Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders, 

His love endures forever. 

5 who by his understanding made the heavens, 

His love endures forever. 

6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, 

His love endures forever. 

7 who made the great lights— 

His love endures forever. 

8 the sun to govern the day, 

His love endures forever. 

9 the moon and stars to govern the night; 

His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt 

His love endures forever. 

11 and brought Israel out from among them 

His love endures forever. 

12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; 

His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea asunder 

His love endures forever.

14 and brought Israel through the midst of it, 

His love endures forever.

15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; 

His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness; 

His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings, 

His love endures forever. 

18 and killed mighty kings— 

His love endures forever. 

19 Sihon king of the Amorites 

His love endures forever. 

20 and Og king of Bashan— 

His love endures forever. 

21 and gave their land as an inheritance, 

His love endures forever. 

22 an inheritance to his servant Israel. 

His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate 

His love endures forever. 

24 and freed us from our enemies. 

His love endures forever. 

25 He gives food to every creature. 

His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. 

His love endures forever.

Questions to consider:

• An easy one: why does the psalmist call us to give thanks to God?
• What do you take verse 5 to mean?
• Do you disagree with or have trouble with any part of this psalm? If so, why?

Possibilities for prayer:

I like this psalm a lot because it reminds me of an old Chris Tomlin song (I've been singing it to myself as I've been writing this day's guide) that I used to listen to fairly often. To be honest, I didn't realize that the song was basically this psalm set to music, but now that I know it, I kind of think the song's even cooler. As a prayer response today, pick out your favorite 5 lines from this psalm that declare something great about God and make up your own song for them. You don't have to sing it out loud, and no one is going to judge you, but as you reflect on those statements of God, see if you aren't at least a little bit inspired to come up with a song yourself!

Psalm 135

¹ Praise the LORD.

Praise the name of the LORD;
praise him, you servants of the LORD,
² you who minister in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.

³ Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
⁴ For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.

⁵ I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
⁶ The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
⁷ He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

⁸ He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
⁹ He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
¹⁰ He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
¹¹ Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
¹² and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.

¹³ Your name, LORD, endures forever,
your renown, LORD, through all generations.
¹⁴ For the LORD will vindicate his people
and relent concerning his servants.

¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
¹⁷ They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
¹⁸ Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.

¹⁹ House of Israel, praise the LORD;
house of Aaron, praise the LORD;
²⁰ house of Levi, praise the LORD;
you who fear him, praise the LORD.
²¹ Praise be to the LORD from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD.

Questions to consider:

• For you, which is the most profound image that the psalmist offers?
• How do you think the psalmist knows that "the Lord is great"?
• Who does the psalmist call upon to praise the Lord?
• Does this psalm reflect your feelings toward God? Why or why not?

Possibilities for prayer:

As I read through this psalm, one of the things that was most striking to me was the comparison between our God and the "idols of the nations." They were portrayed as completely ineffective, while God "does whatever pleases him" and is capable of making "clouds rise from the ends of the earth," among many other things. The psalmist uses some rather lovely imagery in describing what God can do, has done, and will do; imagery that likely leaves one feeling rather inspired and awed by the greatness of the God we serve. That greatness seems magnified many fold in comparison to the utter lack of ability the other idols have. Today, let's take some time to simply praise our God, the God who sends lightning and makes wind, who is capable of both creating and ending life, and who will vindicate his people.

Psalm 130

¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
²O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
⁴But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

⁵I wait for the LORD,my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
⁶my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷O Israel hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

Questions to consider:

• What depths do you think the author is talking about here?
• What request does the author make?
• What qualities of God does the author praise?

Possibilities for prayer:

It's pretty convicting to think about God keeping a tally sheet of the things that we've done in our lives...I don't know about you, but it's not always clear to me whether the good things would outweigh the bad. But praise the Lord for forgiveness (and that's definitely what the author here is doing!) because that means that this treacherous tally sheet gets thrown at the window. Today, take some time to ask for forgiveness for the things that you haven't yet confessed, and then bask in the grace and forgiveness that God offers us. You might want to offer up a prayer of thanks and gratitude for that...and maybe even sing a song or two!

Psalm 129

¹"Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth"—
let Israel now say—
²"Greatly 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 has cut the cords of the wicked.
⁵May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
⁶Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
⁷with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
⁸nor do those who pass by say,
"The blessing of the LORD be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the LORD!"

Questions to consider:

• What is the writer of this psalm seeking?
• Who is responsible for victory over one's enemies?
• Who do you think this psalm is addressed to?

Possibilities for prayer:

The writer of this psalm seems to me to be clearly upset about the way in which he has been oppressed. However, in the midst of frustration and anger, the writer is able to declare God's victory over those people, and acknowledge the way in which God did not allow them to prevail. This is a common theme in the psalms--anger, frustration, sorrow that are turned into joy, confidence, and victory. Let's make it a common theme in our lives as well...today, let's ask God that whenever we encounter adversity in our lives, we would be able to confidently claim God's ultimate triumph.

Psalm 128

¹ Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
²You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
⁴Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

⁵The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
⁶May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

Questions to consider:

• To you, what does it mean to fear the Lord
• What are some examples of ways in which God will bless his people?
• What prosperity do you hope to see for "all the days of your life"?

Possibilities for prayer:

Take some time to think about what the fear of the Lord looks like in your life. Ask God to speak to you about how you can be more reverent in your life. Thank God for the ways that you have been blessed already, and ask that God would reveal to you the ways in which he is continually blessing you, even now.

Psalm 127

¹Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
²It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.

³Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
⁵Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Questions to consider:

• What does this passage teach you about the power of God?
• What does this passage suggest about family?
• What does this passage suggest about rest?

Possibilities for prayer:

It's a pretty intense statement to suggest that without God, labor is worthless and protection is not real. Let's take some time to evaluate the way in which we trust God with our lives...with our work, with our safety, etc. Ask that God would increase the faith that you have in God's power, and give you the humility to give credit where credit is due (God!).

Psalm 126

1When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
3The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.

4Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Questions to consider:

• What do you think it means to be "like those who dream"?
• How have you seen the truth of verse 3 in your own life?
• Do verses 5 and 6 give you hope?
• How have you seen the promises in this passage fulfilled in your life?

Possibilities for prayer:

Maybe it was really easy for some of you to think of ways that God has fulfilled the promises in this psalm, the way that God is able to transform pain and sorrow into laughter and joy. But maybe for others it was more difficult in this moment to see that possibility of transformation clearly. Whatever your current situation or frame of mind, take a moment to pray that God would give you eyes to see the transformational power that God has to take hardship and strife and turn it into something beautiful for God's glory. Ask that God would give you the ability to see beyond the hard stuff right in front of you, and to praise God in the midst of anything...calm or storm!