Psalm 142 is a prayer for help.  David freely voices his complaints and troubles and seeks refuge in the One Who cares for his soul, Who is a refuge and a portion.

Psalm 143 is a prayer for guidance when overwhelmed by circumstances. "Teach me the way in which I should walk; for to Thee I lift up my soul." David prays.( v8b)  "Teach me to do Thy will." (v10).  David puts all of himself in the Hands of the Lord, his God.

Psalm 144 is a prayer for help and also for prosperity.  In this prayer he proclaims the Lord to be:
His rock.
His trainer.
His stronghold and deliverer.
His shield and refuge.

David is amazed at the fact that God is mindful of man.  Of him. But, convinced of that fact, he goes on to ask God to do extraordinary things:
"Bow Thy heavens, O Lord, and come down." (v5)
"Touch the mountains, that they may smoke." (v 5)
"Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Send out Thine arrows and confuse them." (v6)
"Stretch forth Thy hand from on high, rescue me and deliver me out of great waters." (v 7).
David goes on to ask the Lord to bless the children, bless their garners, bless their flocks and their cattle. ( v12-14)

Big requests! What faith David displays in his bold requests.  What an example to us.... we need to recognize how great our God is, how intimately He knows us and thinks of us, and how big our prayers can be when we put our faith in Him!

These psalms ( along with all the rest) are such great examples and lessons on how to pray:
We need to pray for personal purity and purpose. (Psalm 141:1-5)
We need to pray for God's action against the wickedness in our world. ( Psalm 141:6-10)
We need to pray for God's help when we are in trouble or when we are overwhelmed. ( Psalm 142)
We need to pray for God's specific guidance for each day and in all of life. ( Psalm 143)
We need to pray, committing ourselves to the One who is our Rock, our Deliverer, our Shield, and our Refuge. We need to be mindful of the One who is mindful of us... 
We need to learn to ask Him for the big things as well as the small... expanding our faith, our trust, our complete dependance on Him for all we need and all our heart's desires.   ( Psalm 144)

Father in heaven, we come before You and bless Your Name.  You are our Rock, our Everything.  You are amazing and holy and perfect in every way!  You have made us and loved us.  You have made a way for us to come before You, to know You, and to bring every need before You.  We come in the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is our Redeemer and Mediator.  We come to ask for all these things that we need... for pure hearts and cleans hands; for help; for guidance; for righteousness and for deliverance. We come to ask for some big things... that You would open up the heavens and come down!  That You would set fire to mountains of hatred, mountains of false religion, and mountains of suffering.  We ask that You would stop those who love evil and do wicked deeds.  Those who kill unborn babies, and those who preach immorality.  Those who stir up dissent and love to disrupt the peace.  May they fall into their own snares.  May they repent of their sin.  May they find the One who alone can bring Light to their darkness.  Do mighty works of Grace that will turn the hearts of the lost to the Savior, Lord.  For only You can do such things.  You are the Lord and we bless Your Name. We give You thanks for all that You have done. Amen

Psalm 141  David's prayer has two main focuses... first, that he would be acceptable to his Lord, and second, that he would be protected from the wicked.  Two very important prayer requests, that we don't always make part of our daily prayer times.

Verses 1-5a contain the requests that David brings for himself:
Lord, I'm calling to You, will You hear my voice?
My prayer is like an offering, I lift it up to You, may it be acceptable, holy, pure.
Lord,  guard what I say. Keep a lock on my mouth so that I do not offend You with my words.
Lord, keep a guard on my heart, keep me from desiring what is evil.
Lord, keep me from doing any wicked deeds.
Lord,  may I not even associate with any who might lead me into sin.
Lord, may I consider it a kindness when a righteous friend reproves me. May I not resent it but consider it "oil on my head".. a blessing.

Today I was reading in The Imitation of Christ, Chapter 19, called "Of the exercises of a good religious person"... quite a challenging title!  But, the main theme is about examining our "purpose" for living on a daily basis.
              "According to our purpose shall be the success of our spiritual profiting; and much diligence is necessary to him that will profit much. And if he that firmly purposeth often fail, what shall he do that seldom or but weakly purposeth anything?"

 In other words... if we want to live for the Lord, we need to be diligent to order our lives.... inside and out... "in word, deed, and thought" accordingly.  Daily.  Whatever way that we choose to do this is as individual as each person, the writer tells us, but, we need to do it!  Yes, it depends on God's grace.  Yes, God may bring interruptions of changes.  But if we start out in the morning with a fixed purpose to live for God, to serve Him only,  and to be ready and prepared for what He has planned, then that is good.  And, at the end of the day we review our words, deeds, and thoughts, we may find that we have offended someone and have need of forgiveness.  That is living with godly purpose. 

This is exactly what David's prayer is about, isn't it?  He is asking the Lord to help him live a godly life.  He is purposing in his heart to be pure and blameless before God, with His help.  What a wonderful purpose and a vital prayer!

Father,  I'm coming into Your Presence 

I'm lifting my prayers to You

I need Your grace and help;

Will You guard my words, Lord?

I give You control of my tongue. 

Will You guard my heart, Lord?

I desire Your will, Your righteousness, Your Kingdom.

Reign in my life today. 

Will You keep me from the evil one, Lord?

Don't let my open myself to any wickedness. 

Help me to accept correction and conviction, 

to confess and repent, 

to forgive and to be forgiven. 

Help me, Gracious God, to be diligent to purposely live for You

in all I say, do , and think, today. 

Amen. 

I think we are probably a little better at the second part of David's prayer: Stop the wicked, Lord.
You are my refuge.  You can make them fall into their own traps.  You can bring me through safely.
We may not be in the kind of situations that David found himself in, but we still need to pray like this.  There is wickedness all around us.. hatred, abuse, oppression, etc.  We need to pray that those who are filled with evil will fall into their own snares and that we will not.  We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted and killed for their beliefs.  We need to pray for the Church to boldly preach the Gospel of Peace, so that all will come to know that they also can find refuge in our Mighty God.

Lord, once again my request is like that of the disciples, teach me to pray... in Jesus' Name, amen.

Psalm 140  God alone is our Rescuer.  We have an enemy who desires for us to be crushed and destroyed.  But, the truth is - our enemy has already been conquered! We can rejoice in the truth of this fact - Jesus has conquered sin, death, hell, and Satan.   They have no authority over us when we are in Christ Jesus! Give thanks to the Lord!!!

This psalm describes the "evil men" that David wanted deliverance from:
They were violent.
They devised evil plans.
They stirred up wars.
Their tongues were sharp like serpents.
Their lips held poison.
Their hands held violence.
They would deliberately cause him to trip.
They had hidden traps, cords, nets, and snares.

The world is still full of such men, servants of the Devil himself.  Their character is formed by the one who has deceived them and kept them in darkness.

But, our Father in heaven is the One who rescues us out of the dominion of darkness and transfers us into the Light, into the Kingdom of Jesus!  Praise Him!!!
Like David, we can proclaim, "O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle."
The Lord maintains our cause.
The Lord gives justice to the poor.
The Lord deals with the enemy.  He has conquered the foe!

We have been given spiritual armor and we must carefully and diligently wear it.  We must put in on every single day that we might "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.... to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." ( Ephesians 6:10-18)
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything, to stand firm. " 
We must have God's Truth, belted around our bodies, souls, and hearts.
We must have His Righteousness to cover our whole selves.
We must take the Peace of the Gospel and stand firmly in it.
We must keep the shield of faith firmly in place, repelling those flaming missiles of the devil.
We have been given the helmet of salvation - He Covers our heads with His salvation!
We have been given a sword, the Spirit's own sword, the Word of God to defend and to defeat the foe.
It is in prayer that the armor is taken up.  
It is in prayer that we stand firm against the enemy. 
It is in prayer that the battle is won and evil is overcome. 


Father in Heaven, we give You praise that You have " delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of [Your] beloved Son." ( Col. 1:13) We were once blind but now we see.  We were once prisoners but now we are free.  We were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but now we are alive in Christ.  Amazing Grace! We take up the armor of God today, O Lord, and we proclaim along with David's psalm, " Thou art my God".   You are our salvation.  You are our King. We are Your servants.  We serve in Your army today, standing firm in Christ, resisting the evil day in the Name of Jesus our Lord,  in whose name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 139  This psalm of David is so precious.  It takes us nearer to God, describing the  intimate relationship  He has with His creation.. with each of us.  We so need to see this and recognize it for our own lives.  We need to acknowledge these truths personally.

" O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me."  ( v1)
God knows when I sit down.
God knows when I stand up.
God understands what I am thinking.
God keeps His eye on my daily walk.
He sees me when I lay down.
He is " intimately acquainted with all my ways." 
He knows what I'm going to say, before I say it.
He goes before me.
He comes behind me.
He puts His hand on me, covering me, shielding me, comforting me.

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it." (v6)

There is nowhere that I can go, that He is not with me.
There is nowhere I can fall, that He can't reach me.
There is nowhere too dark, that He can't see me.
He will never leave me.
He will never be too far away.
He will never let go of my hand.

God, Himself, formed me in my mother's womb.
He made me to be just the way I am.
He is the Designer, the Builder, and the Inspector.
He saw me when no one else could. Not even my own mother.
He wrote down His plan for me, for my days on this earth.
He already knows when the last one will come.

God thinks about me... and about you.
He never forgets us and never leaves us.

In light of this, like David, we need to ask Him to do two things:
Stop the wicked.
Search my heart, know me, try me, remove any wickedness in me, and lead me in the way of righteousness.

My Father, Holy God and Wonderful Savior, help me to more fully comprehend these amazing and wonderful truths.  You are here right now and You know me perfectly.  You have chosen to love me, to redeem me, to transform me, to adopt me, and to hold me in Your own Hands.  This is too high for me to grasp with my finite mind... Yet it is True!  That this is true for every person ever born or who will ever be born.. wow!  You are so great and we cannot even begin to know just how great You are!
I worship You, O Lord.  I want to praise You more and more.  I want to bring honor and glory to Your Name.  May I not be ashamed.  May I not fail You. Remove all wickedness and fill me with Your righteousness, I pray.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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.