Month in Prayer
Praying the Psalms October 10
Psalms Dear to the Reformation
Prior to the Reformation, Psalms were sung in worship
but only by choirs and in Latin.
During the Reformation there was a move
to restore congregational singing in one’s own language
through the singing of the Psalms.
John Calvin was particularly instrumental
in reinstituting the psalms in the language of the people.
Beginning in 1539 he edited the Genevan Psalter.
By 1562 the Genevan Psalter contained
metrical versions of all 150 psalms and became
the primary songbook of the Protestant and Reformed churches. One hundred years later, the Scottish Psalter of 1650
was produced which is still in use in some churches.
“Metrical psalms” put each of the psalms in verse form
using both identifiable meters and
rhyming the first and third lines of each verse.
Psalms Dear to the Reformation
Psalm 100, Psalm 31, and Psalm 46
are all Psalms that were very beloved during the Reformation.
Psalm 100, “ The Old One Hundred,”
was sung in many versions in reformed worship.
Psalm 31 was a prayer of many Protestants as they faced persecution during the Reformation. Many Protestant martyrs quoted Jesus’ words from the cross from Psalm 31:5 as they were facing their deaths. Several leaders of the reformation – Luther, Knox, and Melacthon - also prayed this at their death.
Prior to the Reformation, Psalms were sung in worship
but only by choirs and in Latin.
During the Reformation there was a move
to restore congregational singing in one’s own language
through the singing of the Psalms.
John Calvin was particularly instrumental
in reinstituting the psalms in the language of the people.
Beginning in 1539 he edited the Genevan Psalter.
By 1562 the Genevan Psalter contained
metrical versions of all 150 psalms and became
the primary songbook of the Protestant and Reformed churches. One hundred years later, the Scottish Psalter of 1650
was produced which is still in use in some churches.
“Metrical psalms” put each of the psalms in verse form
using both identifiable meters and
rhyming the first and third lines of each verse.
Psalms Dear to the Reformation
Psalm 100, Psalm 31, and Psalm 46
are all Psalms that were very beloved during the Reformation.
Psalm 100, “ The Old One Hundred,”
was sung in many versions in reformed worship.
Psalm 31 was a prayer of many Protestants as they faced persecution during the Reformation. Many Protestant martyrs quoted Jesus’ words from the cross from Psalm 31:5 as they were facing their deaths. Several leaders of the reformation – Luther, Knox, and Melacthon - also prayed this at their death.
Psalm 46 is “Luther’s Psalm.”
He prayed and sang this psalm in times of great danger
and paraphrased it in the first stanza of
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,”
“The Battle Cry of the Reformation””
Psalm 100
Here is a Video of Westminster Abbey Choir
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
He prayed and sang this psalm in times of great danger
and paraphrased it in the first stanza of
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,”
“The Battle Cry of the Reformation””
Psalm 100
Here is a Video of Westminster Abbey Choir
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100 is one of the best-loved psalms in the Reformed tradition. It is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise for all God’s goodness. It was part of the liturgy of the ancient Jerusalem temple. Today Psalm 100 is part of the daily prayer service for Jews on all days except the few holy days that do not include thanksgiving for God’s daily provision and protection. In the Reformed tradition this psalm is
a great favorite and is associated with “The Old Hundred.” "Let us sing the Old Hundredth" was once one of the every-day expressions in Reformed churches. There were several versions of the Psalm including Watts' paraphrase that begins "Before Jehovah's awful throne" and the Scottish hymn "All People that on Earth Do Dwell." Today Psalm 100 is often associated with services for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Psalm 31
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge, let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Keep me free from the trap that is set for me for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
I hate those who cling to worthless idols, as for me, I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends –
those who see me on the street flee from me.
I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.
For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead.
Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.
In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.
Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege.
In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.
Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge, let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Keep me free from the trap that is set for me for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
I hate those who cling to worthless idols, as for me, I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends –
those who see me on the street flee from me.
I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.
For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead.
Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.
In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.
Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege.
In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.
Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31 is a prayer for deliverance. It is a petition for God’s help that also expresses great confidence in the Lord. The psalm ends with thanksgiving to the Lord for His acts of deliverance. These words take on special meaning when one realizes they were some of the last words Jesus spoke on earth. According to Luke 23:46 as he was dying Jesus cried out “Into your hands I commit my Spirit.” I think there is also a cry of confidence in Christ praying Psalm 31:5 for the remainder of the verse reads, “You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” This prayer of our Savior has been quoted ever since by faithful Christians in times of deep distress especially when facing death. Many martyrs for the faith have died with these words on their lips including Polycarp, an early Christian who was killed by the Romans. Luther, Knox, and Melacthon also prayed these words at their death. But this Psalm not only teaches us how to die, but also how to live. It provides a powerful prayer for all of us as we face life’s joys and difficulties.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts His voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations He has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
"God is Our Refuge" UT Arlington rendition
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts His voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations He has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
"God is Our Refuge" UT Arlington rendition
Psalm 46 is a glorious hymn reminding us that in the midst of the
upheavals, God's people are safe: The Psalm is full of contrasts: the turmoil
of war, roiling waters, and earthquakes verses quiet streams and the peace and
stillness in the presence of God. Despite any chaos and disruption we encounter
on this earth God is in control and working His perfect plans for his people.
Psalm 46 has been designated Luther's Psalm, because he took such comfort from
it. Luther and his followers often faced
danger and death as they led the Protestant Reformation. In such Times Luther
would cheerily say to his friend Melancthon, "Come, Philip, let us sing
the forty-sixth Psalm.” In fact, Psalm
46 is paraphrased by Luther in the first stanza of his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress
Is our God.” Luther wrote, “We sing this
Psalm to the praise of God, because God is with us, and powerfully and
miraculously preserves and defends his church and his word.” Another famous
churchman, John Wesley, also took comfort in Psalm 46. Wesley was especially
comforted by verse 7 on his deathbed, perhaps recalling he had preached on the
psalm after 1 1750 earthquake in London. President Barack Obama has referenced this Psalm in
several speeches including on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the
Tuscon Memorial Speech after the shooting of a congresswoman and several
others. A popular rumor has persisted
that William
Shakespeare placed his mark on the translated text of Psalm 46 that appears in the King James Bible. Shakespeare was in King James' service during the
preparation of the Bible. By
coincidence, the 46th word from the beginning of Psalm 46 is "shake"
and the 46th word from the end (omitting the liturgical mark "Selah") is "spear" thus embedding Shakespeare’s
name in the text. Scholars view this as
highly unlikely.
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