“You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD” (Psalm 128:2-4).
This psalm is another of a group of psalms believed to have been sung by pilgrims on their way to feasts at the Temple in Jerusalem. The beginning of verse 5 refers to the Temple’s location on Mount Zion: “The Lord bless you from Zion!” With this phrase, the rest of the psalm unfolds not as a blanket guarantee of prosperity, but as a prayer offered with confidence for blessing upon those who walk according to the ways of the Lord.
This benediction, or prayer of blessing, asks that God will grant prosperity and peace to Israel, his people. It is a prayer that God will allow his worshippers to live long enough to see their grandchildren. It is a prayer for healthy relationships within the home, for a wife who is a “fruitful vine” and for children who surround their father’s table as young olive shoots surround the older tree from whose seed they have sprouted. The prayer speaks to God’s people as individuals, as families, and as a nation of worshippers. It is a call to worship, and to live, with reverence for God and with gratitude for the blessings he gives. The prayer also prays for the prosperity of God’s people and for an enduring peace for the place where those people gather to worship the Lord. Implicit within the prayer is awareness that judgment awaits those who scoff at the ways of God and who scorn those who believe.
O Lord, I pray that you will bless us who revere you as God and walk according to your ways. Grant us health and a long life filled with peace. Surround us with loving families who share our faith in you. Thank you for blessings that you give us. Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we grieve under the weight of unexpected loss. Open our eyes to grace and help us to discover paths to recovery when we mourn. May we refrain from making our relationship with you a trivial friendship. May we recognize the doors that you open and the doors that you close. May we know peace as we live for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Our prayers include (even if only subconsciously) petitions for shelter, for security, and for a legacy that will endure after our death. We want to be remembered. As Israelite pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem to worship at the temple, they sang songs (the Psalms of Ascent) as they journeyed. Among them was Psalm 127. Although not a prayer, it identifies shelter, security, and legacy as beyond assurance unless the Lord provides them. Our security depends ultimately upon our submission to God’s will. At our wedding, I promised my wife that I would keep her safe, secure, and on the edge of adventure. She says that I have overachieved on the adventure part. I pray that I will do better with the safety and security.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for he gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:1-2).
The psalm discourages expending all our energy as if our effort alone earns all our desires. Too many people regret having spent too little time with their family. Too many wish they had taken more time to “see the scenery” during their lives. Work, yes, but work with joy and balance your work with rest and time spent with your family. Remember your dependence upon God – “Unless the Lord builds,” “Unless the LORD watches,” our work is vain or meaningless.
I have fond memories of playing basketball with my sons, cooking with my daughter and older son, discussing the science fiction universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune with my younger son, bowling 227 in a one-on-one match with the older son, and running with my younger son. I cherish even more memories of worshiping with my daughter, her husband and my grandchildren; baptizing my older son; and singing hymns alongside my younger son at Harding University Chapel. I’ve written about my older son’s death here. My other children continue to inspire and amaze me, and I pray that they will continue to grow to be more and more like Christ.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3-6).
Let’s pray prayers of gratitude for shelter, for security, and for the children God has given us. I also thank God for those who read my posts and prayers on this blog. I started writing “Call for Fire Seminar” six years ago this past week. Thank you for traveling along with me!
O Lord, we hesitate sometimes to relinquish control. We imagine that we can overcome without you. We think that we have earned the housing we enjoy, what sense of safety we may have, and we take pride in achievements we have “earned.” Thank you for loving us and providing for us. We pray that you will continue to give us shelter, that you will protect us on our journey, and that you will guide the children you have given us into abundant lives. Thank you for those children. Thank you for showing us reason to live and dream dreams that only are possible because you are there to make them reality. In Jesus’ name, amen.
As a child traveling with my parents to my grandfather’s farm in Middle Tennessee, I eagerly anticipated seeing my grandparents, eating my grandmother’s scrumptious home cooking, and drinking water drawn from their well in the front yard. My eagerness would grow when I spied a mountain in the distance that my younger brother and I called “Granddad’s Mountain.” It wasn’t on his property but was close enough that we knew that we were only minutes away from laughter and love. Earlier this year, when I drove in that county on my way to a family funeral, I suddenly realized as I looked out my window that I was looking at that beloved mountain that had signaled the nearness of my grandparents’ farm. A poignant joy filled my heart and my eyes misted as I reminisced.
“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter; and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations; ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad” (Psalm 126:1-3).
“Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:4-6).
Whether the psalm reflects a time of drought or the return from exile in Babylon, there was concern about the fertility of the land and fear mixed with faith as the worshipers envisioned the future. We too may recall happier days and dream of renewed blessing as we join with others to praise and to pray. Our hearts may be broken as we consider what we see before us. We remember what God has done, and so we to pray with visions of how he will bless in the years ahead.
Quotations from the Bible are from the English Standard Version.
O Father, We reflect on how past generations taught us and provided for us, using blessings you had provided. We sing with joy as we praise you; we weep as we contemplate terror, poverty, and disease. We still trust in your care. We dream of a greater future in which your love shines through our relationships to transform our world into a place where we harvest your blessings with joy. Calm our fearful hearts. Train our eyes to see the fields ready for harvest, the dreams on the verge of fulfillment. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I recently read a panicked message from the communications director of a large church that the senior minister had announced that he was giving up social media for forty days and wanted everyone in the congregation to do the same. The communications director noted that the great majority of the congregation’s in-house communication and a large amount of outreach takes place through the church’s social media pages. The communications director heard the preacher saying that he wanted the church to stop doing evangelism for forty days.
In the weeks before Easter, many people who follow Jesus fast to some degree. Most do not go without food entirely. They will pick a food, chocolate or asparagus for example, and not eat it for that time period. In a comparatively recent development, some, like the preacher mentioned above, decide to stop engaging in a specific behavior they consider negative.
I’m very much aware that the Bible says absolutely nothing about a forty-day period of fasting and prayer before a feast that remembers the resurrection of Jesus. It actually says nothing about such a feast either (The one mention of “Easter” in the King James Version should have been translated “Passover” as it is every other place the word occurs). Fasting, usually connected with prayer, is mentioned in both Old and New Testaments. Acts 13:1-3 informs us that the prophets and teachers of the church in Antioch fasted and prayed before sending Saul and Barnabas out as missionaries. Jesus warned his disciples that when they fasted, they should not do it so that everyone would see their privation and consider them super-spiritual people (Matthew 6:16-18). In Isaiah 58:1-12, God responds through the prophet to worshipers who question why their fasting and prayers seem to have no effect. God rebukes them, saying that they fast, but still quarrel and fight. He makes clear that “spreading sackcloth and ashes” is not what he desires from a fast.
What kind of fast does God choose? The passage in Isaiah 58 continues: “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” God wants fasting (going without food) to be balanced and accompanied by positive helping behaviors towards other people. My sense is that Christ would not have ordered a fast from social media, but would have counselled his disciples to use Philippians 4:8 as a guideline for their posts, and to use social media to help and encourage rather than to slander and criticize, to evangelize rather than to politicize. He would have said, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, what ever is pure, whatever is lovely…think about these things.” If you are going to fast, use your newly freed-up time to do good. Spend the money you have saved to help others. Enjoy the beauty of the world God has created. Sing with joy to the Lord.
Quotations from the Bible are from the American Standard Version.
Lord God, we bow before you, aware sometimes that our fascinations and desires sicken you. We humble ourselves before and strip away that which distracts. Give us wisdom to discern what will help us to concentrate more fully on you without hindering the spreading of your message into the world. Heighten our awareness of our own pride so that we will sense when we do something to be seen or heard by others rather than to please you. Our society and culture changes quickly. We want to discern those changes we should adopt, those we should adapt, and those we should abhor more clearly. Guide us so that our fasts will be pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
When a child experiences crisis, being held by a loving parent’s comforting arms restores stability in the midst of chaos. Even as adults, we long for comfort, encouragement, or consolation – when overwhelmed, “I need a hug” leaps to our thoughts if not into our spoken cries. The encircling of comforting arms signals security and safety, love and protection. We have those sensations of safety because we trust the person who holds us, or the circle of friends or family who surround us when our life seems to be crumbling from the weight of illness, job loss, divorce, or the death of someone important to us. We are not alone, and that realization ignites confidence.
“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As thee mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 125:1-2).
Those mountains provided some physical security to Jerusalem, but also reminded worshipers of their spiritual security provided by a holy God. They realized the threat to political stability mirrored danger to their spiritual security if they did not maintain a right relationship with the Lord their God. As Proverbs 14:34 expresses it, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” The collective morality and ethics of a nation’s citizens determine that nation’s long-term viability as a united political entity. I am not arguing here for civil religion, for infusing patriotism into personal religious faith. I also recognize that some brutal regimes have maintained control of countries for long periods of time and have stretched the reach of their tyranny to engulf other nations. That in fact is one of the fears latent in Psalm 125, that “the scepter of wickedness” might conquer and rule Israel.
The theme of 1st and 2nd Chronicles is that rulers who chose evil over righteousness, who neglected the worship of God and also abused their people, who did not obey the laws of God in regard to speaking truth, preserving life, and protecting the environment, ultimately created the conditions for “the scepter of wickedness” to overwhelm Israel and Judah. Echoes of their fatal errors resound in our era. We protect the eggs of endangered wildlife, but cheer the “right” to choose to kill our own children or ourselves. Corrupt politicians decry truth as “fake news” and practice fraud in elections and financial dealings. Greed, as in Israel, prompts us to overuse our land and remove obstacles to erosion.
“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong” (Psalm 125:3).
The prayer of Psalm 125 recognizes that the security of a people begins in the faithfulness and morality of the individual people among them. As we go to worship, may we examine our hearts when we pray for our nations and for the world in which we live.
• Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version.
O God who surrounds us with love and protection, we fear collapse of morality when people laugh at the idea of protecting life and scorn the idea of helping those who struggle to provide for themselves. We fear when we wonder if physical safety and security are a mirage, when we live as under threat from imminent danger. We try to maintain a sense of balance in our lives. When a spouse deserts us, or we face financial disaster, when we weaken with age or hear a diagnosis of disease, when parents or other loved ones die, we long to be held and assured that all is right in our world. Thank you for the reminder that the mountains surround Jerusalem, your arms embrace your people. We pray for hearts that will be fertile ground righteousness, that will discern truth, that will show evidence of love for you, for other people, and for the world you have given us. Protect us from the scepter of wickedness. Do good to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters” (Psalm 124:2-5).
Those words echo a victory recorded in 2 Samuel 5 that saved King David’s fledgling united kingdom of Judah and Israel. The Philistines, threatened by emergence of a stronger power to their north and east, attacked. After David’s army defeated them, he said, “The Lord has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood” (2 Samuel 5:20).
“Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:6-8).
O Lord, We sense danger. We want to run away, but fear we will run into the trap the enemy has laid. We want to trust, but wonder if it is safe to do so. We want to love, but those we have loved sometimes have hurt us badly. We do not know what perils await us on the path ahead. Give us wisdom as we navigate poorly mapped trails. Grant us courage when we sense unidentified adversaries lurking nearby. Preserve our love for truth and help us to be people of integrity. We fear drowning in a torrent of angry abuse. May we listen well, so that we may discern danger when it exists, and recognize salvation when it is near. You have protected and have saved us in the past. We praise you and thank you. If you had not been there, we would have perished. You are our help and our savior. We thank you in Jesus’ name, amen.
Weariness saps our vision and energy. We cannot concentrate on our goals because our weariness distracts our focus. I remember a general’s embarrassment when he had an automobile accident when he drove while impaired. He told his soldiers that he had learned an important lesson. The general was not under the influence alcohol or drugs that evening. No, he was completely sober. However, he had decided to embark on a road trip after a long and taxing day at work. His fatigue was so great that he lost focus and drifted off the road. Weariness impaired him. Grief wearies us as well, as does working on edge, with a sense that we must look over our shoulders for other’s approval while we work. When we sense disapproval, or even worse, contempt directed towards us continually, that sense begins to drain us. We become weary and frustrated at our failure to earn respect.
“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens” (Psalm 123:1).
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:2).
“Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt, our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud” (Psalm 123:3-4).
As we read their prayer, we feel their weariness. I have felt so very tired when it seemed that nothing that I did pleased others, whether they were supervisors, peers, or those I was privileged to lead. In my frustration and my anger, as I found it harder to envision new, fresh direction, the words of Psalm 123 found a home in my prayers: “Lord, have mercy, for we have had enough of contempt.” Sometimes, we may earn contempt through ineptness or silliness. At other times, people scorn and mock because they do not know enough to understand what we have said or appreciate what we have done. In the psalm, the singers describe the scorners as “at ease” and “proud.” The scorners make it harder for the singers, for they grant them no respect. They, and we, turn in our weariness to the only one who can provide relief and refreshment that will endure.
This prayer challenges us also to be humble as we regard the efforts of others, to appreciate and respect what they do. The singers ask for God’s mercy, but they also desire that the “proud” will place more value on what they do, what they say, or what they believe. In American society, we are tempted to deride those with whom we disagree, to treat them along with their opinions and ways of living with contempt. This prayer reminds us that we all are as servants to the one who is “enthroned in the heavens.” Everyone needs to pray as we look to him, “Lord, have mercy.
O God enthroned in the heavens, we approach you and pray simply: Lord, have mercy on us. The pressures of life weigh us down. Disdain or contempt from our peers wearies us. Relieve the strain from our souls. Help us to remember our weariness and pain when we interact with others and are tempted to mock them for their ignorance or ineptitude. May we remember our struggles and treat others as we want to be treated. Lord, have mercy and light the way that we should walk. In Jesus’ name, Amen.