"Be Still, and Know That I Am God" – Psalms for Peace

Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, an everpresent help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.

Though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging, there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the most high dwells. God is within her. She will not fall.

God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar. Kingdoms fall.

He lifts his voice. The earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us.

The God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done. The desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the shields with fire.

He says, "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 62.

Truly my soul finds rest in God. My salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation.

He is my fortress. I will never be shaken. How long will you assault me?

Would all of you throw me down? This leaning wall, this tottering fence. Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place.

They take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Yes, my soul, find rest in God.

My hope comes from him. Truly, he is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress.

I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor. Depend on God.

He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing. Together they are only a breath.

Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods. Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard.

Power belongs to you, God. And with you, Lord, is unfailing love. And you reward everyone according to what they have done.

[Music] Psalm 37. Do not fret because of those who are evil, or be envious of those who do wrong. For like the grass, they will soon wither.

Like green plants, they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in him and he will do this.

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wroth. Do not fret. It leads only to evil.

For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while and the wicked will be no more. Though you look for them, they will not be found.

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the righteous and nash their teeth at them. But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked.

For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The blameless spend their days under the Lord's care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster, they will not wither.

In days of famine, they will enjoy plenty. But the wicked will perish. Though the Lord's enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed.

They will go up in smoke. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. Though he may stumble, he will not fall. For the Lord upholds him with his hand.

I was young and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely.

Their children will be a blessing. Turn from evil and do good. Then you will dwell in the land forever.

For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed. The offspring of the wicked will perish.

The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts.

Their feet do not slip. The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death. But the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxurant native tree. But he soon passed away and was no more. Though I looked for him, he could not be found.

Consider the blameless. Observe the upright. A future awaits those who seek peace.

But all sinners will be destroyed. There will be no future for the wicked. The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.

He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 131. My heart is not proud, Lord. My eyes are not haughty.

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself. I am like a weaned child with its mother.

Like a weaned child, I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, both now and forever more. Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 91. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, "The Lord is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra. You will trample the great lion and the serpent. Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him.

I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble.

I will deliver him and honor him with long life. I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Psalm 27.

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

Of whom shall I be afraid. When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear.

Though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling.

He will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me. At his sacred tent, I will sacrifice with shouts of joy.

I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, Lord. Be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, seek his face. Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God is my savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord. Lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 127.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late toiling for food to eat.

For he grants sleep to those he loves. Children are a heritage from the Lord. offspring a reward from him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

Psalm 4. Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress.

Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?

Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself. The Lord hears when I call to him. Tremble and do not sin.

When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord. [Music] Many, Lord, are asking, "Who will bring us prosperity?

Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. In peace, I will lie down and sleep.

For you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 121. I lift up my eyes to the mountains.

Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip.

He who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you.

The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm.

He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more. Psalm 125.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forever more. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous.

For then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart, but those who turn to crooked ways, the Lord will banish with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel.

Psalm 16. Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, you are my Lord.

Apart from you, I have no good thing. I say of the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones in whom is all my delight. Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup. You make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord who counsels me.

Even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life.

You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 139. You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down.

You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you Lord know it completely. You hem me in behind and before and you lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.

Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me. " Even the darkness will not be dark to you.

The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God. How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake, I am still with you. If only you, God, would slay the wicked. Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty.

They speak of you with evil intent. Your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and uphour those who are in rebellion against you?

I have nothing but hatred for them. I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart.

Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 29.

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribed to the Lord the glory due his name.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders.

The Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sarion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert. The Lord shakes the desert of Kurdish.

The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, glory. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood.

The Lord is enthroned as king forever. The Lord gives strength to his people. The Lord blesses his people with peace.

[Music] Psalm 94. The Lord is a God who avenges. Oh God who avenges, shine forth.

Rise up, judge of the earth. Pay back to the proud what they deserve. How long, Lord, will the wicked?

How long will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers are full of boasting.

They crush your people, Lord. They oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the foreigner.

They murder the fatherless. They say, "The Lord does not see. The God of Jacob takes no notice.

" Take notice, you senseless ones among the people, you fools. When will you become wise? Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?

Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?

The Lord knows all human plans. He knows that they are futile. Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord, the one you teach from your law.

You grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject his people. He will never forsake his inheritance.

Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, "My foot is slipping. " Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Can a corrupt throne be allied with you? a throne that brings on misery by its decrees.

The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my fortress and my God, the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness.

The Lord our God will destroy them. Psalm 34. I will extol the Lord at all times.

His praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord. Let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me.

He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called and the Lord heard him. He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good.

Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil to blot out their name from the earth.

The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them. He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He protects all his bones. Not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked. The foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord will rescue his servants.

No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. Psalm 84. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty.

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home and the swallow a nest for herself where she may have her young, a place near your altar.

Lord Almighty, my king and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs. The autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion. Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty. Listen to me, God of Jacob.

Look on our shield, oh God. Look with favor on your anointed one. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a son and shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold from those whose way of life is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. Psalm 145.

I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. His greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another.

They tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty. And I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They tell of the power of your awesome works. And I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all. He has compassion on all he has made.

All your works praise you, Lord. Your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.

The Lord is near to all who call on him. To all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him.

He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.

Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever. Psalm 103. Praise the Lord, my soul.

All my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever.

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are formed. He remembers that we are dust.

The life of mortals is like grass. They flourish like a flower in the field. The wind blows over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord's love is with those who fear him and his righteousness, with their children's children, with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

Praise the Lord all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.

Psalm 142. I cry aloud to the Lord. I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.

I pour out before him my complaint. Before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way.

In the path where I walk, people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see. There is no one at my right hand.

No one is concerned for me. I have no refuge. No one cares for my life.

I cry to you, Lord. I say, you are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need.

Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.