Contemplative Bible Reading

Psalm 48:12-14 (New Living Translation) 12 Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. 13 Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations. 14 For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and […]

[Read more →]

Psalm 131:1-3 (New Living Translation) 1 Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child […]

[Read more →]

Psalms 25:7 (New Living Translation) Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord. David wrote this Psalm. He asks God for something quite selfish, but I find myself asking the same thing. David asks God to remember God’s love […]

[Read more →]

Psalm 27:4 (New Living Translation) The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. This is the prayer of a warrior—a man who was not allowed […]

[Read more →]

Psalms 119:3 (New Living Translation) I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. This is a good practice – reciting aloud. Perhaps, in days gone by, we used to do this more than we do now. As a child attending a Christian elementary school, we memorized Bible passages and recited them. Note […]

[Read more →]

Psalms 127:1-2 (New Living Translation) 1 Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. 2 It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to […]

[Read more →]

Psalms 24:3-4 (American Standard Version) 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully. Today I am looking at the American Standard Version […]

[Read more →]

Psalm 27:1 (New Living Translation) The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? Sometimes I (re)find a verse or two that summarizes everything. I slap my head and wonder why I make life so complicated that I cannot put one foot in front of the other. Here is such […]

[Read more →]

Psalms 27:11 (New Living Translation) Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Simple, under-stated, yet powerful. Please, oh Lord, teach me how to live. Why does the writer ask for instruction? Because there are people seeking to harm the writer. Are we […]

[Read more →]

Psalm 35:1,6 (New Living Translation) O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. … Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. These two verses are from a Psalm of David. David asks Jehovah to oppose those who oppose David. The second verse listed […]

[Read more →]