What follows is a selection of psalms from the Old Testament Book of Psalms,
Read from the New King James Translation.
Use this recording as you will,
But our suggestion is to simply sit with it,
Head bowed,
In quiet contemplation.
Psalm 8 The Glory of the Lord in Creation O Lord,
Our Lord,
How excellent is your name in all the earth,
Who have set your glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have established strength because of your enemies,
That you may silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens the work of your fingers,
The moon and the stars,
Which you have ordained,
What is man that you are mindful of him,
And the son of man that you visit him?
For you have made him a little lower than the angels,
And you have crowned him with glory and honour.
You have given man dominion over the works of your hands,
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and all loxen,
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish that pass through the paths of the seas.
O Lord,
Our Lord,
How excellent is your name in all the earth.
And now a moment of reflection.
Psalm 9.
Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Lord's Righteous Judgements I will praise you,
O Lord,
With my whole heart.
I will tell of all your marvellous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in you.
I will sing praise to your name,
O Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish in your presence.
For you have maintained my right and my cause.
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
You have rebuked the nations.
You have destroyed the wicked.
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
O enemy,
Destructions are finished forever.
The Lord has destroyed cities.
Even their memory has perished.
But the Lord shall endure forever.
He has prepared his throne for judgement.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness.
And he shall administer judgement for the peoples in uprightness.
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know your name will put their trust in you.
For you,
O Lord,
Have not forsaken those who seek you.
So,
Sing praises to God who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds amongst the people.
When he avenges blood he remembers.
He does not forget the cry of the humble.
Have mercy on me,
O Lord.
Consider my trouble from those who hate me.
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
That I may tell of all your praise at the gates of the daughter of Zion.
I will rejoice in your salvation.
The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made.
In the net which they have hid,
Their own foot is caught.
The Lord is known by the judgement he executes.
The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
And they shall be sent to hell.
And the nations that forget God will be too.
For the needy shall not be forgotten.
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
Arise,
O Lord.
Do not let the evil prevail.
Let the nations be judged in your sight.
Put them in fear,
O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men.
And now,
A moment of reflection.
Psalm 10.
A song of confidence in God's triumph over evil.
Why do you stand far off,
O Lord?
Why do you hide in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor.
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
For the wicked boasts of their heart's desire.
They bless the greedy and renounce the Lord.
The wicked in their proud countenance do not seek God.
God is in none of their thoughts.
But his ways are always prospering.
His judgements are far above,
Out of their sight.
As for the wicked,
They sneer.
They say in their hearts,
I shall not be moved.
I shall never be in adversity.
Their mouths are full of cursing,
And deceit,
And oppression.
Under their tongue is trouble and iniquity.
They sit in the lurking places of the villages,
In the secret places they murder the innocent.
Their eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
They lie in wait,
Like a lion in his den.
They lie in wait to catch the poor.
Crouching,
Then pouncing,
And the helpless fall.
Then the evil man says in his heart,
God has forgotten.
He hides his face.
He will never see.
Arise then,
O Lord.
O God,
Lift up your hand.
Do not forget the humble.
Why do the wicked renounce God?
They say to themselves,
You will not require an account from me.
But you have seen for you observe trouble and grief,
O Lord,
And you repay it by your hand.
The helpless commit themselves to you.
You are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and the evil men.
Seek out their wickedness until you find none.
The Lord is king forever and ever.
The nations have perished out of his land.
Lord,
You have heard the desire of the humble.
You will prepare their heart.
You will cause your ear to hear,
To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the evil men of the earth may oppress no more.
And now,
A moment of reflection.
Thank you for listening today.
I hope this recording has helped edify you and illuminate your path.
These words have been passed down through the ages by our living God,
For the sake of your sanctification.
How blessed we are to have him,
Kind and merciful in his ways.
And so we give thanks.
Amen.
