The Psalm of Mary, Mother of Jesus - as Leigh Hears It

The Magnificat!

Luke 1:46-55

Not all of Israel's Psalms are found in the book of Psalms. There are some throughout the books of the Bible. This Psalm is found in the book of Luke. It was sung by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth when John the Baptist was still in utero and leaped for joy at Mary's calling when she visited them.

~*~

Mary, singing from her heart of hearts:

Deep within my soul, I celebrate God's glory, 

and my spirit rejoices in God, My Savior.

For He has seen where I live, in all of my lowliness

and humility:

and yet, because of His mighty acts, 

I will forever be proclaimed as blessed. Therefore, I will ever praise His name, giving Him all the glory and honor He is due.

May His mercy fall on all who fear,

honor and respect Him throughout eternity.

For He has shown His dominion over all

on earth by scattering those whose innermost

thoughts are filled with pride;

even those who rule from their lofty seats 

has He brought low.

He has lifted up the humble,

raising them from their humility.

He has filled the hungry in body and soul

with every good thing.

But the rich - those who seem satisfied

in body and soul - has He sent away empty-handed.

Yes, God has embraced Israel once more,

for He has remembered His mercy - 

His loving kindness - and His promised pardon 

to Abraham and his descendants throughout all time.

Amen!

Psalms Thirty, verses 1-12

A Song of Dedication for the Temple of the Lord

As followers of Jesus, WE are His Temple!

Lord, I applaud You. Yes, I clap my hands as I sing Your praise; for You have raised me up out of the depths of my darkness and despair. And You did not allow my enemies to rejoice in my depression. I called for help and You heard me, bringing Your healing to clear my darkness. Thank You, Lord, for not allowing me to fall headlong into that pit. For sparing me from the grave. Ever will I sing Your praises!

Hey, congregation believers, sing His praises. All you His faithful servants, praise His holy name. Yes, I know He gets angry sometimes, but it only lasts for a moment. But His favor, grace, and mercy last forever; beyond this lifetime ... throughout all eternity. I know there are times you may cry yourself to sleep at night. But when you wake in the morning, He will refresh you with HIs unspeakable joy and peace.

You know, when my bank accounts and pantries were full and I felt safe and secure, I said, 'I've got the world by the tail ... I've got it made! For You had blessed me with Your favor, placing me upon Your solid Rock. Then You seemed to turn away just for a moment, hiding Your face from me. My whole world collapsed, and my spirit was in ruins.

I cried out to You in my despair. I longed to be shown Your mercy once more, so I tearfully yelled, 'how can Your Kingdom advance if I am dead and buried? When I can no longer sing Your songs of praise? Will my grave praise Your name? Will it tell others of Your faithfulness ... Your truth? Hear me once more, my God, and pour out Your mercy and forgiveness on me.

See, You've done it again: You turned my cries of anguish into joyous dancing. You have exchanged my sackcloth and ashes for Your pure joy. How can I be silent, now? Therefore I will never stop singing Your praises. Evermore will I lift my voice to give You honor, glory, and praise!

Amen!

Psalms Eighteen, Verses 19-50

Chapter Intro - Restated:

To: The Chief Musician; A Psalm of David (and of Leigh), who sang these words to the Lord on the day when God delivered him from hands of his enemy ... of Saul.

Singing:

You, Lord, have brought me out into a spacious place; You delivered me because I have brought you delight, I have made you smile.

You have rewarded me according to the righteousness I have found in You, Your Spirit within my mind - my conscious thought, my honesty, and my trustworthiness; because my hands are clean in Your sight, You have rewarded me.

For I have stayed true to Your path, Lord. I have not strayed from Your side nor Your ways.

All of Your directions are ever before me, I will never let them slip away from me.

I stand in Your presence without blame, for I am clothed in Your righteousness and ever in a state of readiness so that I may keep myself free from sinning and the guilt that come with that lifestyle.

It is for these reasons that You have rewarded me for my presence in Your righteousness - because I can stand tall and straight in You - because of Your righteousness, my hands are clean in Your eyes.

You will always show Yourself kind and merciful to those who reflect Your kindness and mercy in their hearts and lives; as with those who are honest and straightforward, you will act honestly, too.

Those who are pure of heart will see Your purity, and those who are corrupt will see Your anger and hostility.

For You, my Lord, have delivered the tormented, timid and withdrawn people, but You will destroy those who look down upon them; the contemptuous, indifferent and overbearing.

It is You alone that have given Light to my life; You have made me to shine, causing the brightest light to flood my darkness.

With Your light, and the power it gives me, I can meet any band of attackers and defeat them handily. In Your strength, I can leap over the highest walls to bring them down.

Lord, all of Your ways are perfect! Your Word is tested and tried and has been proven true; You protect all who see You for refuge better than the best shields or forcefield available; all who seek shelter, placing their trust in You, will certainly find it.

So, who can be our Master save our God? Or who is a better Fortress to provide us protection than God? The same God who clothes me with His strength and makes me completely mature as I walk His pathway?

Lord, You strengthen my foundation, making me able to stand on spiritual high places like a deer on the mountain heights. In fact. You even set me upon those heights when I am strong in You.

You alone can train me to battle the enemy, making my arms strong enough that I could pull a bow made of bronze.

You have given me the Shield of Your Salvation, Your very Son, who is Your Right Hand, has held me up; Your loving-kindness, tenderness, and patronage caress me.

You have cleared the path ahead so that there is nothing on which I would trip and fall.

When I chased the enemy, I was able to overtake and destroy them. They were not able to rise again once they fell, wounded and near death at my feet.

Your strength wraps around me, holding me tight like a girdle, to build me up for the battle; and when it is over, I see the very enemy that had tried to defeat me, now underneath my feet. You alone have made them turn tail and run the other direction so that they come no longer into my presence.

These enemies cried for help but they found none. They even tried to get Your attention, Lord, but You refused to hear their cries.

Then I was able to totally defeat them, they appeared as small as grains of dust blowing in the wind, and I poured them out of my life, as one pours out the dust in a dustpan onto the garbage heap.

Lord, You set me free from anxious people; You made me a leader within my community; people whom I had never met walk beside me to serve Your Kingdom. As soon as they heard of me and Your message that I bring, they submitted themselves to Your call. Strangers, corrupt beings, came crawling out of their hiding places in fear, pretending to serve You.

But You Live, my Lord! You make me happy within Your protective Fortress. And I will lift Your name in exaltation! Yes, My Lord is the God who takes revenge on my behalf, trampling my enemies beneath His feet, giving me complete deliverance. Yes, You have delivered me from the destruction of the evil one. It is for this reason that I will ever praise You, giving You thanks and singing songs of worship every day. 

And You will deliver me with Your greatness whenever I am in need. For You show mercy and unfailing love to those who have covered by the Blood of Your Son, anointing me and covering me - and those I bring alongside - with your Holy Power and Love forever.

Amen!

Psalm Eighteen - Verses 1-19

Intro:

To: The Chief Musician

A Psalm of David (and Leigh), who sang these words to the Lord on the day when God delivered him from hands of his enemies ... of Saul.

Singing:

Lord, I love You so much! You are my Strength, The Source of my Help.

Lord, You are my Strong Tower, my Fortified City, the only real Deliverer I have. My God and my King, the solid Rock of my Foundation, the one in Whom I can put all of my trust and take refuge within, the Shield of my Defenses, and the Father of my Salvation - Jesus, the Place of my Greatest Safety.

So I will proclaim aloud the trustworthiness of my God. For You have saved me out of the clutches of my enemies. For the grief and sorrow of impending death surrounded me, ungodly men swirled around me as a torrential flood. The hoards of Hell assembled round about; I had been captured in the midst of the dead.

Then I called out to You in my confinement. And you heard my cries from Your temple. From Your spiritual dwelling place within my soul, my cries came into Your very ears.

At that very moment there was a great earthquake. The foundations of the mountains trembled; they were deeply moved, shaken  by Your fury; for You were indignant at my imprisonment; angered by my enemies' mental and physical torture. So angry, in fact, that smoke billowed from Your nostrils and devouring lightnings proceeded from Your mouth, so much so that coals were kindled among the rocks and trees round about by it.

You stepped down from Your throne and came down among us. Your feet were shrouded in a thick cloud of darkness. Riding upon a cherub, a ministering spirit from Your throne room, You flew swiftly. You soared on the very wings of the winds. You clothed Yourself in darkness, making a canopy of the gathering black clouds, clouds like of the fiercest thunderstorm.

Out of the brightness of Your presence, You broke forth from Your dark, stormy canopy hurling thunderbolt and hailstones toward the earth. Your voice thundered, as if from Heaven, through the souls of evil men. Your burning coals of fire scattered the enemy. Thunderbolts. huge and ominous, routed them completely.

All of the fury of nature You brought to bear against the foundations of the earth. The ocean floor was laid bare at the rebuke of your voice, at the very breath of Your nostrils.

Yet in the midst of all this, You reached down from on high, You picked me up. You drew me out of the violent danger all around, delivering me from my strong enemy, from all those who loathe and despise me, for they were much too strong for me alone.

They had confronted me, coming upon me when all around me was already in turmoil. But You Lord, are the Pillar of my Strength, my Rock and very Foundation and Support. You rescued me, for I bring You delight. You have placed me in a roomy and comfortable place, both in body and in spirit.

~*~

Our God is so AWESOME! He will always save and deliver those you make pleasing Him their very delight. And He chose us, the people He created, to bring Him delight, honor, love, worship, praise and glory ... and of all this He ALONE is Worthy!

Psalm Sixteen

Intro:

A poem of David, intended to record memorable thoughts.

Eternal Life for one who trusts.

My Intro:

A prayer of my heart, to record my thoughts on the Lord in my life.

My Lord, if I have found a place of refuge in You, if You are indeed the Rock of my Salvation, then I place all of my trust fully in You; within the folds of Your wings, I will hide and safely remain. For I know that You will protect me and keep me safe ... Always!

For You are my Lord and Master; nothing I am or have is any good without You. I have no righteousness unless I am washed clean by Your Blood.

As for Your other followers throughout the nations, it is they who have an excellent relationship with, and right standing in You. I am honored to be counted among them, delighted to follow their example as they follow after You.

But those who choose to follow after other gods, their fellowship offerings I will not offer; neither will I mention their names ... I refuse to allow them to proceed from my lips.

Lord I have chosen You as the cup I will drink from and my lot life has drawn from Your hands, my only favored serving from life's pie.

Battle lines have been drawn and my position chosen.I see I have been placed in battle array on the front lines, yet because You have appointed it I know that it is a protected position, a pleasant place from which I will joyfully serve You.

So I will fight valiantly in order to please You; just to make You crack a smile. For You have always given me wise counsel. Your Spirit, deep within my heart, guides me in dark times.

Because You are the source of my strength, my very right hand, I will not be moved. No force of the enemy can muster will displace the dynamic power of Your Spirit within me!

Therefore will I sing Your songs of praise; my lips, yes my very heart of hearts shall rejoice evermore ... Yes, my whole being is filled with restful hope in You alone.

For I know that You will not leave my soul in the torment of hell and destruction. No, You will not allow Your saints to see corruption, or to suffer eternal separation from You -- You who are the very source of our life ... of my life.

Yes You have shown me that real life is non-existent without You ... for You are life itself! Only in Your presence is their true joy. So this is where I choose to be ... to take my stand ... at Your right hand forevermore! 

Hallelujah!

Amen and Amen

Psalm Fourteen

Intro:

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

I see foolish men (and women) saying aloud that there is no God. It is an idea that emanates from deep within their heart. They are so evil, they have done so many repulsive acts; is there no one that does anything good?

Lord, look down from heaven upon the children of men. See if there is anyone who understands, who seek your face for Your care, Your Love, Your Wisdom. No, there are not. They have all turned away from Your pathway. They have become totally corrupt ... there is none who do good. Not Even One!

And the Lord replies, "Doesn't any of these evil people know anything? Anything at ALL? They eat up my people, just like they eat their dinner. And they NEVER call on Me for help. They tremble with great fear, for they see that I am with those who can stand uprightly in My presence."

"Hey, you there! Can't you see that you shame the counsel of the poor, but they don't care. For I am there refuge!"

Lord, I pray that You would send Your Son once more to earth. Bring Your final Salvation to Your children. Break all of their bonds and release them from all that would hold them captive. And Jacob will sing with JOY. Yes, Israel will shout with pure, unrestrained joy for all of Your marvelous ways!

Thoughts:

Now that David has quit feeling sorry for himself, he takes a new look at his unrighteous and evil enemies. He states that they are foolish and shallow beings, corrupt in all their ways. All of their deeds, every action they make, are evil to the core, vile and abominable. They haven't even one good deed to their credit.

He sees God, looking down from His throne upon the clouds in the sky, shaking His head; for He sees no righteous influence among these evil souls. But David knows the Lord, and that He holds a remnant of godly men and women safe within His protective grasp. He alone is their refuge.

The Lord God will save His people; He will save them from all these ungodly fools. And His chosen ones will rejoice in Him and His provision evermore!

Amen!

Psalm Thirteen and some thoughts on David's version

Intro:

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Lord, how long will You forget all about me? How long will You turn Your face away from me? How long will You leave me alone with my own thoughts as my guide? How long will I be fulled with grief deep in my soul? How long will You allow my enemies to rule over me? How long, Lord? How Long?

Listen to me, oh Lord, and consider what I have to say. Then fill my soul with the wisdom I need to give me insight that will keep me safe from death at the hands of my enemies. This will keep them from spewing his lies ... from saying, "See, I beat her at her own game." This will keep them from rejoicing over my perils .... gloating over my calamities.

I trust You, Lord. I trust in Your mercy. I rejoice in Your Salvation. And I will ever sing to You the praises You have filled my heart and soul with, for You and blessed me exceedingly. You have given me that "abundant life" You spoke of to the first disciples You trained.

Thoughts:

As I read through this Psalm, I saw David as throwing a great pity party, so let's see how that goes:

Boo who! God is sooo far away. Why has He placed me in such isolation while my enemies are on the loose? How long will I have only my dark thoughts of fear and dread to guide me? Forever?

Listen to me, God! Now ... Before I Die!*

(*This kind and of reminds me of when my kids would argue, then come crying to me for help. I always told them they would have to work it out for themselves.)

"Hear me before my enemies laugh as they are conquering me."

(Here I see David getting a glimpse of Truth once again. So he starts to refocus his thoughts on the Lord rightly.)

"I have always trusted You, for You alone are worthy of my trust. I know that Your mercy prevails and that I will rejoice in Your Salvation evermore. Then I will sing allowed once more. I will lift my voice in songs of praise to You; for You have always dealt with exceeding grace and bountiful mercy toward me.

Thank You, Lord for all of Your wondrous Love and Mercy!

Amen

Psalm Nine

Intro:

To the Chief Musician; possible set for soprano voices. A Psalm of David.

A Song of Thanksgiving!

Lord, I give You thanks from a heart filled with gratitude ... it knows no bounds.

While I write a book of Your exploits, I am whistling, laughing, and jumping up and down for the pure joy that it brings. Lord, I sing all of Your songs of praise, from beginning to end. Then I start all over again.

Do You remember the day that my enemies decided to run away from the scene of their crimes? I do! They were running away, watching over their shoulders all the way. They were so busy looking behind themselves that they tripped over their own feet, falling right on their faces. Then You stepped in and set everything to rights once more.

You were there exactly when I needed you. You took charge and everything went exactly as You had planned.

Lord, You are the original '"whistle blower;"  You blow the whistle on the ungodly nations and throw their evil politicians - all dirty dealers and cheating players of all stripes - out of the game, removing their names from the official records. Your actions on the playing field encourages other enemies, that have been sitting in the grandstand watching, to pick up their seat cushions and leave in haste; their reputations in ruins and their names erased from their roll call of recognition ... removing them from their "hallowed halls of fame."

It is God alone, not Atlas, who balances the worlds in His hands. He put everything that is askew in the world back into it's proper place and position. He knows what is best for every thing and every body in His creation, and He gives them each just what they deserve.

My Lord, You are a safe haven for the broken, battered and bruised; a place of refuge especially set aside for when things, times, and people are evil and destructive. When I step within, I am finally able to relax. And I am always glad to be at home within this peaceful place of refuge.

I will sing songs of praise to You, oh Lord ... You who lives within my heart. I will tell all of the stories of Your marvelous works, all of Your awesome exploits, to everybody that I meet: how You track down and pass judgement on all evildoers, yet all the while You watch over every cry of pain and sigh of despair.

Oh Father, please treat me with Your loving-kindness, for I have been pushed around - kicked about - for far too long; but You pull me back from the edge of destruction, from the very brink of death. For this reason I will proclaim Your name, I will shout praises of You from the rooftops! I will give You thanks for Your saving grace.

Lord, look at the ungodly masses; those peoples who have sought their own paths, their own righteousness. They have set traps for the unsuspecting, snares for those they seek to rob; but they have tripped themselves up, they have been caught in their own webs of deceit. They know that there is no excuse for their destructive deeds; for Your ways are well known, Your exploits have been broadcast far and wide. Yet they continue making their evil designs, breaking their own fingers as they go.

Yet, all that choose to be wicked and evil have already purchased their one-way tickets to Hell.

But all of those who are poor will no longer be a nameless, faceless mass of humanity. No more will the humble in spirit be humiliated. For You, my Lord, have had enough, You will no longer allow this type events to proceed, the wicked have reached the end of Your ropes! For I see that you are sick and tired with all of the posturing of these evildoers. You are about to expose them and all of their "grand schemes." Stir up that hornet's nest, Lord, and let them see just how stupid it all is and how silly they really look!

Amen!