Psalm 20

As I meditated on this Psalm I could hear Tevye and his wife (Fiddler on the Roof) singing the Sabbath Prayer.  To catch the meter of these lines you need to have a slight Jewish lilt in your head.

May the Lord answer
   When you are in trouble.
May the God of Jacob
   Keep you safe from harm.

May He send you help from His sanctuary
And support you from His home on high
May He think of all your sacrifices
And accept your burnt offerings.

May He grant you
   All Your heart desires
And may all the
   Plans you make succeed.

When that happens we shall rejoice
Wave our banners and sing for joy
We will celebrate your victory
When He answers all your prayers.

Now I know that
   He rescues His anointed
He will answer
   From His holy heav’n.

Some are trusting
   In their own resources
And they boast in
   The strength that they possess.

With His right hand
   My God shall deliver us
So we boast in
   The Name of our Lord God!

Trusting their own selves,
   They’re asking for disaster
Our King will answer
   and we will rise and stand.

© 2014 J Dan Small

The heav’ns declare the glory of God
The universe shouts His praise
His handiwork shows night after night
His wisdom all our days.

Their message is heard throughout the world
All flesh their voice can hear
So none can say they never were told
The word is always near.

The blazing sun dwells in that realm
And runs its course each day
A radiant bridegroom, it comes forth
It’s heat no one can stay.

The words and judgments of the Lord
Are true and always right
By them the simple become wise
The upright find delight.

To fear the Lord, walk in His ways
Is pure, revives the soul
His statutes, laws, commands are good
By them we are made whole.

Indeed of greater value, these
Than mountains of fine gold
And sweeter than the honeycomb
They never will grow old.

Through them Your servants can be warned
In them is great reward
I cannot see my many faults
I need Your cleansing, Lord.

Please keep me from delib’rate sins
Don’t let them control me
Blameless and innocent I’d be
of great transgression free.

My Rock, Redeemer, and my Lord
This is my earnest plea
May all my words and thoughts be found
acceptable to Thee.

You save the meek but not the proud
The haughty You bring low
You light a lamp for me, O God
My darkness You illume.

With You I run against a troop
By God I scale a wall
My God arms me with mighty strength
And perfect makes my way.

As for my God whose word is pure
Perfect are all His ways
He is a shield to all who trust
Only the Lord is God.
Who is a Rock except our God?

There is no God but Him
He makes my feet run like a deer
And takes me to the heights.

From Him my hands learn how to fight
A bow of bronze to bend
You shield me with salvation, too
Your right hand holds me up.

Your gentleness has made me great
My steps you have made sure
The path in which You lead me, Lord
Is broad and clear and safe.

My enemies I chased and caught
Not one escaped my sword
Wounded, they fell to never rise
Beneath my feet lie still.

You were my source of strength in war
You made them all bow down
They tried to flee but mine they were
Destroyed by him they hate.

When they cried out e’en to You, Lord
You did not answer them
No one could save them from my hand
Like dust they’ve blown away.

Delivered from my enemy
I now rule over them
By foreigners and strangers served
In fear they all bow down.

I bless You, Lord, You are my Rock
Exalted Savior God
You have avenged and brought them low
I’m rescued from my foes.

You lift me up above them all
The vi’lent who opposed
So I give thanks and praise Your Name
The nations hear me sing.

Great are the victories You’ve giv’n
Unfailing love You’ve shown
To David, the anointed king
and heirs forevermore.

© 2014 J Dan Small

I love You, Lord, You are my strength
Deliv’rer, Fortress, Rock
Shield and Stronghold, Mighty Savior
Worthy of praise and trust.

I call upon the Lord for help
To save me from my foes
The cords of death entangled me
In fear I nearly drowned.

Engulfed in sorrow and distress
I cry out to my God
He heard my voice from heav’n above
My cry reached to His ears.

In righteous anger He came down
With quakes the earth did shake
Fire and smoke, a fearsome storm
On wings of wind He flew.

Thick clouds of hailstorms, coals of fire
He thundered from His throne
And when the Most High raised His voice
Like lightning, arrows flashed.

At Your rebuke, one blast of breath
The sea convulsed and fled
My foes were scattered and confused
And You came to my aid.

From deep, deep waters I was saved
Delivered from my foes
Who, in my moment of distress
Attacked, and I was doomed.

But You, O Lord, were my support
On firm ground set my feet
In me, O Lord, You find delight
That’s why You rescued me.

Because my heart and hands are clean
You have rewarded me
I’ve kept Your statutes and Your ways
And from them would not stray.

The blameless, merciful, and pure
Know You to be the same
But with the crooked, devious ones
You show that You are shrewd.

© 2014 J Dan Small

O Lord, I beg you please to hear my cry now
This prayer is not from lips that would deceive
My vindication must come from Your presence
Your eyes can see what’s right, my fate relieve.

My heart has been the object of Your testing
All night You have examined me and found
There’s nothing in my life that could offend You
Uphold my steps, keep them on solid ground.

It’s You to whom I call, O God Who hears me
Incline Your ear and show Your mercies great
You always save the ones who trust in You, Lord
Deliver from the wicked ones who hate.

Protect me as the apple of Your eye, Lord
My hiding place –the shadow of Your wings
The enemy surrounds and hopes to slay me
His threats and deadly arrows now he flings.

Their hearts are void of feelings and their mouths boast
Like lions they crouch down for the attack
Surrounding me like prey eager to tear me
Arise, O Lord, confront and turn them back.

Take up Your sword! From evil men deliver
With Your strong hand now bring them low
How is it that in this life they so prosper?
Their lives are filled with treasures You bestow.

The only life they know will soon be passing
The things they cherish now others will take
But as for me, I know I’ll see Your face soon
In Your own likeness, satisfied, awake.

© 2014 J Dan Small

Why, O Lord, do You stand so far off?
Why hide now in our time of distress?
In their pride, wicked boast and they scoff
And the poor and the helpless they oppress

Let the schemes they devise fall apart
They don’t seek You but spurn You instead
Filled with greed every thought of their heart
As they curse, mock, and say,“God is dead!”

For they prosper in all that they try
And declare “I forever will stand!”
They can’t see that Your judgment is nigh
But pursue wicked deeds they have planned

They’re so sure they can’t possibly fail
That they sneer at their foes as they plot
Secretly they crouch down to assail
Thinking God cannot see or forgot

All the innocent victims they seek
Like a lion they watch from their den
Rise, O Lord, lift Your hand for the weak
Lest their deeds go unopposed once again

But You do see their troubles and grief
All the orphans and feeble You aid
As to You they look up for relief
By Your hand evil men are repaid

Our Lord reigns as the King forevermore
While the nations and their tyrants pass away
You have heard the humble hearts and won’t ignore
Final justice will be theirs on Judgment Day

© 2014 J Dan Small

I give thanks to the Lord from my heart
As I tell of Your marvelous works
You have stood for my cause,
I am glad and rejoice
I sing praise to Your Name, O Most High

You have judged righteously from Your throne
All my enemies turn back in shame
They have come to an end,
Gone for good, they’re destroyed
Nevermore to be remembered nor feared

But the Lord will endure evermore
Righteous Judge, He will rule from on high
Those who know Him and trust,
the oppressed He protects
For You, Lord, won’t forsake those who seek

Lift your voice, sing your praise to the Lord
Tell His deeds to the nations around
He’ll avenge martyr’s blood,
He remembers their plight
And the cry of the meek He recalls

Please have mercy on me, O my Lord
And consider the troubles I face
Rescue me from my foes,
then I’ll tell all Your praise
And rejoice as I enter Your gates

All the nations have dug a deep pit
They fall into the hole they have made
In the net they have hid
their own foot will be caught
They are snared in the works of their hands

Interlude/Instrumental bridge providing opportunity
for contemplation (Higgaion/Selah)

By Your judgments, O Lord, You are known
All the nations shall end up in hell
Brazenly they rebel
and forget You are God
Let the nations be judged in Your sight

But the needy will not be forgot
And the hopes of the poor will not die
Rise, O Lord, overcome,
make them fear Your great Name
That all nations may know they’re mere men                      Selah

© 2014 J Dan Small

Bold text is to help convey the stress in each phrase.

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord, in all the earth
Majestic is Your Name
The heav’ns above declare Your worth
And infants sing Your fame.

So glorious Your display of might
Your enemies must bow
Against You all must cease to fight
And all surrender now.

Considering the heavens grand
The moon and stars so fair
I wonder why You think of man
And treat him with such care.

With majesty and glory crowned
Just slightly less than God
For us the mysteries abound
Mere creatures made of sod.

All that You made is to us giv’n
Beneath our feet they yield
Fish in the seas and birds of heav’n
All creatures of the field.

O Lord, our Lord, we give You praise
Your glory we proclaim
Gladly our voices now we raise
Majestic is Your Name.

© 2014 J Dan Small

Psalm 7*

O Lord, my God, in You I take my refuge
Save me from those who want to take my life
Deliver now or like a lion, they’ll maul me
And I will die, their victim in this strife

O Lord, my God, do I deserve this trouble?
Have I done wrong to one who was my friend?
If I have sinned, then let them overtake me
Trample me down. my life bring to an end

Arise, O Lord, stand up against their rage
Rise up and judge, rise up and judge
Arise, O Lord stand up against their rage
Rise up and judge, rise up and judge

O Righteous Judge, You gather all the nations
You rule on high and render justice there
Defend my cause, my innocence reward now
But to the wicked, judgment now declare

The Lord is just, He tests the minds and hearts
He is a shield to all who walk upright
He does hate sin and will destroy in anger
All who rebel. Against them He will fight

The evil ones conceive, give birth to trouble
They set their traps, but fall in them in shame
O Lord Most High, because you always do right
I will sing praise and glorify Your Name.
© 2014 J Dan Small

*This Psalm is written to the meter of “How Great Thou Art”

In Your wrath do not strike me, O Lord
   Nor rebuke or Your anger display
Extend mercy for, Lord, I am weak
   Heal me, Lord, for my bones waste away.

Lord, how long must my heart remain sick?
   Won’t You come, rescue me in Your love?
If I die what is gained by my loss?
   From the grave can I praise You above?

All night long, tears stream down on my bed
   I’m exhausted and weak with this grief
Vision blurred, eyes grow dim in dismay
   From my foes I can find no relief.

But alas, evil men, you must flee
   For the Lord my cry heard and has come
The Lord heard and He answered my prayer
   In disgrace and great fear, off they run.

© 2014 J Dan Small