We have heard with our ears, O Rock of ages, all generations have proclaimed
The mighty deeds You wrought in their days, in the days of old;
Of how You with your own hand drove out the nations, sowing seeds for new life;
Of how You led the peoples into bondage, and the You set them free;
For not by their own might did they win the land,
nor did their own strength give the victory,
But by your power and your might, and the light of your countenance;
for You sought to awaken them!
O, You who know all hearts, who are ever-present to your people,
Through You we face our enemies; through your Name we call forth our fears.
For not in military powers do we trust, nor can arms save us.
For only in You can we put our fears to rest, and transform them into peace.
In you, O Gracious One, do we give thanks,
and forever will we offer You our songs of praise.
Yet at times You seem to abandon us, leaving us alone with our fears.
You have given us the freedom to turn from You;
then does our ego seek to rule the day.
We become as sheep for slaughter, straying far from the fold.
You seem to require too little of us,
remaining mute as we wander on worldly highways.
Without your saving grace, we come in conflict with our neighbors,
we fear all who seem different from us.
We seek to better ourselves at the expense of other nations,
we become arrogant and greedy.
Our spirit weakens as we attack others, we become deaf and blind
To the cries of those oppressed, at the sight of those wronged.
As all this comes upon us, we finally remember You, O Infinite Love,
we pray for your strength in all of our hopes and challenges.
Our hearts recall your promises of old: to be with us always. Yet,
Deep darkness overshadows the land.
Until crises come, we forget the Name of the Creator;
we spread forth our hands to a worldly god.
Yet, can we ever hide from You, O Beloved?
For You know the secrets, the will, of our hearts and mind.
No, Love does not abandon us; we ourselves turn our faces from the Light.
Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O foolish peoples?
Awaken! Do not stray in the darkness forever!
Why do you cover your faces?
Why are you ashamed and cast down?
With your souls bowed down to the dust, call out to the Beloved for forgiveness.
Rise up, pray for a change of heart!
Then will the Indwelling Presence, the Divine Guest, awaken you with kindly Love!
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
I think this psalm isn’t in the lectionary because it’s difficult to know what to say about it. Nan Merrill has changed the character of the psalm a little more than I’m comfortable with by making the ending about foolish people being asleep or absent instead of about God being asleep or absent from the people. I think the real point of the psalm is that God seems to be absent in the midst of suffering. The Psalmist recalls events in the past when God has saved the people because of their covenant relationship. This relationship is based on God’s love for people so the psalmist also appeals for God to act according to God’s steadfast love.
In some ways Psalm 44 reminds me of the story of Job becuase there didn’t seem to be a reason for Job’s suffering either. And, I certainly see a lot of suffering in the world that doesn’t make sense. Knowing God’s people have experienced suffering that they don’t understand isn’t exactly comforting. But knowing that people have been naming that suffering isn’t God’s will for us for as long as these psalms have been around does affirm my belief that suffering is not from God. But scripture readers like you and like I don’t get a satisfying answer about suffering either.
What I do know, is that when I’ve experienced the living God, it feels like love. Bad things happen, in the world, to people I love, and to me. And it doesn’t seem like God is creating it or letting it happen. When I feel God’s presence, I feel a sustaining love that will not let me go.
Check out other psalm reflections in the links below or find more of my writing published in Presbyterian Outlook or listen to my experiments in podcasting on the Period Pastor Podcast. Follow me @periodpastor
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. Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C). Starting in Advent 2019, the 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. When we returned to in person worship, we took the psalm reflections out of the order of worship. I continued to write them for the blog. Advent of 2022 year A. I left church work in July of 2023 but continued the practice of writing psalm reflections. Advent of 2023 year B. Advent of 2024 year C. I finished year C early, so I posted Psalm 119 and began work on missed psalms from Year D and others not in the lectionary. Advent of 2025 year A.
I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings and the PCUSA planning calendar to make text selections.
Year D Psalms that I haven’t come across in the other lectionary years, yet:
18, 144, 44, 110, 73, 75, 76, 28, 12, 61, 11, 88, 108, 64, 60, 10, 120
These are the psalms I haven’t found in any lectionary, yet:
5, 53, 64, 81, 131, 134, 135Sources and notes:
“Psalm 44 is the first of the corporate prayers for help in the present arrangement of the Book of Psalms. This one differs from the others in one remarkable feature that has always drawn the attention of interpreters, its from profession of innocence under the covenant (vv. 17-22).” Mays p. 176
“The prayer begins with a recollection of salvation history (vv. 1-3) followed by a confession of faith (v. 4) and a statement of trust (vv. 5-8). Then in sharp contrast a present situation of defeat (vv. 9-12) and humiliation (vv. 13-16) is described. Responsibility for the disaster is disclaimed in an assertion of faithfulness (vv. 17-22). Petitions (vv. 23, 26) and complaints agains the LORD (vv. 24-25) conclude the prayer.” Mays p. 176
“Several interpreters link Psalm 44 with the individual lament in Psalm 42-43 because of the shared themes of memory (42:4; 41:1-8), distance from God (42:1, 6, 9; 43:2; 44:9, 12, 24), and humiliation by others (42:3, 10; 43:1; 44:13-16), and they claim that these themes are characteristic of the exilic period. Yet Psalm 44 has been dated anywhere from the eighth century BCE to the Maccabean period in the second century BCE and need not be tied to one particular time in Israel’s history. Even though Adele Berlin classifies Psalm 44 as part of the literature of Exile (along with Psalms 69, 78, and 137 because of shared theological assumptions), she warns that dating psalms can entrap us in a hermeneutical circle and too easily follow general trends in dating other biblical texts.” W p. 17
“Theological stakes are high in Psalm 44, the first communal lament in the Psalter. Is Israel’s suffering redemptive? Are questions of theodicy (justification of God’s justice in the face of evil and suffering) resolved? Those who argue for a progression toward hope in Psalm 42-43 tend to argue similarly for Psalm 44. Unlike individual laments, which often end with a confession of trust and a vow of praise and anticipation of fire deliverance after the complaints and petitions have been offered, “communal laments often end without any resolution,” as in Psalms 44, 60, 74, 80, 85, 94, 123, 137. As Peter Craigie puts it, Psalm 44 can only end in desperate petition, leaving the lament questions unanswered; the psalm “points in the same direction as the book of Job.”” W pp. 18-19
“Those who see positive resolution in Psalm 44 focus on the opening vv. 1-8 a the inclusion (brakes or envelope) they form with the word [hessed] in v. 26b: “Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love [hessed]. Nancy deClaisse-Walford, for example, notes the “two covenant-images of God” in vv. 1-3 and 26. Verses 1-3 rehearse the history of God’s past action on Israel’s behalf in the settlement of Canaan after the wilderness wanderings, while vv. 4-8 testify to the present faithfulness of the community that continually thanks God. Verse 26 recalls this mutual covenant commitment with the word [hessed].” W pp. 19-20
“An examination of the rhetorical function of the God descriptions in 44:1-8, however, suggests that they heighten the protest against God voiced in vv. 9-22 and leave the question of theodicy open.” W p. 20
“In a negative view of this rhetoric, Israel’s historical memory serves to “remind God of how the Deity out to act by citing past examples.” God need stop act now in consonance with the divine character of Old. The present community argues in vv. 4-8 that it is faithful as the ancestors were, and thus God should act similarly now. ” W p. 20
Referring to sheep metaphor, “…Israel needs to reconcile its suffering with its supposed protection as God’s flock…” W p. 22
“Martyrdom is not acceptable to the psalmist.” W p. 22
Psalm 44 is a “psalm of rage. Its righteous anger demands justice from God out of a “mutual covenantal debt” that will not let God “off the hook”. W p. 23
“The ending petitions emerge out of the shame Israel experience in displacement an the taunts of enemies. …. God has failed to act as a good patron in a reciprocal way, and inaction produces sham for both God and God’s client, Israel.” W pp. 24-25
“In Psalm 44, the community employs assaulting rhetoric in addressing God for being abusive and neglectful. In verses 9-14, the language is dominated by an accusatory “you.” But the “us” on the receiving end of the alleged divine (mis)conduct is the accent point in the psalm. All that matters is who has happened to “us.” The rhetoric is against God, accusing God of reneging on promises of fidelity.” Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid p. 4
Referring to the last few verses of Psalm 44, “These questions are neither hypothetical nor rhetorical. The threefold “why” is not a request seeking new information, but a sharp reprimand. The Psalter knows that truth telling is indispensable for well-being, even if the truth in question somehow scandalizes God. Israel is not afraid to declare out loud that the “system” in God’s world is not working. In fact, Israel will not put up with it any longer!” Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid pp. 21-22
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, 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, 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, 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, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
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, 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, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
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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