Blessed is he whom thou dost choose and bring near, to dwell in thy courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, thy holy temple!
(Psalm 65:4)
This psalm is a prayer of thanksgiving for the bounties of God’s creation. But it comes out of a heart that is shaped by being in God’s house and filled with the love of…
Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer; preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
The righteous shall be glad in the Lord and trust in Him.
—Psalm 64(63):1,11 (LXX)
These verses are used in services for St John the Baptist and the martyrs. St Augustine in commenting on this psalm says, “The voice of the martyrs prays for this, ‘rescue my…
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
O God, Thou art my God, I seek Thee [LXX: I rise early at dawn for Thee],
my soul thirsts for Thee; my flesh faints for Thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.
(Psalm 63:1)
This is one of the six matins psalms, and Saint Basil says it is the perfect prayer for…
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly moved.
(Psalm 62:1-2)
One of the constant affirmations in the psalms is that in times…
1 For the director; upon a stringed instrument. Of David.
2 Hear, O God, my cry,
listen to my prayer!
3 From the brink of the nether world
I call to you as my heart grows faint;
From it lead me to the Lofty Mountain.
4 O that you would be my refuge,
a towered fortress against the Foe!
5 That I might dwell in your eternal…
O God, thou hast rejected us, broken our defenses;
Thou hast given a sign [raised a flag], for those who fear [revere] thee;
With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
(Psalm 60:1,4,12)
The Jerusalem Bible calls this psalm a “national prayer after defeat.” There are times when God sees that we need to be…
When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God, protect me from those who rise up against me,
deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.
(Psalm 59: heading, 1-2)
These verses of Psalm 59 are sung on Holy Thursday as we commemorate our Lord’s…
1-2
Is this any way to run a country?
Is there an honest politician in the house?
Behind the scenes you brew cauldrons of evil,
behind closed doors you make deals with demons.3-5
The wicked crawl from the wrong side of the cradle;
their first words out of the womb are lies.
Poison, lethal rattlesnake poison,
drips from…
…in the shadow of thy wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfils his purpose for me.
(Psalm 57: 1b-2)
The title says the psalm is from the time “when David fled from Saul, in the cave.” 1 Samuel 24 is both instructive and humorous. David was hiding with his small…
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
Thou hast kept count of my tossings; put thou my tears in thy bottle!
Are they not in thy book?
Then my enemies will be turned back in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for…
I am distraught by the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked.
(Psalm 55:2-3)
Psalm 55 is read on Holy Thursday and Holy Friday as we recall Christ’s betrayal, his anguish in Gethsemane, his arrest, suffering and crucifixion. These events are also remembered daily at the Sixth Hour, and Psalm 55 is read then…
For the end: among the hymns of instruction by David, when the Ziphites came and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
Save me, O God, by Thy name, and vindicate [judge] me by Thy strength.
Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.Psalm 54: heading, 1-2 (Wednesday vespers prokeimenon)
The fool thinks in his heart: “God is not present.”
Psalm 53:1a (Anchor Bible)None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands, no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.
Romans 3:10-12 (Psalm 53:1b-3)
If you go back and compare Psalm 14 with Psalm 53 you’ll see…
For the choirmaster, a poem of David, when Doeg the Edomite went and warned Saul, ‘David has gone to Ahimelech’s house’
But God will break you down for ever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.
(Psalm 52: heading, 5)
The heading for Psalm 52 was most likely added long…
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me…
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Fill me with joy and gladness;
let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.
(Psalm 51:3, 7-8)
Psalm 51 is used more than any other…
Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you.
…you thought that I was one like yourself.
(Psalm 50:7, 21)
God, as C.S. Lewis says of Aslan, is not a tame lion. There is always the danger that we presume on our special relationship, think we can get chummy with God because of our history and our worship…
My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
(Psalm 49:3)
This verse was sung as the prokeimenon on January 1st as we commemorated Saint Basil the Great, and is frequently used when a holy bishop, one of the Fathers of the Church, is celebrated.
Psalm 49 has a number of thought-provoking…
We ponder your steadfast love [Hesed], O God, in the midst of your temple.
(Psalm 48:9 RSV)
Hesed is one of the key words of the Hebrew Bible. In Greek eleos, mercy. In Latin misericordia. It has a range of nuances, as shown in the various…
God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
(Psalm 47:5)
Psalm 47 is used throughout the feast of our Lord’s Ascension. So we begin 2014 with a psalm that represents the end of Jesus’ ministry. In His Ascension Jesus does what was intended from His birth: He fully unites…
Dear friends,
The Chancery offices will close this afternoon for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ and will reopen December 27th. I will return to writing the Chancellor’s Diary after the New Year, on Thursday, January 2, 2014.
Every year when we take out the Christmas decorations at our home we also take out The Oxford Book of…