Psalm 135 (KJV): Praise ye the Lord

From Psalms

Psalm 135

¹Praise ye the LORD.

Praise ye the name of the LORD;
      praise him, O ye servants of the LORD.
²Ye that stand in the house of the LORD,
      in the courts of the house of our God.

³Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good:
      sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
⁴For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself,
      and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

⁵For I know that the LORD is great,
      and that our Lord is above all gods.
⁶Whatsoever the LORD pleased,
      that did he in heaven, and in earth,
      in the seas, and all deep places.
⁷He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth;
      he maketh lightnings for the rain;
      he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

⁸Who smote the firstborn of Egypt,
      both of man and beast.
⁹Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee,
      O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
¹⁰Who smote great nations,
      and slew mighty kings;
¹¹Sihon king of the Amorites,
      and Og king of Bashan,
      and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
¹²And gave their land for an heritage,
      an heritage unto Israel his people.

¹³Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever;
      and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.
¹⁴For the LORD will judge his people,
      and he will repent himself concerning his servants.

¹⁵The idols of the heathen are silver and gold,
      the work of men's hands.
¹⁶They have mouths, but they speak not;
      eyes have they, but they see not;
¹⁷They have ears, but they hear not;
      neither is there any breath in their mouths.
¹⁸They that make them are like unto them:
      so is every one that trusteth in them.

¹⁹Bless the LORD, O house of Israel:
      bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:
²⁰Bless the LORD, O house of Levi:
      ye that fear the LORD, bless the Lord.
²¹Blessed be the LORD out of Zion,
      which dwelleth at Jerusalem.

Praise ye the LORD.

Here I sit on Easter Weekend counting my blessings.  I am sober.  I have my health, my family, and everything I could ever need.  I managed to survive another season of lent without exploding, despite what my mind tells my body.  Throughout the last six week my mind tried to tell my body that another day without caffeine or chocolate or porn or alcohol and I would inevitably explode.  I prayed on what my mind was telling me...and realized that lent is a time to become closer to God through sacrifice.  I realized God would not let me parish in an act that was intended to bring me closer to him.

In many ways every sober day is a day of sacrifice for an addict, which can be used to bring us closer to God.  Every day we fight off the urges of our addiction with the risk that our bodies may explode if we don't get off the (water) wagon.  The question is not whether or not a thought about our addictions will cross our mind or not.  The question is how strong those thoughts will be.  The question is whether our faith in God, or a higher power, will be greater than these thoughts.

Praise ye the Lord, for You have delivered me through another season of lent - and shown to me, your power.  Shown to me, that resisting my addictions will not lead to me exploding - or any kind of certain death.  That I can avoid bars and strip bars without any negative consequences.  Shown that you can guide me to  alternatives to porn and alcohol.  That you can lead me in a better life in Your purpose.  Lead me in a life that has long-term rewards instead of immediate gratification.  A life that is full of love, joy, and opportunities - Your love, joy, and opportunities.   Of course, there will be tests.  Tests of my courage, tests of my faith, tests of my patience and perseverance.  These are required to ensure my commitment to You, my sobriety and my recovery.  However, I now look forward to these tests as opportunities.  That these will become opportunities to demonstrate my gifts and talents.  For I realize these gifts are blessings and must have opportunities to be demonstrated.  For these blessings, I am forever grateful.  In your name I give thanks.  Amen.

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Psalms 134: Behold bless all ye servants of the Lord

From Psalms

Psalm 134
<sup>(A Song of Ascents.)

1</sup>Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the LORD,
      which by night stand in the house of the LORD.
²Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
      and bless the LORD.

³The LORD that made heaven and earth
      bless thee out of Zion.

From Bible Study Tools, "We have now reached the last of the Gradual Psalms.  The Pilgrims are going home, and are singing the last song in their psalter. They leave early in the morning, before the day has fully commenced, for the journey is long for many of them.  While yet the night lingers they are on the move.  As soon as they are outside the gates they see the guards upon the temple wall, and the lamps shining from the windows of the chambers which surround the sanctuary; therefore, moved by the sight, they chant a farewell to the perpetual attendants upon the holy shrine.  Their parting exhortation arouses the priests to pronounce upon them a blessing out of the holy place: this benediction is contained in the third verse.  The priests as good as say, 'You have desired us to bless the Lord, and now we pray the Lord to bless you.'  The Psalm teaches us to pray for those who are continually ministering before the Lord."

For recovery from addiction is a journey like a pilgrimage.  It's a spiritual journey that transforms us and helps us see what we are truly capable of.  I read a statistic last week that most smokers will quit 9 times before quitting for good.  And in the same way alcoholics and sex addicts will often attempt this journey several times before becoming sober forever.  Nevertheless, it's a journey that must be made.  It's a journey that is not made alone.  Along the way we have people supporting and ministering us.  As we learn in psalm 134 we need to pray for those people who minister before the Lord.  The sponsors, the volunteers, the pastors, the friends...there are many supporters because the journey is long.  We pray for every one of the supporters.

Dear Lord.  Thank you for your blessings.  Today I would like to pray for my family.  For their support through these trying times.  Their understanding and love as I overcome this dangerous disease.  Please bless them and be with them.  I would like to pray for my church family without which I probably would not have started this journey.  Who helped me realize there was a path out.  Please bless them and be with them.  I would like to pray for the people in the meetings I attend, and my sponsors.  For they showed that I am not a freak and I am not alone.  Please bless them and be with them.  In your name I pray.  Amen.

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Psalm 133 (KJV): For the Lord commanded his blessing

From Psalms

Psalm 133
(A song of ascents.  Of David.)

¹Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
      for brethren to dwell together in unity!

²It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
      that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron's beard:
      that went down to the skirts of his garments;
³As the dew of Hermon,
      and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:
for there the Lord commanded the blessing,
      even life for evermore.

How good and pleasant it is when people live together in unity.  Now, maybe it's because of where I've lived or maybe I'm just skeptical by nature, but I don't see this very often.  Maybe that's why the idea of Christmas, peace on earth and good will to man, is so bold.  Which makes me think, couldn't so many things be solved if we could figure out how to have people live together in unity.  When we realize that which makes us different is so much smaller than what we have in common, it shouldn't be so hard.  Nevertheless, we are human and we have a driving need to win, a need to be right, and a need to get our share.

Dear Lord, thank you for your blessings and these words.  Lord be with us today.  Guide us in a path that helps us unite with our brothers and sisters, which you have intended for us.  Help us to forgive.  Help us let go of our selfish tendencies that we can be an instrument of this peace.  Help us apologize for our mistakes and to make amends where we have hurt others.  Help us to let go of our selfish tendencies that encourage a need to win in all situations.  Help us to find compromise.  Help us to realize that God as blessed us all equally and abundantly that we can share in His blessings.   Help us to see and use opportunities to pick-up and support our brothers and sisters in need.  That we may give them the strength and hope you bring into our lives.  Help us to say thank you when others pick us up, give us strength and give us hope.  Guide us in our emotions and temper our anger that we not do things we later regret.  Guide us in our choice of words that we may not say things that we would not want be said to us.  For these are just a few of things we need our lives to help us live in unity with our brothers and sisters - and living in unity is indeed a gift like a precious ointment.  In your son's name Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

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Psalm 132 (KJV): Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions

From Psalms

Psalm 132
(A song of ascents.)

¹Lord, remember David,
      and all his afflictions:

²How he sware unto the LORD,
      and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
³Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house,
      nor go up into my bed;
⁴I will not give sleep to mine eyes,
      or slumber to mine eyelids,
⁵Until I find out a place for the LORD,
      an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

⁶Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah:
      we found it in the fields of the wood.
⁷We will go into his tabernacles:
      we will worship at his footstool.
⁸Arise, O LORD, into thy rest;
      thou, and the ark of thy strength.
⁹Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness;
      and let thy saints shout for joy.

¹⁰For thy servant David's sake
      turn not away the face of thine anointed.

¹¹The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David;
      he will not turn from it;
Of the fruit of thy body
      will I set upon thy throne.
¹²If thy children will keep my covenant
      and my testimony that I shall teach them,
their children shall also
      sit upon thy throne for evermore.

¹³For the LORD hath chosen Zion;
      he hath desired it for his habitation.
¹⁴This is my rest for ever:
      here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
¹⁵I will abundantly bless her provision:
      I will satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶I will also clothe her priests with salvation:
      and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

¹⁷There will I make the horn of David to bud:
      I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
¹⁸His enemies will I clothe with shame:
      but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

Wow, is this the longest song of ascent, or what?  I did a little research and indeed it is.  In fact, you can see when I initially wrote it (almost two years ago) I underestimated the length in the way the letters get so much smaller towards the bottom of the page.  In any case, I started this posting about a week ago thinking these songs of ascents are only 3-5 verses, only to be overwhelmed to put it off to a time I had more energy...and then the beast of procrastination set in.  The psalm got bigger and bigger, and the task became harder and harder.  And that's some of the tricks our mind plays on us - until our mind has made the task next to impossible.

Our minds are powerful in that way than can make things out to be bigger, or smaller, than they actually are.  In order to combat this I go to meetings where I can talk about my problems, my procrastination, my perception.  Where I find that I am not alone in my afflictions.  That others share my afflictions.  In order to combat my minds' perception I also pray.  I pray not to see things from my limited and selfish perspective, but rather that God will help me see things from His perspective.  That He will show me a new perspective that there will be hope, and a way that will guide me.

Dear Lord, as I pray to you today, and come into your tabernacles, continue to guide me.  Let me see through your eyes so that my perspective is clear.  Help me to see my afflictions and recognize them.  Then help me be willing to remove my afflictions.  Give me the strength I need to work for change in my life.  Give me community and family that will support me through our struggles and through this time of change.  Help to show me what You value.  When my priorities are misplaced - help me shift my priorities to those things that you value.  When I am doing work that is not valuable to You help me realize this and guide me to more important endeavors.  In your son's name I pray.  Amen.
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Psalm 131 (KJV): Put your hope in the Lord

From Psalms

Psalm 131
(A song of ascents.  Of David.)

¹Lord, my heart is not haughty,
      nor mine eyes lofty:
neither do I exercise myself in great matters,
      or in things too high for me.
²Surely I have behaved and quieted myself,
      as a child that is weaned of his mother:
      my soul is even as a weaned child.

³Let Israel hope in the LORD
      from henceforth and for ever.

As I read this psalm today, I do not feel like a weaned child, who has quieted himself.  The psalms feed my soul to this day and help me connect with God.  Without the psalms I find myself slipping back into my addict.  Although I may not always act out, I slip into my old habits, which eventually lead me back to my life of regret.  This need for continuous psalms certainly does not make feel weaned.

Now you could argue that I have been weaned from my addictions, however, I don't know that my addictions ever fed me.  They certainly didn't provide the satisfaction or sustenance that I get from the psalms.

As I think about this more, as I get to the end of this short psalm, I realize that indeed the psalms do provide me with hope.  They allow me to put my faith in the Lord.  That is a lot.

Lord, be with me today and continue to guide me and provide Your hope in my journey - no matter what I may face.  When I face adversity, help me turn first to You instead of hiding in my addictions.  Let my faith in you be the model You desire.  Let me provide Your hope to others.  That my daily victory over addiction can provide hope for other addicts that suffer.  That my daily victory over addiction can provide hope for people who are watching other addicts suffer.  Provide hope that there is a way out, through the 12 steps and through your word.  That there is a way to cut the cords of addiction that snare us and entangle us.  Amen.

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Psalm 130: In His word do I hope

From Psalms

Psalm 130
(A song of ascents.)

¹Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
²Lord, hear my voice:
let thine ears be attentive
      to the voice of my supplications.

³If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities,
      O Lord, who shall stand?
⁴But there is forgiveness with thee,
      that thou mayest be feared.
⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,
      and in his word do I hope.
⁶My soul waiteth for the Lord
      more than they that watch for the morning:
      I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

⁷Let Israel hope in the Lord:
      for with the Lord there is mercy,
      and with him is plenteous redemption.
⁸And he shall redeem Israel
      from all his iniquities.

Another great psalm for us addicts.  For, who among us has not cried out from our deepest, darkest times in our lives for His salvation.  Cried out in hopes that He would hear our cry for help.  Cried out knowing full well that the Lord tracks all of our sins, (verse 3) and all of our iniquities.  Who could stand before Him with our history?  With the victims we have left in the wake of our addictions, who of us could stand before him?  Thankfully, though, (verse 4) He is a god of grace and forgiveness.  Thankfully, he sent his only son who died for the forgiveness of these sins.  And so His word gives us hope.  In those darkest hours, when we are not just willing for change but desperate for change.  He is our only hope.  With him there is plenteous redemption.

Oh Lord, as we walk through our journey's whether it is for Lent, or for recovery, or something else, continue to provide us hope.  And as St Francis of Assis prayed - in situations of despair, let us provide hope.  Where there is darkness, let us sow light.  Where there is sadness, let us sow joy.  For you have taught me, as it is with many situations in life, we must be willing to provide if we should expect to receive.  I have learned that it is impossible to get a hug without giving a hug.  Teach us and guide us on how to provide that hope to others.  Help us seek to comfort rather than to be comforted.  Help us to love than to be loved.  For, we have learned that, it is in giving that we receive and it is by forgiving that we are forgiven.  I thank You for these lessons and I thank You for Your hope.  For these things we are grateful - in Your name.  Amen.

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Psalm 129: The Lord has has cut the cords of the wicked

From Psalms

Psalm 129
(A song of ascents.)

¹Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth,
      may Israel now say:
²Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth:
      yet they have not prevailed against me.
³The plowers plowed upon my back:
      they made long their furrows.
⁴The LORD is righteous:
      he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.

⁵Let them all be confounded
      and turned back that hate Zion.
⁶Let them be as the grass upon the housetops,
      which withereth afore it groweth up:
⁷Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand;
      nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
⁸Neither do they which go by say,
      The blessing of the Lord be upon you:
      we bless you in the name of the Lord.

Verse 4 of Psalm 129 says, "The Lord is righteous, he cut the cord of the wicked."  He has broken the chains of my addiction.  My life an my outlook are completely different and I am changed man.  It has been a long journey of prayers, 12 step meetings, and working the 12 steps.  A journey which is not yet complete - it is one that will likely continue far beyond the time I have all 150 psalms on this site.

I am reading a book, whose whole premise is that we are not the people we think we are.  That we perceive ourselves completely differently than how others perceive us.  This perception we have of ourselves prevents us from changing and becoming the great people we have the potential to be.  In fact, the author goes on to say, we won't change unless the things we value are at risk of being lost.  And so it is for addicts, and so it was for me.  I didn't start the recovery process until my career was at stake, and my marriage was on its last legs.

It's only in the most dire of circumstances that we finally reach out for help.  And only when we reach steps 4 and 5 do we get realistic perspective on who we are and how big our problems are.  Nevertheless, God is there when we are ready.  Ready to set us on a new path with honesty and openess.  Ready to make sacrifices and turn our lives over to God.  When we're ready, God will be there to cut the cords of our addictions and the problems that tie us up in our addiction.  God can only work with us if were willing...and as I'm learning we can only be willing if the things we value are at risk of being lost.

Oh Lord, I am forever grateful for the cords you have cut in my life.  I am grateful for the journey you have set me on, and the changes you have brought into my life.  Thank you for the people who given Your messages that I needed to hear.  The people who opened me up to the truth and changed my perception.  Continue guide me on my journey of recovery.  As I journey this path of recovery let me also help and support other addicts that need guidance and support.  Let me be Your messenger and the Your light to these recovering addicts as others were to me.  In Your son's name - Amen.

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Psalm 128: Blessed is everyone..that walketh in the Lord's ways

From Psalms

Psalm 128
(A song of ascents.)

¹Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord;
      that walketh in his ways.
²For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands:
      happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
³Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine
      by the sides of thine house:
thy children like olive plants
      round about thy table.
⁴Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed
      that feareth the Lord.

⁵The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion:
      and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
⁶Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children,
      and peace upon Israel.

Blessed are those that walk in the way of the Lord.  For they shall be blessed and they shall enjoy the fruits of their labors.  This means that people who follow the Lord inherently labor - work hard.  It's probably more than just hard work.  There's sacrifice.  But we do it willingly.  And happily.  For we know the things that are sacrificed are repaid in spades with treasures that can't be measured.  Hope, Love, and Joy, to name a few.  These are the things that the blesses with.  Not with the iPads, cars, or money that our world values so much today.  At the end of the day the only things that live on through all times are those gifts that the Lord blesses us with.

Lord teach us your way Lord.  Guide us not in the ways of the world, a world that tells us to consume and focus on ourselves, but in the ways of Your son Jesus.  Who was a light for all of us.  Lead not into the temptation of addiction, or consumption, or even comfort.  But deliver us into Your world, Your kingdom, and Your way of life.  Do all these things that we can understand the true beauty and value of Your gifts of Love, Joy, Faith, Peace and Hope are so much more than anything we can buy with money.  That we can understand that we are all your children and desire only to bless us with these things, and to make our lives full of these gifts.  May peace and love fill us and be with us all. Amen.

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