Stop. Be still. Let this sink in: “I am God. I will take my place Over all nations. I will be known And honored From pole to pole.” (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 46, page 112) Caffeine […]
Tag: Everyday Psalms
Reason to pray #39: To understand the confusion inside of us
My own heart Is a mystery to me, But you know me inside and out, Yahweh. Nothing is hidden from your eyes. … I need you To look inside of me. You know everything about […]
Reason to pray #37: To be silent in our noisy world
In the empty time between laying down and sleeping, Let the silence go deep, Sounding out and searching your heart. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 4, page 11) In an old black and white episode of the […]
Reason to pray #36: To honor and care for civic leaders
Make the king wise, Thoughtful, Discerning. Make our ruler righteous, Deciding what’s best for the people, Providing for your poor, God. Let peace and freedom ring From every mountainside And justice From every hill and […]
Reason to pray #35: To voice creation’s praise
The heavens shout God’s glory! The skies never stop talking About his creativity. All day, Every day, They just keep on speaking. All night, Every night, They share what they know. They can’t actually talk, […]
Reason to pray #34: To resist evil
To love Yahweh is to hate evil. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 97, page 223) My kids were too little to read and take in the Harry Potter books when they were being written and released. But […]
Reason to pray #33: To answer God, which completes our Bible reading
He speaks. The same Voice comes to Jacob, Bringing wise laws and decrees to Israel. No other nation has been so fortunate. They don’t know these words of life. So shout your Hallelujah! (Everyday Psalms, […]
Reason to pray #32: Because we need something and God is a generous Giver
The trail you guide me down Is life and life and more life. When I’m with you, My joy is complete. I don’t need to pursue happiness, Because you have everything I’d ever want, And […]
Reason to pray #31: Because we’ve been hurt and we need to forgive
It’s hard not to strike back At those that hurt us, But turn your back On that way of living. Be an agent of wholeness In this broken world. Chase that kind of life With […]
Reason to pray #30: To remember that God is the greatest reality of our lives
You’re our home, Lord. You always have been. Before there were mountains, Before you’d shaped any part of earth, Before the beginning and after the end of everything else, There is one solid reality — […]
Reason to pray #29: To articulate our hopes and dreams
We were like giddy dreamers Whose dreams had actually come true. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 126, page 297) OK, let’s be honest here. Most of our hopes and dreams tend to be pretty small and self-centered. […]
Reason to pray #28: To discover what it is we really want, separating it from what we crave
But even more than that, I desire this: To see your face. When I wake up from this nightmare, It’s your face I will see. I will be so completely satisfied, Every other desire will […]
Reason to pray #27: To do the one thing helpful for other people whom I’m not able to help in other ways
I will thank you,Yahweh, But I won’t do it by myself. I want others to get in on it with me. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 108, page 251) The daughter of dear friends is hospitalized because […]
Reason to pray #26: To join God in the work he is doing in the world
Unless it’s Yahweh building the house, The work is pointless. Unless it’s Yahweh protecting the city, The security guards might as well go home. What’s the point of getting up early Or staying up late, […]
Reason to pray #25: To say, “I love you,” to the one who has loved us so well
I love you,Yahweh! With you, I’m strong. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 18, page 33) To be human is to be loved. This is our starting point. Most of us started our lives with parents who had […]
Reason to pray #24: Because God answers and acts in the world
Prayer changes everything. Yahweh hears. He answers. He acts Out of his great love. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 27, page 56) The primary reason most people pray is to get God to do stuff. It’s also […]
Reason to pray #23: To fill the emptiness inside of us
Give me your full attention, Yahweh. Answer me. I am so weak and empty right now, So insecure. Secure my life, I live it for you. Lean toward me. I’m leaning on you. (Everyday Psalms, […]
Reason to pray #21: To move from consumerism to contentment
Yes, this is how the me-first live: Carefree consumerists, Treating the world like it’s their oyster. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 73, page 168) I have a mouth. I eat stuff. I consume. Even so, I am […]
Reason to pray #20: To pay attention to the people and things God wants us to pay attention to
And yet, he pays attention to the poor and needy, Pulling them out of the dumpster Society has tossed them into, Dressing them up in the finest clothes And seating them among princes and princesses, […]
Reason to pray #19: To stop being dazzled by celebrities and politicians and those we’re told to pay attention to
I know this to be true: God takes care of his people, Those who live simply, Innocently, Kindly. But I got so distracted looking the other way, I didn’t watch where I was going, Wandering […]
Reason to pray #18: To pull back the curtain and see things as they really are
But something changed everything, Gave me new clarity. I stepped into your sanctuary And gained some new perspective. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 73, page 169) Not always, but prayer often brings clarity. It helps me see. […]
Reason to pray #17: To rest from all our striving
When my soul craves rest, I find it in God. He puts together The pieces of my life. He’s a sound foundation And steel girder construction. No earthquake can take me down. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm […]
Reason to pray #16: To love my friends by praying for them, remembering them before God
How have your best friends Become my best friends? We’re companions on the same journey, Headed in the same direction, Marked by your signs. That’s how. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 119, page 278) I miss my […]
Reason to pray #15: To make sense of the senselessness of life
We’re gone with a gasp. Add them all up and we may last Seventy or eighty years. We’re so proud of what we do, But it’s really just one struggle after another. So quickly spent. […]
Reason to pray #13: To bow before the King
Give it up for Yahweh, folks. Give it up, Applauding his graceful beauty, Applauding his athletic strength. Give it up for Yahweh! He deserves every bit of glory we can heap on him. Don’t show […]
Reason to pray #10: Because we believe
Yahweh’s faithful character Can be seen in all he does. It makes his words believable — Always true, Always making things right. For Yahweh loves when relationships Are made right, Loving it when justice prevails. He […]
Reason to pray #8: To articulate our sorrows and losses and move toward gratitude
I need some kindness now, Yahweh. I’m in a dark, dark place. I can hardly see, My eyes blurry from crying. My body aches from stress. … Sorrow devours me. (Everyday Psalms, Psalm 31, page […]
Why pray?
A friend asked the question, “Why do we pray?” I’m not sure what was behind the question, but I decided to take it seriously. If I’m honest, there are times when praying feels like a […]
The Naughty List meets Psalm 87
Some people rub us the wrong way. And in some cases, they’ve been rubbing us the wrong way for a long time. That history pulls us into negative patterns like ruts in dirt road. It’s […]
Some translation choices I made in Everyday Psalms
Writing anything requires a whole host of choices. We know and expect that, but it doesn’t keep us from questioning certain choices writers make. For instance, in the masterpiece The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame […]
Deepen your prayer life
Doing the work on Everyday Psalms: Ancient Prayers in Everyday Language was one of the greatest prayer experiences of my life. I’m excited to share it with you that it might be a good companion […]