Psalm 84
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
Prayer
O God, I love to come into Your house and meet with You and Your people. I love to sing Your praises and honor Your Word. Hear my prayers and petitions as I pray: "Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 84
Psalm 83
O God, do not keep silence. Do not hold your peace or be still. Even now your enemies are in tumult. Those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people. They consult together against those you protect. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever. Let them perish in disgrace. Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
Prayer
O God, I praise You as the only true God. Your promises never fail. You remain true to Your word from generation to generation. You never fail Your people and extend forgiveness to all who turn to You in repentance and faith. O Lord, when the heathen rage and those who despise Your holy name oppress Your people, I often feel as the Psalmist and cry out for justice. Hear the prayers of Your people, O Lord. Defend Your people! O God, I thank You for the transforming power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I pray that many will come to Him and turn from darkness into the light. May many find salvation in Jesus alone, and may I also be prepared when He comes again. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and give me confidence as I pray in Jesus’ Name: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 83
Psalm 82
God has taken his place in the divine council to hold judgment! He asks the rulers, “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” Give justice to the weak and the orphan. Maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy. Deliver them from the hand of the wicked. The wicked have neither knowledge nor understanding. They walk around in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken. Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
Prayer
O God, I praise You and thank You for Your watch care over me and all Your people on Earth. I know that You hold the wicked accountable for their deeds. You require justice and mercy from the rulers of the nations. O God, show Your people what we can do as Your people to uphold justice and extend mercy to all in every way that we wisely can. As You bestow blessings upon me, help me to be opened handed with Your gifts to me, so I can help the weak and needy. Give healing to all those who are sick, and help me to intercede for others daily, even as I pray in Jesus’ Name: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 82
Psalm 81
Sing aloud to God our strength! Shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song. Sound the tambourine. Play sweet music with the harp. Hear, O my people, while I admonish you. If you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you. You shall not bow down to a foreign god.I am the Lord your God. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.
Prayer
O God, I come into Your presence to praise Your Holy Name, with a song on my lips and love in my heart. I come to you now, because I find joy and love, peace and understanding, in Your presence. I seek to serve You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Deliver me from slavery to all sins. Save me from those who would deceive me. Teach me the way that I should go each day. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might enjoy the comfort of Your presence within me day and night. And now I pray in Jesus’ Name: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 81
Psalm 80
Give ear, O my Shepherd, Shepherd of Israel. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Stir up your might, and come to save me! Restore me, O God. Let your face shine, that I may be saved. Turn again, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven. Have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted. Restore me, O God. Let your face shine, that I may be saved. Let your hand be upon the One at your right hand, the One Who is strong. Then I will never turn back from you. Give me life, and I will call on your name. Restore me, O God. Let your face shine, that I may be saved.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I live in troubling times, and I do not know what tomorrow will bring. You have told me not to worry, but to live one day at a time. You have told me to trust in You as I pray for my daily needs. Even so, You showed Joseph how to prepare and save for the future, so I pray that You would show me what to do as well. Increase my faith in Jesus Christ, Who sits at Your right hand. Build up my trust in the future He has promised, even as I read the Holy Scriptures and pray in His Holy name: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 80
Psalm 79
Do not remember against me the iniquities of my ancestors. Let your compassion come speedily to meet me, for I am brought very low. O God, the nations came into your inheritance. They defiled your holy temple. They laid Jerusalem in ruins. Help me, O God of my salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver me, and forgive my sins, for your name’s sake. Why should the nations say, “Where is your God?” According to your great power preserve me. Then I can join with your people, the flock of your pasture, and give thanks to you forever. From generation to generation your people will recount your praise.
Prayer
O God, sometimes I feel surrounded by enemies. Sometimes those I have chosen to lead have turned from You and have brought disgrace. Sometimes my enemies mock You, the God I serve, and they ridicule me for trusting in You as King of the universe. Sometimes I also feel as though I will always lose the battles against sin and temptation within me. I know that my real enemies are spiritual foes who fight against You, others who seek to serve you, and me. Grant me the victory I need as I pray in the name of Jesus Christ: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 79
Psalm 78
I will tell the coming generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. God appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, and rise up and tell them to their children. So that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. The Lord chose Mount Zion, which he loves. He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever. He chose his servant David, and took him from the sheepfolds. With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank You for revealing Your Law to your children, and for teaching me to love You, the only true God, and to love my neighbor as myself. But I confess that I have failed to keep Your Law at all times. Therefore, I thank You for sending a Savior from sin and death, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to forgive me and give me a new life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might be empowered and led to do what is right in Your eyes as I follow Jesus each day, even as I pray in the name of Jesus Christ: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2012 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 78
Psalm 77
I cry aloud to God that he may hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord. In the night my hand is stretched out without wearying for help from the Lord. I commune with my heart in the night. I meditate and search my spirit: Has the steadfast love of the Lord ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time? I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord. I will remember his wonders of old. I will always trust in the Lord. I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy and just. You are the God who works wonders. You display your might and pour out your love upon your people. With your strong arm you redeem your people.
Prayer
All glory, laud, and honor belong to You, O God. You reign from on high and Your enemies tremble in Your presence. When I am weak, You are my strength. When I am discouraged, You are my hope. When I am suffering, You are my comfort. When I am ill, You are my Healer. Indeed, O God, You are everything to me. When life’s troubles seem overwhelming, help me to trust in You daily. Help me to remember that You are my Lord and Redeemer, even as I pray in the name of Jesus Christ: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2011 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 77
Psalm 76
God is known. His name is great. His abode has been established. Sing praise to the Lord, who cuts off the spirit of princes and inspires fear in the kings of the earth. Glorious are you, O Lord, more majestic than the everlasting mountains. O Lord, you indeed are awesome! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment. The earth feared and was still when God rose up to establish judgment, to save all the oppressed of the earth. Make vows to the Lord your God, and perform them. Bring gifts to the one who is awesome.
Prayer
Most Glorious God, the heavens declare Your glory, and I praise Your holy name. Angels bow before Your throne, and I bow my heart before You in worship. You are awesome in Your might, and none of Your enemies can stand before You. Today, I pledge my love and loyalty to You, Heavenly Father, and I commit myself to the study of Your Word that I might always live in ways that please You. Fill me once again with guiding Your Spirit, even as I pray in the name of Jesus Christ: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2011 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 76
Psalms 74 & 75
How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand? Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the earth. Yours is the day, yours also the night. You established the luminaries and the sun. You have fixed all the bounds of the earth. You made summer and winter. We give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks. Your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds. I will rejoice forever. I will sing praises to the Lord my God. The righteous shall be exalted forever.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, though others may scoff and ridicule You, I will honor and praise You forever. Though others may defame Your name before the nations, I will glorify Your name over all the Earth. Though others may persecute those who love You, I will demonstrate my love for You daily and trust in Your faithfulness. Though others may complain, I will thank You for the many blessings I receive from You. I thank You, Father, that I can worship You quietly in this moment and also with those who love You and one another, even as I pray from the depth of my heart in the name of Jesus Christ: “Our Father. . .”
Copyright 2011 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.
From A Psalm and a Prayer: Psalm 74 & 75