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Psalms 144
1Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands to war, and my fingers to battle—
2my loving kindness, my fortress, my high tower, my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.
3LORD, what is man, that you care for him? Or the , that you think of him?
4Man is like a breath. His days are like a shadow that passes away.
5Part your heavens, LORD, and come down. Touch the , and they will smoke.
6Throw out lightning, and scatter them. Send out your arrows, and rout them.
7Stretch out your hand from above, rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hands of foreigners,
8whose mouths speak , whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9I will sing a new song to you, God. On a ten-stringed lyre, I will sing praises to you.
10You are he who gives to , who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
11Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners, whose mouths speak , whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants, our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
13Our barns are full, filled with all kinds of provision. Our sheep produce thousands and ten thousands in our fields.
14Our oxen will pull heavy loads. There is no breaking in, and no going away, and no outcry in our streets.
15Happy are the people who are in such a situation. Happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
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Questions this passage answers
Who is God?
God is the one living Creator who made everything and depends on nothing, and Scripture answers this question mainly by telling us his character rather than by defining his substance. When God described himself to Moses he said he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth, and yet will by no means clear the guilty. The New Testament adds that this God is finally known in Jesus Christ, who has made him known.
Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by many human authors over a long period, and Scripture presents itself as God-breathed rather than as human opinion. Some books name their writer, some do not, and honest study says which is which. Paul calls every Scripture God-breathed, and Peter says no prophecy came by the will of man but that people spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, which is the Bible's own account of how both authors are involved at once.
Can the Bible be trusted?
Scripture claims to be true and invites examination rather than avoiding it. It says God's word is truth and that it stands when everything else fades, and the New Testament writers appeal to eyewitnesses, named places and public events rather than to private experience. Trust in Scripture is finally trust in the God who speaks in it, and the clearest reason a Christian gives for that trust is that Jesus treated these writings as God's own word.
How should I pray?
When the disciples asked this, Jesus answered with a pattern rather than a technique. Pray to your Father, in private, without performance and without needing many words, because he already knows what you need. The prayer he gave begins with God's name, kingdom and will, then asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. Scripture adds that we may bring everything, that the Spirit helps our weakness, and that we can ask with confidence when we ask according to God's will.