Impregnate us with Love, O Comforter!
Let our fears be transformed; let all that keeps us separated and confused flee!
As smoke is blown away, so let our fears rise up before You;
as wax melts before fire, let our fears be melted by Love!
Then will we be released from bondage;
we will exult before the Beloved; we will be jubilant with joy!
Sing to the Beloved, the Name above all names;
lift up a song to our Blessed Friend; commit yourself to loving Service!
Merciful to the poor and kind to the lowly is the Comforter, who dwells within.
With compassion are the desolate given a home, the prisoners set free;
But those who run from Love live in a parched land.
O Beloved, reach into the hearts of your people,
enter into the darkness of their fears;
As the earth quakes, as floods strike without warning,
your Presence is within us.
As the mountains tremble and volcanoes spew forth ash,
your Presence is within us.
As rain falls in abundance on desert floors,
restore the lands that they might flourish,
that the flocks may roam and grace on fertile fields.
In your Mercy, O Beloved, You provide for the needy,
for those in peril, You are with us always.
A new dawn is rising; great will be the understanding of those who know Love;
The darkness of ignorance will be overcome!
The nations will be united in their diversity, living in harmony and with integrity–
Like the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with gold.
Then will fear be no more, Love will reign in every heart!
O mighty mountain, mountain of the Most High,
O Crystal City of the New Jerusalem!
Call your people home, out of the rubble of the dark age.
Who will rise up to the Heart of all hearts?
Who will dwell with the Beloved forever?
A mighty throng will awaken, millions upon millions,
to the Beloved who dwells within,
They will hear with the heart’s ear, with their heart’s eye will they see.
Even many who knew not Love will come into the Light.
Blessed be the Beloved, who daily bears us up,
the Comforter who leads us to wholeness.
The Beloved calls us to new lie, and guides our feet away from darkness.
Yes, the Beloved will empower us with love, as we face the fears within.
Love ever whispers,
“I will break down the walls of illusion, I will shatter the fears that bind,
That you may walk in a new dawn, that you may dance with light hearts
and spread peace throughout the earth.”
Then will there be a great celebration, O Beloved,
as the peoples come into the Light–
The singers in front, the musicians will follow, children will join the procession:
“Bless the Beloved before the peoples, the Holy One, the Giver of Life!”
All nations will partake in this new Life, from the East and the West,
from the North and the South, will the peoples come.
Call forth our strength, O Beloved;
stand by us as we break down the fears that bind us.
Because You dwell in our hearts, we are strong and live with courage.
We shall walk among the beasts that dwell among the weeds,
the doubts that weaken and confuse us.
We shall root our fears out of the darkness with beams of your Love.
Let all within that separate us beware,
as we stretch out our hands to the Beloved.
Sing to the Beloved, O nations of the earth; sing praises to the One who is Love,
To the One who gathers the nations together,
to the Beloved, whose voice is heard in the Silence.
Ascribe wisdom to the Indwelling Presence,
who invites us to understanding, and calls us to live in peace.
Majestic is Love in our hearts, the Beloved, Heart of our heart,
who gives strength and wisdom to the people.
Blessed be the Beloved!
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
In verses 1 and 2 God is destroying enemies, like a warrior in battle. God’s creation has been divided into winners and losers, the wicked and the righteous; and the righteous are rejoicing. I’m not sure I like this God, but if someone is going to win, I’m glad it’s the righteous…?
But in verses 5 and 6, God is described differently: the Guardian of orphans, Comfort to widows, Compassionate provider of homes, Sanctuary for the outcasts, and the Breaker of chains. This is the God of Hope. This is the God worthy of praise, adoration, and imitation.
Maybe my view of God is too simplistic. Maybe God is able to transform the world in restorative ways I cannot understand (even in what feels like destruction to me). Perhaps it is fine to describe God in terms of battle with chaos and evil submitting to God’s rule. And while that feels foreign to me, perhaps that is why I need to hear it, so that I don’t create God in my own image; an image that is perhaps too tame.
What I do know is that God is with us, those who are victorious and those who are suffering. God’s capacity to manage creation in restorative ways is beyond my imagination. And thank God for that.
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
Past reflection links:
Psalm 68 Year A (2022-2023)
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 began work on psalms I missed: Psalm 119, Year D and others not in the lectionary. By the end of 2025, I have written a reflection for each psalm.
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 A Psalms
1st Sunday in Advent Psalm 122, 2nd Sunday in Advent Psalm 72, 3rd Sunday in Advent Psalm 146, 4th Sunday in Advent Psalm 80, Christmas Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1st Sunday after Christmas Psalm 148, 2nd Sunday after Christmas Psalm 147, 1st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 40, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 27, 4th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 15, 5th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 112, Transfiguration Sunday Psalm 2 or Psalm 99.
1st Sunday in Lent Psalm 32, 2nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 121, 3rdSunday in Lent Psalm 95, 4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 23, 5th Sunday in Lent Psalm 130, 6th Sunday in Lent Psalm 118 or Psalm 31.
Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 114, 2nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 16 or Psalm 111, 3rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 116 or Psalm 34, 4th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23 or Psalm 100, 5th Sunday of Easter Psalm 31 or Psalm 119: 9-32, 6th Sunday of Easter Psalm 66 or Psalm 115, 7th Sunday of Easter Psalm 68 or Psalm 21, Pentecost Psalm 104.
1st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 8, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 33 or Psalm 50, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 116 or Psalm 100, 4th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 86 or Psalm 69, 5th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 13 or Psalm 89, 6th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 45 or Psalm 145, 7th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119 or Psalm 65, 8th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 86, 9th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 119, 10th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 17 or Psalm 145, 11th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 85, 12th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 133 or Psalm 67, 13th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 124 or Psalm 138, 14th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 26, 15th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 149 or Psalm 119, 16th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 114 or Psalm 103, 17th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 145, 18th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 25, 19th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 19 or Psalm 80, 20th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 106 or Psalm 23, 21st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 99 or Psalm 96, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 90 or Psalm 1, 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 107 or Psalm 43, 24th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 70, 25th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 123 or Psalm 90, 26th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 100 or Psalm 95.
Sources and notes:
“”Let God arise!” Psalm 68 begins with this invocation of God as the divine warrior whose victory established his reign in the world and whose strength is the salvation of his people. The victory and the reign of the divine warrior are its underlying theme. In this and other respects the psalm is similar to Exodus 15, the great song that praises the LORD for the deliverance of Israel from Pharaohs army.” Mays p. 225
“Though its theme is certain, the analysis and the interpretation are particularly difficult. It has an unusual density of uncertain texts, rare words, allusive language, and shifting styles. Remarks on the problems the psalm poses for translators and exegetes appear like a litany in their work. A large part of the psalm seems to belong to the earliest poetry in the Psalter. Its present form may be the result of a process of compilation and expansion. The power and the effect of the song are nevertheless compelling. Whatever its uncertainties, to read it or to hear it read is to experience something of the awesome, wonderful majesty of the warrior God who saves his people and brings in his kingdom.” Mays p. 225
“At first glance Psalm 68 appears to be a disjointed collage of biblical references with no clear structure. Too many of its Hebrew words appear here and nowhere else, making translation a challenge. Interpreters offer widely different classifications for the psalm: victory hymn, communal thanksgiving, enthronement psalm. Moreover, a liturgical celebration follows quite abruptly a very gory section in vv. 21-23 that focuses on brutal military practices that ultimately victimize women. Yet a closer look from the context of those on the margins suggest that the heart of this psalm resides in vv. 5-6, which transform the psalm’s problematic aspects into hope and praise for God’s sovereignty. These verses also bring women and children into a more caring focus: “Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” (v. 5).” W p. 189
“To read the whole psalm is “to stand in solidarity with the lowly, protesting the evil of those who oppose God”; this is why Psalm 68 is used on Ascension Sunday at the end of the Easter season: Jesus Christ, the resurrected one, is still the crucified one.” W p. 190
“Psalm 68, a quiet extended and complex psalm, exhibits a similar appropriation from Canaanite hymnic legacy. As a victory song, the psalm tells the standard Israelite narrative of YHWH’s triumph. This is the God of Sinai (v. 8) who fought against the kings (as in vv. 21, 28-29; see Deut. 2-3 and Joshua) and who ends victorious in the sanctuary of Jerusalem (vv. 24, 29, 35; see Exodus. 15:18). The psalm reiterates the narrative of YHWH amid Israel and culminates in victory for YHWH and assurances for Israel.” Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid p. 39
“While that normative Israelite narrative is reiterated, we also notice features of the hymn that are clearly outside of Israel’s conventional recital. At the beginning of the psalm and again at the end, YHWH is said to be one who “rides upon the clouds” (v. 4) a “rider in the heavens,” (v. 33). Such imagery is borrowed from Canaanite religion in which Baal, the rain god, arrives i power and majesty, carried on a cloud that brings rain as a vehicle for divine transport. Where there is rain, there is hte presence and power of Baal. But in Psalm 68, in the purview of Israel, YHWH has usurped the role and imagery of Baal; now YHWH is the rain God, the one who administers the life-giving force of creation. Indeed, in verse 9, YHWH is credited with providing raining abundance, a claim that eliminates any need for or appeal to Baal.” Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid p. 39
“Psalms 29 and 68–and others like them–exhibit the emancipated imagination of the people of God who resist the close governance of the formulaic or the tight management of doctrine, piety, liturgy, or morality. The sort of liturgical adventure evident in these poems refuses reductionism and insists that old cosmic tales must be reperformed in order to voice God’s coming, God’s decisive victory over chaos and evil, God’s rule, God’s commitment to the vulnerable, and God’s capacity to manage creation in restorative ways. Such imagery violates our simplistic modern sensibility; but Israel at worship never worried about such domesticated frames of reference. It is also clear that this sort of rhetoric served the community of faith well with its transformative energy.” Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid p. 41
“… the world depends on daring theological-lyrical imagination to keep our lives from sinking into despair and conformity.” Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid p. 41
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 and Wilkes 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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