Psalms 101-104 from my new book:

A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD PSALMS

Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation

____________________

I present here a new perspective on the psalms. I have rewritten them from a New 
Testament Christ-centered point of view. I did not try to capture the poetry of the 
psalms – I leave that to more gifted writers – but I attempted to capture their message
with a more modern interpretation.

God bless,

John

____________________

Psalm 101

L

ord, show me your mercy and help me understand your truth. Answer my prayer. I am an innocent man. I abhor evil and the wicked. My heart is pure. I do not associate with the ungodly. I reject slanderers, the arrogant, and those who are never satisfied. I would not even eat with them. My companions are the faithful, the innocent, and the compassionate. I want nothing to do with condescending braggarts. I avoid contact with those who speak evil.

Give me wisdom, Lord, to discern the truth, to see evil for what it is, and to avoid it at all costs. Let me be a force for good in the world. Help me to proclaim the good news and root out evil wherever it hides. Amen.⁵²

Psalm 102

(Suffering Jesus prays to the Father for us.)

" F

ather, be attentive to my prayer. Do not reject me, for I suffer greatly. My life has been cut short. My bones have become brittle. I have been brought low and made weak. I am nothing but skin and bone because I am too sick to eat. I am abandoned and without resource. I groan, but no one hears me. My enemies hate me. Former friends betrayed me. My food is sorrow; my drink is bitter tears. I feel the full force of your anger. Your Son, with whom you were once so pleased, is now a broken man. I am a shadow of my former self. I am weak and barely recognizable.

Yet, Father, you have not forgotten your people. I know that my suffering is not the result of anything I have done. Did I not warn my disciples that the Son of Man would suffer and die to atone for their sins? Did I not also tell them that you would raise me from the dead on the third day? Now they understand that you are a compassionate Father who takes pity on his children. You love your creatures and know how weak they are. They are barely here for an instant and then gone like dust in the wind.

All nations and their rulers will revere you, Father, for the resurrection of your Son will glorify your name. All generations will remember how you looked down from heaven, heard the moaning of your people, and set them free from the slavery of sin and the fear of death.

Whenever the faithful will gather to worship you, they will recall how you strengthened them by  revealing that their short life on earth would give way to everlasting life with you in heaven. For you are eternal, Father. Before time began, you created the universe. And although it will pass away one day, you will remain forever. We all die, but we will be changed when we enter heaven. All your Church will dwell there for all eternity with you, who are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Amen.”⁵³

Psalm 103

P

raise the Lord, my soul, and magnify his name with all your strength. He forgives your sins, heals your diseases, saves you from ruin, is merciful and kind to you, satisfies your needs, and renews your strength.

He takes pity on those who have been unjustly treated and rights their wrongs. He gave us laws to follow for our own good. The Lord is sympathetic to our struggles and tolerant of our weaknesses. He does not anger easily or hold grudges. His judgment is softened by his mercy, chastising less than crimes deserve. No one could measure the extent of his compassion for the people who revere him.

He forgives us as a Father would forgive his children. He created us and knows how fragile we are; we are here today and gone tomorrow. But the Lord’s mercy and just concern for his children will never end. All he asks is that we keep his commandments.

Let us worship the Father who rules from his throne in heaven. Honor his powerful angels who are quick to fulfill his slightest wish. Let everyone and everything the Lord has made in heaven and on earth bless his name. Accept my praise as well, Father, for it comes from a grateful soul. Amen.⁵⁴

Psalm 104

P

raise the Lord, my soul. Lord, no words can describe your magnificence. Clothed in majesty and light, you blanket the heavens with stars, create the waters that fall upon the earth, and walk on the winds as the clouds swirl about you. You created the angels who blaze like flames of fire. You formed the earth, and it will remain firm until the end of the ages. You covered the world with the oceans and seas; then ordered them to recede to provide dry land for its inhabitants. You made springs for the thirsty wild animals on the plains and the birds who nest nearby in the rocks. 

Your showers water the fields and produce abundant harvests; grass for cattle; plants to feed your children; bread for life; wine for celebration; oil to make the face shine; trees for lumber, fruit, and birds’ nests. Deer roam your mountains and rabbits hide among your cliffs.

You created the moon to mark the seasons and the night to provide cover so the wild animals could hunt their prey undetected. You gave us the sun to light man’s path to work and signal a time for your animals to take their rest.

All creation proclaims your glory, Lord, and reflects your great wisdom. It is no accident that the earth is filled with creatures; that the seas team with life, small and large, and provide safe passage for ships. Creatures of the deep, some quite huge, are totally dependent upon you for their survival. You decide whether they live or die. But death is not the end of it, for you will send your Holy Spirit to create new life. Therefore, your glory will endure forever.

You take delight in your works who respond to your slightest attention. The earth shakes and the volcanos smoke at just a glance from you. Such is the power of God!

I will praise you, Lord, for as long as I live. May my prayers be acceptable to you, for that is enough to make my heart glad.

May evil disappear from the earth. May sinners repent and rebels obey. And may my soul always bless you, Lord. Amen.

____________________

Cover image: Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator)." Web. 25 Sept 2016.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spas_vsederzhitel_sinay.jpg
"Creative Commons License." Web. 18 May 2016.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

⁵²The Orthodox Study Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 748.

⁵³Ibid.

⁵⁴Ibid., p. 749.

This book and other books I have written are posted for your reading pleasure at Booksie.

Scriptural quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 

copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
60189. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2016 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must 

be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is 

offered to the public free of charge for the glory of God.