A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD PSALMS

Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation

I love the psalms, but they were written at a time when revenge was acceptable as a 

punishment for sin and the people had no concept of an afterlife. Jesus changed all of 

that. He taught us to forgive our enemies and to pray for their conversion. Moreover, 

he taught repentance and salvation: we needed to change our sinful ways if we were 

to enjoy heaven with him eternally.

With that in mind, I present here a new perspective on the psalms. I have rewritten 

them from a New Testament 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.

They say that God wrote the psalms so we could use them to pray to him. I certainly 

have found them to be some of the most beautiful prayers ever written. However, God 

inspired the psalmists to write them, not because he likes to hear himself talk, but rather 

because he wanted us to follow their advice to become a righteous man or woman, or 

as I would say in modern language, attain sanctity.

I hope that this modern presentation of the psalms will in some small way find a 

favorable reception among those who have loved the psalms as much as I have. May 

they serve to draw you and me closer to God.

God bless…

John

Dedicated to Jesus, the fulfillment of the Scriptures.

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Luke 18:38 (NLT)

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Psalm 1

B

less me, Father, and give me the joy that comes from avoiding evil; from not associating with sinners or those of little faith; from seeking to do your will in all things by following your precepts; from spreading the gospel and working for the salvation of souls. Amen.

Psalm 2

F

ather, I see what happens to those who rebel against you: they will be tested by life’s challenges until they acknowledge the error of their ways; accept that certain outcomes can only be achieved with your help; and return to you. None of us can expect to get out of this world alive, and suffering at times in inevitable. However, suffering is not a punishment, but rather a means of purifying the ego, for we are all to be tested in the fire. Yet it is through such tests that we become more humble and cognizant of our shortcomings and failings. It is then that we turn to you for help, rather than trying to rely only on our own resources, which are woefully lacking.

But what about the innocent, Lord? Even great saints and children suffer and die, although they have done nothing wrong. Perhaps the suffering of others may cause us to become more introspective and spiritual as we seek to understand the event. Certainly, many will seek comfort in you when all else fails to heal their broken heat.

Wise men have taught us that you, Lord, have a master plan, and we each must play our part in it. Unfortunately, your plan and the reason behind such tragedies must remain a mystery until we see you face to face. Then all will be made clear. In the meantime, we must keep the faith and trust that you always have our best interests at heart.

Father, even Jesus, your Divine Son, suffered and died at thirty-three years of age, not because he had sins to atone for or possessed an ego to be made pure – Jesus was humility personified and as God, sinless – but because others considered him a threat to their power and beliefs. We now know that Jesus’ death was part of your grand design to save the world from eternal damnation. Thank you, Father, for loving me so much. Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save me. I trust in you. Amen. 

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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.