angela hormberg

Tag: Psalms of Prayer

  • Psalm 144

    Psalm 144

    Commonplace –

    “My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me” (Psalm 144:2).

    Throwing off the heaviness of the previous three psalms, David begins Psalm 144 with a happy cry, “Blessed be the Lord my strength” (144:1). He acknowledges God as his hiding place, his savior, his protection, his source of strength and One who is trustworthy. David has experienced God’s goodness in difficult times, and his testimony is true. He asks to be delivered from unbelieving men and strange children, who are unaware of their own finiteness, and rejoices in the infinity of God. He ends by beseeching God for sons like plants and daughters like palace cornerstones. He prays for full granaries, flocks of healthy sheep, and strong oxen. He declares that this is happiness; a happy home, where children are healthy, flocks are prolific, and oxen are strong, and where God is Lord.

    “In singing this psalm we may give God the glory of our spiritual privileges and advancements, and fetch in help from him against our spiritual enemies; we may pray for the prosperity of our souls, of our families, and of our land; and, in the opinion of some of the Jewish writers, we may refer the psalm to the Messiah and his kingdom” (Henry 630).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 144.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 143

    Psalm 143

    Commonplace –

    “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness” (Psalm 143:10).

    Like Psalm 141 and Psalm 142, Psalm 143 begins with David asking God to hear his prayer, “Hear my prayer, O Lord” (Psalm 143:1). David’s heart is heavy, and his soul is downtrodden. Alone and despondent he reaches out to God, “Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble” (Psalm 143:11). In times of trouble, when faced with the limits of this finite world, our consolation is the reality of eternity. When we acknowledge the eternal in our time bound existence, we step outside our circumstances and put our troubles into perspective. Prayer is the ultimate act of revolution; it is choosing hope in the midst of despair. It is the belief that God actually can bring one’s soul out of trouble, even in the midst of it. In verse 10, David is asking God to infuse him with the will needed to choose right. He affirms God’s goodness and asks God to lead him in the path of uprightness. It is in this affirmation of God’s goodness that the first step on the path to goodness is taken.

    “Preservations are pledges of salvation, and those shall find God their hiding-place who by faith make him such” (Henry 630).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 143.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 142

    Psalm 142

    Commonplace –

    “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.

    I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:4-5).

    Like Psalm 141, Psalm 142 begins with David crying out to God. He shares his troubles with God. He speaks of his loneliness and despair; no person is there to help him. Then, David reminds himself that God is his refuge and portion in the “land of the living”. Even if man abandons him, God is ever present. He ends on a confident note with full faith that God will save him:

    “…the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me” (Psalm 142:7b).

    Matthew Henry advises the following:

    “Those that are troubled in mind, body, or estate, may, in singing this psalm (if they sing it in some measure with David’s spirit), both warrant his complaints and fetch in his comforts” (626).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 142.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 141

    Psalm 141

    Commonplace –

    “Let my prayer be set before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).

    In this psalm, David begins with a plea, begging the Lord to hear his voice. First, David asks that his prayers permeate the air with a sweet aroma and his hands be seen as a living sacrifice for the Lord’s work. Then, he entreats God to guard his mouth and his heart from wickedness. He welcomes the reproach of the righteous as a kindness, an excellent oil. Even though David is in the midst of struggle, he pledges his allegiance and devotion to God. He asks for protection from evil and prays for justice to be served to the wicked, while he escapes their traps.

    Psalm 141 is a good example of what to do in times of struggle. Keep focused on God and seek his protection from temptation. It’s a reaffirming of the good, which is right at all times, but it becomes most important during times of temptation and struggle. It is both our best shield and weapon, our protection and defense.

    In regard to this, Matthew Henry comments,

    “Is any distressed? Let him pray; David did so, and had the comfort of it” (624).

    Likewise, let prayer be our comfort in times of hardship.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 141.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 140

    Psalm 140

    Commonplace –

    “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

    Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence” (Psalm 140:12-13).

    The psalmist, David, opens this psalm with the very real prayer of protection from the evil man, the violent man, the wicked man, and the proud man. As we live in the world, we, too, must pray similar prayers of protection against these types of evil actors and mischief makers. David pleads for justice to be done and evil to be confounded. Then, he appropriately turns his gaze from that which surrounds him on earth upward to God, who holds the world in His hand. In the last two verses, David reorients his focus on God and, praising God and encouraging himself, reminds himself that God will keep watch and protection over His own. He closes with the confident words “the righteous shall give thanks…the upright shall dwell in thy presence” (Psalm 140:13).

    As Matthew Henry points out,

    “[David] assures all God’s afflicted people that their troubles would in due time end well (v.12,13), with which assurance we must comfort ourselves, and one another, in singing this psalm” (622).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 140.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg