Psalms 144-146 from my new book:

A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD PSALMS

Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation

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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

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Psalm 144

B

lessed be the Lord who prepares me for war against my sinful passions. He is my shelter and my salvation; my savior and liberator. He is the God in whom I hope for protection; the one who gives me the power to overcome evil temptations.

Lord, why do you concern yourself with such a weak creature as man? He has become so vain, yet he is just a fleeting shadow. Lord, make your presence known. Make your volcanoes smoke; shoot your arrows of lightning. That will scare off the wicked. You sent your Son, Jesus, from on high to save us from arrogant and self-centered men. Such men speak nothing but lies and make promises they have no intention of keeping. Lord, come and rescue me, just as you rescued Jesus, our King, from the grave and consequently destroyed the fear of death for us all.

So free me, Lord, from the grasp of the ungodly whose words and vows mean nothing. Let your sons and daughters grow in virtue, and may we live our life abundantly, filled with your grace. May we not give in to temptation or fear for our souls again. The righteous will call us blessed, but our true blessing comes from having Jesus, our Lord and our God, as our Savior. Amen.⁶⁸

Psalm 145

(The Church prays and glorifies Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.)

J

esus, the Church exalts your name, for you are our God and King, the Lord of all. We will worship you every day on earth and forever in heaven. Your greatness exceeds all knowing. You are most worthy to be praised. Your Church blesses you for becoming man, and we stand in awe of the power you showed in your mighty work of salvation. We will proclaim the magnificent glory of your goodness. We will sing of your majesty and wondrous deeds. We will always remember your love and compassion.

You, Lord, are merciful, kind, patient, and good to all your people. The angels, saints, and your faithful on earth magnify your name. They sing of the glory of heaven, the power of your marvelous works, and the eternal reign of God.

Faithful to his promises and compassionate to his children, the Lord supports the weak and heals the brokenhearted. We all trust him to supply our needs and help us live life abundantly. He does what is right and just. He loves all that he has created. He is ready to help those who revere him; he will save them. The Lord watches over all who give their hearts to him, but he will condemn hardened sinners. I will praise the Lord. May all his people worship him forever and ever. Amen.⁶⁹

Psalm 146

I

will bless the Lord, my soul, every day of my life. Do not place your trust in people, even those in power. They cannot save you. Their thoughts perish with them when they die. But the one who depends on the Lord is blessed indeed. He made the planets and stars; the earth, oceans, and seas; and all the life that swims in them. The Lord is forever truthful. He brings justice to those treated unfairly; feeds the hungry; sets prisoners free; lifts up the downtrodden; helps the blind to understand what they cannot see; loves the godly; befriends the lonely; and cares for orphans and widows. But he will condemn the wicked. The Lord will rule over his people forever. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Alleluia! Matt 28:20 (NLT) 

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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.
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⁶⁸The Psalms, New International Version, St. Joseph Catholic Edition. 

(New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing Corp., 1996), 774.
⁶⁹Ibid., p. 775

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.