2020 May


                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/01/20

Lord, you've been kind to your land.
You have changed things for the better.
You’ve forgiven your people’s wrongdoing.
You've covered all their sins down to the letter.

God speaks peace to the faithful ones.
Don't let them return to foolish ways.
God’s salvation is very close.
God's glory lives always.

Faithful love and truth have met.
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
Yes, the Lord gives what is good,
And our land’s ample produce persist.  

Psalm 86
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/02/20

Lord, listen closely and answer me.
Because I am poor and in need.
Guard my life because I am faithful.
For I trust in you indeed.

Have mercy on me, Lord,
I cry out to you all day.
Make your servant’s life blessed again.
Please answer me when I pray.

Teach me your way, Lord,
That I can walk in the same.
Make my heart focused,
Only on honoring your name.

Show me a sign of your goodness,
So that all around me will see.
Show a sign that you, Lord,
Have helped and comforted me.

Psalm 87
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/03/20

God's foundation is set,
High on the holy mountains.
The Lord loves Zion’s gates,
(Its columns and its fountains.) *
Chorus:
While they dance people sing Allelu’,
“The source of my life comes from you.”

Glorious things are said,
About the city of God.
It is said, “Each one was born there,”
(And not somewhere abroad.) *
Chorus:
              * Added by the author

Psalm 88
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/04/20

God of my salvation,
By day I cry out.
Even at night before you,
My prayers I shout.

Turn your ear to my outcry,
And what I have to tell.
I am filled with distress,
And at the brink of hell.

You placed me in the pit,
In places dark and deep.
Your anger smothers me,
Wave after wave over me sweep. 

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/05/20

I will sing of the Lord's love forever.
I will proclaim your faithfulness.
I will sing to all the generations.
(I will proclaim your righteousness.) *

Your loyal love is rightly built forever.
You establish your faithfulness in heaven.
You made a covenant with your chosen one,
That David's offspring would rise like leaven. 
              * Added by the author

Psalm 90
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/06/20

Lord, you have been our help,
Generation after generation.
Before the mountains were born,
You birthed the earth and each nation.

A thousand years in your sight,
Are like yesterday passed.
Like an instant during the night watch,
Humans you sweep away fast.

You sweep humans away like a dream,
Like grass that is renewed in the morning.
Yes, in the morning it thrives, renewed,
But it withers, all dried up, in the evening.

Teach us to number our days,
So, that a wise heart we can have.
Quickly come back to us, Lord.
Administer compassion like a salve.

Let your acts be seen by your servants.
Let your glory be seen as in the past.
Let your kindness flow over us.
Make the work of our hands last!
Make the work of our hands last! 

Psalm 91
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/07/20

Living in the Lord's shelter,
I say solely to the Lord,
“You are my refuge, my stronghold,
You are by me most adored.”

God will save you from snares,
And from any deadly disease.
God will protect you under almighty wings.
There you’ll find refuge from all adversities.

God's faithfulness is a protective shield.
Don't be afraid of terrors at night,
Sickness that prowls in the dark,
Or arrows that fly in daylight.

Even if, beside you, thousands fall.
It will never happen to you.
God says, “Because you are devoted to me,
I'll protect you and see you through.” 

Psalm 92
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/08/20

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
To sing praises to your name, Most High.
To proclaim your love in the morning,
Your faithfulness when night draws nigh.

You have blessed me, Lord.
For your loving acts you are adored.
I sing with joy because of your handiwork.
How awesome are your works, Lord!

The righteous will grow strong like a cedar.
They will spring up like a palm tree.
Those replanted in the Lord's house,
Will grow in the courtyards of the Almighty. 

Psalm 93
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/09/20

The Lord rules robed in majesty.
Clothed with strength, the Lord is dressed.
The Lord set the world firmly in place.
God is eternal and we are blessed.

The floods have raised up their voices.
The floods raise up a roar like thunder.
Yes, the floods have raised up.
(But our God is the Lord of wonder.) * 

Mightier than the sound of much water,
Mightier than the seas waves,
Mighty on high is the Lord!
By faithful laws, us the Lord saves.
              * Added by the author
 
Psalm 94
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/10/20

Lord God, show yourself!
Rise up, Judge of the earth!
Pay back the arrogant what they deserve!
Pay back the wicked what they are worth!

The wicked spew arrogant words.
How long will they win?
All the evil doers are bragging.
They abuse your people, your possession.

The one who made the ear, can't God hear?
The one who formed the eye, can't God see?
The one who disciplines nations, can't God punish?
The one who teaches humans, can't God decree?

The Lord knows human thoughts.
The Lord is my fortress.
The Lord is my rock of refuge.
The Lord our God will bless.

Psalm 95
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/11/20

Come, let's sing out loud to the Lord!
Joyfully shout to the Rock of our Salvation!
Let's come before God with thanksgiving!
Let's shout songs of joy with elation!

The Lord is a great God.
The earth's depths are in God's hands.
The mountain heights belong to God.
The sea, which God made, and all the lands.

Come, let's worship and bow down!
Let's kneel before the Lord our Maker!
We are the people of God's pasture.
We are the sheep, God is the Caretaker. 

Psalm 96
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/12/20

Sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord all the earth!
Sing to the Lord every single day!
Share the good news for all you're worth.

Declare God's glory among the nations.
Declare God’s wondrous works to all.
The Lord is great and worthy of praise.
The Lord is awesome to those great and small.

Tell the nation, “The Lord rules!
God will judge all people fairly.”
God will establish justice in the world.
God will establish justice squarely. 

Psalm 97
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/13/20

The Lord rules! Let the earth rejoice!
Let all the lands celebrate!
Clouds and thick darkness surround God,
God's righteousness the lands permeate.

God's fire and lightning light up the world.
The whole world sees it and trembles!
The mountains melt like wax before God.
The whole world molten wax resembles.

Light is planted like seed for the righteous.
Joy too for those that faith proclaim.
Rejoice in the Lord, righteous ones! 
Give thanks to God's holy name! 

Psalm 98
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/14/20

Sing to the Lord a new song,
For God has done wonderful things.
By mighty hand and holy arm,
The victory is won; great piece it brings.

Sing your praises to the Lord,
With the sound of music with the lyre,
With trumpets and a blast on the horn,
Shout to the Lord higher and higher.

Let the sea and everything in it roar,
Let the world and all its inhabitants, too,
Let all the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains rejoice from lofty view.


God is coming justice to establish,
To establish justice on earth,
Justice for all fairly and rightly,
Through justice a new world will birth.

Psalm 99
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/15/20

The Lord rules,
The nation shakes.
God sits enthroned,
The earth quakes.

The Lord is great,
Exalted on high.
Let us give thanks.
“God is holy,” we cry.

Bow before God,
Whom we magnify.
At God’s holy mountain,
“God is holy,” we cry.

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/16/20

Shout to the Lord all the earth!
Celebrate and serve the Lord.
Come before God with shouts of joy!
The Lord is God and to be adored.

God has created us,
To our creator we belong.
We are the sheep of God's pasture.
(We celebrate with song.) *

Enter God's gates with thanksgiving.
Come into the courtyards with praise.
The Lord is good and loving forever.
God's faithfulness lasts to the end of days. 
              * Added by the author

Psalm 101
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/17/20

Let me sing of faithful love.
Lord, I sing my praises to you!
The way of integrity I want to learn,
And live that way all my life through.

I will walk with a heart of integrity,
In my own home and throughout the land.
I won't set my eyes on anything worthless.
Worthlessness and wrong doing I cannot stand.

My eyes will focus on the people,
Who are faithful throughout the land.
My desire is to have them close to me.
That in peace we might walk hand in hand. 

Psalm 102
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/18/20

Lord, hear my prayer!
Let my cry reach you!
Don't hide your face,
Please do ask I ask you to.

Listen to my plea!
Answer as I cry out!
My days disappear like smoke.
My life has been tossed about.

I even forget to eat my food,
Because of my intense groans.
I'm like a wild screech owl.
From my skin protrude my bones.

But God you are the one!
Your years never cease!
Let your servants live safely,
And generations know your peace. 

Psalm 103
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/19/20

Let my whole being bless the Lord!
Let everything in me bless God's holy name!
Let my whole being bless the Lord!
And all God's good deeds to proclaim!

God forgives all your sins,
Heals all your sickness and pain,
Rescues your life from the pit,
Crowns you with love again and again.

The Lord has established a throne in heaven.
The Lord's kingdom rules over great and small.
You define messengers, bless the Lord!
And you who do God's will, give it your all.

Psalm 104
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/20/20

Let my whole being bless the Lord!
Lord my God how fantastic you are!
You open the skies like a curtain.
You are closed in glory and grandeur!

You established the earth and its foundations,
In order that it would never fall.
Then you covered it with the watery deep,
Higher than the mountains it covered all.

At your rebuke, the waters ran away.
The world’s land received rebirth.
You set a boundary the waters cannot cross,
So, they will never again cover the earth.

I will sing to the Lord forever.
Praises to the Lord I will always sing.
Let my whole being bless the Lord!
For in the Lord, I am rejoicing.

Psalm 105
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/21/20

Give thanks to the Lord,
Call upon God's holy name.
Sing praises to the Lord,
To all people God’s word proclaim. 

Give praise to God's holy name.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice.
All the marvelous works God has done,
(Retell them with a jubilant voice.

Tell of the eternal covenant,
God made with Abraham,
The stories of Jacob and Joseph,
And how Moses met the great “I am.”

God set the people free,
Led them to the promised land.
Yes, all the great stories of old,
Were done by God's command.) *
              * Added by the author

Psalm 106
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/22/20

Give thanks and praise the Lord!
God's faithful love endures forever.
Who can recall all of God's mighty acts?
Let us forget them never!

The people who uphold justice,
And do what is right are blessed.
Visit me, Lord, with your saving help,
Whenever I'm overwhelmed and stressed.

Bless the Lord, the God of Israel,
From forever ago to forever from now.
And let all the people say, “Amen.
Praise the Lord!” Let each head bow. 

Psalm 107
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/23/20

The Lord is good, give thanks and praise.
God's faithful love lasts forever and we are blessed.
So say the ones God has gathered from all over,
From North and South, East and West.

Some had wandered into the desert.
They couldn't find their way.
They were hungry and thirsty.
Their lives were slipping away.

They cried to the Lord in their distress,
And God delivered them from their mess.
God led them straight to human habitation.
Let them give thanks for God's faithfulness.

Some were fools living in sinful ways,
Because of their wickedness they were deprived.
They had absolutely no appetite for food,
At death's gates they had arrived.

They cried to the Lord in their distress,
And God saved them from all of it.
God gave the order and healed them.
The Lord rescued them from their pit.


Psalm 108
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/24/20

My heart is unwavering, God.
I will make music and sing.
Wake up harp and lyre!
I'll praise God with my whole being.

I will wake the dawn itself!
God, I will give thanks to you.
Among all peoples and nations,
Your praise will echo through.

Your love is higher than heaven.
Your faithfulness reaches to the sea.
Exalt yourself, God, higher than heaven!
Over all the earth, let your glory be.

Psalm 109
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/25/20

God of my praise don't keep quiet,
Because the mouths of wicked liars,
Have opened up and spoken against me,
Talking about me with deceitful desires.

Hateful words surround me.
They attack me for no reason.
Instead of returning my love,
They accused me of evil and treason.

I remain steadfast in prayer,
Though they repay me evil for good,
And hatred in return for my love,
(With your help all this I've withstood.) *

I cry out, “Help me, Lord my God!”
Save me by your faithful love!
Let them know that this is by your hand.
It has been done by the Lord above.  
              * Added by the author

Psalm 110
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/26/20

What the Lord says to my master:
“Right beside me have a seat,
Until I make your enemies,
A footstool for your feet.”

May the Lord make your scepter mighty,
To reach far and wide from Zion!
Rule over all of your enemies,
And your people like a majestic lion.

The Lord has sworn a solemn pledge,
“You are a priest forever like Melchizedek.”
My master, by your strong hand,
God has wrung kings by the neck.  

Psalm 111
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/27/20

Praise the Lord!
I thank God with my whole heart,
In the company of those who do right,
In the congregation of which I'm part.  

The works of the Lord are magnificent.
They are treasured by all who desire.
God's deeds are majestic and glorious.
God's righteousness is higher and higher.

God's covenant lasts forever.
Holy and awesome is God's name!
Fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins.
All who keep God's laws, praise proclaim.


Psalm 112
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/28/20

Praise the Lord! All who honor God,
Those who adore God's laws - Rejoice!
Their descendants will be strong throughout the lands,
Blessed be the descendants who obey God's voice.

Wealth and riches will be in their houses,
Forever their righteousness stands.
They shine in the dark for others who do right.
They are compassionate throughout the lands.

Those who lend generously are good people,
As are those who would deny justice, Never!
Yes, these sorts of people will never be shaken,
The righteous will be remembered forever!

Psalm 113
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/29/20

Praise the Lord!
You who serve the Lord praise!
Praise the Lord's name!
Blessed be the Lord's name always!

From now until forever from now,
From sunrise to sunset,
Let the Lord's name be praised!
God's glory is raised higher yet!

God rules from on high,
God comes down to observe all,
Lifts up the poor of the earth,
And raises up those who fall.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 114
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/30/20

When the House of Jacob came out,
From Egypt in the ancient story,
Judah was God's sanctuary,
Israel was God's territory.

The sea saw it happen and ran.
The mountains leapt away like rams.
The Jordan River retreated.
The hills leapt away like lambs.

Earth: Tremble before the Lord!
Tremble like a frightened fool.
From the one who turned rock into a fountain,
And the flintstone into a refreshing pool.

Psalm 115
                        Jeffrey B. Childs 05/31/20

Not to us, Lord, not to us,
But to your own name give glory,
Because of your loyal love,
(Retold in your salvation story.) *

Israel, trust in the Lord!
God is your help and shield.
Trust in the Lord, house of Aaron!
(God's presence will be revealed.) *

May the Lord add to your numbers,
Both to you and to your offspring.
May you be blessed by the Lord,
The maker of everything.  

Praise the Lord!
              * Added by the author

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