Ascent

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord.

With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.

(Psalm 84:1-2 NLT)

One of the types of psalms in the Bible is a Psalm of Ascent, which was used in preparation for worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. As we prepare for worship this morning, let’s use these as part of our prayer preparation.

We lift up our eyes to you who sit enthroned in heaven. Our eyes look to the Lord our God till you show us your mercy. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt or ridicule from the arrogant or contempt from the proud.

We know our Lord has been on our side. If the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us,
they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us. The flood would have engulfed us,
and the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters sweeping us away.

Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the broken fowler’s snare. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

We are those who trust in the Lord. So we 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 forevermore.

The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, but we pray, Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts. Our souls yearn, even faint, for the courts of the Lord;
our hearts and flesh cry out for the living God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; we would rather be doorkeepers in the house of our God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

You are a sun and shield who bestows favor and honor. No good thing do you withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed are we who trust in you.

Peace be on your people.

Amen.

(Adapted from Psalms 84, 123, 124, and 126 NIV)