Psalm 137  - Exiled from his home, this writer paints a picture of grief.. "There we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion."   The enemy harassed them, ordering them to sing a joyful song.. but their hearts were too broken.  Jerusalem was the city of God and it was destroyed.  The Babylonians had razed it.  The temple was broken down and stripped of all its beauty.  What sadness this song of grief brings to our hearts.  It does not even turn to a remembrance of joy, like so many psalms do.  Instead it yearns for the destruction of those who have done this devastation.  The writer calls for recompense.  And in God' s timing, that recompense will be done.


Psalm 138  This psalm is one of thanksgiving. After the sadness of the 137th psalm, this one returns us to gladness and joy.  David knew much grief, but he chose to turn to the Lord with a thankful heart.  " I will give Thee thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to Thee before the gods." 

David's song of thanksgiving is sincere, zealous, bold, and freely given.  He holds nothing back.
David exalts God, even in the midst of cultural icons, corrupt religions, and demonic beings.  He bows only to God.  There is no other allegiances.  No other hope. No other Name.
David gives thanks for God's lovingkindness and truth.  The Lord has revealed Himself to us in these two vital areas.  He loves us and speaks to us.  He regards us.  He sees us and cares for us with His own Hand.  He accomplishes His purposes for each of us.. He never forsakes us.
God's Truth is magnified, David writes, " For Thou hast magnified Thy word according to Thy name."   His Word brings kings to bow before Him.  His Word shows us His glory.  The glory of His grace, which reaches down to the lowly and stretches out against the enemy.


As I mentioned before, the book one thousand gifts by Ann Voskamp, is about thanksgiving and joy.  It is in giving thanks to God for all things, for every thing,  that we become more aware of God's goodness... of His Presence... of His glory.  Ann writes this, " Giving thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention."  To"enter into the current moments with the weight of me all here.... This is where God is.  In the present .  I am-- His very name.... This is supreme gift, time. God Himself framed in the moment. When I'm present, I meet I Am, the very presence of a present God. "

In Sprugeon's book, The Fullness of Joy,  I read this, " The invitations of the Gospel are invitations to happiness.  In delivering God's message we do not ask men to come to a funeral, but to a wedding feast.... The Gospel is a source of joy to all who really hear it and accept it, for its very name means 'glad tidings of good things."  We rejoice and give thanks to Him who "hath done marvelous things,"
We were enslaved by sin.  God sent His Son ,"our Great Champion" who "undertook our cause, entered the lists, and pledged to fight for us until the end; and He has done it."   Our main foe is our own sin, Sprugeon teaches, the guilt of it and the power of it.  Christ satisfied the law and our guilt has been vanquished. He has dealt sin a "deathblow"... and although it lingers, it is being crucified, nailed to a cross and unable to make us "run the way of transgressors as we once did."

Father in heaven,  like the psalmist, we experience grief at the devastations we have seen in this world, and we wonder if we will ever sing again.  But then, we remember to give thanks, to sing a new song, to stop and give You our full attention, to be in Your Presence.  You have loved us.  You have given us Your Word, Your truth,  the Gospel.. the Good news of Salvation through Christ Jesus, the Lord. In Him, we are justified.  In Him we are set free.  In Him, sin is no longer our captor, for He has overcome.  Let our hearts be filled with joy and thanksgiving!  Let our mouths give You all praise and honor.  We love You, Lord, the everlasting God, full of glory and grace. Amen.

Psalm 135-136  A song of praise and a song of thanksgiving, both extolling the Lord who is good!


We praise Him because of Who He is, the everlasting One, the eternal Judge, and the Merciful Savior.

Praise Your Name O Lord, for it is lovely.
Praise the Lord for  You are great.
Praise You, Lord,  because You are above all gods, all nature, all enemies, all nations, and all men.
Praise You, Lord, because You have had compassion on us, Your servants.

We give thanks to the Lord for what He has done. 
We are thankful for Your lovingkindness.
We are thankful for the wonders You perform.
We are thankful for the beauty of Your creations.
We are thankful for the power of Your Love.
We are thankful that You don't leave us in our sin.
We are thankful that You are our Redeemer.
We are thankful for Your daily provisions.
We give You thanks, O God of heaven, for Your loving kindness is everlasting.

Father in heaven, we offer these prayers of praise and thanksgiving, to You alone.  You are God, and we hallow Your Name.  Amen.

Psalm 129-134  These last 6 songs of "ascents"  are included in the journey to Jerusalem.   Words that are precious to the believer, flowing with praise to the Holy One.

Psalm 129 reminds us that the enemy will not prevail, even in their continued battle, for the " Lord is righteous"  and He will "cut in two the cords of the wicked." 

Psalm 130 reminds us that the Lord hears our prayers and forgives our sins.  " If Thou, Lord shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  But there is forgiveness with Thee."  There is hope in His Word. There is lovingkindness and "abundant redemption" in Him!

Psalm 131 reminds us that we can rest in Him, like a child rests in his mother's arms.  That we need to recognize that everything in life can overwhelm us, but we can have hope in our Lord. 

Psalm 132 reminds us that it is at His feet, where we worship, that we will find our greatest joy! It is there in His Presence that we find righteousness, rest, salvation, and joy.  

Psalm 133 reminds us that we are not on this journey alone and that when we are united with our brothers and sisters in Christ that we will be both anointed and blessed. 

Psalm 134 reminds us that we are servants of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  We "lift up" our hands to Him,  pledging our loyalty - like taking an oath;  acknowledging our position of inferiority to Him who is in every way our Sovereign;  or bringing to Him our most fervent 
prayers.  

Father in heaven,  we need to take this journey and stay on this journey through our lifetimes.  So thankful that we do not need to travel a long and dangerous trip to a physical Jerusalem in order to be in Your Presence, for You are here, right beside us, in us, and around us every moment.  Help us to remember this and to worship You, to praise You, to rest in You, and to trust in You.  Lord, I praise you for the Word that You have granted to us, to help us through our own pilgrim journey.. to the day of Your appearing or the day of our translation from this world to the most glorious place that You have prepared for each of us who put our faith in the Name of Jesus and in His precious blood that atones for our sins. So thankful that we can find forgiveness in You! So grateful for the hope that is found in You. So amazed in the love and blessings that You have lavishly poured out on us.  Praise to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Psalms 124 - 128  The pilgrims continue their difficult journey through the valleys and over the mountains.  They are aware of the lurking enemies, the dangerous beasts, and the violent, wicked men who would rob them of their possessions and their lives.  But, they are heading to Jerusalem, so they gather into caravans for safety, and they take up the songs of praise.

" Had it not been the Lord who was on our side.. " we would be swallowed alive, swept into raging waters,  "torn by their teeth".   But, " our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." ( 124:1, 6, 8)  Praise to the Mighty Creator, who is our help .. He is on our side!

"As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people." ( 125:2)  Praise to the Unmovable One, who does good to those who trust Him.

"The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad." ( 126:3)   Praise to the Redeemer, who delivers us from captivity, restores us to our homes;  who is with us when we "sow in tears" and also when we "reap with joyful shouting." 

Praise to the Lord who "builds the house"; who "guards the city";  who "gives to His beloved" even as we sleep.  It is our Gracious God who gifts us with children.. who rewards us with "fruit" of our wombs. ( 127:1 -3)

Praise to the Lord, who blesses those who walk "in His ways".  He blesses us with food to eat; with happiness and well-being; with spouses and children;  and with grandchildren!!!! ( 128:1-3, 6)
"Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord" (v4)

Charles Spurgeon writes that he believes that the Lord Jesus is the "Chief Musician of the sky, the Master of the sacred choir.."  Although He is worshipped Himself in His deity, as "Man, the Head of the redeemed humanity, the ever living Priest of the Most High God, I believer that He praises Jehovah in heaven."   Is " not Jesus Christ the sweetest of all singers?" Sprugeon asks.  " Is not Jesus Christ 'in the midst of the congregation' gathering up all the notes that come from sincere lips , to put them into the golden censer and to make them rise as precious incense before the throne of the infinite Majesty?"  Jesus is our great example and therefore, Sprugeon entreats us, " We ought to spend at least a little time every day in adoring contemplation."  Sing a hymn or a chorus.  Praise Him in the morning when your eyelids open and in the evening before sleep comes.  Praise Him at midnight, if we are awakened.  But, take care, he says, that "our praise is not merely lip service, but that of the heart.  Let us sing, and so sing that God Himself hears."
( From The Fulness of Joy)

Father in heaven, we declare Your great Name and we praise You among our fellow men.  You alone are God.  You alone surround us and help us.  You are on our side!  How precious is that truth. Thank You.  You build our families and bless us with children and grandchildren.  How wonderful are Your works and Your grace to us.  Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!  Jesus, lead us into songs of praise today.  Fill us with the joy of giving thanks and praise for all things.. big and small.. that we might magnify the Name of the Lord with You and through You.  For it is in Your Name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 123 " To Thee I lift up my eyes, O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens; Behold as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He be gracious to us. " 

How does a servant or a maid " look to the hand"  of their master?  Carefully, constantly, fearfully, faithfully, and perhaps longingly.   The master's slightest motion will bring to faithful servant running to meet the need or do the will of his master.  Watch a show about royalty and you will see it in action. Complete attention is demanded of the servant. It is also, by the hand of the master, that the servant receives.. anything.  A good master would supply his servants with all that is needed.  And we have the best Master of all!

The psalmist leads us towards Jerusalem, towards the Mercy seat, towards the Throne of Grace.. and bids us watch the Savior's Hand.  Watch and pray. " Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us." 
What can we do without His grace?  Nothing.  Nothing good.  Nothing worthy.  Nothing fruitful.
Our role, as faithful servants, is to watch His Hand and do His bidding.
Our greatest need, in order to do this, is His grace.
Our faithful Master has promised to supply all that is needed.. out of the riches of His kindness and His glory, and His wisdom.
Psalm 145:15-16 " The eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time.  Thou dost open Thy hand and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing. "

This is the Master's hand to which we lift our eyes, the Master Who is our Father and our God.  This is the Master to whom we ask, " Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us. " 

Again, the book one thousand gifts comes along with more on this subject.. for its theme is eucharisteo - grace+thanksgiving= joy... "The first secret step into eucharisteo's miracle is gratitude for the seemingly insignificant - a seed- this plants the giant miracle. Like the Last Supper, eucharisteo is in the eating of crumbs, the swallowing down one mouthful. Do not distain the small. The whole of life - even the hard - is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole..... There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments will add up."

In response to every gift, every small detail, every grace that He supplies, we in turn give thanks.  We give praise to our Mighty God, who loves us in great detail, in every detail. 

 I am convicted by Spurgeon's words in his book, The Fullness of Joy.  " How many times this week have you praised the dear Redeemer to your friends? Have you done it once?.... Undoubtedly, this week you have murmured and complained, spoken against your neighbors, spread abroad some small amount of scandal, or just talked carelessly and without integrity.... Oh, if we saved our breath to praise God, how much wiser we would be! If our mouths were filled with the Lord's praise and with His honor all the day, how much holier! If we would speak of what Jesus has done for us, what good we might accomplish!"  So let us "speak well.. of the Lord's name. " Spurgeon exhorts us, "for every man speaks of what he loves.... "  so , " do not be silent concerning the One who deserves so much from you.... " 


Father in Heaven,  I lift my eyes to You,  to Your Hand, to  You my Lord, the God of heaven and earth.   I want to pay attention to the small graces, the every day gifts of Your abundant care, so that I might give You all praise and thanksgiving.  Let my mouth speak Your praise and by heart give You thanks always, for You are great.  May Your name be magnified in all the earth and in my small life.
I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, my dear Redeemer.  Amen.

Psalm 122  As the pilgrim traveled towards Jerusalem to attend one of the 3 annual feasts that the Law required, he might sing these "songs of ascents" ( Psalm 120-134)  This psalm brings us into the very gates of Jerusalem, crowded with travelers ready for the celebrations to come.  David, in this song, expresses the deeper desire of his heart - to go beyond the gates and up to the "house of the Lord".  To go up and "give thanks to the name of the Lord."  

David longed to see the tent that he had placed on that sacred site, replaced with a beautiful temple, a place fitting for the Name of the Lord.  He planned for it extensively and made sure that Solomon knew what to do. And, in this psalm, David offered up a prayer - "for the peace of Jerusalem." Necessary to make that happen:

"May they prosper who love you.

May peace be within your walls,

and prosperity within your palaces.

For the sake of my brothers and my friends,

I will now say, 'May peace be within you'

for the sake of the house of the Lord our God

I will seek your good." 

( v6-9)

We hear this exhortation often in Christian circles, " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem".  And, so we should.  But, I never realized that David went on to tell us what his prayer was exactly.  His prayer is for two things:  peace and prosperity.  Prosperity, in the sense of security and tranquility, safety.  David's prayer for Jerusalem's peace and prosperity is important only "for the sake of the house of the Lord our God." Not for government or commerce.  Not even for the pursuit of happiness in itself.  But, for the spiritual life of his people with their God. 

 It brings to mind Paul's prayer in I Timothy 2:2  where we are urged to pray for those in authority 

" ... in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity..."  Why?  Because, "this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 

David's hope and prayers was for his people to always be able to come into the Temple and worship the Lord. 

Paul's hope and prayer was that no matter what country men live in, they would be free to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved through Jesus Christ. 

So, also that is our hope and prayer, for Jerusalem, for Washington, DC  and for every nation on this globe, that God would bring peace and tranquility to kings and presidents, to dictators and rulers, so that men and women will be able to know the truth about Jesus and be saved. 

Father in Heaven,  Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace,  we ask for Your peace in Jerusalem and in Washington.  Only You can bring tranquility to our lives and salvation for our souls.  We look to You once again, for You are the Giver of all grace, the Keeper of all Your children, the Savior who has adopted us into Your own family and we give You thanks.  We give You praise, Holy Father, for You are worthy of all our worship, our adoration, and our delight.  Fill us with Your Spirit and let our tongues speak forth Your glory today. Amen. 

Psalm 121  I cannot read this psalm without hearing my daughter's sweet voice singing these wonderful words with her college group... such a beautiful song.  

Where does our help come from?  " My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." 

The Lord Himself is our "keeper".  Our protector.  Our bodyguard.  Our hedge.
He has stationed Himself at our right hand.  We are covered!  We are safe.
He has devoted Himself to protect us from the strongest powers.. from the sun, the moon, and "from all evil." 
He has pledged to guard our souls.
Even when we are "going out" or "coming in".
He is our Keeper forever.

Sometimes we must 'go out'... into the world, into places where the simplicity, the security, and the peace of home are absent.  We go out to battle in this world that wants war.. that wants to argue and attack the ways of Christ.  We are pilgrims on a journey to the Heavenly City, just as the psalmist writes as a pilgrim on the rugged trip to Jerusalem.   As we travel through valley of shadows or on rocky, slippery slopes... as we travel through the dark nights and the hot, sun-blasted days... we desperately need the One who calls Himself our Keeper.  

And He is there, at our side! He does not "slumber or sleep"!  In the night, He is our hedge of protection.  In the heat of the day, He is our shade.  In the midst of battle, He is our shield and defender. And when we finally make it home... He will lead us lovingly into the Blessed City, our Home forever.

As pilgrims we need to keep our eyes lifted up... towards Jerusalem, towards the mountain of God, toward the place where  His Name has been established... towards Jesus.  We need to make this our daily habit.

Again, I find  a word of exhortation from one thousand gifts by Ann Voskamp,  " Learning requires practice - sometimes even mind-numbing practice.... Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation."  She is speaking of the habit of giving thanks for everything. But, I think it also applies here.. to the habit of lifting our eyes to the Lord, remembering His nearness, His power, and His pledge to be our Keeper.. as we go out and as we come in. And, indeed we find ourselves so thankful that He is our Lord Who has said it..... and it is so!

Thomas à Kempis in The Imitation of Christ also speaks of the pilgrim journey, in a way. He says that in order to obtain true peace we must be "single-hearted".... with our whole hearts fixed on God.  He calls us to  " a fervent desire to grow better every day". Not  better in works or outward things.. but in being free from all passions of this world, so that we might "relish divine things".

" If we would endeavor like brave men to stand in the battle, surely we should feel the assistance of God from Heaven. For He who giveth us occasion to fight, to the end we may get the victory, is ready to succor those that fight, and that trust His grace."  

With God's help, we can find our "fervor and profiting" increasing daily.  It is a battle against ourselves, our will, our own natures.. that is the hardest.  Yet, this is the very thing that will bring us into inward peace and greater joy. We must desire and pursue this pilgrimage of spiritual progress for it will not happen on its own. Like Ann says.. it takes practice and that is the hardest part of learning!

Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord!

Father in Heaven, You are my Keeper.  Hallelujah!  Praise Your Wonderful Name!  Help me to keep my eyes lifted up to You.  Whether my way today is steep, or dark, or sunny and hot... I know that You are by my side and I give You thanks.  Oh, Lord, let my heart be transformed and my habits made perfect in accordance to Your good and perfect and acceptable will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.