In Psalm 139 the psalmist meditates on the truths of the ever present God; the Lord sees and knows him no matter where he may be, there is no escape from the all-seeing eye of God, and the divine Creator of man is also the Author of his destiny. “Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb;” In Psalm 140 the psalmist prays for deliverance from the snares of the wicked and for rescue from his violent, treacherous foes. At first glance, few of us live in such an environment. Yet, all of us live with these internal foes, from which we need rescue. Or perhaps, we need to make friends with these parts of ourselves and integrate them into our being. Otherwise, we can ask them politely to leave. Now that’s where we need help! Psalm 141 speaks of prayer as incense. Incense, literally smoke, is the fragrant fume which rose from the altar at the burning of sacrificial animals or of aromatic spices, including frankincense, all symbols of prayer. It speaks of lifting up the hands, the gesture of supplication. Hebrews took prayer seriously. Psalm 142 is an even more intense prayer of a prisoner in dire straits while in Psalm 143, likewise intense, is the prayer of a penitent in distress. Psalm 144 is made up of verses borrowed from other psalms. Hence it is somewhat lacking in logical unity. Nan Merrill in Praying The Psalms begins this psalm, “Blessed are You, O Radiant One, You, who are hidden within our hearts, even as we are hidden within your Heart!” She ends it with these beautiful words, ”Gratitude and inner peace will abide in every tranquil soul, blessing the universe that lovingly cares for us.”
In Psalm 139 the psalmist meditates on the truths of the ever present God; the Lord sees and knows him no matter where he may be, there is no escape from the all-seeing eye of God, and the divine Creator of man is also the Author of his destiny. “Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb;” In Psalm 140 the psalmist prays for deliverance from the snares of the wicked and for rescue from his violent, treacherous foes. At first glance, few of us live in such an environment. Yet, all of us live with these internal foes, from which we need rescue. Or perhaps, we need to make friends with these parts of ourselves and integrate them into our being. Otherwise, we can ask them politely to leave. Now that’s where we need help! Psalm 141 speaks of prayer as incense. Incense, literally smoke, is the fragrant fume which rose from the altar at the burning of sacrificial animals or of aromatic spices, including frankincense, all symbols of prayer. It speaks of lifting up the hands, the gesture of supplication. Hebrews took prayer seriously. Psalm 142 is an even more intense prayer of a prisoner in dire straits while in Psalm 143, likewise intense, is the prayer of a penitent in distress. Psalm 144 is made up of verses borrowed from other psalms. Hence it is somewhat lacking in logical unity. Nan Merrill in Praying The Psalms begins this psalm, “Blessed are You, O Radiant One, You, who are hidden within our hearts, even as we are hidden within your Heart!” She ends it with these beautiful words, ”Gratitude and inner peace will abide in every tranquil soul, blessing the universe that lovingly cares for us.”
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