O Beloved, why do I believe that I can separate myself from You,
feeling like an alien in a foreign land?
O, that I might return to the Light.
You know how I tremble with fear; help me to break down the walls,
to let go of illusions, for I want to stand tall.
You have allowed me to suffer hard things; You have not prevents my downfall.
You, who are Love, gave me leeway to choose, to wander far from home.
O my Beloved, be gracious unto me,
welcome me back into new life, hear my prayer!
The Comforter came to me: “With joy are you ever at home in my Heart,
as I have always lived in yours.
You are mine; I belong to you; the broken are blessed with humility,
the wayward who turn back walk with me as love, walk with me knowing Love.
Let your mind be guided by truth, your heart informed by wisdom;
then will you know peace and joy.”
Who will enter the Heart of Love?
Who will open their hearts and know the Beloved?
Who dares to face their fears, to break down the prison walls to walk with Love?
O grant us help to answer the call, strengthen us with pure resolve!
With the Beloved we shall triumph; with Love we shall be free!
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
Warrior God and conquering nation imagery is difficult for me. They seem more foreign than any other language in the psalms, and yet, we still have wars raging now and people who think that god is on their side. In the psalms and now, the language about war is almost always devoid of victim’s experiences. The focus is on victory and land and renaming territory. It is easy to forget the death and dying, especially of those who are unlucky enough to live in a war zone. Unfortunately, military presence often means institutionalized prostitution with women and children providing sexual labor to foreigners, even long after the war is over. The biblical story of Rahab or post-vietnams war southeast Asia could provide context for this psalm.
May God rescue us from our ceaseless wars and the hardships faced by the vulnerable long after the war is over.
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, 135
Sources and notes:
“Psalm 60 is a corporate prayer for help. It begins with a complaint that the LORD’s anger has visited disaster upon the land and its population; the people of God are suffering hardship (vv. 1-3). The disaster is described in cosmic terms and metaphors, but it is apparent from the entire psalm that the hosts of Israel have failed in battle (especially v. 10). Petitions are made for help for those who fear God, the beloved ones (vv. 4-5); translating v. 4 as a petition with NJPS).” Mays p. 213
“In response to the plea for an answer (v. 5), a saying of God is delivered (vv. 6-8). The oracle lays claim to territory identified by a series of names arranged to move from places to tribal regions to nations. The territory marked off by the names is more or less the central territory of David’s kingdom. The oracle comes in the midst of the prayer song and gives the impression that it is being quoted from a tradition of prophetic sayings belonging to the sanctuary (Nasuti, p. 129; Kraus, Psalms 60-150, p. 3). Verse 9 may belong to the oracle and be a challenge to a king or military leader to lead the army accompanied by God to Edom, the possible source of the trouble. The function of the oracle as a whole is to furnish a contrast with the present and bring encouragement to the one who prays.” Mays pp. 213-214
“The psalm concludes with a complaint about the rejection of God (v. 10), a petition for help against the foe because human strength is not enough (v. 11), and an assertion of confidence (v. 12).” Mays p. 214
“The psalm is based on the old theology of holy war, validated by narratives from Israel’s past, according to which military ventures were successful only if God accompanied the hosts of Israel into batter (e.g., Numbers 13-14; Judge. 4:14-15).” Mays p. 214
“Verses 5-12 are used also in Psalm 108:6-13, a further clue that traditional material has been employed in composing both psalms. The learned scribe who searched for narrative settings in the story of David saw the connection between the nations named in the psalm and those named in the account of the expansion of David’s kingdom in II Samuel 8.” Mays p. 214
“Psalm 60 is one of thirteen psalms attached by its superscription to events in David’s life. Second Samuel 8, 10, and 1 Chronicles 19 report David’s decisive and swift military victories over the lands mentioned in Psalm 60; women do not appear in these narratives. The psalm itself takes the form of a national lament, perhaps spoken by the king on behalf of the people, asking God for help in overcoming these enemies. Placing the psalm in this narrative context serves to tone down the image of David as military hero and to recast David into a model of repentance and piety. Davide enjoys success only because God made it possible in repose to David’s prayer when he was in trouble.” W p. 133
“Psalm 60 falls into three parts: complaint and petition in vv. 1-5, God’s address in vv. 6-9, and renewed complaint and petition with confession of trust in vv. 10-12. The people’s defeat is connected with God’s rejection (vv. 1, 10) and anger (v. 1), as is often the case in communal laments (see Pss 44:9, 23, 74:1; 77:7; 89:38). The psalmist addresses God directly and describes God’s actions in military terms: you have broken [from the root, literally ‘make a breach,’ ‘tear down,’ ‘break through’] our defenses (v. 1; cp. 2Kgs 14:13; Isa 5:5), presumably to allow the enemy to attack. The land also suffers the consequences of Israel’s behavior and God’s anger. Verse 2 describes an earthquake, a phenomenon associated with God’s life-giving theophany (e.g., Exod 19:16-19) but used metaphorically in Psalm 60 to suggest the destruction that war brings (cp. Jer 4:23-26; Isa 13:13; 24:18-20).” W pp. 133-134
“God makes Israel and its enemies alike drink from God’s cup of wrath (v. 3, cp. Ps 11:6; Isa 51;17, 21; Jer 25:15-29; Ps 75:8). The “hard things” the people suffer (v. 3a), along with the plea to “give victory with your right hand” (v. 5a), recall both enslavement in Egypt (Exod 1:14; 6:9; Deut 26:6) and the liberation of exodus (Exod 15:6, 12). In Psalm 60, Israel cries out for a new exodus, but the irony is that God is the new taskmaster. To reinforce the petition, the ones lamenting are described as “those who fear you,” that is, worshipers (v. 4a), and “those whom you love” (v. 5b). The God whom Israel experience as absent is reminded about the covenant relationship with Israel. This reminder is meant to motivate divine intervention; perhaps these phrases suggest a protestation of innocence (cp. Ps 44:17-22).” W p. 134
“The response to the petition in v. 5a, “answer us,” comes from recalling a previous oracle from God in vv. 6-9. Psalm 60: 5-12 occurs also in Psalm 108: 6-13, suggesting that oracles were reused in different situations because they contain patterned, stereotypical speech. Language marked by “you” (God) and “us” (the “innocent” community) in vv. 1-5 shifts to the divine “I,” “mine,” “my,” and “me” in vv. 6-9, returning to “you” and “us” in vv. 10-12. In this structure Israel and the king encircle God as the center of life and salvation. In vv. 6-9 God declares divine ownership of the land and speaks as a warrior divining up the spoils of war. The mention of Shechem (v. 6), where Joshua (Josh 24) called the people to renew the covenant, in connection with the ver “divide up” (“divined, allot, give shares to”) recalls Israel’s entry into the Promised Land and the distribution of land to the tribes in Joshua 13-22.” W pp. 134-135
“Verse 9 is also spoken by God, contrary to those who group it with vv. 10-12; God asks a rhetorical question to remind Israel of its part in the covenant.” W p. 135
“The community renews its complaint in v. 10a with a rhetorical question addressed to God: “have you not rejected us, O God?” W p. 136
“Couched in military language, this complaint articulates the tension of life lived between the promise of land and its fulfillment.” W p. 137
“…questioning the text to create an ethical moment of decision on behalf of women and children who are victimized by war and whose voices are often absent from psalms.” W p. 138 ex. Rahab
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