is full of majesty

The voice of God
Breaks the trees
Breaks the firmest of trees

The voice of God
Flashes flames of fire

The voice of God
Shakes the wilderness

The voice of God
Makes the deer give birth
Makes the forests bare

We are in His temple
We cry to him, “Glory!”

The Lord
Sits enthroned over the floods
Sits enthroned forever as king

God
Give us strength
Give us peace

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

based on Psalm 2

Lord, I see the kingdoms of this world in turmoil
Contending against each other with futile posturings, rage and violence,
Like dogs tearing at each other
Over a meatless bone.
They stand against each other –
Yet with each other too,
For they recognise in You, Lord, their common enemy.

The kingdom of Jesus threatens them,
Displaying how empty are their gains,
How foolish all their boasting.
Nothing shows up the follies of this world
Like the cross of Christ.

But You are the king, established forever.
All the kingdoms of this world fall to dust before You:
The One that the nations crucified
Was exalted by the Father.
You are lifted up so high
And the ones who fought against You
Are now Your own possession, to do with as You please.

Lord, I pray for us all
(and my own rebellious heart)
That wherever we raise up strongholds
In defiance of Your name
You will humble us and teach us,
Now, in the time of Your mercy,
To abandon our foolish pretensions
And take refuge in You alone.

For the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory
Are Yours for evermore.

Psalm 26

Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.

For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.

I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.

I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O LORD,
proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.

Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.

My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Psalm 105: Thanksgiving

Speak your praise to God.
Call His Name with thanks
Publish His work abroad
Sing of Him alone
Tell His acts out loud
Glory in the Name of Jesus

You who seek the Lord
Rejoice in your deepest heart

Look to your Lord
See His strength
Seek His face always
Remember His wonders
His miracles
His judgements

You, His servants
You, His children
You, His chosen
You, His believers

---

You are the Lord our Father
You have passed judgement in all the earth
You remember Your Covenant forever
You remember Your Promise to the last trumpet
The Covenant You swore with Yourself
The Covenant You embraced

You confirmed Your promise to Abraham.
You confirmed Your Oath, and your Law, and Your Covenant
To Your seed in Abraham.

You preserved Your Kingdom
From the day it was one family
While they were strangers in the land of Your promise
You kept them from harm

You grew them into your Kingdom
When You made them sojourn in Egypt
They endured harsh treatment from Your enemies
And under them, Your kingdom grew strong
And You delivered them

You delivered them by the mighty power of the Passover
By the death of the first born
By the death of the lamb
By the roasting and eating of its flesh
Your Kingdom was released to Your promises

Through David and Solomon,
You showed the greatness of your Kingdom
By your prophets,
You showed the holiness of Your Kingdom
By Your silence at the end,
You showed how great would be Your final work

You were born in the trough of a barn
Helpless and subject You grew
Covenant Maker and Keeper,
King of all kings
You obeyed Your mother and Father

When the time was full,
We saw Your Light
We heard Your Words
Words of Life, judgement and perfection
Words that kept Your covenant

You brought Life to earth
Food for the poor
Words to the deaf
Light to the blind
Freedom to the captives
Forgiveness for rebels
Your kingdom

And then You sealed your Covenant
With Your Blood
In that You had sworn by Yourself
You kept Your Word
You bought for us everything You had brought
You bought for Your Father everything He had desired

Life, pure and undefiled
Life, virile and fertile
Life, eternal and unchanging
Life, by creation's most impossible mystery
Died

The wrath of God flowed
The fire of Your anger
Against all that was not good
In Your creation
Roasted You, the Lamb
And all Your creation was made clean

The Seed was buried behind a stone so,
Your eternal kingdom is come
Your Spirit is poured out on us
Your Life multiplies within us
Your Will is made known to the angels
As we live it out on earth

We know You
We see Your face
In a glass, darkly
Because You have bought us this grace

You have made us alive to You
You have made us alive to Love
We rejoice in all Your feasts
And we do all that You have commanded
Thank You for awakening us

Praise to You

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Psalm 42: Part 3 (Psalm 43) - Seeing

You took my judgement, Jesus
And against my enemies You make me stand
You deliver me from the liar and the accuser

You are all my strength
Why do I find weakness instead of You?
Why does my enemy fill my vision, and drive me to tears?

Shine Your Truth before me
Let my feet follow the path You show
Let Light and Truth lead me to Your church
and into Your Presence

With You I will go to the altar
With You I will find all my joy
With You I will sing
Jesus my God

Why do I collapse?
And why am I shaken?
Hope in Jesus
I will yet praise Him Who has walked this path before
He will heal my spirit

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Psalm 42: Part 2 - Remembrance

Jesus, my soul is crushed.
So, I will remember You
I will remember You on Golgotha
I will remember You in Judea
I will remember You in the Holy of Holies

Your deep Waters call forth the water in me
The sound of Your Father stirs the well in my heart
Your waves of Life overflow me

Your love will find me in the day
Your sweetness will sing through the night
And I will call to You in my prayer

I will say to You, my Rock
Why did Your Father forget You?
Why did He allow Your enemies to surround You?
Why did He allow them to pierce Your side?
Why did He let them mock You
And ask where Your Father was?

Why do I collapse?
And why am I shaken?
Hope in Jesus
I will yet praise Him Who has gone before

Monday, November 20, 2006

Psalm 42: Part 1 - Thirsty

As the deer pants for the water
So my soul pants for You.
My spirit thirsts for the Living Water.
For the Fountain of Life.

When will I throw off this life
And stand in Your Truth?
My drink is my own tears day and night.
And no one can see You in my life.

These thoughts won't leave, and my courage melts away.
I used to pray with the saints
I used to praise with the church
And celebrate Your triumph.

Why do I collapse?
And why am I shaken?
I fix myself on Jesus.
I will yet see His Face and be helped.

Psalm 23 -- Let me trust my shepherd

Lord Jesus, help me to trust You as my shepherd
To believe You will meet all my needs
When my wants are overwhelming.
To be willing to lie down at Your command
And cease from striving
For I cannot make myself;
To let You choose my pastures
And to drink of You
In every bitter thirst.

Lord, let me yield my soul to You
To the Potter’s hand, the Refiner’s fire,
And the tenderness that breaks me.
That I might be remade
According to Your plan.
Work Your righteousness through me
For Your glory, not my own.

When You lead me through the shadows
When fear overwhelms me
When my soul feels crucified
And my self is put to death
Let me trust in the mercy of Your presence
And be unafraid in You.

In the very place where the Accuser
Has torn my hope to shreds
And I drown in guilt and shame
This is the very place You meet me
And crown me in Your righteousness
And hold me in Your arms
Grace overflowing
Floods my deepest wounds,
And washes me so clean.

Let me hold fast through all things
To Your certain promise
I will not be separated from the love of Christ.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Psalm 99: A Call to Worship

It is Sunday here and my first post in Timeless Prayer. I automatically went to Psalm 99, being my favourite psalm for a Sunday call-to-worship, though this Psalm is already posted not 4 days ago, in an NT perspective.

This is my prayer and call-to-worship for this Sunday morning: to exalt the Lord, our God, and worship at his holy hill, for the Lord our God, is holy.


The Holy King

I
1The Lord is King! Let the people tremble!
... He sits above the cherubim;
... Let the earth tremble!
2The Lord is great in Zion;
... He is exalted above all peoples;
3Let them praise thy great and awesome name!
... For He is holy.

II
4The King is holy; he loves justice.
... It is thou, thyself, who hast established equity.
Justice and righteousness
... That thou, thyself, executest in Jacob.
5Exalt the Lord, our God, and worship at his footstool.
... For he is holy.

III
6Moses and Aaron among his priests,
... And Samuel among those who call on the Lord's name,
They cried unto the Lord, and he answered them.
... 7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
... They kept his testimonies and the statutes he gave them.
8O Lord our God, it is thou, thyself, who answeredst them.
... Thou has been for them a forgiving God,
... Although thou didst discipline them for their faults.

Envoi
9Exalt the Lord, our God, and worship at his holy hill!
... For the Lord, our God, is holy.

Strophe I
Yahweh is King! He sits enthroned on the cherubim. Cherubims are the heavenly being which are endowed with wings and the Lord flies on them through the heavens. He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind (2Sa 22:11). God addresses himself to the community in worship. Worship the Lord, for He is holy.

Strophe II
While our Holy God sits on the cherubim, it also flows out with rectitude and righteousness. It has been executed in Jacob, in the whole of Israel. And in our times, in the body of Christ. Worship the Lord, for He is holy.

Strophe III
Three heroes, Moses, Aaron and Samuel, are selected among those to called on the Lord and received answers. They are our witnesses, they are our spiritual fathers who attest to the holiness and faithfulness of God.

Envoi
Worship the Lord, for He is holy.

Translation by Samuel Terrien, The Psalm, (Grand Rapids: Eerdsman, 2003): 685

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Psalm 93

Jesus reigns, robed in majesty,
wearing the scars which are his glory.

He has conquered, His strength is proven,
His holy love made manifest
in everlasting glory.

You called the world into being by Your Word
Your church has been birthed through Your blood
And the gates of hell will never stand against her

For You are on the throne
And you are the Head of us, Your body,
you shall bring us into Your eternity
Where You are everlasting King.

Symbol of chaos, the seas rise up,
The powers of this world seem to mock Your everlasting reign,
Their voices cry out against your truth
They manifest destructive dominion...

So what? Our Jesus is unassailable.
King of Kings, Your truth endures,
and no one can diminish it.

Lord adorn us with Your Holiness
till we reflect Your everlasting splendour.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Psalm 99: Jesus, the Holy One

Jesus reigns:
Let the people tremble!
The Holy Flesh sits on the Mercy Seat:
Let the world be shaken!

Jesus is great in His kingdom
And He is Head over His body
Let His church praise the Name found worthy
The Holy Name

The King bought justice by defrauding Himself
He established fairness at His own expense
He passed judgement on the church
And made her righteous by His own guilt

Exalt Jesus our God
He raised us to His right hand
And made us holy to stand in His presence

Peter and John, His disciples
And Paul, born out of season
Called on His Name
They called Jesus Whom they knew
And the church was made clean!

He was their Oracle
He was their Law
He was their Practice

Jesus, You answered them
You cleansed them
You tore down their every invention
And nothing separated You from them

Exalt Jesus, our God and Deliverer!
Worship with His holy people
For Jesus our God is holy

Psalm 115: Christ Reigns on Earth - In Us

Not to Your church, O Lord, not to Your church
But to Your Name
Be glory for Your grace
And for Your Truth's sake.

Why should the blind say,
"Where is their God now?"
Our God stands in the heavens
On feet of flesh like brass.
He has done what His Father has pleased.

Their idols are silicon and glass
The work of men's hands.
They have theses, but they don't guide their thoughts.
They have proofs, but they don't lead to Truth.
They have vision with no sight
Missions with no goal
Charity with no love.
The path of their understanding leads to confusion
They are confounded by their wisdom.

Church!

Trust in your Lord!

He is your Deliverer.
You that are born into Him,
Trust in Him.
He is your Redeemer.

The Lord has remembered us
And given us everything He promised.
He has blessed His kingdom.
He has blessed His bride.
He has blessed every one who loves Him
The man on welfare, and the man with options.

He has multiplied Himself to us.
Every blessing in heavenly places He has given
To us and to all who call on His Name.
We are the blessed of the earth.

The heavens are the Lord's
And Jesus added the earth to His possessions.
He put His feet down on the earth,
And left His kingdom to conquer in His Name.

Those with no spirit breathe no praise to the Lord
Those with no mouth say nothing to His glory.
But we must sing of the glory of the Lord.
But we bless the Father and the Son
Here on earth
And in heaven
Forever.

Praise the Lord

Welcome

Welcome to Timeless Prayer!

The goal of this blog is simply to allow saints to love the Lord together in word and agreement. In prayer we can minister, not merely of Him or to each other, but directly to the Lord. We can bless Him and love Him as a praying body. We will start by repraying the Psalms in light of the full revelation of Jesus Christ.

Where we will end depends upon all of us together.

Please comment on this post (or any other) to begin sharing your own timeless prayers here.