‘I wait in silence.’ (1, 5) The repetition of this phrase within this song underlines the importance of switching off and reflecting in seeking patience, answers and encouragement. Remember Psalm 13 and other psalms asking ‘How long?’ Then this opening message of the first two verses, repeated in verses 5 to 6, continues: “For you alone are my … Continue reading Psalm 62, 24 Jan 21
Tag: trust
Psalm 126, 13 Dec 20
Following the blues last Sunday about exile, reflecting many peoples suffering displacement and persecution of one sort or another in this world, here we celebrate hopeful restoration. This short but ringing song recalls the joy of people returning home, restored after years of separation and suppression. When God restored the fortunes of Zion, then were … Continue reading Psalm 126, 13 Dec 20
Psalm 34, 1 Nov 2020
Halloween! So let us look at the psalm, not for this Sunday (Proper 26 in the jargon) but for 1 November -- All Saints' day, which happens to fall on Sunday. [For Proper 26, see the page on Psalm 107.] Some say that years ago, the winter frosts coming on, All Hallows day absorbed Celtic … Continue reading Psalm 34, 1 Nov 2020
Psalm 78, 27 Sep 20
This song continues the theme of the Exodus, the Hebrews escaping from slavery and refugee status into a wilderness experience on the way to a promised land. Again, the parting of the waters of the Red Sea and the provision of manna and water in the desert are taken as a parable from which, if … Continue reading Psalm 78, 27 Sep 20
Psalm 124, 23 August 2020
If God be for us, who can be against us? A song of ascent This well-known verse is found not in the psalms but in Romans 8:31. It contains the same message as Psalm 124, and in particular the last verse which has become a standard line in many liturgies: Our help is in the name of … Continue reading Psalm 124, 23 August 2020
Psalm 105(2), 9 Aug 20
Cover of the 1565 Huguenot Psalter, Les Pseaumes mis en rime, music by French composer Claude Goudimel Just two weeks later, up pops Psalm 105 again. We hear again the first 6 verses, which are common to all four occurrences of this psalm through to September. This opening section invites a song of praise in … Continue reading Psalm 105(2), 9 Aug 20
Psalm 17, 2 Aug 20
In Psalm 17 (click here for the text) David, for it is attributed to him, asks for purity and protection. Continuing the idea of transparency heard recently in Psalm 139 -- ' Search me O God' -- David is confident that examination will prove his faithfulness. My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; in … Continue reading Psalm 17, 2 Aug 20
400th: Psalm 13, 28 June ’20
This is the 400th post in Psalms in the South. Thanks to all readers and contributors over the last seven years. For comments or ideas for the future, please use the Comments field at the foot of the page (after the survey form). I will sing to God for dealing with me richly (Ps. 13:6) … Continue reading 400th: Psalm 13, 28 June ’20
Psalm 86, 21 June 2020
An antiphon for the winter solstice, the tune dipping and rising. Summer? See below. Depending on your locale, dear reader, you are about to enjoy either the shortest or the longest day in the year. At South Woden Uniting we have sometimes used an antiphon tune written to mark the occasion. (For reflections on the … Continue reading Psalm 86, 21 June 2020
Psalm 116, 14 June 20
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) whose paraphrases of the psalms are used in many songs. You may have listened to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir's Psalm 116 when it came up in April 2020. At that time, moved by the recent loss of American civil rights leader Joseph Lowery, an African-American setting of an old Isaac Watts hymn, … Continue reading Psalm 116, 14 June 20
Psalms in the South 