God Speaks
129 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me.
Let all Israel repeat this:
2 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,
but they have never defeated me.
3 My back is covered with cuts,
as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.
4 But the Lord is good;
he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.
5 May all who hate Jerusalem
be turned back in shameful defeat.
6 May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,
turning yellow when only half grown,
7 ignored by the harvester,
despised by the binder.
8 And may those who pass by
refuse to give them this blessing:
“The Lord bless you;
we bless you in the Lord’s name.”
130 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 From the depths of despair, O Lord,
I call for your help.
2 Hear my cry, O Lord.
Pay attention to my prayer.
3 Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
4 But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.
5 I am counting on the Lord;
yes, I am counting on him.
I have put my hope in his word.
6 I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord;
for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from every kind of sin.
131 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—
now and always.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding each psalm of Psalms 129-131:
1. What does this psalm tell me about God?
2. What does this psalm tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Psalm 129
1. God is good, and He frees those who love Him from the ropes and chains of slavery.
2. People who hate the godly will be turned back in shameful defeat.
Psalm 130
1. God offers forgiveness so that people might learn to fear Him.
2. People are to hope in the LORD, His word, and His unfailing love.
Psalm 131
1. The LORD God is too great and too awesome for the human mind to figure out.
2. People are to quiet their souls and put their hope in the LORD–now and always,
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Psalms 129-131?
Dear good and awesome God, thank You for freeing me from the ropes of slavery to sin, self, and Satan. Please cause those who persecute the godly to turn away in shameful defeat. Thank You for providing the way of forgiveness through the death of Jesus on the cross so that we might learn to fear You. Our only hope is in You, LORD, Your word, and Your unfailing love. May I rest quietly in Your presence like a weaned child cuddling with their mother. Help me to keep my hope centered in You, LORD God, now and always. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Psalms 129-131?
- I will ask the LORD to give me patience as He deals with my enemies.
- Whether I am in the depths of despair or not, I will cry out to the LORD for help.
- I will talk with a family member, friend, or stranger about how to put one’s hope in the LORD.
- I will take time to be quiet and tell the LORD how much I love and trust Him.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.