"Praise the LORD, who is my rock.
He trains my hands for war
and gives my fingers skill for battle.
He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my rescuer.
He is my shield, and I take refuge in him.
He makes the nations submit to me." Psalm 144:1-2 (NLT)

Meditation: "Lord, God of armies...arm me for the struggle; I burn to fight for your glory, but I beg of you to fortify my courage.... Later at Carmel, when his tests against the faith were so strong, no one could suspect his martyr; she always had on her lips a smile of peace. No sacrifice frightened her: 'The Lord, she said, is my shield, I hope in him!"^† 

"Reach down from heaven and rescue me;
rescue me from deep waters,
from the power of my enemies." Psalm 144:7 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, you are my deliverer. Save me from the deep waters of sin and death that threaten to overwhelm me.

"Joyful indeed are those whose God is the LORD." 
Psalm 144:15 (NLT)

Meditation: Father, you shower me with gifts because you love me. Thank you! I love you, too, but I will love you more.

"I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles." Psalm 145:5 (NLT)

Meditation: The splendor of the Lord dwarfs any attraction that this world of shadows, illusions, and dreams can offer.

"The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing."
Psalm 145:15-16 (NLT)

Meditation: (Thérèse attributes this quote to Saint Joseph) "Is it true that I have received the sublime mission to be the nurturing father to the One who satisfies by his presence the burning seraphim and who feeds every creature?"^† 

^†de Lisieux, St. Thérèse. La Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 92-93. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.

____________________

Here is Psalm 9 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 9

A Psalm of Thanksgiving for God's Justice.
The Last Judgment

1I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
2I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

3When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish before You.
4For You have maintained my just cause;
You have sat on the throne judging righteously.
5You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very memory of them has perished.

7But the LORD abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment,
8And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.
9The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble;
10And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.
12For He who requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13Be gracious to me, O LORD;
See my affliction from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14That I may tell of all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Your salvation.
15The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16The LORD has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.

17The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
18For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before You.
20Put them in fear, O LORD;
Let the nations know that they are but men.

Psalm 9 and 10 concern the return of Jesus at the end of the world when He will come to judge the living and the dead.¹⁵ It is also our prayer of praise to the Lord for all His marvelous works (9:1): His incarnation, suffering and death, resurrection and ascension, descent of the Holy Spirit, and the establishment of the Church. Moreover, it gives reverence to our Lord's name, at whose utterance every knee must bend.¹⁶

I will praise You, O Lord, for Your marvelous works (9:1). I will rejoice in You and praise Your name because You have defeated my enemies (9:2-3) and judged in favor of my cause (9:4).

You have scolded the godless and destroyed those who do evil (9:5) and erased their memory (9:6). But You, O Lord, reign eternally in heaven on Your throne of judgment (9:7) from where You will judge the world with justice and fairness (9:8).

Your kingdom will be a place of peace and comfort for those who have suffered (9:9). You will not abandon those who trusted in You (9:10). May all those in heaven and in your Church on earth (Zion) praise Your mighty deeds (9:11). You demand justice and remember the cries of the suffering (9:12).

Have mercy on me, O Lord. Rescue me from the devil and raise me up on the last day (9:13). I will praise You in the heavenly Jerusalem (daughter of Zion) and rejoice in Your saving grace (9:14). The wicked are caught in their own traps (9:15) and bring about their own destruction. The Lord judges fairly and those who do evil are ensnared by their own wicked actions (9:16).

On Judgment Day the wicked and all those who reject God will be cast into hell (9:17). But the needy and those who suffer will see God (9:18). O Lord, from Your judgment seat judge the godless. Fill the wicked with fear and cast them away in their powerlessness (9:20).

Prayer for life: Dear Lord, at the hour of my death, when I appear before Your awesome judgment seat, forgive my sins, defend me against the accusations of the evil one, and welcome me into Your kingdom. Look favorably upon Your faithful servant who, against the counsel of a wicked and depraved society, will give birth to the child in my womb. Help me, Lord, through difficult times ahead, for You are my rock, the source of all my strength. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

¹⁵The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 686. Print.
¹⁶Reardon, Patrick. Christ in the Psalms. Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 2000. 18. Print.

Scripture (Psalms 1-21) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Copyright © 2010 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 in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.