Songs of Ascent
FASCINATE MY SPIRIT #355
Title: ”Songs of Ascent”
Scripture: Psalm 120-134
Date: May 20, 2022
God Helped Me
A song of the stairway
I was desperate for you to help me in my struggles, and you did!
So come and deliver me now
from this treachery and false accusation.
O lying deceivers, don’t you know what is your fate?
You will be pierced through with condemnation
and consumed with burning coals of fire!
Why am I doomed to live as an alien,
scattered among these cruel savages?
Am I destined to dwell in the darkened tents of desert nomads?
For too long I’ve had to live among those who hate peace.
I speak words of peace while they speak words of war,
but they refuse to listen.
God Protects Us
A song of the stairway
I look up to the mountains and hills, longing for God’s help.
But then I realize that our true help and protection
is only from the Lord,
our Creator who made the heavens and the earth.
He will guard and guide me, never letting me stumble or fall.
God is my keeper; he will never forget nor ignore me.
He will never slumber nor sleep;
he is the Guardian-God for his people, Israel.
Yahweh himself will watch over you;
he’s always at your side to shelter you safely in his presence.
He’s protecting you from all danger both day and night.
He will keep you from every form of evil or calamity
as he continuously watches over you.
You will be guarded by God himself.
You will be safe when you leave your home,
and safely you will return.
He will protect you now,
and he’ll protect you forevermore!
Jerusalem
A song of the stairway by King David
I was overjoyed when they said,
“Let’s go up to the house of the Lord.”
And now at last we stand here, inside the very gates of Jerusalem!
O Jerusalem, you were built as a city of praise,
where God and man mingle together.
This is where all the tribes of Yahweh are required
to come and worship him.
This is where the thrones of kings have been established
to rule in righteousness;
even King David ruled from here.
Pray and seek for Jerusalem’s peace,
for all who love her will prosper!
O Jerusalem, may there be peace for those
who dwell inside your walls
and prosperity in your every palace.
I intercede for the sake of my family and friends
who dwell there, that they may all live in peace.
For the sake of your house, Yahweh our God,
I will seek the welfare and prosperity of Jerusalem.
A Prayer for Mercy
A song of the stairway
O God-Enthroned in heaven, I lift my eyes toward you in worship.
The way I love you
is like the way a servant wants to please his master,
the way a maid waits for the orders of her mistress.
We look to you, our God, with passionate longing
to please you and discover more of your mercy and grace.
For we’ve had more than our fill of this scoffing and scorn—
this mistreatment by the wealthy elite.
Lord, show us your mercy!
Lord, show us your grace!
Victory
A song of the stairway by King David
What if God had not been on our side? Let all Israel admit this!
What if God had not been there for us?
Our enemies, in their violent anger,
would have swallowed us up alive!
The nations, with their flood of rage, would have swept us away,
and we would have drowned
and perished beneath their torrent of terror!
We can praise God over and over that he never left us!
God wouldn’t allow the terror of our enemies to defeat us.
We are free from the hunter’s trap;
their snare is broken and we have escaped!
For the same God who made everything,
our Creator and our mighty maker,
he himself is our helper and defender!
God’s Surrounding Presence
A song of the stairway
Those who trust in the Lord are as unshakable,
as unmovable as mighty Mount Zion!
Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord’s wraparound presence
surrounds his people, protecting them now and forever.
The wicked will not always rule over the godly,
provoking them to do what is evil.
God, let your goodness be given away to your good people,
to all your righteous ones!
But those who turn away from truth—
them you will turn away from you, to follow their crooked ways.
You will give them just what they deserve.
May Israel experience peace and prosperity!
Restored
A song of the stairway
It was like a dream come true
when you freed us from our bondage and brought us back to Zion!
We laughed and laughed and overflowed with gladness.
We were left shouting for joy and singing your praise.
All the nations saw it and joined in, saying,
“The Lord has done great miracles for them!”
Yes, he did mighty miracles and we are overjoyed!
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory!
May streams of your refreshing flow over us
until our dry hearts are drenched again.
Those who sow their tears as seeds
will reap a harvest with joyful shouts of glee.
They may weep as they go out carrying their seed to sow,
but they will return with joyful laughter and shouting with gladness
as they bring back armloads of blessing and a harvest overflowing!
God and His Gifts
A song of the stairway by King Solomon
If God’s grace doesn’t help the builders,
they will labor in vain to build a house.
If God’s mercy doesn’t protect the city,
all the sentries will circle it in vain.
It really is senseless to work so hard
from early morning till late at night,
toiling to make a living for fear of not having enough.
God can provide for his devoted lovers even while they sleep!
Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward.
Children born to a young couple will one day rise to protect
and provide for their parents.
Happy will be the couple who has many of them!
A household full of children will not bring shame on your name
but victory when you face your enemies,
for your offspring will have influence and honor
to prevail on your behalf!
The Blessings of the Lord
A song of the stairway
How joyous are those who love the Lord and bow low before God,
ready to obey him!
Your reward will be prosperity, happiness, and well-being.
Your wife will bless your heart and home.
Your children will bring you joy as they gather around your table.
Yes, this is God’s generous reward for those who love him.
May the Lord bless you out of his Zion-glory!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
throughout your lifetime.
And may you be surrounded by your grandchildren.
Happiness to you! And happiness to Israel!
Persecuted But Not Defeated
A song of the stairway
Let all Israel admit it.
From our very beginning we have been persecuted by the nations.
And from our very beginning
we have faced never-ending discrimination.
Nevertheless, our enemies have not defeated us. We’re still here!
They have hurt us more than can be expressed,
ripping us to shreds, cutting deeply into our souls.
But no matter what, the Lord is good to us.
He is a righteous God who stood to defend us,
breaking the chains of the evil ones that bound us.
May all who hate the Jews
fall back in disgrace to a shameful defeat!
Let them be like grass planted in shallow soil
that soon withers with no sustenance.
Let them be like weeds ignored by the reaper
and worthless to the harvester.
Let no one who sees them say,
“May the blessings of Yahweh be upon your life.
May the Lord bless you.”
Out of the Depths
A song of the stairway
Lord, I cry out to you out of the depths of my despair!
Hear my voice, O God!
Answer this prayer and hear my plea for mercy.
Lord, if you measured us and marked us with our sins,
who would ever have their prayers answered?
But your forgiving love is what makes you so wonderful.
No wonder you are loved and worshiped!
This is why I wait upon you, expecting your breakthrough,
for your Word brings me hope.
I long for you more than any watchman
would long for the morning light.
I will watch and wait for you, O God,
throughout the night.
O Israel, keep hoping, keep trusting,
and keep waiting on the Lord,
for he is tenderhearted, kind, and forgiving.
He has a thousand ways to set you free!
He himself will redeem you;
he will ransom you from the cruel slavery of your sins!
My Heart Is Meek
A song of the stairway by King David
Lord, my heart is meek before you.
I don’t consider myself better than others.
I’m content to not pursue matters that are over my head—
such as your complex mysteries and wonders—
that I’m not yet ready to understand.
I am humbled and quieted in your presence.
Like a contented child who rests on its mother’s lap,
I’m your resting child and my soul is content in you.
O people of God, your time has come to quietly trust,
waiting upon the Lord now and forever.
David’s Dynasty
A song of the stairway
Lord, please don’t forget all the hardships
David had to pass through.
And how he promised you, Jacob’s mighty God, saying,
“I will not cross the threshold of my own home
to sleep in my own bed.
I will not sleep or slumber,
nor even take time to close my eyes in rest,
until I find a place for you to dwell, O mighty God of Jacob.
I devote myself to finding a resting place for you!”
First we heard that the ark was at Bethlehem.
Then we found it in the forest of Kiriath-Jearim.
Let’s go into God’s dwelling place
and bow down and worship before him.
Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place,
both you and the ark of your glorious strength!
May your priests wear the robes of righteousness,
and let all your godly lovers sing for joy!
Don’t forsake your anointed king now,
but honor your servant David.
For you gave your word and promised David
in an unbreakable oath that one of his sons
would be sitting on the throne to succeed him as king.
You also promised that if David’s sons
would be faithful to keep their promise to follow you,
obeying the words you spoke to them,
then David’s dynasty would never end.
Lord, you have chosen Zion as your dwelling place,
for your pleasure is fulfilled in making it your home.
I hear you say, “I will make this place my eternal dwelling,
for I have loved and desired it as my very own!
I will make Zion prosper and
satisfy her poor with my provision.
I will cover my priests with salvation’s power,
and all my righteous ones will shout for joy!
I will increase the anointing that was upon David,
and my glistening glory will rest upon my anointed one.
I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but holiness will bloom on my anointed one.”
Unity
A song of the stairway by King David
How truly wonderful and delightful it is
to see brothers and sisters living together in sweet unity!
It’s as precious as the sacred scented oil
flowing from the head of the high priest Aaron,
dripping down upon his beard and running all the way down
to the hem of his priestly robes.
This harmony can be compared to the dew
dripping from Mount Hermon,
which flows down upon the hills of Zion.
Indeed, that is where Yahweh has decreed his blessings
will be found, the promise of life forevermore!
The Night Watch
A song of the stairway
All his loving priests who serve and sing,
come and sing your song of blessing to God.
Come and stand before him in the house of God
throughout the night watch,
lifting up your hands in holy worship; come and bless the Lord!
May the Lord, whom you worship,
the mighty maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion’s glory!
- Psalm 120-134 (The Passion Translation)