This Epiphany season, please come and behold Reflecting on the Psalms, an exhibit of 150 collages created by First Church artist Audrey Bellinger. Audrey joined our "Praying the Psalms” group led by Brent Coffin wherein participants were invited to enter into a spiritual practice of reading one psalm a day and then meeting weekly for small group discussion. Reflecting on the Psalms is Audrey’s response to these invitations. Her collages became a spiritual practice and they now invite us to wonder anew at each Psalm and perhaps to take on our own practice of daily reading. In addition to this digital gallery, the exhibit is on display in Margaret Jewett Hall from early January through the end of February.
Psalm 1: 1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers:
but their delight is in the law of the LORD. Psalm 2: 11 Serve God with fear, with trembling
12 kiss her feet, or she will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
for her wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in her. Psalm 3: 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around. Psalm 4: 8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. Psalm 5: 3 O God, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. Psalm 6: 1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. Psalm 7: 1 O Lord my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me.
10 God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
and a God who has indignation every day. Psalm 8
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them? Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High Psalm 10
12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed. Psalm 11
4 God is in her holy temple, her throne is in heaven
Her eyes behold, her gaze examines human kind. Psalm 12
6 The promises of God are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind. Psalm 13
1 How O God? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me? Psalm 14
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God. Psalm 15
1 O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who many dwell on your hold hill?
4 Those in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
but who honor those who fear the Lord; Psalm 16
8 I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad,
and my soul rejoices; my body rests secure. Psalm 17
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness. Psalm 18
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
My God in whom I take refuge
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 19
4 In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Psalm 20
1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary,
And give you support from Zion. Psalm 21
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord
and in your help how greatly he exults!
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;
9 …The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them. Psalm 22
16 For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shriveled; I can count all my bones. Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
She makes me lie down in green pastures;
She leads me beside still waters; She restores my soul. Psalm 24
1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.
the world, and those who live in it;
2 for she has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Psalm 25
1 To you O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust;
Do not let me be put to shame; Do not let my enemies exult over me. Psalm 26
1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
5 I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked. Psalm 27
1 God is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
God is the stronghold of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 28
1 To you, O God, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Psalm 29
3 The voice of God is over the waters;
5 The voice of God breaks the cedars;
9 The voice of God causes the oaks to whirl,
10 God sits enthroned over the flood;
11 May God bless her people with peace! Psalm 30
5 Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 31
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Psalm 32
11Be glad in God and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Psalm 33
13 God looks down from heaven; she sees all humankind.
14 From where she sits enthroned she watches
all the inhabitants of the earth– Psalm 34
4 I sought the Lord and she answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 35
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. Psalm 36
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights. Psalm 37
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place,
they will not be there.
11But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. Psalm 38
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation;
there is not health in my bones because of my sin. Psalm 39
4 “Lord, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is. Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for God;she inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 She drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry bog and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure. Psalm 41
11 By this I know that you are pleased with me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever. Psalm 42
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder or you cataracts;
all your wave and your billows have gone over me.
8 by day God commands her steadfast love,
and at night her song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 43
2 You are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
Because of the oppression of the enemy? Psalm 44
4 You are my King and my God;
you command victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants. Psalm 45
13…The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
in many-colored robes she is led to the king;
behind her the virgins, her companions, follow. Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
10 Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 47
Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy,
2 For God, the most high, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. Psalm 48
12 Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers,
13 consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation the this is God,
our God forever and ever, She will be our guide forever. Psalm 49
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish. download originalPsalm 50
15 Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Psalm 51
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me,
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you. Psalm 52
8 I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. Psalm 53
2 God looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. Psalm 54
Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth
3 For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; Psalm 55
4 My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. Psalm 56
6 They stir up strife, they lurk. They watch my steps.
As they hoped to have my life, so repay them for their crime;
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! Psalm 57
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
I will sing praises to you among the nations,
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds. Psalm 58
1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge people fairly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth. Psalm 59
2 Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me. Psalm 60
1O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; now restore us!
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering. Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Psalm 62
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from her comes my salvation.
2 She alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken. Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 64
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers. Psalm 65
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
You are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might. Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make her face to shine upon us,
2 that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations. Psalm 68
1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive hem away;
as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God
3 But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make her face to shine upon us,
2 that your way may be known upon Psalm 69
1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is not foot hold;
I have come into deep waters,
And the flood sweeps over me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress– make haste to answer me. Psalm 70
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy; Hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O God, do not delay! Psalm 71
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
And I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.
Your power and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. Psalm 72
5 May he live while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
In his days may righteousness flourish
And peace abound, until the moon is no more. Psalm 73
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
you put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made God my refuge, to tell of all your works. Psalm 74
1 O God, why do you cast us off forever?
Why does you anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals;
do not forget the life of your poor forever. Psalm 75
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep its pillars steady. Psalm 76
8 From the heavens you uttered judgement;
the earth feared and was still
9 when God rose up to establish judgement,
to save all the oppressed of the earth. Psalm 77
1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that she may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek God;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refused to be comforted. Psalm 78
32 In spite of all this they still sinned;
they did not believe in his wonders.
33 So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror. Psalm 79
5 How long, O God? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you
and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name. Psalm 80
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;it took deep root and filled the land. Psalm 81
I hear a voice I had not known:
6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” Psalm 82
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken. Psalm 83
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with you tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane. Psalm 84
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Psalm 85
3 You withdrew all you wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
13 Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps. Psalm 86
2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
3 be graacios to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long. Psalm 87
6 God records, as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.”
7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.” Psalm 88
14 O God, why do you cast me off?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors! I am desperate. Psalm 89
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O God,
Your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
17 Let the favor of God be upon us,
And prosper for us the work of our hands–
O prosper the work of our hands! Psalm 91
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge; Psalm 92
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God. Psalm 93
1 God is robed, she is girded with strength.
She has established the world; it shall never be moved;
3 The floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic that the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves of the seas,majestic on high is God! Psalm 94
10 He who disciplines the nations,
he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
11 God knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath. Psalm 95
1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
3 For our God is a great God and great above all gods.
4 In her hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are hers also.
5 The sea is hers, for she made it,
and the dry land, which her hands have formed. Psalm 96
1 O sing to God a new song; sing to God, all the earth.
12 Let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for you. Psalm 97
1 Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
3 Fire goes before God, and consumes his adversaries on every side. Psalm 98
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands; Let the hills sing together for joy. Psalm 99
1 The lord is king; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim, let the earth quake!
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship God with gladness;
come into God’s presence with singing. Psalm 101
2 I will study the way that is blameless.
When shall I attain it?
I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. Psalm 102
7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
2 Worship God with gladness;
come into God’s presence with singing. Psalm 103
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is her steadfast love toward those who fear her. Psalm 104
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the animals of the forest come creeping out. Psalm 105
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
they rebelled against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood, and caused their fish to die. Psalm 106
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly. Psalm 107
13 Then they cried to God in their trouble,
and God saved them from their distress;
14 God brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and broke their bonds asunder. Psalm 108
1 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 109
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
even while I make prayer for them.
5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty. Psalm 110
5 God is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads over the wide earth. Psalm 111
2 Great are the works of God, studied by all who delight in them. Psalm 112
4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful and righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice. Psalm 113
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of God is to be praised. Psalm 114
5 Why is it, O Sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs? Psalm 115
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk. Psalm 116
1 I love God, because she has heard my voice and my supplications.
2 Because she inclined her ear to me,
therefore I will call on her as long as I live. Psalm 117
Praise God, all you nations! Extol her, all you peoples!
2 For great is her steadfast love toward us,
And the faithfulness God endures forever.
Praise God! Psalm 118
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 119
89 God exists forever; your word is firmly fixed in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth and it stands fast. Psalm 120
7 I am for peace;
but when I speak,
they are for war. Psalm 121
7 God will keep you from all evil;
she will keep your life.
8 God will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time on
and forevermore. Psalm 122
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.” Psalm 123
2 our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. Psalm 124
6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken, and we have escaped Psalm 125
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds his people,
From this time on and forevermore. Psalm 126
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
Shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves. Psalm 127
1 Unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless God guards the city, The guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil, for she gives sleep to her beloved. Psalm 128
5 The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel! Psalm 129
1 “Often have they attacked me from my youth”
–Let Israel now say–
2 “often have they attacked me from my youth
yet they have not prevailed against me.” Psalm 130
5 I wait for God, my soul waits,
and in her word I hope:
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more that those who watch for the morning,
More that those who watch for the morning. Psalm 131
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. Psalm 132
3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord. Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity! Psalm 134
1 Come, bless God, all you servants of God
who stand by night in the house God!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless God! Psalm 135
6 Whatever God pleases she does,
in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. download originalPsalm 136
3 O give thanks to the God of Gods,
whose steadfast love endures forever:
6 who spread out the earth on the waters,
for her steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon–there we sat down
and there we wept when we remembered Zion. Psalm 138
1 I give you thanks, O God, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Psalm 139
1 O God, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away. Psalm 140
1 Deliver me, O God, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,
2 who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. Psalm 141
1 I call upon you, O God; come quickly to me;
give ear to my voice when I call to you.
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape. Psalm 142
6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low.
Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
For you will deal bountifully with me. Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to my supplications in you faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant.
For no one living is righteous before you. Psalm 144
13 May our barns be filled, with produce of every kind;
may our sheep increase by thousands in our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young. Psalm 145
4 One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 146
8 God lifts up those who are bowed down;
God love the righteous.
9 God watches over the strangers;
He upholds the orphan the widow Psalm 147
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. Psalm 148
13 Let them praise the name of God
for her name alone is exalted; her glory is above earth and heaven.
14 She has raised up a horn for her people. Psalm 149
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands. Psalm 150
3 Praise God with trumpet sound; praise God with lute and harp!
4 Praise God with tambourine and dance;
praise God with strings and pipe!
