Prayer poem: Not forsaken

PRAYER POEM

Not forsaken

by Irene Bom
 

‘For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.’ (Psalm 22:24)

My God, my God,
though others scorn me,
abhor or ignore me,
I am not forsaken,
for you have not forsaken me.

With you
there is no push back, no repelling,
no turning away in horror or distaste.
My God, my God,
a bruised reed you will not break.

With you
the lowborn are not loathsome;
the afflicted ones you don’t despise.
My God, my God,
I offer my broken spirit as my sacrifice.

With you
scorn is shamed by a radical welcome
for you favour the lowly things of the world.
My God, my God,
I praise you, for I am seen and I am heard.
 

From the PRAYER MATTERS blog
On writing prayer poems
 

Prayer poem: Sweet words

PRAYER POEM

Sweet words

by Irene Bom
 

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
 
My Rock and my Redeemer,
your words are solid and sweeter
than honey dripping from the comb;
your words are pure gold.
May the words that slip from my lips
be deeply pleasing, sweet to your taste.
My Rock and my Redeemer,
season my tongue
for your sweet name’s sake.
 

From the PRAYER MATTERS blog
On writing prayer poems
 

Script for 3 voices – Psalm 145

PERFORM A PSALM

Psalm 145

for 3 voices, with group response

SING
1 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

VOICE ONE
3 Great is the LORD / Great is the LORD
and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

VOICE TWO
8 The LORD is gracious / The LORD is gracious
and compassionate / compassionate,
slow to anger / slow to anger
and rich in love / rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all / The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.

VOICE THREE
13 The LORD is trustworthy / The LORD is trustworthy
in all he promises and faithful / faithful
in all he does.
14 The LORD upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

VOICE ONE
17 The LORD is righteous / The LORD is righteous
in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
18 The LORD is near / The LORD is near
to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

TOGETHER
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

SING
2 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same;
his holy name the Lord, the Mighty One.

 
PERFORM A PSALM: PROMPTS

– Let the text guide and inspire your choices
– Less is more: select, focus
– Point of view, pronouns
– Words: repetition, variation, call and response, reword, translate
– Sound: loud/soft, solo voice/multiple voices
– Silence
– Body: stationary/movement
– Props, furnishings
– Atmosphere
– Flow
– Incorporate references to other Bible passages (optional)
 

Inspired by the psalms – Postcards

In 2020, at the height of Covid, I found Rev. Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia’s 8-week Bible Reading Plan: Psalms by Theme online.

I introduced the reading plan to members of my congregation and we met weekly on zoom to share our progress and our findings. Each week I selected a verse to feature on a collage postcard. Later I turned my collection of cards into an 8-page A5 booklet. This is the result.
 

 
BLESSING / Psalm 67:7
May God continue to pour his grace and blessing on us, so that even earth’s farthest parts stand in awe of him
 
DOUBT / Psalm 77:11
I will remember the deeds of the Lord
 
FAITHFULNESS / Psalm 146:5
Blessed is he whose help is in the God of Jacob
 
HELP / Psalm 54:4
You, Lord, give me strength to keep going
 
POWER OF GOD / Psalm 135:3
Praise the Lord for he is altogether good
 
SAFETY IN GOD / Psalm 142:3
When I sink into despair, you know exactly how I feel
 
MERCY / Psalm 28:7
My heart trusts in [the Lord] and I am helped
 

Singing the psalms – Psalm 23

SINGING THE PSALMS / PSALMS FOR ALL AGES

THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD [Psalm 23]

Bm 
    The Lord’s my shepherd
 
He takes  
Em7 
such good care of me
Bm 
    The Lord’s my shepherd
 
He takes  
Em7 
such good care of  
F#m7 
me     
F#7 
Bm 
I have all I  
Em7 
need
 
I have  
F#7 
all I  
Bm 
need

 
2. The Lord’s my shepherd
There’s no need to feel afraid
The Lord’s my shepherd
There’s no need to feel afraid
He will keep me safe (x2)

3. The Lord’s my shepherd
He’s a generous, loving host
The Lord’s my shepherd
He’s a generous, loving host
My cup overflows (x2)

4. The Lord’s my shepherd
In his house I feel at home
The Lord’s my shepherd
In his house I feel at home
His love makes me glow (x2)

 
words and music: © Irene Bom

Recording from the Send us a friend album

 

Singing the psalms – Psalm 117

SINGING THE PSALMS
ALL YOU NATIONS PRAISE THE LORD

I often draw on the psalms for inspiration when writing songs on a Christian theme. Here is one I wrote for a Resound 12 Song Challenge in July 2024, marking the 350th birthday of hymnwriter Isaac Watts.

The song is a version of Psalm 117, with an Isaac Watts twist – bringing Jesus and the whole Trinity into the mix.
 

 
[Capo 5]

 
E 
All you nations  
Amaj7 
praise the Lord
E 
Bring Him  
Bm 
praise
Amaj7 
Worship Jesus,  
Am7 
all you peoples
E 
Praise Him,  
Amaj7 
praise His  
E 
Name.

 

Bm7 
Great is the love the  
C#m7 
Father has for us
Bm7 
He gave His only  
E 
Son
F#m7 
Great is the love that  
Bm7 
keeps on giving
 
The  
F#m7 
Everlasting  
B7 
Three-in-One

 

All you nations …

 
words and music: © Irene Bom