Psalm 80

A depiction of Jesus the Good Shepherd in Olive Wood from the Holy Land

Shepherd of Israel, listen!

Restore us, Lord God of heavenly forces!
    Make your face shine so that we can be saved!

This summer I am paraphrasing the lectionary Psalms as a prayer practice and then I'm reading the selection prayerfully (lectio divina) with my own paraphrase.  Finally, I'm developing a breath prayer to take the transformed psalm with me into my week.  You are invited to join me and paraphrase the summer psalms for yourself.   As we work with the psalms and rewrite the text in our own words/using our own vocabulary, we will find deeper meaning as the week unfolds.  The psalms are prayers of dearly faithful people.  We can pray them into a personal prayer language that lives and breathes our own faith. 

Paraphrasing the Psalm ... 
Step 1:  Read the Psalm selection (Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19) from a translated version.  This week we read from the Common English Bible (CEB).  Psalm 80 is a lament in response to the Northern Kingdom's fall to Assyria.   It is a plea for salvation!  The lament resides most powerfully in the verses that are left out of this weeks reading.  A highlight of the psalm is the ending plea that we hear only in verse 19 but is actually read twice before in verses 3 and 7 as a repeating refrain:   Restore us, Lord God of heavenly forces!  Make your face shine so that we can be saved!  

You can read more about the context of this psalm my Psalm 80: Restore us, O God.  Take Link or choose Psalm 80 from the cloud in the column at the right.

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 (CEB)
For the music leader. According to “Lotus Blossoms.” A testimony of Asaph.
Shepherd of Israel, listen!
    You, the one who leads Joseph as if he were a sheep.
    You, who are enthroned upon the winged heavenly creatures.
Show yourself before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh!
    Wake up your power!  Come to save us!

You brought a vine out of Egypt.
    You drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
    then it planted its roots deep, filling the land.
The mountains were covered by its shade;
    the mighty cedars were covered by its branches.
It sent its branches all the way to the sea;
    its shoots went all the way to the Euphrates River.
So why have you now torn down its walls
    so that all who come along can pluck its fruit,
    so that any boar from the forest can tear it up,
    so that the bugs can feed on it?
Please come back, God of heavenly forces!
    Look down from heaven and perceive it!
Attend to this vine,
    this root that you planted with your strong hand,
    this son whom you secured as your very own.
It is burned with fire. It is chopped down.
    They die at the rebuke coming from you.
Let your hand be with the one on your right side—
    with the one whom you secured as your own—
    then we will not turn away from you!
Revive us so that we can call on your name.
    Restore us, Lord God of heavenly forces!
    Make your face shine so that we can be saved!

Step 2:  Explore the images you find in the psalm and seek new ways of proclaiming the message in words and phrases that translate to the situation you find in your life today.  Be creative and think not in words but in ideas and let your psalm express your own deepest emotions.

Step 3:  Take up a journal OR pull up a blank document on the computer ... begin writing in a stream of consciousness with new images, words, and phrases that emerge from pondering on the text.  Let the images grow and become.  Let new words and phrases come alive to translate the psalm anew in your own prayer language ... sing a new song in your soul!

Step 4:  Paraphrase the Psalm with your own images in your own words and phrases ...
here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

Cindy's Paraphrase of Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19

Jesus, Shepherd … listen to my heart!
You lead us all, we are children of the world
Your Spirit sits upon the throne graced by angels
Come to us and reveal the power of your love to the world
Come and save us from ourselves.

Age-less God, you have always been with us.  In ancient days, you cleared the land, planted the people, and brought forth a vine healthy and vital, roots plunging deep into the earth, full with love.   Lush and luxurious was the vine, like a massive shade tree covering the mountains, the bushes and the land … creeping in and around and through, absorbing water from the earth to breathe life.

Suddenly it seems, you allowed the city walls to be broken down and the fruit of the vine to be plundered by all who passed by, you allowed wild animals to tear the community apart and little bugs to creep into foundational cracks.  God of the Heavenly Spaces, turn back to us, come and see what has happened now.  Care for us and help us grow again.  Bring forth the juicy flesh of abundance in our lands and our lives!  We have been burned and cut down yet the worst is that we can’t feel your presence.  Why do you withhold yourself from us?   Please come and be with us again, let us feel your mercy and your grace and we will never again turn from you!

Renew our spirits so that your name is always upon our lips. 
Refresh our souls, O God of the Heavenly Spaces.
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us and send your Spirit to save us!

Lectio Divina ...
Step 1:  Read Psalm Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 slowly and reverently ...
Use the CEB text, my paraphrase or your own, or take link to use this paraphrase from The Message Bible:  What image, word, or phrase calls for your attention in your reading?  Spend a few moments pondering the God you find within your reading ...

Step 2:  Read your selection again and reflect ...
How does this paraphrase illuminate your life right now?  How is God inviting you to change or grow?

Step 3:  Read your selection again and respond ...
What do you say to God about your life and how you are being invited?   Write a one-sentence prayer as an Amen to your time of lectio ... here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

God of the Heavenly Spaces, tear down my inner walls and rebuild my soul with an expansive openness.  Amen!

Step 4:  Rest ... Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "be" with God.

Breath Prayer ...
Step 1:  In 3-4 syllables, what image of God is emerging from your time of prayer?

Step 2:  In 3-4 syllables, what prayer of desire is rising within you?

Step 3:  Create your breath prayer ... here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

Breathing in … God of the Heavenly Spaces ... (pause)
Breathing out …  Tear down my Inner Walls ... (pause)
Breathing in ... God of the Heavenly Spaces ... (pause)
Breathing out ... Rebuild me with Inner Openness ... (pause)

As you continue to journey through your week, breathe!  If music is a pathway to God for you ... sit back, close your eyes and listen to this beautiful contemporary version of a classic hymn by Leigh Nash:  Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us...

Breathing ... Jesus, Shepherd, listen to my heart and lead me into the Heart of God.  Amen.

Psalm 5

This summer I've decided to paraphrase the lectionary Psalms as a prayer practice and then read prayerfully (lectio divina) with my own paraphrase.  Finally, I'll develop a breath prayer to take the transformed psalm with me into my week.  You are invited to join me and paraphrase the summer psalms for yourself.   As we work with the psalms and rewrite the text in our own words/using our own vocabulary, we will find deeper meaning as the week unfolds.  The psalms are prayers of dearly faithful people.  We can pray them into a personal prayer language that lives and breathes our own faith. 

Psalm 5 is classified as an Individual Psalm of Lament. A Lament is an expression of grief or mourning.  In the Psalms you will also find communal laments in which the worshiping community comes together to express their state of mourning over shared dire circumstances.  

There is a common structure to lamenting psalms.  The elements in a psalm of lament are:  a call out to God, description of a troubling situation, plea for God to respond to the situation, trust that God is working in the situation, and an expression of praise.  Although many laments adhere closely to this form, some order the elements in a slightly different way.  

Although the lectionary psalm this week includes only verses 1-8, I am including all of the verses so that you can see the necessary elements within it and keep this in your mind as you paraphrase your own lament.  I've given you my thoughts about the structure but you might see it differently.  I do see an interwoven thread running through with trouble and trust.  Keep the elements in mind as you think and write and pray in a lamenting style ... it may help to ask God to bring a situation to your mind for which you might be well served to lament about!  Laments give us permission to give our grief and despair voice and helps us to know that God welcomes verbal honesty in our prayer lives. 

Paraphrasing the Psalm ... 

Step 1:  Read the Psalm from a translated version, such the NRSV ... several times and out loud if you dare!    Get a sense of the underlying feelings of the Psalmist and the worshiping listeners.  What seems to be the overall message the Psalm writer was trying to convey.  What message are you hearing for your own life?

 

Psalm 5
(CALL) Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; 
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

(TRUST) For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; 
evil will not sojourn with you.

(TROUBLE) The boastful will not stand before your eyes; 
you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies; 
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

(TRUST) But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
 will enter your house, 
I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; 
make your way straight before me.

(TROUBLE) For there is no truth in their mouths; 
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.

(PLEA) Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions cast them out, 
for they have rebelled against you.

(PRAISE) But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; 
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them, 
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord; 
you cover them with favor as with a shield.

Step 2:  Explore the images you find in the psalm and seek new ways of proclaiming the message of in words and phrases that translate to the situation we find in our world today.  Be creative and think not in words but in ideas and give your psalm a sweeping form. 

Step 3:  Take up a journal OR pull up a blank document on the computer ... begin writing in a stream of consciousness with new images, words, and phrases.  Let the images grow and become.  Let the words and phrases emerge to translate the psalm anew in your own prayer language, a new song!

Step 4:  Paraphrase the Psalm with your own images in your own words and phrases ... here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

Cindy's Paraphrase of Psalm 5






(CALL) Listen, God of my Life, as I let out my grief
Hear the emotion churning under my words as I weep
God of the Rising Sun, I wake with thoughts of you.
I tell you my story and watch you work in my life.

(TRUST) I will trust and follow you forever
for you help me focus my gaze upon the beautiful horizon;
you don't bring chaos and you don't abide ugliness. 

(TROUBLE) People who brag and promote themselves 
cannot touch you for people who walk with evil 
reject your love and care
Destruction comes to those who cannot walk 
with truth and truth-tellers
you cringe and turn away from violence and lying eyes 

(TRUST) On the other hand, I feel your love overwhelming me
when I enter your presence as I worship and walk with you
I raise my hands, fall to my knees and let silence still me
in the beautiful sanctuary of your creation
Clear the path before me so that it unfolds with ease
Take my hand and protect me as I walk

(TROUBLE) for my enemies surround me
They lie when the truth would work just as well
They destroy with their rampant emotions
they kill the spirit with their cutting words and
they build up with sweet speech solely to tear down.

(PLEA) God of Justice, let the consequences take them down
and let shame overcome them as they listen only to themselves
Let their rebellion lead them into the pit of hell
as they ride the waves of their dead river water over a cliff

(PRAISE) But listen to those who sing sweet songs
as they joyfully bask in the pool of your life-giving water
Protect them from predators by surrounding them with your presence
and let them be drenched in your love
as they call out your holy name to all who would hear it
May the ones who radiate the love of a relationship with you
be blessed, protected, and lifted up by the truth!

Lectio Divina ... 

Step 1:  Read Psalm 5 slowly and reverently ... 

Use the NRSV text, my paraphrase or your own, or take link to use this Message Paraphrase:

What image, word, or phrase calls for your attention?  Spend a few moments pondering ... 

Step 2:  Read your selection again and reflect ...  

How does this paraphrase illuminate your life right now?

Step 3:  Read your selection again and respond ... 

What do you say to God about your life and how you are seeing God's presence in it?

Write a one-sentence prayer as an Amen to your time of lectio ... here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

God of my Life, fill me with silence and let the path unfold before me.  Amen.

Step 4:  Rest ... Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "be" with God.

Breath Prayer ... 

Step 1:  In 3-4 syllables, what image of God is emerging from your time of prayer?

Step 2:  In 3-4 syllables, what prayer of desire is rising within you? 

Step 3:  Create your breath prayer ... here is mine and feel free to share yours in the comments

Breathe in … God of Life  (pause) 

Breath out … Clear my Path  (pause)

As you continue to journey through your week, breathe!  And take the Presence of God with you through the breath prayer your have created from your time with Psalm 5 ... Amen!