EDINBURGH NORTHWEST KIRK
MARCH PRAYER DIARY
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
(Psalm 23 : 1)
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Prayers for each day
2 Mar Pray for our services today at Cramond and Pennywell
3 Mar for political leaders in Europe in very uncertain times
4 Mar for the people of Ukraine in the continuing conflict
5 Mar for the ceasefire in the Middle East to be maintained
6 Mar for the Kirk Session meeting this evening
7 Mar for youth work in the parish
8 Mar for the international community helping with the rebuilding of Gaza
9 Mar Pray for our joint service at Pennywell
10 Mar Pray for Julia and her family
11 Mar Pray for the ministry of the Bethany Trust in Edinburgh
12 Mar Pray for the Ukrainian people resident in Scotland
13 Mar Pray for Christian Aid’s ministry in Sudan and South Sudan
14 Mar for the Moderator, Rev Shaw Paterson
15 Mar This month we are asked to pray for the CrossReach Threshold ministry in Edinburgh working with those who have learning disabilities
16 Mar Pray for our services at Cramond and Pennywell
17 Mar Pray for those of our community dealing with mental health issues
18 Mar for those recently bereaved
19 Mar for Emma McMillan in her studies
20 Mar pray for Fresh Start
21 Mar pray for the ministry of Blythswood care both in this country and overseas
22 Mar pray for Julia and her family
23 Mar Pray for our services at Cramond and Pennywell
24 Mar Prayer scripture - Proverbs 3 : 5 - 6
25 Mar Prayer scripture - Isaiah 40 : 25 - 31
26 Mar Prayer scripture - Matthew 5 : 43 - 48
27 Mar Prayer scripture - Romans 8 : 35 - 39
28 Mar Prayer scripture - Ephesians 3 : 14 - 21
29 Mar Prayer scripture - Psalm 139 : 1 – 6
30 Mar Mothering Sunday
31 Mar Pray for those helping to lead services in April
Reflection
Psalm 99 is one of a small set of psalms that exuberantly proclaim the countercultural message that the Lord reigns as king over the entire universe.
“The Lord is king! Let the peoples tremble!” (99:1)
“The Lord is king, he is clothed in majesty” (93:1)
“The Lord is a great God, and a great king above all gods” (95:3)
“Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!’” (96:10)
“The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice!” (97:1)
“Make a joyful noise before the king, the Lord!” (98:6)
“For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! (47:7)
“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of God … the city of the great king” (48:1a, 2b).
These psalms are known as the enthronement psalms or, more simply, as the yahweh mālāk psalms, after a key phrase that occurs in many of these psalms. The key phrase yahweh mālāk is usually translated as “The Lord reigns” or “The Lord is king.” Not to be confused with the royal psalms that celebrate the human, Davidic king, the enthronement psalms celebrate Israel’s God Yahweh as the universal, divine king.
For Christians who are well-accustomed to confessing either “Christ the king” or “God the king,” it may be easy to miss the astonishing, countercultural claim of these psalms. But if we take a little time and exercise a little imagination, we can tune our ears to hear the proclamation of these psalms.
Imagine where this psalm and others were performed in the ancient world: in a modest little temple (let’s be honest), on a smallish mountain (Zion), in a tiny little kingdom (Judah) that was constantly being dominated by the great empires of the age (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Seleucid, Rome). In that setting, some priest, poet, or prophet struck up the courage to announce that its God—the Lord—was the king of the entire earth and heaven. And therefore, “the peoples” should tremble because he is “exalted over all the peoples.”
Seriously? We can be pretty sure that the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Seleucids, and Romans were not overly impressed. They were often quite annoyed by this little kingdom Judah, whose people so often rebelled against their imperial control. But they were not too impressed, as one imperial official—the Assyrian Rabshakeh—warned the Judeans during King Hezekiah’s rebellion of 701 BCE:
Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! … “Do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, ‘Yahweh will deliver us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered its land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that Yahweh should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’” (2 Kings 18:28b, 32b–35)
And yet, the priests, poets, and prophets of Judah continued to walk in faith and confess to the world in song: “The Lord is king! Let the peoples tremble!”
Rolf Jacobson
Professor of Old Testament
Luther Seminary
Saint Paul, MN
If you have a prayer request or a favourite prayer which you would care to share in a future Prayer Diary, please e-mail office@cramondkirk.org.uk