Metrical Version of Psalm 131

Here is the ESV text of Psalm 131:

131 1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things

too great and too marvelous for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

And here is my metered version of Psalm 131, which is in Common Meter and can be sung to the tunes of hymns like "Amazing Grace," "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," or "Alas and Did My Savior Bleed." 

O Lord, My Heart's Not Lifted Up (Psalm 131)

Justin Wainscott

O Lord, my heart's not lifted up;

My eyes aren't raised too high;

With things too great and marvelous,

I am not occupied. 

I've learned to calm my fretful soul,

And hush my clam'ring fears;

My soul is like a weaned, young child,

Content his mother's near.

So in the Lord let all the hope

Of God's redeemed now be,

From this time forth and evermore,

Through all eternity.  

The LORD Will Reign Forever - A Reminder on Election Day

If you are an American citizen and you have not voted yet, I hope you will exercise your right and duty at some point today by going to vote.  Too many sacrifices have been made for you and me not to take advantage of this great freedom.   

And then as you watch and wait on the results of this election throughout the day and into the night, I hope you will keep the truth of Psalm 146 in mind (whether the candidate you voted for wins or loses).  Let this psalm remind us where our ultimate hope and trust must lie - in the God who will reign forever:

Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!

--Psalm 146:3-10

What American Christians Were Reminded of on 9/11

What a previous generation of American Christians were reminded of on December 7, 1941, another generation was reminded of on September 11, 2001.  May these words from Psalm 46 bring renewed comfort and hope to us on this anniversary of that day:

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear
though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved
into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
There is a river whose streams make glad
the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her;
she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

--Psalm 46:1-7

Yet Another Reason for Humility

"For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly..." (Psalm 138:6)

The Great Spoil to be Found in Scripture

"I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil."
(Psalm 119:162)

I wonder if our all too often joyless reading of the Scriptures is due to the fact that we don't approach them with the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of discovering a great treasure. There is spoil to be found and joy to be had for those who will hunt it!

Unfolding the Word of God

"The unfolding of your words gives light..." (Psalm 119:130).

This is not just a promise for preachers and teachers (though it certainly has profound implications for us). But it is also a promise for everyone who will open the Bible, ask the Spirit to unfold the truth of what is there, and then bask in the warm glow of the light of the gospel.

Crying from the Depths

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! (Psalm 130:1)

"It little matters where we are if we can pray; but prayer is never more real and acceptable than when it rises out of the worst places. Deep places beget deep devotion. Depths of earnestness are stirred by depths of tribulation. Diamonds sparkle most amid the darkness. Prayer de profundis gives to God gloria in excelsis."

--Charles Spureon, The Treasury of David

What Cheers Your Soul When Cares Overwhelm You?

"When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul."

--Psalm 94:19

A God-Centered Prayer for Personal Deliverance

Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name's sake!

--Psalm 79:9

Poetry, Imagery, and the Economy of Words

Good poets provide rich imagery with their words, carefully crafting phrases that capture the reader's imagination. And because they have to be more economical with their words than writers of prose, they often employ the use of imagery in order to say more with less.

Take, for instance, the imagery captured in the words David used in Psalm 7:14 (italics added):

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.

Notice not only the vivid and progressive imagery - from conception to pregnancy to giving birth - but also how succinctly he was able to express this thought, in contrast to the prose of James 1:14-15 (which describes a similar progression but with twice as many words and with a different resulting triad - desire, sin, and death instead of evil, mischief, and lies):

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

It's not that one is necessarily better than the other; both are the authoritative Word of God. It's just a reminder of how much truth is packed into just a few words and images used by a skilled poet. And it's also a reminder to read the poetry of the Scriptures slowly and carefully - meditating on the rich imagery contained therein.

The Theater of God's Glory

My friend, Eric Smith, has a great post today on his blog (Shepherd of the Sheep), reminding us that compartmentalized thinking (which runs rampant in American Evangelicalism) simply will not do when we realize the universal scope of God's reign. Here's an excerpt:

It is easy to live a divided, compartmentalized kind of life in which God fits neatly into Sundays and Wednesday nights, as well as in our quiet times, but then to view everything else from our jobs to our back yards to our meals with completely secular lenses. But Scripture, and I think especially the psalms, call us to reject such a notion.

Israel’s God, Yahweh, was not limited to a certain sphere of the world; he was the Creator of all things – their covenant God was the Lord of the universe! And so we must see, and confess, and delight in the truth that everything – everything – belongs to the Triune God of our salvation. It was created by him and for him.

Let us remind ourselves today that we are not simply going about business as usual; we are passing through the theater of the glory of God.

I encourage you to read the whole thing here.

Singing the Psalms

Though psalm singing has played a central role in the life and worship of God's people (both old and new covenant believers), that tradition has sadly been neglected by many churches today. Thankfully, there are people who are calling the Church to return to this great practice.

Here is one such example. Ray Van Neste discusses James Grant's recent address at Union University on "How I Introduced Psalm Singing to My Church...Without Getting Fired!" He also includes a link to the audio of Grant's address.

Encouragement for Weary and Wounded Souls

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. --Psalm 94:19 (ESV)

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. --Psalm 43:5 (ESV)

Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come...
--Psalm 71:3a (ESV)