But who can discern their own weakness?
Cleanse me, O Love, from all my hidden faults.
Keep me from boldly acting in error;
let my fears and illusions not have dominion over me!
Then shall I become a beneficial presence, freely and fully surrendered
to your Love.
Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart
find favor in your Heart O my Beloved,
my strength and my joy!
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
Psalm 19 is a love note given to God as an offering with the hope of God’s acceptance, pardon for sin, and restoration to communion with God. The love song is expressed with words and without words, in the earth and in the torah, in each individual’s heart and throughout the cosmos. The wonders of God’s love is told day and night for eternity. Each of us can experience it in the holy moment of now.
Now is the only moment we really have. Some moments feel more meaningful than others. Perhaps that is why the last line of Psalm 19 is quoted by preachers as a prayer before the sermon. It is a moment in which we can do the greatest good or cause the greatest harm, so we must fully surrender to the love of God. The truth is that each moment matters and all of us are capable of great good and great harm. Being fully present and aware of God’s love for us and others can help us to be our best selves. My hope is that we can add to this eternal love in whatever ways we can. May all of the words that dwell in our hearts and pass through our lips be acceptable to our neighbors and to our Beloved God.
Psalm reflections can be listened to on the Period Pastor Podcast series, Like One who Watches for the Morning. In the podcast I read both the NRSVUE and Nan C. Merrill’s Psalms for Praying in addition to the reflection you see here.
I began writing Psalm reflections during Lent of 2020 shortly after we decided to close the church building, work from home, and worship via zoom. It is a practice I have continued since. Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C). Starting in Advent 2019, Third Church decided to worship with the texts from Year D, which is still not circulated as are years A, B, and C. Year D was created with the goal of including scriptures that were left out or not used as frequently as others. While we were using Psalms in year D, most other lectionary followers were using Year A. In Advent of 2020 we rejoined those who use the lectionary in year B. Advent of 2021 year C. Advent of 2022 year A. Advent of 2023 year B.
I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings to make text selections.
Year B Psalms
Advent – Transfiguration: 1st Sunday in Advent Psalm 80, 2nd Sunday in Advent Psalm 85, 3rd Sunday in Advent Psalm 126, 4th Sunday in Advent Psalm 89, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1st Sunday after Christmas, Psalm 148, New Year’s Day Psalm 8, Epiphany Psalm 72, 1st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 139, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 62, 4th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 111, 5th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 147, Transfiguration Sunday (Sunday before Lent) Psalm 50
Lent: Ash Wednesday Psalm 51, 1st Sunday in Lent Psalm 25, 2nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 22, 3rd Sunday in Lent Psalm 19, 4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 107, 5th Sunday in Lent Psalm 51 or Psalm 119:9-16, 6thSunday in Lent (Palm or Passion Sunday) Psalm 118 or 31
Holy Week: Monday Psalm 36, Tuesday Psalm 71, Wednesday Psalm 70, Maundy Thursday Psalm 116, Good Friday Psalm 22, Holy Saturday Psalm 31
Easter: Easter Psalm 118 or 114, 2nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 133, 3rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 4, 4th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23, 5th Sunday of Easter Psalm 22, 6th Sunday of Easter Psalm 98, Ascension Psalm 47 or Psalm 93, 7th Sunday of Easter Psalm 1, Day of Pentecost Psalm 104
Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Time): 1st Sunday after Pentecost (Trinity Sunday) Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 81, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 138 or Psalm 130, 4th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 20 or Psalm 92, 5th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 9or Psalm 133 or Psalm 107, 6th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 130 or Psalm 30, 7th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 48 or Psalm 123, 8th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 24 or Psalm 85, 9th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 89 or Psalm 23, 10th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 14 or Psalm 145, 11thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 51 or Psalm 78, 12th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 130 or Psalm 34, 13th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 111 or Psalm 34, 14th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 84 or Psalm 34, 15th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 45 or Psalm 15, 16th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 125 or Psalm 146, 17th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 19 or Psalm 116, 18th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 1 or Psalm 54, 19th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 124 or Psalm 19, 20th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 26 or Psalm 8, 21st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 22 or Psalm 90, 22ndSunday after Pentecost Psalm 104 or Psalm 91, 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 34 or Psalm 126, 24th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 146 or 119, 25th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 127 or Psalm 146, 26th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 16, 27th Sunday after Pentecost (Christ the King) Psalm 132 or Psalm 93.
Sources and notes:
“”Lord, my rock and my redeemer” are the last words of Psalm 19. On the way to that confessional conclusion the psalm speaks of the creation’s testimony to the creator (vv. 1-6), the incomparable value of the law of the LORD (vv. 7-10), and the hymn need for divine forgiveness and protection (vv 11-13). One must meditate on all three parts and make the whole the worlds of the heart in order to understand the devotion and trust expressed in the concluding confession.” Mays p. 96
“The sum of the first part of the psalm can be stated quite simply. The world witnesses to God. The creator manifests the glory of its creator.” Mays p. 97 “The second part of the psalm is a precisely constructed poetic passage exalting the virtues, benefits, and desirability of the torah of the LORD” Mays p. 98 “The third part of the psalm is a prayer for God’s help. In the prayer the psalmist acknowledges that he cannot be righteous through torah alone. [He is dependent on God for restoration].” Mays p. 99
“In a rare identification, the composer tells us what this psalm is and what it is for (v. 14). The psalmist calls it “words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart.” It is composed for the oral recitation in an act of worship. The words express the music of the heart, the seat of consciousness in which thoughts are formed. Through the words the heart finds voice and the self is presented to God. The prayer seres the purpose of sacrifice; “be acceptable” is a technical term for qualified offerings to God at the sanctuary. In the temple service, sacrifices were offered to seek God’s pardon and restoration (Leviticus 4-5; Num. 15:22-31). In the intention of the psalmist, this prayer poem is such an offering.” Mays p. 100
“…Psalm 19 affirms that love is the basic reality. According to the psalmist, the God whose sovereignty is proclaimed by cosmic voices is the God who has addressed a personal word to humankind–God’s torah. Furthermore, this God is experienced ultimately by humankind not as a cosmic enforcer but as a forgiving next of kin! God is love, and love is the force that drives the cosmos.” NIB p. 355
” The love that motivated God to create humankind and bear the burden of human disobedience (Genesis 1-11) is the same love manifested in the story of Israel (see esp. Exodus 32-34), in the life of the psalmist (vv. 11-14), and, as Christians profess, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Love is the basic reality of the universe.” NIB p. 355
“Generation after generations we tell ourselves the stories of the past, the tasks of the present and the promise of the future. Each of them is measured by the eternal truths in the human heart, the call of God that rumbles through the world. This tension between past experiences, the wisdom of the ages and the underlying urgency of now, leaves us with the spiritual balancing at of all time.” Chittister p. 105
From Jeff Dafler’s “Sobriety”: For many years, I clung to the dangerous idea that I made the rules. I was convinced of my uniqueness and beloved that I could–and must–bend the world to my will. The more tightly I held onto this false idea, the more frustration and disappointment I felt. As I built up my resentments and wallowed in self-pity, I began to drown myself in alcohol. Psalm 19 tells us about a better way. If we let go of our old idea ht we are in control or instead cling to our Higher Power’s plan for our lives, things can and will get better. If we can honestly and fully embrace God’s will for our lives, the psalmist tells us in verse 7 and 8 what is in store for us: God will revive our souls and make us wise. Our hearts will rejoice and we will (finally!) see clearly. How priceless are such gifts! They are offered to us free of charge. All we have to do is follow this simple program for our lives. That program is laid out in the Psalms and in the Twelve Steps. In both versions, it starts with a basic acceptance that turns our old idea on its head: We can’t. God can. We need to let him.
This reflection from “the words of her mouth” by Layton E. Williams: There is something in the stars that makes me believe in you: their vastness, yes, but also their steadfastness, their constant presence, whether I can see the shape of them or not; Something in the rising and the setting that shows me the beautiful goodness of dark and light, of new and old, of welcoming and letting go. In these most ordinary, everyday realities of your creation, made also astounding, I am reminded that you are at work in all things–and in me. Even in me. Let me be a witness like the sun and stars, an ordinary and astounding testament to Grace.
Alter Alter, Robert. 2007. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary New York: W. W. Norton & Company
WBC Allen, Leslie C. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1974. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. 8th ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Press.
Bourgeault, C. (2006). Chanting the psalms: A practical guide Audio Book. New Seeds.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2007. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade.
Brueggemann Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brueggemann, Walter. Davis Hanskins, Editor. 2022. Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY.
Brueggemann, Walter. (2002). Spirituality of the psalms. Augsburg Pub. House.
Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg.
Chilson, Richard, ed. You Shall Not Want: A Spiritual Journey Based on the Psalms. Ave Maria Press, 2009.
Chittister Chittister, Joan. (2011). Songs of the heart: reflections on the psalms. John Garratt Publishing.
Cudjoe-Wilkes, G., Wilkes, A. J., & Moss, O. (2022). Psalms for black lives: Reflections for the work of Liberation. Upper Room Books.
WBC Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1-50–Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Creach Creach, Jerome Frederick Davis. 1998. Psalms: Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX.
W de Claisse-Walford, Nancy L. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 4-5. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 22. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2020.
Green, Barbara. 1997. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
W Hopkins, Denise Dombkowski. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 2-3. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2016.
NIB Keck, Leander E. 2015. The New Interpreters Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Lewis, C. S. (2017). Reflections on the Psalms. Harper One, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.
Mays Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
McCann McCann, J. C. (1993). A theological introduction to the book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
McCann, J. C., & Howell, J. C. 2001. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Merrill, N. C. (2020). Psalms for praying an invitation to wholeness (10th Anniversary Edition ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Miller Miller, Patrick D. 1986. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.
Morgan, Michael. 2010. The Psalter for Christian Worship Revised Edition. Westminster John Knox Press.
Schlimm Schlimm, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know.Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
Spong Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.
WBC Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 20. Waco, TX: Word.
Weems, Ann. 1995. Psalm of Lament. Westminster John Knox Pres
OTL Weiser, Artur. 1998. Old Testament Library: Psalms. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Manchester University Press.
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