Psalms from our churches, our community, our city:
A PSalm to Awaken the City
to the Lord’s Grace
by Lola Grange
Behold O Lord, see now there was silence.
There was quiet in the city that sleeps not
No longer did we gather in the city square
But took shelter in our homes from an invisible invasion
The city was withdrawn
Except for those we cheered on to fight the battle for us
But why in the quiet, shuttered behind closed doors
Did My heart still feel restless?
O Lord, the desires of my heart now seem so fruitless
In days gone by what was I searching for?
No longer do I have the previous distractions of my prior life
My soul is now laid bare and open
I wrestle with my own thoughts and rest confused and distressed
I know the hours they seem the same but also different
The sun rises over the same buildings in the East
And sets softly in the West as light is squeezed between the gaps of
Tall structures much too close together
O Lord, your creation is still timeless
The rivers which surround us still rises and ebbs with the tide
Still the same and yet much has changed
Doors shuttered, our mouths veiled to protect us
From the enemy that seeks to invade us as we take refuge
No longer do I recognise my neighbour or my friend
Dear Lord, let these masks of protection not also mask our very souls
Let them not shield us from you and your grace
Lord you are the comforter of the sick and the giver to the poor
As you have commanded us to “Love our neighbours as ourselves’
Show me how I can be like you in a time such as this
Many are sick, many precious souls lost and yet the human spirit toils
How long must this suffering go on?
Lord your spirit whispers to me whenever the despair seeks to overwhelm me
As it is written “ Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God”
You ask me to draw close to you, and you will soothe my furrowed brow
Now a new sorrow has overtaken the city square
We grieve for those lost to injustice
The slain and the never forgotten
The noise of the city rises again to cry out for those who can
No longer cry for themselves
Our mouths open wide behind our shields of protection
Lord did you not say to love our brothers and sisters
As ourselves?
Why then O Lord are there still many who ignore your teachings?
Year after year, day after day, the grief overwhelms us
It seeks to destroy us from the inside out
We have cried this same cry and yet now it is different
Lord can we rest on your hope ? on the promise of your grace and deliverance?
Lord I pray that as a mother comforts her crying child
That you will wipe the tears of the city
The city is united in fighting the invisible and the visible enemy
Standing for those who cannot stand for themselves
As the doors open and the walls come down Let us not return to the rituals of our past
Break all the chains that seek to divide us and hold us in bondage
Cure our hearts against any falsehoods which seek to take hold
Let us emerge from our homes more gracious to one another
Let us continue to applaud one another and to lift each other up
As we have helped those that lost so much in this war,
Remind us that there is still much work to be done in the heart of the City even when we no longer need to shelter
Transform us from within and draw us closer to you and all who surround us
Teach the City to remember, O Lord, that by your grace and love we can conquer all.
a Psalm by Stefanie Peters
You set me down in the wilderness
You hid me far from view,
Far from the city where I praised you
In the dark, I am safe
How long, Father, Lord
Before you bring me home?
My foot is sure, is set on the rock
I’m shielded by your arm
In the empty place my foot stands firm
You are my rope, my guide
There is no way back
I am only waiting
My life is a flame in the wild dark
Hid in Ancient of Days
Sheltered from the storm, I’m still ablaze
I watch the city burn
Let the fires of your deliverance surge
Purge us, your soul impart
Strip our idols, our nation, our hearts
Until your glory flames
My soul trusts in you
My heart trusts in the Lord
As for me, I will sing my quiet song
In wilderness within
Until you call me, your servant in
To sing in the city
a Psalm by Hyewon Lee
Not knowing tomorrow
is curse and blessing
When I can’t live today fully
without knowing tomorrow
You said it is the perfect time
to trust
Unable to control things in life
frustrated, intimidated
You said it is the right time
to build the inner deposition
Gentle and gracious
becoming beautiful self
God does not give suffering
I think
God does not test me out
I think
But he wants me to become
a gentle yet strong soul
As I want my baby to become
beautiful, living the full life
A PSalm from romans 14:11
by Sofi Moncayo
Father we are calling out to You to heal Your children. We call out for justice from Your hand and not from our own.
We call out for a reprieve from the senseless death and violence that this nation is suffering.
We call out for a vivid manifestation of the power of Your LOVE. Jesus You have shattered the darkness we beg that you do it here and now.
We call out to You to bring peace to all the people of the world. There is rage rising from the kindest hearts from seeing the injustices at the hands of racism, at the hands of people that have steered far from You.
Jesus we are bowed and confessing that You are Lord. We are bowed and confessing that we have failed to love our neighbor as You have intended. Father we are bowed and confessing that we fall short of Your will, yet Your grace is given freely.
Father we are kneeling before You now pleading for our brothers and sisters. Show us how to reach far beyond the traps of religious, cultural, and socioeconomic norms to be a manifestation of Your love here and now. Move in us, that we may move in this world knowing and trusting that what You have intended is to love a Kingdom life here and now.
Father Your people are hurting, please hear us as we cry out to You for mercy.