Prayer inspired by Psalm 23

Let me give thanks and praise to God,

my shepherd and provider,
who claims me and unfailingly loves me as God’s own.
I lay all my trust at the feet of the Almighty,
Lover and Seeker of my soul.

God leads me into verdant, abundant pastures
filled with all I need, and gives me rest and security.
God restores and refreshes my soul,
tending and guarding my inmost being.
My Shepherd sees my weariness, and lifts me up;
guiding me in right pathways,
that I bring honor to God’s Name.

God, You shield me with your strength and vigilance;
may I always remain at your side.
No matter what terrors or trials approach me,
I am not afraid
for You,
Emmanuel,
are with me, even if death overhangs me.

O God, You provide for me plentifully and exalt me,
even as my enemies look on,
helpless to harm me.
You have consecrated me
and blessed me abundantly,
and the cup of my blessings overflows
like a spring in the desert.

O God, your promise to love me
envelops me in goodness and mercy,
following me as my companions throughout my life.
I am secure in God’s arms,
and my home is with you forever,
even into eternity.

--Leslie Barnes Scoopmire,  written July 15, 2018

The 23rd Psalm, today

The Holy One is my Shepherd;
   there is nothing else I need or lack.
In verdant fields God urges my rest,
   by clear, sweet waters God leads me.

You refresh and revive my soul,
   and are my guide to holy pathways
   that I may glorify Your NAME in each step.

Even if evil and death overshadow me
   and the walls of the deepest valley tower over me,
no fear of evil shall overtake me;
   for You are my companion alongside me always;
   Your rod and staff are ever between me and danger,
      and I am comforted and at peace.

In the face of those who seek my harm
   You prepare a feast;
You have marked me as holy and beloved,
   and have filled my cup to overflowing.

The sureness of Your goodness and mercy
   is the foundation and lodestar of my life,
and my home is with You in each moment,
   and eternally.

--Leslie Barnes Scoopmire, May 4, 2022

July Thunder (Domine non est)

 Psalm 131

 

My shivering dog draping himself over me 

like a quaking blanket, pride abandoned,

driven to anxiety by the sound of thunder 

rumbling overhead for most of this week, sometimes 

bringing rain, sometimes just a threat. And for all with pets, 

 

this entire week holds more of the same--

the neighborhood will echo with the report of 

fireworks and hopefully not gunfire 

at least through the sixth of July. 

 

 “Domine non est

exaltatum cor meum…”

 

But the sky right now is exactly the color of a bruise, 

matching the one inflicted on me as

he pawed me last night to make the insufferable

thunder stop. Stevie Nicks once 

famously sang, “Thunder only happens when it’s raining.”

 

She was wrong. But Kobe believes her. His first owners 

left him outside in all weather, and thunder is a memory 

of being swept into wind and downpour 

with no chance of shelter. Thunder is the memory 

of storms and cruelties long past, 

the menace fresh, the carelessness vivid.

 

Don’t we all know the weight of helplessness

when hoping in God is all there is? 

 

So into the basement we descend. I will 

sit next to him, the press of my body and 

Bach cello suites by Ma in attempted comfort, 

notes gliding and bouncing exactly like rain,

the blare of the C string masking the thunder 

perhaps enough that he can be quieted and rest.

 

And sleep will come and breath will ease 

for all afraid yet drawn into love’s leeward side,

like a child upon his mother’s shoulder

asleep on a damp cheek,

sliding gratefully into open-hearted trust,

elusive too often for the proud and haughty self

I too often wear like armor.

 

I wait upon you gratefully, O Mothering God,

and rest upon you as the storms 

within and without subside.

I have no need to walk in mighty matters

for the reward in my soul

is your abundant lovingkindness and mercy--

more than enough.

--LKS, written for Episcopal Cafe's Speaking to the Soul for July 1, 2021.

Psalm 84

How lovely is thy dwelling,

Great god, to whom all greatness is belonging!

       To view thy courts far, far from any telling

My soul doth long and pine with longing

                 Unto the God that liveth,

                 The God that all life giveth,

       My heart and body both aspire,

       Above delight, beyond desire.

       Alas, the sparrow knoweth

The house where free and fearless she resideth;

       Directly to the nest the swallow goeth,

Where with her sons she safe abideth.

                Oh, altars thine, most mighty

                 In war, yea, most almighty:

       Thy altars, Lord, ah, why should I

       From altars thine excluded lie?

       Oh, happy who remaineth

Thy household-man and still thy praise unfoldeth!

       Oh, happy who himself on thee sustaineth,

Who to thy house his journey holdeth!

                 Me seems I see them going

                 Where mulberries are growing:

       How wells they dig in thirsty plain,

       And cisterns make for falling rain.

       Me seems I see augmented

Still troop with troop, till all at length discover

       Zion, where to their sight is represented

The Lord of hosts, the Zion lover.

                 O Lord, O God, most mighty

                 In war, yea, most almighty:

       Hear what I beg; hearken, I say,

       O Jacob’s God, to what I pray.

       Thou art the shield us shieldeth:

Then, Lord, behold the face of thine anointed

       One day spent in thy courts more comfort yieldeth

Than thousands otherwise appointed.

                 I count it clearer pleasure

                 To spend my age’s treasure

       Waiting a porter at thy gates

       Than dwell a lord with wicked mates.

       Thou art the sun that shineth;

Thou art the buckler, Lord that us defendeth:

       Glory and grace Jehovah’s hand assigneth

And good without refusal sendeth

                 To him who truly treadeth

                 The path to pureness leadeth.

       O Lord of might, thrice blessed he

       Whose confidence is built on thee.

--Mary Sidney Herbert, (1561-1621), Countess of Pembroke,  English poet

Psalms of Trust: Psalm 24

Psalm 24

The earth is God’s and all that is in it, 
     the world and all who dwell therein.
For it is God who founded it upon the seas
     and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
“Who can ascend the hill of the Most High,
     and who can stand in God’s holy place?”
“Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,
     who have not pledged themselves to falsehood,
     nor sworn by what is a fraud.
They shall receive a blessing from the Holy One
     and a just reward from the God of their salvation.”
Such is the generation of those who seek God,
     of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

     Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors,
     and the One who reigns in glory shall come in.
“Who is this who reigns in glory?”
     “The Holy One, strong and mighty,
     the Holy One, mighty in battle.”

     Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors,
     and the One who reigns in glory shall come in.

--from the St Helena Psalter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it,
     the world and its inhabitants, too.
Because God is the one who establshed it on the seas;
     God set it firmly on the waters.

Who can ascend the Lord's mountain?
     Who can stand in his holy sanctuary?
Only the one with clean hands and a pure heart;
     the one who hasn't made false promises.
     the one who hasn't sworn dishonestly.
That kind of person receives blessings from the Lord
     and righteousness from the God who saves.
And that's how things are
     with the generation that seeks him--
     that seeks the face of Jacob's God.

Mighty gates: lift up your heads!
Ancient doors: rise up high!
    So the glorious king can enter!
Who is this glorious king?
     The Lord-- strong and powerful!
     The Lord-- mighty in battle!
Mighty gates: lift up your heads!
Ancient doors: rise up high!
    So the glorious king can enter! 
Who is this glorious king?
The Lord of heavenly forces--
     he is the glorious king!

-- from the Common English Bible

Psalms of Trust: Psalm 23

Psalm 23

The Holy One is my shepherd;
     I shall not be in want.
You make me lie down in green pastures
     and lead me beside still waters. 
You revive my soul
     and guide me along right pathways
     for the sake of your Name.
Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil;
     for you are with me;
     your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You spread a table before me
in the presence of those who trouble me;
     you have anointed my head with oil,
     and my cup is running over.
Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
     and I will dwell in the house of God for ever.

--from the St. Helena Psalter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lord is my shepherd;
     I lack nothing.
He lets me rest in grassy meadows;
     he leads me to restful waters;
     he keeps me alive.
He guides me in proper paths
     for the sake of his good name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger because you are with me.
     Your rod and your staff--
     they protect me.
You set a table before me
     right in front of my enemies,
You bathe my head in oil;
     my cup is so full it spills over!
Yes, goodness and faithful love
     will pursue me all the days of my life,
     and I will live in the Lord's house
     as long as I live.

-- from the Common English Bible


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yahweh is my shepherd,
     I lack nothing.
In grassy meadows he lets me lie.
     By tranquil streams he leads me
to restore my spirit.
He guides me in paths of saving justice
     as befits his name.
Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death
     I should fear no danger, for you are at my side.
     Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.
You prepare a table for me before the eyes of my enemies;
     you anoint my head with oil;
     my cup brims over.
Kindness and faithful love pursue me
every day of my life.
     I make my home in the house of Yahweh
     for all time to come.

-- from  the Revised New Jerusalem Bible

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lord is my shepherd
     I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
     he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
     he leadeth me along right pathways for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
     I shall fear no evil: for thou art with me;
     thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies:
     thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
     and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

-- from the Authorized King James Version

Psalms of Trust: Psalm 20

Psalm 20

May the Most High answer you in the day of trouble,
     the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;
Send you help from the holy place
     and strengthen you out of Zion;
Remember all your offerings
     and accept your burnt sacrifice;
Grant you your heart’s desire
     and prosper all your plans.
We will shout for joy at your victory
and triumph in the Name of our God;
     may the Most High grant all your requests.
Now I know that God gives victory to the anointed one;
     out of the holy heaven God will answer,
     with a strong and victorious right hand.
Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses,
     but we will call upon the Name of our God.
They collapse and fall down,
     but we will arise and stand upright.
O God, give victory to our sovereign, 
     and answer us when we call.

--From the St. Helena Psalter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I pray that the Lord answers you whenever you are in trouble
     Let the name of Jacob's God protect you.
Let God send help to you from the sanctuary
     and support you from Zion.
Let God recall your many grain offerings;
     let him savor entirely your burnt offerings.
Let God grant what is in your heart
     and fulfill entirely all your plans.
Then we will rejoice that you have been helped.
     We will fly our flags in the name of our God.
     Let the Lord fulfill all your requests!
Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed one;
     God answers his anointed one from his heavenly sanctuary,
     answering with mighty acts of salvation
          achieved by his strong hand.
Some people trust in chariots, others in horses;
     but we will praise the Lord's name.
They will collapse and fall,
     but we will stand up straight and strong.
Lord, save the king!
     Let him answer us when we cry out!

--From the Common English Bible