10/25/13- Prayer Tips

A Month in Prayer

Praying Our Prayers

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23,24)

We are almost at the end of our month-long focus on prayer.
It is our prayer you have gained much from this experience.

Prayer is extremely important.
It does change things. Here are a few examples.

Several studies have found a connection between prayer and healing. Patient who were prayed for had better outcomes than those who had no prayers on their behalf. This proved true even when the patients did not know that prayers were said on their behalf.
Patients from the San Francisco General Medical Center were randomly divided into placebo and test groups. Patients in the test group were prayed for by Christians; the placebo group received no prayer. There were no statistical differences between the placebo and the prayer groups before prayer was initiated. The results demonstrated that patients who were prayed for suffered "less congestive heart failure, required less diuretic and antibiotic therapy,
had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had fewer cardiac arrests, and were less frequently intubated and ventilated."
 (Rich Deem, GodandScience.org)
Prayer also improves marriages.
There is an often-cited statistic that 50 percent of marriages
 end in divorce — even among churchgoers.
But that statistic is misleading.
When studies that distinguish between couples who claim a nominal faith and those who prioritize church attendance and faith, one finds a much lower divorce rate among committed Christians.
Here are a few examples of the role of prayer in sustaining a marriage:

Baylor University did a study that showed a 0-2% “fear of divorce”
for couples that pray together daily.
Gallup did a study in 1991 that showed praying together as a couple is “the most powerful correlate to marital happiness.”

The University of Virginia and Bowling Green State University independently found that regular church attendance cuts the likelihood of divorce by 30 to 35 percent.
When you add prayer into the mix, divorce plummets.
A 1998 survey by the Georgia Family Council found that among couples who prayed together weekly, only 7 percent had seriously considered divorce, compared to 65 percent of those who never prayed together.

Hours of Prayer

Within many Christian faith traditions there is an official set of daily prayers. These prayers consist primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and Scripture readings. The early Christians continued the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at certain hours of the day or night. The Apostles continued to the Jewish custom of praying at the third, sixth and ninth hours and at midnight (Acts 10:3, 9; 16:25; etc.).  Christian prayer in the early church consisted of almost the same elements as Jewish prayer: recital or chanting psalms and reading the Scriptures. By the time of the Roman Empire, the Jews (and early Christians) began to use the Roman system of conducting the business day to schedule their times for prayer. In Roman cities, the bell in the forum rang the beginning of the business day and noted the day's progress by striking again around the hours designated for continued. By 60 AD the oldest known Christian liturgical manual recommended praying the Lord's Prayer three times a day. By the second and third centuries the Church fathers had firmly established regular times of prayer throughout the day.

Hours of Prayer

By the third century, the Desert Fathers (the earliest monks),
 began to live out Paul's command to "pray without ceasing.”
 One group of monks would pray one fixed-hour prayer
while having another group pray the next prayer
so that prayer would occur continually.
Over time as Christian monastic communities developed in both the East and West, longer prayers were used.
The cycle of prayer became the norm of daily life in monasteries.
 By the fourth century, the characteristics of the canonical hours more or less took their present shape. Secular (non-monastic) clergymen and lay people also prayed shorter prayers at fixed hours.
Bede’s Rule further codified these prayers and the hours of prayer grew more elaborate until the Reformation.
After the Reformation, the Catholic Church simplified these prayers and Lutherans and Anglicans continued to use modified versions of praying the hours.
Reformed people embraced this ancient tradition during the last century’s liturgical renewal movement though modifying it.

This week there are no set prayers. We will make suggestions about things for which to pray,
but you will create your own prayers each day.

Bring your prayers and share them at our prayer walk
this Saturday.

Also use them during theprayer vigil
we are holding Saturday 11/2.

Pray Ya’ll!!
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TODAY WE WILL PRAY FOR MISSIONS- Below is a little prayer guidance to help us in our own prayers.  

So, how do we pray for missions?

1) Remember the importance of why we pray for missions- Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few- pray for laborers to go into the harvest field.  (Matthew 9:37; Lk. 10:2).  Instead of just saying, "Go out and reap the harvest" Jesus asks us to pray- giving it to God.  Prayer is so important to the work of God. 

2) Pray for Missionaries- Here is a great link on how to pray for missions by Wycliffe (founded by Presbyterian Cam Townsend). Pray for Open doors; Boldness in Witness; Spreading of the Word; Protection; Ministry; Guidance; Refreshment; Partners in Prayer; 

 Our specific missionaries are: Mark and Jesse Bodman (Peru), Those who have gone out from our church into ministry:
Ryan McCrary (GOAT ministry); Casey Washington (Rock Hill and Winthrop ministry); Beth and Steve Moody (Campus Ministry with Omega Chi at NC State);  

3) Pray for the spreading of God's love and knowledge in the world.  Jesus taught us to care not just about our local surroundings but our world (Mt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).  So whenever you read of a tragedy - an earthquake, hurricane/cyclone/tornado; war/terrorist act; persecution of believers- pray for the spreading of God's Word and Christian witness there. 

4) Pray for our partner church in Peru- Casa De Dios in Iquitos.  Pastor Guillermo. 

5) Pray for our regional missions: Thornwell Home for Children; Newberry Boys Farm; Presbyterian College and the campus ministries in SC; Presbyterian Home; 

6) Pray for our local missions:  GOoDWorks, We Care, Snackpack (food for students on weekends), Christgate Women's shelter; Tutoring at the HUB.  

7) Pray for our new daughter church that will come up in the next few years.  

10/24/13- Prayers of the Reformers

A Month in Prayer   Praying the Prayers of the Reformers           October 24

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:9)

Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556)

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name.
Amen.

                                                                                                                                      
Jeanne d‘ Albret (1528-1572)

O God, my Father,
deliver me from this body of death
and from the miseries of this life,
that I may commit
no further offenses against Thee
and that I may enjoy the felicity
Thou hast promised me.                                          


Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
Adapted from the first 21 resolutions by Trevin Wax.

Lord God Almighty,
I understand that I am unable to do anything without your help,
so I ask you to enable me by your grace to fulfill your will.
Give me grace to do whatever brings most glory and honor to you,
pleasure and profit to me, and life and love to others.
Help me to number my days, spending my time wisely,
living my life with all my might while I still have breath.
Humble me in the knowledge that I am chief of sinners;
when I hear of the sins of others,
help me to not look upon them with pride,
but to look upon myself with shame,
confessing my own sins to you.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
Adapted from  the first 21 resolutions by Trevin Wax.

When I go through difficulties and trials,
remind me of the pains of hell
from which you have already delivered me.
Place people in my path who need my help,
and give me a compassionate and generous spirit.
Fill my heart with such love
that I would never do anything out of a spirit of revenge,
nor lose my temper with those around me.
Hold my tongue when I am tempted to speak evil of others.
Thank you for the gospel and for the hope of glory.
Help me to live in light of these truths every day of my life,
so that when the time of my death arrives,
I will rest assuredly in you,
and you will be most glorified in me.
In Christ’s name…Amen.

Thomas Cranmer (1489 –1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.  He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, paved the way for him to marry his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and saw Henry through his next four marriages. Cranmer supported the principle of Royal Supremacy which made the king was sovereign over the Church within his realm and ended official papal authority in England. During Cranmer's tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, he was responsible for establishing the first doctrinal and liturgical structures of the reformed Church of England. Under Henry's rule, Cranmer did not make many radical changes in the Church, as Henry was basically a Roman Catholic in his theology and worship (aside from papal authority) and power struggles between religious conservatives and reformers. However, he succeeded in publishing the first official English worship service. When Edward, Heny’s young and passionately Protestant son, came to the throne, Cranmer was able to promote major reforms. He wrote and compiled the first two editions of the Book of Common Prayer, a complete liturgy for the English Church. Cranmer developed new doctrinal standards for the Eucharist, clerical celibacy, the role of images in places of worship, and the veneration of saints.  After Edward’s death in his teens and the accession of the Roman Catholic Mary I, Cranmer was put on trial for treason and heresy. Imprisoned for over two years and under pressure from Church authorities, he made several recantations and apparently reconciled himself with the Roman Catholic Church after being promised his life. Mary however refused to show mercy to the man who had enabled her father to forsake her beloved mother and declare her illegitimate.  On the day of his execution, Cranmer renounced the recantations that he had written or signed with his own hand and stated his hand would be punished by being burnt first.  As the flames drew around him, he fulfilled his promise by placing his right hand into the heart of the fire while saying "that unworthy hand" and his dying words were, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit... I see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Thus, Cranmer died a Protestant martyr.  

Jeanne d‘ Albret (1528-1572) was the queen regnant of Navarre (now part of France) and after her husband’s death she ruled as Protestant.  Jeanne was the acknowledged spiritual and political leader of the French Huguenot movement and a key figure in the French Wars of Religion. Jeanne was influenced by her mother who exposed her to humanist thinking and predisposed her to religious reform. This legacy was influential in her decision to convert to Calvinism.  Her husband however remained a staunch Roman Catholic. He ordered her to recant her Protestant faith and when Jeanne refused, he issued orders to have her arrested and sent to Paris where she would subsequently be sent to a Roman Catholic convent. She eluded her captors, and soon afterwards her husband was killed in battle leaving Jeanne to believe and rule as she pleased. Jeanne declared Calvinism the official religion of her kingdom after publicly embracing the teachings of John Calvin on Christmas Day 1560. This public conversion made her the highest-ranking Protestant in France. Navarre became a safe haven for Protestant refugees facing severe persecution. She commissioned the translation of the New Testament into Basque and Béarnese for the benefit of her subjects.  In addition to her religious reforms, Jeanne reorganized her kingdoms and made long-lasting reforms to the economic and judicial systems.  She used her own jewelry as security to obtain a loan from Queen Elizabeth I of England to support the Protestants in the Wars of Religion and often accompanied her general Admiral de Coligny to the battlefield during intense fighting to inspect the defenses and rally the Huguenot forces. Jeanne also established a religious seminary.  She died shortly after negotiating the marriage of her son, Henry to the Roman Catholic sister of the French king. The two would marry in exchange for concessions to the Protestant. Her death may have been a great mercy as the wedding provided the pretense for a horrific killing of Protestants, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Much later her beloved son would convert to Roman Catholicism in exchange for the throne of France saying “Paris is worth a mass.”  Henry IV founded the Bourbon line of French kings. This prayer is from her deathbed.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), a preacher and theologian, is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian and one of the greatest intellectuals America has ever produced. His work is rooted in Reformed theology, and the Puritan heritage. Edwards also played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and oversaw some of the first revivals in 1733–35 at his church in Northampton, Massachusetts. Despite his brilliance he was dismissed from his congregation over disagreements. Throughout his life Edwards often went into the woods as a favorite place to pray and worship in the beauty and solace of nature as he viewed the natural world as evidence of God's masterful design. Edwards was married to Sarah Pierpont and they had eleven children. The Edwards opened their home to those in need on a regular basis. Edwards died from a smallpox inoculation shortly after beginning the presidency at the College of New Jersey (Princeton). He was hoping to demonstrate the safety of the vaccine especially to the Native Americans with whom he ministered.  He was the grandfather of Aaron Burr, the third Vice President of the United States, who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

10-23-13 Prayers of John Knox

A Month in Prayer

Praying the Prayers of the Reformers          October 23

John Knox (1505-1572) Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation
who is considered the founder of Presbyterianism.

John Knox with Mary Queen of Scots by Epps

WHAT PRAYER IS. Who will pray must know and understand that prayer is an earnest and familiar talking with God, to whom we declare our miseries, whose support and help we implore and desire in our adversities, and whom we laud and praise for our benefits received.  So that prayer contains the exposition of our dolours [sorrows], the desire of God's defense,
and the praising of his magnificent name, as the psalms of David clearly do teach.

Mary, Queen of Scots, is reputed to have said:“I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”

John Knox (1505-1572)

HONOUR and praise be given to thee, O LORD God Almighty, most dear Father of heaven, for all thy mercies and loving-kindness showed unto us, in that it hath pleased thy gracious goodness freely and of thine own accord to elect and choose us to salvation before the beginning of the world.

And even like continual thanks be given to thee for creating us after thine own image; for redeeming us with the precious blood of thy dear Son, when we were utterly lost; for sanctifying us with thine Holy Spirit in the revelation and knowledge of thine holy word; for helping and succouring us in all our needs and necessities; for saving us from all dangers of body and soul; for comforting us so fatherly in all our tribulations and persecutions; for sparing us so long, and giving us so large a time of repentance.

These benefits, O most merciful Father, like as we acknowledge to have received of thine only goodness, even so we beseech thee, for thy dear Son JESUS CHRIST’s sake, to grant us always thine Holy Spirit, whereby we may continually grow in thankfulness towards thee, and be led into all truth, and comforted in all our adversities.

O LORD, strengthen our faith; kindle it more in ferventness and love towards thee, and our neighbors, for thy sake. Suffer us not, most dear Father, to receive thy word any more in vain; but grant us always the assistance of thy grace and Holy Spirit, that in heart, word, and deed, we may sanctify and do worship to thy name.  Help to amplify and increase thy kingdom; that whatsoever thou sendest, we may be heartily well content with thy good pleasure and will. Let us not lack the thing — O Father! — without the which we cannot serve thee; but bless thou so all the works of our hands, that we may have sufficient, and not be chargeable, but rather helpful unto others.

Be merciful, O LORD, to our offences; and seeing our debt is great, which thou hast forgiven us in JESUS CHRIST, make us to love thee and our neighbours so much the more. Be thou our Father, our Captain and Defender in all temptations; hold thou us by thy merciful hand; that we may be delivered from all hardships, and end our lives in the sanctifying and honouring of thine holy name, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.

Let thy mighty hand and outstretched arm, O LORD, be still our defence;
thy mercy and loving-kindness in JESUS CHRIST, thy dear Son, our salvation;
thy true and holy word our instruction;
thy grace and Holy Spirit our comfort and consolation,
unto the end and in the end. Amen.

O LORD, increase our faith. Amen.

John Knox (1505-1572)

The great bishop of our souls, Jesus our Lord,
so strengthen and assist your troubled hearts
with the mighty comfort of our Holy Spirit,
that neither earthly tyrants,
nor worldly torments,
may have power to drive you
from the hope and expectation of that kingdom,
which for the elect was prepared from the beginning,
by our heavenly Father,
to whom be all praise and honor,
now and ever.

John Knox (1505-1572)

We present ourselves at this His table (which He has left to be used in remembrance of His death until His coming again), to declare and witness before the world that by Him alone we have received liberty and life; that by Him alone dost Thou acknowledge us Thy children and heirs; that by Him alone we have entrance unto the throne of Thy grace; that by Him alone we are possessed in our spiritual kingdom to eat and drink at His table; with Whom we have our conversation presently in heaven, and by Whom our bodies shall be raised up again from the dust, and shall be placed with Him in that endless joy, which Thou, O Father of mercy, hast prepared for Thine elect, before the foundation of the world was laid. And these most inestimable blessings we acknowledge and confess to have received of Thy free mercy and grace, by Thy only beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for the which, therefore we, Thy congregation, moved by the Holy Spirit, render Thee all thanks, glory, and praise for ever and ever.
Amen and Amen

October 23 – John Knox (1505-1572)

Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of Presbyterianism.  Little is known of Knox’s conversion, but he was close to reformer, George Wishart, even serving as his bodyguard. After Wishart was executed for his faith, Knox sought safety with the Protestants who had killed the cardinal who condemned Wishart.  He was appointed their chaplain and after struggle and tears accepted.  Soon however everyone in the castle was arrested. For the next nineteen months Knox served as a galley slave. He was chained, beaten and forced to row ships. Upon his release he was exiled to England where the young Protestant king Edward VI ruled. Knox served as one of his six chaplains. When Edward died, Knox fled to Geneva where he learned much from John Calvin. Returning to Scotland he was influential in the Protestants deposing Mary of Guise, the Roman Catholic regent for her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots who was then married to the young king of France. Knox helped write a new confession of faith and the ecclesiastical order for the newly created reformed church, the Kirk.  This confession is in the PCUSA Book of Order and is known as the Scots Confession.  Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to Scotland upon the death of her husband. Knox continued to serve as the religious leader of the Protestants throughout Mary's reign. Knox and Mary, a staunch Roman Catholic, debated their differences several times and Mary was often reduced to tears. While her tears disturbed Knox, her refusal to convert to Protestantism bothered him more. Mary made several serious missteps mostly involving her marriages and was forced to abdicate in favor of her son and a Protestant regent.  He continued to preach until his final days. Knox married twice. His second marriage was quite a May-December union as Knox was fifty and his bride just seventeen. However, the couple had three children in addition to Knox’s two sons from his first marriage.  Knox wanted no monument on his grave which remains unknown and unmarked probably beneath a parking deck in Edinburgh. However at his funeral it was said over his body, “Here lies one who never feared any flesh.” Mary, Queen of Scots, would have agreed.  She is reputed to have said: “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”

10/13/13- Praying the Hymns

A Month in Prayer Praying the Hymns            October 13

Songs of the Saints

Today’s hymns celebrate the Protestant Reformation and our Reformed Heritage.
Reformed people had a great influence  on congregational singing.
Before the Reformation most singing in worship was the chanting of Scriptures by special musicians or clergy.
The Reformers restored the singing of the Psalms and encouraged the development of hymns by paraphrasing Scriptures.

Isaac Watts was quite controversial in his day.  However, his hymns inspired people so much in worship that they soon gained wide acceptance.
Later the hymns of Charles Wesley would be controversial for moving beyond just paraphrasing Scriptures.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk who began the Protestant Reformation on October 31, 1517 when he posted an invitation to debate church doctrine.  Luther wrote this hymn sometime between 1527 and 1529 as a paraphrase of Psalm 46. This hymn is known as the “Bat­tle Hymn of the Ref­or­ma­tion.” It was sung at the funerals of both President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.  It has even appeared within pop culture. The hymn is whistled by a prison guard in the Shawshank Redemption, and it is often used for the door chime of the Simpsons’ neighbor Ned Flanders. 

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I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art
John Calvin

I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
My only trust and Savior of my heart,
Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.

Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,
Reigning omnipotent in every place;
So come, O King, and our whole being sway;
Shine on us with the light of Thy pure day.

Thou art the life, by which alone we live,
And all our substance and our strength receive;
Sustain us by Thy faith and by Thy power,
And give us strength in every trying hour.

Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,
No harshness hast Thou and no bitterness;
O grant to us the grace we find in Thee,
That we may dwell in perfect unity.

Our hope is in no other save in Thee;
Our faith is built upon Thy promise free;
Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure,
That in Thy strength we evermore endure.

  

 I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art
John Calvin (1509-1563) This hymn expresses our Calvinist faith beautifully. It is usually attributed to John Calvin, the Father of Reformed tradition. Calvin’s theology forms the basis for what Presbyterians distinctly believe. Sadly, many modern scholars have cast doubt on Calvin writing this hymn, but even if he did not write it, the hymn reflects his faith and theology.

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I Sing the Mighty Power of God
Isaac Watts

I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word,
And then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.

There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.
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October 13 – Celebrating our Reformation and Our Reformed Heritage 

I Sing the Mighty Power of God
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) is known as the “Father of English Hymnody” and is credited with over 600 hymns. He was a Non-Conformist or Puritan minister who was ordained in England at the age of 24. Unfortunately he suffered from poor health and had to leave the pastorate after just a few years.  Watts had a great tenderness for children and in 1715 he wrote a book of songs especially for young people. “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” was included in this collection.  Perhaps he was inspired to create songs for children by the little rhymes he created as a child. Once, he had to explain why his eyes were open during prayers. The child Watts responded, “A little mouse for want of stairs ran up a rope to say its prayers.”

10/9/13- Thirty Days in Prayer- Praying the Psalms

In October we will be looking at Prayer.  This blog is imitating another blog:
http://thirtydaysinprayer.blogspot.com/
 A Month in Prayer

Praying the Psalms            October 9

 

Other Types of Psalms

As mentioned earlier there are many other ways
to classify the Psalms.
Here are a few of the most recognizable.

Psalm 1 is a Wisdom Psalm.
Wisdom literature is a type of writing that occurs in
Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. Wisdom literature contrasts the life choices made
by those who reject God and His law
with those who embrace God's rule.
Those who follow God are wise and righteous
and those who reject God are wicked and foolish.

Psalm 1

 Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take     or sit in the company of mockers,
 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,     and who meditates on His law day and night.
 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—     whatever they do prospers.
 Not so the wicked!     They are like chaff     that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 1 is the first of the Psalms that occurs in the Psalter. Thus it serves as a kind of introduction to the remainder of the Psalms. It is a Wisdom psalm.  Wisdom literature is a type of writing that occurs in many places in the Bible including other Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. Wisdom literature contrasts the life choices made by those who reject God and His law with those who embrace God's rule. Those who follow God are wise and righteous and those who reject God are wicked and foolish. Psalm 1 clearly presents two ways of life, contrasts the two, and depicts the consequences of these choices. It declares the blessedness of the righteous and the future misery of the wicked. English poet John Milton translated Psalm 1 into English verse in 1653 and Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote a paraphrase of it.



Psalm 93 is a Royal or Enthronement Psalm.

These psalms glorify and praise God
as the king of His people and all the earth.
Key phrases are “The Lord is king” or
“The Lord Reigns.”

As Christians we worship Jesus
as “King of kings and Lord of lords.”


Psalm 93

 The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
    indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
Your throne was established long ago;
    you are from all eternity.
 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
    the seas have lifted up their voice;
    the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
    mightier than the breakers of the sea—
    the Lord on high is mighty.
 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
    holiness adorns your house
    for endless days.

Psalm 93 is a Royal or Enthronement Psalm. These psalms glorify and praise God as the king of His people and over all the earth. The first words of this Psalm express this, “The Lord is king.” The rest of Psalm expands to show that God rules forever over the entire earth forever. God is the ruler of his people, but this created trouble for Israel. The people would not obey the law of god and demanded a king so that they would be like other nations – despite the fact that god had made them different from all other people by claiming them as His own. In I Samuel 8 the people clearly reject the kingship of God. This choice will cause them great difficulties in the future. However, before we judge Israel too harshly, we too struggle with making God the Lord of our lives and being obedient to the king of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Psalm 84 is a Song of Zion.

These psalms praise God
for choosing Mount Zion as the place
 to make His presence known in a unique and special way.  Mount Zion was in Jerusalem and the Temple was built on it. In Songs of Zion,
the psalmist rejoices
at being able to be in the presence of God
while worshipping in the Temple.

Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
 Even the sparrow has found a home,  and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young— a place near your altar,
   Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;  they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,  they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;  listen to me, God of Jacob.
 Look on our shield, O God;  look with favor on your anointed one.
 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Psalm 84 is a beautiful psalm expressing the joy of worship. It is a Song of Zion. These psalms praise God for choosing Mount Zion, the place where the Temple is located in Jerusalem, to make His presence known in a unique and special way. In Songs of Zion, the psalmist rejoices at being able to be in the presence of God while worshipping in the Temple.  Psalm 84 may be part of a liturgy for pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem. It moves from intense longing to be in the courts of the Lord to great joy at being with the Lord in Zion.