"GOD, PROTECT ME FROM THE EVIL ONE... LET ME DWELL IN YOUR PRESENCE" this Psalm begins a movement of 5 prayers that respond to the great, divine intimacy of Psalm 139 with the reality of that intimacy's desperate need for protection... Christians understand these Psalms from the last line of the "Lord's Prayer": deliver us from the evil one

For your meditation, we've taken out the commentary so you can simply listen to this ancient movement of the Psalms which leads us from a since of place, through a mantra prayer, into the depths of pain and rage, back up to a promise of love, and into the most intimate prayer of the Messiah's relationship with the Creator--a prayer of invitation and welcome Home.

This is not like any of our other episodes... We explore an entire movement of Psalms, and perhaps the most important movement in the Psalms as we arrive at the Prayer Book's zenith. Gaye and John give commentary to introduce each Psalm, then Ramona prays them for us... the next episode will just be Psalms 135-139 but with our commentary removed for your use in meditative prayer.

"God who made Heaven and Earth... we bless You"... this is the last of the Pilgrim Songs, the Psalms of Ascent sung the faithful go up to Zion. It is set in the dwelling place of the creator, the full homecoming.

"God, Anoint us with unity... bless us with life together"... this pilgrim song gives us lovely images of receiving this gift of unity against all the odds of the world.

"God, clothe me in Righteousness; Wrap me in Salvation"... Psalm 132 is the Messianic Psalm that looks back at the historical foundation of the Temple, forward to the Messianic fulfillment, and directly into our communal hearts as pilgrims.

"I give my sould over to Silence; I'm a weaned child resting against my mother"... Psalm 131 is what Gaye calls a Puddle that becomes a Well. One of the Pilgrim songs of a people ascending to Zion.

We continue the "Psalms of Ascent" the songs sung going up to Jerusalem for the celebration of the feasts, and this magnificent prayer holds us from the depths, teaches us the cry for ransom, and holds us in this marvelous image of God's "hesed" love

Again TWO "Psalms of Ascent" set right next to each other holding a lot of tension! We'll look at both of these Pilgrim Songs together, and how they hold the deep desire for protection next to the desperate need for healing after trauma.

this Psalm of Ascents, a pilgrim song sung by the crowds headed to Jerusalem, is a stunning image of responsibility and surrender, parenting and release, productivity and de-centering ourselves to truly see God's power.