Psalm – Mind Journeys

Psalm 148 for Western Australia (revisited)

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the sky!
Praise him in the heavens!
²Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all his heavenly mob!
³Praise him, O sun and moon!
Praise him, all you shiny stars!
⁴Praise him, O Milky Way,
and you Southern Cross at the heart of the skies!
⁵Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he gave the command and they came into existence.
⁶He established them so they would endure;
he issued a decree that will not be revoked.
⁷Praise the Lord from the earth,
you orcas and all you great whales,
⁸O fire and hail, snow and clouds,
O stormy wind that carries out his orders,
⁹you Porongurups and all you Hamersleys,
you quandongs and all you karri trees,
¹⁰you merinos and all you cattle,
you bungarras and you emus,
¹¹you elders of the Wardandi and all you Noongars,
you Aunties and all you Yamaji and desert folk,
you refugees and you fifth generation Australians,
¹²you young men and young women,
you elderly, along with you children!
¹³Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
¹⁴He has made his people victorious,
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise—
the West Australians, the people who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

New English Translation (NET)

Orcas off Bremer Bay, W.A. Image by Dave and Fiona Harvey

Psalm 84 for Western Australia

¹How lovely is the place where you live,
O Lord who rules over all!
²I desperately want to be
in the courts of the Lord’s temple.
My heart and my entire being shout for joy
to the living God.

³Even the birds find a home there,
and the blue wren builds a nest,
where she can protect her young
near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,
my king and my God.
⁴How blessed are those who live in your temple
and praise you continually!

⁵How blessed are those who find their strength in you,
and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple!
⁶As they pass through the Sandy Desert,
he provides a spring for them.
The rain even covers it with pools of water.
⁷They are sustained as they travel along;
in their hearts is the highway to Zion.

⁸O Lord, sovereign God,
hear my prayer!
Listen, O God of Jacob!
⁹O God, take notice of our shield!
Show concern for your chosen king!

¹⁰Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better
than spending a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God
than live in the houses of the wicked.

¹¹For the Lord God is our sovereign protector.
The Lord bestows favour and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.
¹²O Lord who rules over all,
how blessed are those who trust in you!

New English Translation (NET)

gnamma-hole-mukinbudin — Gnamma hole, Mukinbudin, W.A. Courtesy Wheatbelttourism.com

Psalm 24 for Western Australia

Psalm 24

A psalm of David.

¹The Lord owns Western Australia and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
²For he set its foundation upon the two oceans,
and established it upon the Leeuwin currents.
³Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may go up to his sterling dwelling place?
⁴Those whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure,
who do not lie,
or make promises with no intention of keeping them.
⁵Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord,
and vindicated by the God who delivers them.
⁶Such purity characterises the people who seek his favour,
Wollaston’s descendants, who pray to him.
⁷Look up from Karinjini park, you water-tunnels!
Rise up, you eternal gorges!
Then the majestic king will enter!
⁸Who is this majestic king?
The Lord who is strong and mighty!
The Lord whose power is breathtaking!
⁹Look up, you gorges!
Rise up, you walls of the abyss!
Then the majestic king will enter!
¹⁰Who is this majestic king?
The Lord who gives life breath!
He is the majestic king!

New English Translation (NET)

dsc_0076-680x1024 — A gorge in the Karinjini National Park. Image: Tom Price Visitors’ Centre. W.A.

Psalm 29 for a flooded Western Australia

Psalm 29 for Western Australia

A Psalm of David

¹Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings,

acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power!

² Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation!

Worship the Lord in holy attire!

³ The Lord’s shout is heard over the water;

the majestic God thunders,

the Lord appears over the surging water.

⁴ The Lord’s shout is powerful,

the Lord’s shout is majestic.

⁵ The Lord’s shout breaks the jarrah trees,

the Lord shattersthe karris of Pemberton.

⁶ He makes Esperance skip like a calf

and Northam like an emu chick.

⁷ The Lord’s shout strikes with flaming fire.

⁸ The Lord’s shout shakes the desert,

the Lord shakes the Great Sandy Desert.

⁹ The Lord’s shout bendsthe large trees

and stripsthe leaves from the forests.

Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters,

the Lord sits enthronedas the eternal king.

¹¹ The Lord giveshis people strength;

the Lord grants his people security.

northam-in-flood-feb17 — Flood waters near Williams WA. 13/2/2017 *Courtesy ABC*

Psalm 34 for WA

Psalm 34:1-10 for WA

I will bless the Lord at all times:
his praise shall be in my mouth.

Let my soul boast of the Lord:
The battlers shall hear it and be happy.
O praise the Lord with me:
let us lift up his name together.

For I looked for the Lord’s help and he answered:
and he freed me from all my fears.

Look towards him and be bright with joy:
your faces shall not be discouraged.

Here is a wretch who cried, and the Lord heard me:
and saved me from all my troubles.

The angel of the Lord places his mia mia behind me:
and kindles his campfire to protect me.

O taste and see that the Lord is good:
happy are they who find sanctuary in him!

Be in awe of the Lord, all you his holy ones:
for if you are, you will have all you need.

Dingoes may go without and be hungry:
but those who seek the Lord lack nothing good.

David Frost (A Prayer Book for Australia) adapted Ted Witham