by Carol Dixon
Reading Christine’s Monday Meditation of the Summer Solstice this week immediately brought to my mind the beginning of Psalm 19 which always reminds me of summer, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God’
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
The Psalms are a wonderful way to worship God and there‘s a Psalm for all Seasons. A Roman Catholic friend of mine always lets me know how she is feeling when we say goodbye to each other. If she says ‘Well, I’m off for a romp through the Psalms’ I know that she’s feeling on top of the world. However if she leaves saying ‘I’m away for a wallow in the Psalms’ I knew that things are not going too well. The Psalms can really help us to express our feelings. There are Psalms for every mood – joyful, sorrowful, angry, bewildered, you name it.
As a child I was brought up on the Psalms – first of all at the Scottish Presbyterian church where my dad took me each Sunday, then at St James’s English Presbyterian church when the 2 churches amalgamated when I was 7 (& where my husband and I were married 54 years ago this July.) In both churches the second hymn was always a metrical Psalm so I grew to love them and still do despite the dodgy poetry in some of them. If I was asked to name my favourite psalm I would find it difficult to do so. I like my dad’s favourite – Psalm 121 ‘I to the hills will lift mine eyes, from whence doth come mine aid’ and I also love the rousing gloriousness of the Psalm that was sung at every communion service in St James’s – Psalm 24 ‘Ye gates lift up your heads on high’ to the magnificent tune St George’s Edinburgh.
https://youtu.be/BopDC1-J618?si=Oenl0-VfKcjdiPQQ
Psalm 24 is one of the 73 Psalms attributed to David, the shepherd boy who became king and was used as a Psalm of Ascents as the people processed up the hill to Jerusalem carrying the Ark and in later processions to Solomon’s beautiful Temple. The hymn we sing is only the last few verses. Here’s the full Psalm.
Psalm 24 A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.[a]
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Saviour.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.[b][c]
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory
Between the ages of 8 and 11 I attended a Church of England Junior School and when we went to church on Ash Wednesday and other feast days I was always fascinated by the punctuation marks in the Psalm chants which were chanted antiphonally. Sadly I never really got the hang of and was so busy thinking of the punctuation marks I didn’t take in the words though some of my Anglican friends assure me they are easy to sing when you know how, as I’m sure they are: Psalm 19 verse 4 says:
The law of the Lord is perfect and re- l vives the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is l sure + and gives wisdom + to the innocent.
The statutes of the Lord are just and re- l joice the l heart;
The commandment of the Lord is l clear + and gives l light + to the l eyes. [Psalm 19 v 4]
In the 1990s the singing group which I led at my church often sang modern versions of the Psalms – ‘How lovely is thy dwelling place O Lord of hosts’ from Songs of Fellowship (Psalm 84) was a popular one and we all enjoyed singing Psalm 150,’ Praise him on the trumpet, the psaltery and harp’ – always the first choice if we had a singaround.
https://youtu.be/NU4GPtuM_GI?si=R5-N_7r1dJRway22
Another beautiful psalm is Psalm 8
Psalm 8 For the director of music.] A psalm of David.
1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is humankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?[c]
5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e]
and crowned them[f] with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their[g] feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The hymn I most associate with it is’ How Great thou art’ which develops the theme to include Jesus, our Saviour and Lord of heaven.
These days as I have grown older with more health issues I have found that verses from Psalm 71 are a great encouragement:
Psalm 71 (selected verses) – The Prayer of an Elderly Person
1 Lord, I have come to you for protection;
never let me be defeated!
2 Because you are righteous,
help me and rescue me.
Listen to me and save me!
3 Be my secure shelter
and a strong fortress[a] to protect me;
you are my refuge and defence..
5 Sovereign Lord, I put my hope in you;
I have trusted in you since I was young.
6 I have relied on you all my life;
you have protected[b] me since the day I was born.
I will always praise you.
7 My life has been an example to many,
because you have been my strong defender.
8 All day long I praise you
and proclaim your glory.
9 Do not reject me now that I am old;
do not abandon me now that I am feeble.
Don’t stay so far away, O God;
my God, hurry to my aid!
14 I will always put my hope in you;
I will praise you more and more.
15 I will tell of your goodness;
all day long I will speak of your salvation,
though it is more than I can understand.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will proclaim your goodness, yours alone.
17 You have taught me ever since I was young,
and I still tell of your wonderful acts.
18 Now that I am old and my hair is grey,
do not abandon me, O God!
Be with me while I proclaim your power and might
to all generations to come.
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches the skies.
You have done great things;
there is no one like you..
22 I will indeed praise you with the harp;
I will praise your faithfulness, my God.
On my harp I will play hymns to you,
the Holy One of Israel.
23 I will shout for joy as I play for you;
with my whole being I will sing
because you have saved me.
Photo:Nathan Dumlao, Unsplash
It would be remiss of me not to mention the Psalm beloved of all ages which was voted as the nation’s favourite in the UK a couple of years ago. It was also a favourite of my mother and the late Queen Elizabeth II). I’m sure you can guess what it is – Psalm 23. We all have our own favourite version of it – the tradition words set to the tune Crimond, or to Brother James’s Air and the lovely song written by Stuart Townend (also known as And I will trust in him alone) is loved by many. My own personal choice is by Brian Bonneville – The Lord is my shepherd.
https://youtu.be/Kor3IjrTd58?si=7P8ghmXLxTAgvPbc
One of the first hymns I ever wrote was taken from Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble which was written after I had a difficult spell in hospital and God gave me the words of the psalmist to pray when I had none of my own. (NB in the music there’s a short musical phrase between each verse and at end before final words)
God is our refuge and strength,
An ever-present help in trouble.
Though the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
There is a river of praise
Whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her.
God is our refuge and strength.
Come, see the works of the LORD,
He makes the wars to cease on the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
God is our refuge and strength.
“Be still, and know I am God;
I will be lifted up in the nations.”
The LORD Almighty is with us;
Yet we shall not fear.
God is our refuge and strength.
He is our strong tower.
God is our refuge and strength.
God is our refuge and strength.
Photo: Melissa Askew Unsplash
Some of the modern paraphrases of the Psalms can be really evocative too. Psalm 116 written by Revd Carla Grosch – Miller, an American minister in my church in her book ‘Psalms Redux – prayers and poems in the Psalms’ is a lovely way to pray.
God, You are my God, You alone.
Drowning,
Your hand rescues me.
Wounded,
Your balm soothes me.
Terrified,
Your peace encompasses me.
Lost,
Your love finds me.
Your healing love weaves
The tattered pieces of my life
Into a garment of joy.
You gave me life.
How may I repay you but
Live it – joyfully, gratefully,
Sharing your love that has made me whole,
Singing of your goodness in the land of the living
And resting in peace –
Your praises on my lips.
©Carla Grosh-Miller
To return to where I started – my dad’s favourite Psalm no. 121. I love the original metrical version (see blessing below) but a new paraphrase of it is equally beautiful. I lift my eyes to the quiet hills.https://youtu.be/N8QSwakKNwA?si=L8B-9rKrrV8GEYtD
There are so many wonderful Psalms -, Psalm 40 ‘I waited for the Lord and he answered me’, Psalm 139 ‘Lord you search me and know me’ to name but two. I hope you have enjoyed my romp (and wallow) through some of my favourites. You might like to think of your own favourites – sing them and meditate on what they say to you today or write one of your own and sing it!
A blessing (Psalm 121 – traditional)
https://youtu.be/PJsDa-6I90Q?si=AVTeS31R3UdbZF26
Featured photo: Dewang Gupta Unsplash