Those who dwell in the shelter of Infinite Light, who abide in the wings of Infinite Love,
Will raise their voices in praise: “My refuge and my strength; in You alone will I trust.”
For You deliver me from the webs of fear and illusion, from all that separates and divides;
You protect me as an eagle shields its young,
Your faithfulness is sure, like an arrow set upon the mark.
I will not fear the shadows of the night, nor the confusion that comes by day,
Nor the dreams that awaken me from sleep, nor the daily changes that life brings.
Though a thousand may deride this radical trust, ten thousand laugh as I see to do your Will,
Yet will I surrender myself to You, abandoning myself into your Hands without reserve.
For You have sent your angels to watch over me, to guide me in all my ways.
On their hands, they will bear me up, lest I dash my foot against a stone.
Though I walk among those who roar like a lion, or are as stealthy as the adder,
in your strength will I endure.
“Because you clean to Me in love, I will deliver you; I will protect you, who call upon my Name.
When you call to Me, I will answer you; I will be with you in times of trouble,
I will rescue you so that you will know my Peace,
All through the years, will I dwell in your heart, as Loving Companion Presence, forever.”
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
In difficult time, sometimes the same old metaphors for God don’t work like they used to. Or maybe we can’t bring ourselves to an awareness of God’s presence when our life doesn’t look the way it used to. I write about the psalms because they are the scriptures I look to for new (ancient words new to me) to help me see God anew.
Mother bird is an image that I find comforting in Psalm 91. It’s helpful to think of that mother bird (or Mother God) as we read Psalms 90, 91, and 92 as a single unit. Reading these three psalms together takes us on the journey of crying out to our mother (Psalm 90), finding the nurturing mother’s promise to sustain (Psalm 91), and finally expressing gratitude for her love (Psalm 92). Mostly, this unit of psalms assures me that nothing can separate us from the love of God; not the terror of war, not pestilence nor destruction, nor those who seek my harm. Neither can my own comfort nor the delusion that I control my world, nor my arrogance or privilege, separate me from the love of God. My desire to see those I deem as evildoers punished, and the vain thought that I am God’s righteous favorite will not separate me from Love. I do not need to test God’s steadfast love, and yet, I pray that she make me ever aware of her presence. Throughout this journey, if nothing else, may I feel the presence of Love.
For those of us who want to lean deeper into the Mother Bird metaphor, I offer this prayer:
Sacred Mother, Protector, Nurturer, Sustainer, hear us when we pray. In choosing a holy name for God we know we only have a glimpse of the vastness that you are. Forgive us when our metaphors fail. Today, help us to see you as a great mother bird from the humbleness of a tiny sparrow.
Like little birds we chirp and peck. And like a mother bird you protect us in the shadow of your wing. Your wings are heavy like a down comforter on a rainy day. Your wings are a shield from the wind and rain. When we cry to you, you provide safety and shelter in your nest. You give us wisdom from your heart and nourishment from within your breast.
We have no reason to fear the storm above or the rocks below, for we have this holy place of sticks, and feathers, and mud, and… love. Love is the shelter of your nest. Help us to know that no matter what we are surrounded by your love. Fill us with gratitude and hope, and most of all Love. Amen.
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, 6th Sunday 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 9 or 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, 11th Sunday 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, 22nd Sunday 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:
“Psalms 90-92 open book 4 of the Psalter: Scholars have long recognized a connectedness among the three psalms, on that includes wisdom motifs, concern with the human condition, and finding security in YHWH. With Erich Zenger, i consider Psalms 90-92 to be “eine komposition” (a single composition) that is linked by keyword motifs, by questions in one psalm that are answered in a following psalm, and with a Mosaic inclusio. We can see movement in the three psalms from lament in Psalm 90 to promise in Psalm 91 to thanksgiving in Psalm 92.” W p. 3
“Psalm 91 seems to offer and answer to the people’s pleas to God in Psalm 90:13 and 14… ” W p. 10
“In words of confident praise the singer of the psalm celebrates the many ways that God cares for and ultimately “satisfies” (v.16) those who trust.” W p. 10
“Some suggest that the basic meaning of the word “Almighty–Shaddai” is “breast”, while others maintain that “mountain” is the referent and thus unseated “Shaddai” as “God of the Mountains”. But let us move backward to Psalm 90:2 and then forward to Psalm 91:4 as we attempt to find a meaning for verse 1’s use of “Shaddai” Psalm 90:2 depicts God birthing the earth and the inhabitable world, and in verses 3, 12, and 14 the psalmists request that God give “humankind” and “mortals” a “heart of wisdom” and that God “satisfy humanity.” W p. 12
“The epithet “Shaddai” in Psalm 91:1 may be understood as reference to the nurturing, nourishing God who gave birth to the earth (Ps 90:2) and now suckles it–satisfies it–as it learns to have a “heart of wisdom” (Ps 90:12). References that tie nurturing breasts to God and God’s goodness are numerous in the Hebrew Bible.” W p. 12 Genesis 49:25; Isaiah 66:11; Ruth 1:20-21; Psalm 22:9-10; and Job 20:21 W p. 12
… in the context of Psalms 90 and 91 YHWH’s winged protection in 91:4 is best understood as the protection a mother gives to the child she has born, suckled, and taught to live with wisdom in a world where adversity presents itself on every side.” W p. 13
“God’s repeated promise to care for and protect the psalm singers leads to the declaration in verse 16 that God will finally “satisfy”–they very request made by Psalm 90:14. These words of promise, of course, are heard in dissonance by those whom God has not satisfied in the midst of so many trials and setbacks in life. But they perhaps offer a hope of the eventuality of satisfaction to those who seek to live the a “heart of wisdom.” W p. 13
“The psalm seems to be the work of a teacher who seeks to nurture the trust of the faithful by encouraging each of them to take the LORD as their refuge from all the troubles of life.” Mays p. 296
Psalm 91 (and others) convey “the important role of trust in coping with the anxieties that beset their life.” Mays p. 297
“The psalm itself poses a danger. Because its assurance of security is so comprehensive and confident, it is especially subject to the misuse that is a possibility for all religious claims, that of turning faith into superstition. In Judaism and Christianity, bits of the text have been worn in amulets that were believed to be a kind of magical protection for those who wore them. The promise that the ministering angels would guard the way of the pious (v. 11) was one of the bases of a belief that God assigns individual believers a personal angel to watch over them, and the angel easily became the focus of concern and piety. In an infamous use of Scripture, Satan employed verses 11 – 12 in his attempt to corrupt Jesus (Matt. 4:5-7; Luke 4:10-11). The psalm must always be read and understood in the light of that encounter. Satan placed Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple and challenged him to jump off to test God’s promise that the angels would bear him up. The temptation was to take the promised protection of God into the control of his own will and act. That would have shifted the power of the promise from the free sovereignty of God to individual willfulness. Real trust does not seek to test God or to prove his faithfulness. These matters have been the subject of constant discussion in the interpretation of Psalm 91 (e.g., Luther, 11:210-211; Calvin, 3:486; and Barth, III/3, pp. 517-518).” Mays pp. 297-298
“This remarkable psalm speaks with great specificity, and yet with a kind of porousness, so that the language is enormously open to each one’s particular experience. Its tone is somewhat instructional, as though reassuring someone else who is unsure. Yet the assurance is not didactic, but confessional. It is a personal testimony of someone whose own experience makes the of faith convincing and authentic.” Brueggeman The Message of the Psalms p. 156
“..is the claim of the psalm: that the awesome power and presence of Yahweh is made available to and is committed to this traveler who must go in dangerous places. The psalm interweaves two different kinds of images. The first one is about a safe place, as though one has found a place to hid from the threats.” Brueggeman The Message of the Psalms p. 156
“The poem praises safe place (vv. 1-4, 9-10) and safe journey (vv. 5-6, 11-13). Either way, in place or on a path, one is safe, because yahweh is an attentive protector adequate to every challenge. Without this escort, one is surely doomed to trouble and death. One is still exposed, but no harm can come, beaus the speaker is not alone.” Brueggeman The Message of the Psalms p. 157
“In verses 14-16 we have something of a surprise–for this palm or any other. This is the direct speech of Yahweh in the form of a decree of assurance, which seems to respond to the trust of verses 1-13. It is the great faith of the speaker that evokes this response of assurance. Yahweh is faithful and repsonsive to those who rely on him.” Brueggeman The Message of the Psalms p. 157
“The songs of confidence are words of trusting people. In this psalm the last word belongs to yahweh, and the last word is caring protection. It is the ground for confidence that the last word is not spoken by us, but to us (cf. John 6:68).” Brueggeman The Message of the Psalms p. 157
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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